Arkansas is a nice quite southern state. The people are very polite and it is most likely a nice place to live, but according to some people there are evil forces at work there. Well, maybe not evil, but dangerous and strange. Am I talking about people going bad or animals going off the deep end such as bears and such attacking humans? Not at all, I am referring to a couple of monsters that have been reported over the years by seemingly credible witnesses.

Could the Fouke Monster look something like this?
Graphic Source: Me

We have all heard of Bigfoot and I have even written a recent article against there being one. In keeping with my policy of showing more than one side to an issue, I would like to discuss the Fouke Monster. It is called the Fouke Monster because it was spotted in Fouke, Arkansas. While it wasn't exactly referred to as a Bigfoot, the description matches the so called Bigfoot very closely, even though it is not anywhere near the northern part of the country. According to some, it smelled very bad, leading one to compare it to another type of animal called the Skunk Ape. Supposedly the animal is over 6 feet tall and is described as a smelly, hairy creature that walks on two legs, hey it sounds like someone I used to work with. A photo of the creature was taken in 2006, but it certainly is inconclusive at best. It seems that these photos are always taken from too far away or are so blurry that nothing can be ascertained by looking at them. Here is a link to the photo if you want to take a look at it, http://www.cryptomundo.com/bigfoot-report/fouke-monster-photo/ Just paste this address into your browser and away you go. I would link to it but I don't want to get an email telling me I shouldn't have done it and to unlink.

The Fouke Monster has become quite famous. Fouke, Arkansas sort of reminds me of Roswell, New Mexico. The stores in town sell Fouke Monster tee shirts, display newspaper headlines about the monster and hawk Monster dolls along with all types of souvenirs. The Monster is so famous that even three movies has been made about it. In 1973, The Legend of Boggy Creek made it to the theaters and a couple of sequels came out in subsequent years. Supposedly this monster has been chased at times and even shot at while it was running into the woods. I can't help but think how bad the shooter would have felt if he hit and killed it and when he caught up with it found some guy dead in a gorilla suit. I am not saying that it isn't real, just giving a what if. The people in the area say that the creature likes to mangle cattle and even dogs. The first time a sighting was made of the creature was when a Mrs. Ford stated that a hairy hand came through her window. She then reported that her husband and brother in law shot at the creature which was over six feet tall and hairy. It was reported that the creature seemed to be humanoid. The funny part of all this is that the indians that lived in the area before the white man came had been seeing these types of creatures for hundreds of years.

It is said that people in the 1850s saw the monster chasing their cattle. They reported a large hairy creature that had human like traits. Whatever this thing is, they have been seeing it a long time.

Closest representation of White River Monster I could find
Photo Source: Clipart.com

The Fouke Monster isn't alone, there is another monster that has been reported living in Arkansas and that is the White River Monster. This monster is quite different looking from the Fouke Monster, it is more like the Loch Ness Monster. When people reported seeing it, they saw it in batches. It was described as being a long sea serpent with a spiny back. It was said to make howling noises. People who camped or traveled or even fished along or on the White River were the ones that saw it. So many people saw the monster that the state government turned the area into the White River Monster Refuge. Can you believe that a state would create a preserve for a monster? I guess they figured it would attract tourists and increase the economy of the state.

Here is where things get a little different for a water monster. It is claimed that tracks of a three toed animal have been found leading out of the river. Apparently some people believe that this monster can also exist on land. From the description of the beast, it almost sounds like a dragon only no one has reported fire coming of its mouth or wings. Beginning in the last century, people began to report sightings of this monster. The sighting seemed more than strange because as the years progressed, the animal was described as being longer and longer. Was this animal growing? Could it have been hatched in a watery habitat somewhere and had the capability of living under water or on land and choose land and the surface of the river even thought its brethren didn't? This assumes that there are more of these creatures and maybe they have been with us for many thousands of years and we just didn't know it.

Photo on left is a Sturgeon. Photo Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Photo on right is of Catfish. Photo Source: USDA

It is said that a deputy sheriff was present at a sighting, but when he was asked to describe what he saw, he said that it look like a large sturgeon or catfish. This is not exactly a conformation of a monster living in the river. This does take us to a different point of view however. Could a sturgeon or cat fish have grown to a huge size by some freak of nature? The problem with this is that it wouldn't explain the foot prints, but maybe they were made by some other type of animal. Sturgeon can get pretty big and in the Great Lakes they sometimes grow over seven feet long and weigh over 300 pounds. Catfish don't get as big. One of the biggest caught was 95.7 pounds and 54 1/2 inches long, hardly a monster, but a huge catfish. By the way, Sturgeon have a spinney ridge along their back.

It seems that we have found two more monsters to talk about but, they must join the ranks of the other famous monsters out there that are said to have been seen, but to which no evidence can be attained. Oh well, we all love monsters, so lets enjoy the stories about them.