Saturday, December 07, 1985
Reliving the tale of the Big Muddy Monster
By Ann Schottman Knol
The huge creature was the stuff of nightmares.
Monster sightings
– note – the entire article is located here:
Reliving the tale of the Big Muddy Monster – Jackson County, Illinois
Because of the reference to Union County I placed that excerpt here in Union County, Illinois
—————————————————————————————
July 16, 1972: A jogger reported seeing something like the Big Muddy Monstrer near the Ohio River levee at Cairo. (Alexander County)
June 26 – July 1973: Nine people reported seeing it in four separate incidents in Murphysboro. (Jackson County)
Sept. 2, 1974: Three Anna youths reported seeing it in the Beach Grove area near Wolf Lake. (Union County)
Jan. 26 1975: Four truckers, traveling separately, radioed in reports of seeing a “bear-like” creature along Illinois 3, near the Illinois 149 junction west of Murphysboro. (Jackson County)
July 7, 1975: Two Murphysboro men reported something they thought my have been the Big Muddy Monster near a pond in the Harrison community, north of Murphysboro. (Jackson County)
June 19, 1976: Three youths said they saw “something” near the Westwood Hills Subdivision – the area of two previous sightings. (Jackson County)
————————————————————————————–
At least 21 people reported seeing what was called the Big Muddy Monster in 12 separate incidents between Jul 26, 1972 and June 19, 1976. Seven reports came from in or near Murphysboro, one from Cairo and one from near Wolf Lake.
There have been no reported sightings in the past nine years. But the people who saw it still swear by their sightings.
Another man, Eddie Pitts, who reported seeing the thing near Wolf Lake (Jackson County), also declined to be iinterviewed.
“It was there, but nobody believed us then and nobody will believe us now. We were made out at the time to be fools,” he said.