1950 - Humboldt County, California
On the Eel River near Eureka
"It was about nine years ago in 1950, at about 10 o'clock in the morning,
near the Eel River above Eureka, California, at the end of a meadow near the
river's edge. My family and I were fishing on the Eel River. We had been
camped in the vicinity for about two weeks and had had poor luck when it
came to fishing. I used to go for a short walk before breakfast because
there was a very pretty meadow about a mile or two from our camp and I used
to love to see the mist rise off the grass. I was only about 10 years old at
the time and the world of nature was something, which both fascinated and
enthralled me.
I entered the meadow and proceeded to cross it in order to reach a small
knoll at the other side. When I approached the foot of the knoll, I heard a
sound. It was the sound of someone walking, and I thought perhaps my little
brother had followed me and was going to jump out and try to scare me. I
hollered. "All right, I know you're there."
Needless to say, it was not my brother that appeared. Instead, it was a
creature that I will never forget as long as I live. He stepped out of the
bushes, and I froze like a statue. He, or 'it,' was about 7½ or 8 feet
tall. He was covered with brown stuff that looked more like a soft down than
fur. He had small eyes set close together and had a red look about them. His
nose was very large and flat against his face. He had a large mouth with the
strangest-looking fangs I have ever seen... He made a horrible growling
sound that I don't think could be imitated by any living thing. Believe me,
I turned and ran as fast as I could. I reached camp winded and stayed scared
all the while we were there. His form was that of a human and he had
hands and feet of enormous size, but very human looking.
However, there was one thing that I have not mentioned, the strangest and
most frightening thing of all. He had on clothes! Yes, that's right. They
were tattered and torn and barely covered him, but they were still there. I
would be willing to testify to anything I have stated in this letter."
Story © Betty Allen collection, journalist for the Times in Eureka,
California and logged in the database of Bobbie Short, San Diego, CA.
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