Illinois Bigfoot Media Reports

The following is an attempt to locate newspaper articles about bigfoot / sasquatch sighings in the state of Illinois. Historically names that have been applied to sasquatch include bigfoot, gorilla, hairy human, hairy man, monster, sasquatch, wildman, and wild man among others.

The following articles are probably only “the tip of the iceberg” of articles that make mention of upright hairy bipeds in Illinois. Research will be ongoing as I continue to read through microfilm of the hundreds of newspapers held by different agencies within the state. Among the many researchers who have found and published newspaper articles from Illinois are Bobbie Short, John Green, Loren Coleman, Matthew Moneymaker, Rodney Erps, Russell Bedwell and myself.

The earliest reference that I am able to find is in reference to A Roaming Madman of Centreville in St.Clair County and published in the The Saturday Herald – Decatur, Illinois dated Saturday, September 08, 1883.

I have found articles at:

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library – Springfield, Illinois

Morris Library – Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Illinois

Jackson County Historical Society – Murphysboro, Illinois

St.Louis Public Library – St.Louis, Missouri

I will post one article each day until the complete series has appeared on this blog.

Alexander County

Huge, White, Hairy “Monster” Reported Sighted In Cairo – Wednesday, July 26, 1972

Local Monster Might Need Good Attorney – Thursday, July 27, 1972

Brown County

Wildman Lives Alone In Cave – Thursday, February 02, 1922

Champaign County

… or a hairy gorilla-type near St.Joe – Wednesday, October 17, 1973

Coles County

Wild Man Captured – Tuesday, August 09, 1887

Cook County

Sasquatch is real to some and myth to others – Saturday, December 10, 1977

De Witt County

Farmer City ‘Monster” Sparks Search, Debate – Friday, July 17, 1970

Du Page County

‘Corn’ – fed Monster In Suburb? – Friday, August 30, 1974

Stalks Cornfields – Horrors! A Monster – Friday, August 30, 1974

Carol Stream’s Bigfoot: Is monster really out there? – Sunday, October 06, 1974

Effingham County

Creatures Not New – Wednesday, August 02, 1972

Fayette County

A Wild Man – Sunday, November 15, 1891

The Wild Man Hunt – Friday, December 04, 1891

Wild Man In Louden Township – Wednesday, July 25, 1894

Franklin County

A Wild Man – Saturday, February 14, 1885

Fulton County

The Monster Story – Wednesday, October 23, 1968

Grundy County

Bigfoot seen in Seneca? – Friday, July 21, 2005

Small Town A Bastion Of Bigfoot Belief - Monday, October 10, 2005

Bigfoot believers – what do they believe? – Monday, October 10, 2005

‘It’s time for your close up, Mr. Du Pont monster’ – Saturday October 14th, 1006

Jackson County

Abominable snowmen in Southern Illinois? - December 11th, 1969

Big, muddy ‘critter’ sighted at Big Muddy - Tuesday, June 26, 1973

More meanderings for the Murphysboro Monster – Wednesday, June 27, 1973

Monster watching popular – Thursday, June 28, 1973

Bear wasn’t there, neither was monster – Monday, July 2, 1973

Is Big Muddy Monster Back? – Tuesday, July 8, 1975

Yeti-Like ‘Monster’ Gives Staid Town in Illinois a Fright - Thursday, November 01, 1973

Big Muddy Monster makes the big (New York) time - Thursday, November 08, 1973

Fabled Monster Reportedly Seen – Wednesday, July 09, 1975

Muddy monster reported - Monday, June 21, 1976

Have you seen Muddy ‘monster’? – Sunday, September 24, 1978

Reliving the tale of the Big Muddy Monster – Saturday, December 07, 1985

The Big Muddy Monster – April 1987

He’s back: Big Muddy Monster – Thursday, June 09, 1988

Big Muddy Monster sighted in Murphy – Thursday, June 09, 1988

Monster is drawing attention - June 1988

Muddy Monster Returns – June 1988

The legend – June 1988

The Big Muddy Monster – Tracks, screams, smells and sightings since 1973 – Sunday, September 15, 1996

Big Muddy Monster A Favorite Local Legend - unknown date

It came from the Big Muddy – Friday, October 26, 2001

A Monster of an Idea to Boost Tourism – Thursday, October 30, 2003

Time for the Big Muddy Monster to come home – Thursday, November 6, 2003

Haunted Southern Illinois: Region full of the scary, bizarre, and freaky phenomena – Saturday, October 30, 2004

The Big Muddy Monster – Tracks, screams, smells and sightings since 1973 – Sunday, November 20, 2004

Chasing Monsters: Big Muddy Monster still has Murphysboro residents wondering – Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Dreadful tales of Little Egypt - Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Letters from all over sent after sighting – Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Renowned crytozoologist got his start at SIUC - Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Murphysboro’s Big Muddy Monster – Thursday, July 5, 2007

Jefferson County

Mass Hunt For Animal Fails To Solve Mystery - Monday, March 30, 1942

Jo Daviess County

Illinois Village Now Engaged In Big Gorilla Hunt – Friday, July 26, 1929

Gorilla Scare Ends – Friday, July 26, 1929

Kane County

Aurora comes clean . . . it’s ‘Abominable’ – Monday, January 26, 1974

Lawrence County

Area man recalls encounter with infamous Bigfoot monster – Thursday, June 30, 1988

Lee County

It speaks softly, carries a big foot – Tuesday, July 06, 1976

Logan County

Wild Man Of The Woods – Friday, April 22, 1887

Macon County

Youths Report ‘Monster’ Near Edge Of City - Wednesday, September 22, 1965

Madison County

Armed Squads To Seek Killer Bear Tonight Near Gooseville – Tuesday, August 10, 1949

Police Told of Red ‘Creature’ – Thursday, June 07, 1973

Frolicking ‘ape’ startles 2 young campers near Moro – Monday, March 15, 1976

Moro ‘ape” added to area’s list of animalistic spooks - Thursday, March 18, 1976

Bears and Bigfoot and snakes, oh my! – Friday, February 22, 2008

Bigfoot announces his presence Big-time in little-known Illinois Gothic hotspot - Saturday, July 4, 2009

McLean County

‘Monster’ Sighted Near Kickapoo – Sunday, August 09, 1970

Hairy ‘Human’ Sighted At Kickapoo Creek – Tuesday, August 11, 1970

Spring resurrects ‘Kickapoo Monster’ - Wednesday, March 30, 1977

Researchers look for Bigfoot; zoologist skeptical – Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Bigfoot encounter in central Illinois? - Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Eyewitness believes he saw hairy Bigfoot-like creature – Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Morgan County

Stackmer’s Bend Wild Man – Thursday, June 12, 1890

St.Clair County

A Roaming Madman – Startling Experiences of An Illinois Lady with a Wild Man – As Naked as the Day He was Born – Saturday, September 08, 1883

Tazewell County

Man Reports Seeing ‘Hairy Creature’ In Woods Near Cole Hollow Road – July 26, 1972

‘Hey, Bud, Did You See A Monster Go By…’ – July 27, 1972

Woman Picking Berries Says She saw Monster Near Rt. 98 Thursday – July 28, 1972

Did a hairy monster stalk Tazewell County, Illinois? – November 06, 2006

Union County

Reliving the tale of the Big Muddy Monster – 1985

White County

‘It’s Something That’s There” – Monster Lurks Along Wabash - Monday, May 07, 1973

Wabash “monster” being sought – 12 May 1973

Williamson County

10-foot-tall ‘what’s it’ reported seen – Monday, August 19, 1968

Related posts:

1. Media Article – Jackson County, Illinois – # 1 Wednesday, July 09, 1975 Fabled Monster Reportedly Seen Centralia Sentinel...
2. Media Article – Union County, Illinois – # 1 Saturday, December 07, 1985 Reliving the tale of the Big Muddy Monster By...
3. Media Article – Du Page County, Illinois – # 3 Friday, August 30, 1974 Stalks Cornfields – Horrors! A Monster...

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