screams and whoops
Location: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia
Tidbit: also known by the names Oh-mah, Skookum, Tsiatoko, Soss q’tal and many others
URAYULI
Hair/Fur: long, reddish-brown shaggy fur
Eyes: luminescent, glowing
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Weight: 750 pounds
Body Appearance: long, lanky arms that reach to the ankles; no neck
Facial Features: apelike
Demeanor: blamed for trashing camps and stealing food but otherwise peaceful
Diet: fish, frogs, and dogs
Foot Size: 12–14 inches, 6-foot stride
Vocalization: high-pitched cries like a loon
Location: Southwest Alaska, said to live in the forests near Lake Iliamna
Tidbit: Urayuli means “hairy man.” Legend states this Bigfoot will transform lost children into Urayuli, but it will not harm them. In pop culture, it appears in Final Fantasy II. Other names include Arulataq, Bushman, Big Man, Tent Monster, Nant’ina, and Woodsman.
Alaska’s Other Bigfoot
The Tlingit of Southeastern Alaska called it Kushtaka.
The Den’aina of south central named it Nant’ina.
BIGFOOT OF THE MIDWEST
Also known as the Chenoo, this monster is sometimes referred to as a Bigfoot-type creature found across norther parts of the Midwest and Northeast. While the monster emerges from Native American folklore, it has become an interesting part of the Bigfoot culture. Most portrayals of Bigfoot across the Midwest are steeped in Native American culture. This may result from the many tribes who occupied the territory long before Europeans, as well as those who moved to and through the Midwest after they were pushed out of their eastern homes.
BEAMAN MONSTER
Facial Features: may have some features resembling a wolf or coyote
Foot Size: larger than a human
Location: seen near Kansas City, Missouri
Tidbit: The Beaman Monster is said to be a 12-foot tall gorilla that escaped after a circus train wrecked near the town of Beaman in 1904.
CEDAR BOG MONSTER
Hair/Fur: white or light
Eyes: red glowing
Height: taller than a man, around 7 feet
Facial Features: apelike
Characteristics: horrible odor—one local reported he smelled like Limburger cheese on a hot muffler
Demeanor: aggressive
Foot Size: 4 toes; 16 inches long, 4 inches wide; a stride of 40 inches
Vocalization: screams
Location: Champaign, Logan, and Union Counties in Ohio; thought to travel along the Mad River
Tidbit: People began seeing this creature as early as the 1940s, when Cedar Bog was officially designated a nature preserve. It is said to be responsible for the disappearance of a group of teenagers who went camping near the bog three years after it opened and were never seen again.
DEWEY LAKE MONSTER
Hair/Fur: prior to 1964, people reported a creature covered in black hair; recent reports suggest the creature is scaly
Height: 10 feet
Weight: 400 pounds or more
Body Appearance: bearlike claws on hands and feet, cone-shaped head
Face Appearance: humanlike
Characteristics: said to have gills and lungs; powerful swampy smell
Demeanor: aggressive, with reports of smashed and overturned cars
Foot Size: 18 inches long, 6 inches wide
Location: seen in the southwest of Michigan near Dewey Lake in Cass County; said to be semiaquatic, staying just beneath the water’s surface during the day but coming out at night to find food
Tidbit: also known as the Michigan Bigfoot or Sister Lakes Sasquatch
Legend: first noted after it attacked a group of vacationers the summer of 1964; publicity resulted in thousands of “monster hunters” and thrill seekers flocking to the area
GUGWE/CHENOO
Hair/Fur: very little. It is said the Chenoo rub themselves all over with poo-pooka-wigu, or fir balsam, and then roll themselves on the ground, so that everything adheres to the body—moss, leaves, and even small sticks.
Height: extremely tall
Body Appearance: humanlike giant; walks upright and has sharp claws, big hands, sagittal crest
Facial Features: snout similar to a mandrill, baboon, or bear; sharp teeth
Characteristics: able to grow in size when angry and can become as large as a pine tree in the forest
Demeanor: very scary, aggressive; lone hunters; always hungry; females are more aggressive and less reasonable than males
Diet: cannibalistic
Vocalization: loud and horrible shrieks, causing instant death to those who hear it
Location: northern woods of the Midwest and Northeast
Tidbit: also known as a “face eater.” If one saw a man coming, he would lie down and beat his chest, producing a sound like a partridge. Other names include Chenook, Wintiku, Giwakwa, and Kiwakwa. Legend states the Chenoo was once a human who became evil for committing a terrible crime. They are often associated with the Wendigo.
Legend: Their strength depends on the quantity or size of a human-shaped piece of ice that resides in the heart. You can read more on this monster in the history and legends chapter.
LOCKRIDGE MONSTER
