Bigfoot In Los Angeles?
Posted by: Monster Island News on April 6th, 2014
The History Of Sasquatch In So Cal
Written By: Ken Hulsey / Terri Pressley
‘Huge, scary, aggressive, fast, and threatening’. These terms are used to describe several Bigfoot-like creatures said to inhabit the desert regions of southern California. These mysterious giant apes go by many different names, The Borrego Sandman, The Speedway Monster, Zoobies, Devils, and the Yucca Man.
It may come to the surprise of those who follow stories about Bigfoot and other mysterious creatures that the first report of these creatures by European settlers did not come from the East Coast, Midwest, or even the Pacific Northwest. It actually came from southern California. In 1769, Spanish priests founded the first mission in San Diego. Local Gabrieleno Indians told the padres about “harry devils” that lived nearby. In fact according to written accounts, the Indians lived in fear of these large, foul-smelling, “wild-men” and refused to anywhere near their reported home called “towis puki” (camp of the devil) on the southern bank of the Santa Ana River. The area of “Deadmans Hole” near Holcomb Village, just west of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was a water stop on the old Stagecoach lines during the mid to late 1800s, and is the reported site of several alleged murders blamed on Bigfoot. In 1876, one the passengers who ventured out of the safety of the coach while it’s horses stopped to take a drink reported seeing a large, naked, hairy “thing” watching him from behind some scruff. After that, several people met their demise at the site, either strangled or beaten to death by an unknown person or thing. They blamed the monster of course, regardless of the fact if it actually killed them or not.
In April of 1876, the San Diego Union reported an encounter with a “missing link” near Warner’s Ranch, also west of Anza-Borrego, by a young man named Turner Helm. According to Helm, the creature had dark fur like a bear and a face like an American or Spaniard.
In March 1888, two local hunters, Charles Cox and Edward Dean, set out to hunt down the monster and finally put an end to the murders. According to the San Diego Daily Transcript the pair found, and killed, what they were looking for. A creature described as a gorilla with the face of an Indian and fangs like a bear. The creatures’ body was to be transported to San Diego where it was to be on public display but mysteriously disappeared before arrival.
Undoubtedly, it was the discovery of gold deposits that first lured the white man to this desolate area and it is from one of these fortune hunters that the first report of Bigfoot or the Borrego Sandman as it has been called in these parts, originated. Reportedly in 1939 a prospector, who when interviewed in the 1970s wished to remain anonymous, was attacked by a large group of ‘upright-walking-apes’ as he camped near the Borrego Sink. The frightened man described the creatures as very large, covered in white fur, with glowing red eyes. The only thing said to have saved the man was the fact that the monsters were afraid of his campfire.
Read More @ A Brief History Of Bigfoot In Southern California
Founder of the popular monster and sci-fi blogs Monster Island News and Godzilla 3D News and Information.
Ken Hulsey began his writing career in 2000 when he founded kensforce.com a popular site with fans of Japanese sci fi/monster movies (Godzilla, Gamera and the like) and other B movies.
In 2008, he closed down his original site and created the blog "Monster Island News" a showcase for classic horror/monster films and independent/alternative cinema.
The Warner Ranch Bigfoot Story was an admitted hoax. On the other hand several other stories have a lot of history. There’s probably not a 100 square foot patch of Anza-Borrego Desert I haven’t put a foot on, and there are many places I get the feeling of being watched the whole time I am there. I haven’t witnessed anything I can claim was Bigfoot, but when you go a little further North into the San Gabriel Mountains in the area of The Devil’s Punchbowl (Northern San Gabriels in Antelope Valley), I have had rocks thrown at me (in places I knew there were no people). Seems also that locals on the South Side of the San Gabriels have witnessed the big guys in a sort of river delta from Lytle Creek down to the Old Fontana Drag Strip. Most of the more recent sightings have been in and around large cement culverts that prevent floods.
In the late 1970s, there were reports of a Bigfoot rummaging around the flood canals in Burbank. The Press-Telegram sent out a reporter and a photographer to cover the story. Guess what? They found the Bigfoot! They interviewed and took pictures of him too. Apparently this gentleman had wandered down from out of the north to warmer climes because of his arthritis. Not only was he living off the land, but also soup kitchens as well.
After finding out what kind of an uproar he was causing, he decided to head back north. The pictures printed in the Press-Telegram left no doubt that this was the real Bigfoot.
coelacanth1938: Classical debunking tactics. Have you sat at the foot of one of the masters of debunking maestros? Which ones?
There’s hardly a person here who hasn’t seen this sort of classical debunking, and you don’t do it particularly well, either.
gollumses: Nice story. The entire area is pretty heavily populated by cougars, often within sight of LA, which means there is plenty of prey. I see no reason that Bigfoots would not be there also.