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
Maywood’s What Is It - Wednesday, December 31, 1890
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, 1970Â
Mystery Animals In Illinois – March, 1971
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
Searching for Bigfoot Researchers look for evidence of DuPont Monster – Monday, November 5, 2007
Henderson County
Sea Serpents Products Of Imagination – Thursday, September 26, 1946
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
Swamp Slobs Invade Illinois – July 1974
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
In Search Of Bigfoot – December, 2010
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
Making The Rounds -Â Sunday, November 23, 2003
Kankankee County
Sea Serpents Products Of Imagination – Thursday, September 26, 1946
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
Macoupin County
Sounds of bumps in night at Staunton Lake – Tuesday, April 9, 1991
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
A Big blackberry feast for Bigfoot! -Saturday, August 01, 2009
Further update on recent Bigfoot activity in the Old Hartford Castle area – Sunday, August 2, 2009
Has Madison County Been Visited By Sasquatch?
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
There’s Science To Finding Bigfoot – Sunday, October 25, 1998
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
Peoria County
Stalking The Wily Bigfoot – Saturday, October 17, 1998 Â
Saline County
Shadows of the Shawnee investigates Tuttle Bottoms Monster – Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Web site tells of five southeastern Illinois bigfoot encounters – Sunday, January 09, 2011
Sangamon County
Web site sorts Bigfoot stories to seek truth – Monday, May 15, 2000
Central Illinois man on watch for Bigfoot – May 29, 2010
Messing with Sasquatch may not be such a good idea -Â Jul 18, 2011
Chatham Jaycees Haunted Hayride is back – and so is the Sasquatch – Oct 12, 2011
“Gorilla†marketing: Chatham Sasquatch playing promotional role for upcoming Halloween events  – Oct 20, 2011
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