This post was kindly sent into me by a gentleman named Thomas Phelps, who has a back ground in history. I appreciate his contribution.

A book by Andrew Blackbird titled, History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan (first published in 1887, but available on Scribd), has a legend story in Chapter 3 of the “earliest possible history” of Mackinaw Island and its inhabitants. As the story goes, the Ottawa (Odawa) came upon the island already occupied by a small band of Indians, who in turn consolidated with the Ottawa. A subsequent fight with Seneca (Iroquois) left only two ‘Ottawa’ survivors, a man and a woman, who escaped into the deepest wild and raised children, shunning civilization. It is believed:

“That is, they can be seen and unseen just as they see fit to be; and sometimes they simply manifest themselves as being present by throwing a club or a stone at a person walking in solitude, or by striking a dog belonging to the person walking; and sometimes by throwing a club at the lodge, night and day, or hearing their footsteps walking around the wigwam when the Indians would be camping out in an unsettled part of the country, and the dogs would bark, just as they would at any strange person approaching the door. And sometimes they would be tracked on snow by hunters, and if followed on their track, however recently passed, they could never be overtaken. Sometimes when an Indian would be hunting or walking in solitude, he would suddenly be seized with an unearthly fright, terribly awe stricken, apprehending some great evil. He feels very peculiar sensation from head to foot–the hair on his head stand and feeling like stiff porcupine quill. He feels benumbed with fright, and yet does not know what it is; and looking in every direction to see something, but nothing to be seen which might cause sensation of terror.”

The Ottawa call it “Paw-gwa-tchaw-nish-nah-boy,” or “wild roaming supernatural being.” This story caught my attention for the description contained within, which happens to be very similar to reports of Sasquatch behaviors experienced during encounters. I have never seen Blackbird’s accounting of Ottawa legend mentioned as a possible historical Sasquatch tale, but I think by the description it should be included.

From Gum shoe guy:

Urban, Suburban and Rural Bigfoot

Think of it like wheel with and hub, and spokes that reach out in all directions around the center of Detroit. There are roughly 4.75 – 5. 75 million in the greater metropolitan Detroit area of southeast Michigan consisting of six primary and four secondary counties making up a region referred to as southeast Michigan according to (MSA) Michigan statistical areas studies.

Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, St. Clair and Lapeer

Washtenaw, Lenawee, Genesee and Monroe

Together in all, the ten immediate counties are identified as making up the most populated Detroit metropolitan areas in southeast Michigan had 244 Bigfoot sightings or encounters – is the same area where between 4.75 and 5. 75 million people call home or half of the state’s 10 million people live. If Sasquatches were not comfortable around people per se how does one explain that?

The obvious answer is that Bigfoot live and thrive on the peripherals or fringes of human society and development and you don’t even know it.

Bigfoot Encounter in Michigan Upper Peninsula

“First time I saw one was in (outside) Toledo, Ohio in 1964. One walked right in front of the bay window that was 5-6 feet off the ground (it was a tall monster). I saw another one in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that was a close one. I was fishing in a small boat close to the shore when one came close and freaked me out for a long time. I still don’t camp anymore in the woods.

I was about 15, I think, when I went on a camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’m from Toledo, Ohio and have lived close to trees and the woods all my life. Well, I went with an aunt and uncle with the pop up camper (not too safe). It was an okay trip to the campgrounds on some lake in the middle of BFE. The night we got there something took the bag of food my uncle put on a super high tree branch. It was gone in the morning, I knew something was out there. The light brought us out of the camper and we saw the bag was gone (spooky already). Later on in the morning, I wanted to go fishing (in a row boat) of all things. I was probably rowing for a half an hour to get to the other side of the lake and found a cove. So I went in the cove and tossed a line in the water (fishing) it wasn’t but a short time and I heard thunder. That was enough to get me ready to leave as storms are not fun when its cold. As soon as I reeled in the line, I noticed a doe that was standing near the water and getting a drink. She turned to run and froze in her tracks. I looked at the top of the little hill that had a path on it and saw a real live Bigfoot. It was standing up and moving back and forth. I was already in third gear when I saw that. I’ve heard that some of them like human food (me). I don’t know what happened to that baby doe but I’m sure it was caught.” WE

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by Scott Harper
Michigan. The Great Lakes State. The Wolverine State. Michigan is the only US state to be made up of two peninsulas. Fifty percent of Michigan is covered by forest. Many lakes, ponds, and streams dot the peninsulas that make up Michigan, as well. Deer, and other wildlife are populous. In short, the state of Michigan is perfect country for Sasquatch—despite the heavy lake effect snow the region receives during the winter. And Sasquatch have been there for quite some time.

In 1878, a woman was hanging laundry in her backyard. A noise captured her attention. Upon looking up, she saw a 12-foot-tall, white Sasquatch in the cow pasture. The creature ran on all fours, leapt over a cow, stood up to its full height, then charged the woman, now running on two feet. She screamed, and ran into the house. The creature, chasing her, got tangled up in the clothesline. The woman ran from the house, to the lumber mill where her husband worked, refusing to return home for hours. When she did return home, with her husband, her husband found footprints, but no other sign of the creature.
A report filed in 1891 told of a Wildman of “gigantic proportions” with arms to below its knees, and “hands twice the usual size”. The “Wildman” was said to have killed a bulldog with “one swipe”. This took place in Gladwin County.
During the winter of 1917, in Ironwood, Michigan, two hunters saw a “man in a fur suit” steal a deer they had killed. The “man” made off with the deer carcass tucked under his arm.
News of a 12′ 7″ skeleton being unearthed in Jackson, Michigan made front page news on September 6, 1919.
Somewhere along the Saginaw River, in 1937, a Sasquatch was seen to climb from the river, rest leaning against a tree for a time, and then return to the river.
An area in Charlotte County Michigan bears the name Gorilla Swamp due to a string of sightings of a bipedal, hairy creature seen there multiple times in 1951.
A report filed in 1891 told of a Wildman of “gigantic proportions” with arms to below its knees, and “hands twice the usual size”. The “Wildman” was said to have killed a bulldog with “one swipe”. This took place in Gladwin County.
During the winter of 1917, in Ironwood, Michigan, two hunters saw a “man in a fur suit” steal a deer they had killed. The “man” made off with the deer carcass tucked under his arm.
News of a 12′ 7″ skeleton being unearthed in Jackson, Michigan made front page news on September 6, 1919.
Somewhere along the Saginaw River, in 1937, a Sasquatch was seen to climb from the river, rest leaning against a tree for a time, and then return to the river.
An area in Charlotte County Michigan bears the name Gorilla Swamp due to a string of sightings of a bipedal, hairy creature seen there multiple times in 1951.

From 1962 until 1964 sightings of a creature dubbed the Monster of Sister Lakes was sighted off and on a number of times in Cass County. In 1964, a woman was chased into her house by a creature with long black hair, and glowing eyes. The woman estimated that the being weighed 500 pounds. It left footprints that were 6-inches-wide. It was thought that the creature that chased the woman had been the Monster of Sister Lakes.

August 13, 1965 brought a frightening account of an encounter with a 7-foot-tall, black- haired, growling Sasquatch. 17-year-old Christina Van Acker, and her mother, Ruth, were in a car, heading home. Christina was driving. Though they saw nothing in the road ahead of time, the car ran over something. After the bump, Christina stopped the car. Instantly, the Sasquatch reached through Christina’s window, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her head into the car door. Christina passed out. Ruth, later claiming that there was nothing she could do, fled to get help. Apparently, and luckily, Christina survived the ordeal with nothing but some bruises.

Sasquatch have been in the area we call “Michigan” for a very long time—long before the Patterson/Gimlin film, which was recorded in 1967. They’re still there, too. Reports still come steadily from the Wolverine State. Years ago, I may have even had my own experience with a Sasquatch on Mackinac Island.

It was the late 1980s, or very early 1990s. I was on a vacation trip with my parents and best friend at that time. We were walking a trail in woodlands on Mackinac Island. Something off in the woods screamed. At the time, we chalked it up to a bobcat. Still, all four of us were unnerved, and turned around, and left the area quickly. To this day, I don’t know what screamed in those woods. If it was a bobcat, though, it was a very large one!

About the Author

Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for “Nuclear Winter Entertainment” for

I attended the third annual Bigfoot conference in Munising , Michigan this past weekend 8/11/2018, held at the local Moose lodge. There were two very good speakers there, as well as a local town hall meeting with some very good stories told. All in all it was a good event.

But I had the pleasure of getting reacquainted with an old friend that lives in the area. She personally has had three different Bigfoot encounters over the years. One of her encounters ended up on a ” Finding Bigfoot” episode.As I was talking to her and catching up on old times, she asked me if I would be interested in going out that night. I said I sure would, and where would you like to take me? She mentioned some activity pretty much in the city limits. She proceeded to tell me that her son, and his girl friend were camped out in this particular area this past July. The first few evenings out there they had heard some grunts, and growls nearby, but they did not think much of it. After another week or so they were in their tent when all of a sudden SOMETHING, was uprooting trees and hurling them around their general area. Her son proceeded to call his mom, my friend, and tell her about this, at which time the girl friend gets on the phone screaming from fright. My friend proceeded to walk the few blocks from her apartment to meet these two kids. Just as she was getting there she could hear the trees being strewn about the area. My friend was surprised that none of the people living in that area was not shocked by all the commotion. But my friend did hear the trees being uprooted and thrown about.

SO that was where we were headed that night. There was four of us all together, and my one friend had his FLIR out ready to pick up any heat signatures, and we all had low level flash lights. We got onto this area around 10:15Pm, and we were planning to sit until only about 12:30Am.This area has a lot of forest are, with high hills to the west of us even though we were technically within the city limits.  So as we sat silently in the dark with nothing but the FLIR scanning the area for anything to move. I want to say it was around 11:30Pm when we heard a very loud crash directly in front of us. We were all on instant alert. My friend had his FLIR pointed in that direction but he did not pick up anything. My friend from Munising just said for all of to remain calm. I know that she was trying to communicate with whatever was out there that we were not there to do any harm. But after that moment we did not hear anything else of significance.

So about 12:30am we packed our stuff up and headed out, but to say the lease it was a cool experience, and some what scary. I am not saying it was a Bigfoot for sure, but on the heels of what my friends son, and girlfriend experienced it was very interesting.