Halloween Countdown, Day 21

[eldritchhobbit]

Did you grow up with any local/regional legends, spooky stories, mysteries, or the like?



Aside from the reported local "haunted houses," I recall vividly tales of the Boggy Creek Monster (a.k.a. the "Fouke Monster" or "Southern Sasquatch"). The phenomenon centers primarily around the Boggy Creek area on the border between Arkansas and Texas, but it still made its way up to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I was raised -- the story, that is, not the creature -- especially via the 1972 docudrama The Legend of Boggy Creek (which turned out to have a profound effect on the style of 1999's The Blair Witch Project, interestingly enough).

Some in the region wholly embrace this variation on the Bigfoot theme, as you can see.



I'm not yaying or naying the actual existence of the creature, as I haven't made a systematic study of the reports, sightings, and evidence. (I understand that annual regional conferences on the subject of the "monster" today draw reputable scientists from various universities and institutions as well as lay enthusiasts and local celebrants.) I'm simply saying that it seems very much in the Halloween spirit to appreciate any community that embraces its "darker side."



How about you? Do you have any local/regional stories to share?


Note: No cattle were mutilated in the making of this post.

Comments

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is brilliant! I hadn't read about bunyips before. Thank you so much for the links! I love the fact that your town was named after them. That's so clever.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I hadn't read about bunyips before
Not even in the Temeraire books, by Naomi Novik...?

Hmmn, I wonder if I should warn you about dropbears...? *vbg*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Alas, I've only read about the books, I haven't read them myself. They're on my hopelessly long "to read" list, though!

Hmmn, I wonder if I should warn you about dropbears...? *vbg*

Eeek! :D