THE BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK: The True Story of the Fouke Monster (32 page)

One of the teams explored the spooky waters of the Sulphur River at night looking for any signs of mysterious creatures. They applied a high-tech reacting agent to the vegetation along the bank, which if touched, would reveal latent handprints when illuminated with UV light. Unfortunately nothing turned up during the filming, but it did illustrate some of the latest methods of field research. It is interesting to note that the scenes showing the team members kayaking through the water were shot near the Thornton Wells boat ramp, the very same area that had previously yielded promising results.

On one of my research trips to Fouke, I ran into a large group of investigators who were camping near Smith Lake west of the Mercer Bayou. The group was made up of various members of other dedicated cryptozoology research groups, including Mid-America Bigfoot Research Center, Southern Sasquatch Investigators, and the TEXLA Cryptozoological Research Group. They had come to Fouke for a weekend of research, bringing with them a staggering amount of equipment, everything from canoes and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), to high tech cameras and sound recording equipment. It was astounding to see just how many people were willing to put up with the swarms of mosquitoes, ticks, and swamp water to search for the alleged beast. At the end of the weekend, I asked if they had gotten any results. One of the guys played me a recording of a very interesting return call which came from the dark woods after a call-blast. It sounded like the roar of a large animal, perhaps a lion. I told them that a lion had indeed been seen nearby several years back, so you never know. As far as proof of the Fouke Monster, there was nothing conclusive, but this did not seem to phase the group. They promised to return in the future.

So it seems that all the modern technology and advanced gadgetry doesn’t necessarily ensure success. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if modern gadgetry proves the creature is or was ever real. What happened in and around the town of Fouke happened. Whether legend or flesh, it is still the Beast of Boggy Creek.

9. The Legend Lives On

Legacy At Large

If there’s one thing I learned while writing this book, it’s that the legend of the Fouke Monster is still very much alive around campfires, on television, in books, and on the internet. And since sightings are still being reported—some even more incredible than those that launched the beast of boggy creek to fame back in the 1970s—there is no doubt that the phenomenon will survive for as long as we have a desire for mystery or until the monster and its ilk are brought forth from the depths of their swampy home.

The Fouke Monster’s media appearances continue to be on the rise with the boom of paranormal-related programs on television today. In addition to the History Channel’s
MonsterQuest
coverage, the Fouke Monster was profiled on the top-notch independent documentary,
Southern Fried Bigfoot
, on the Travel Channel’s
Weird Travels
, and incorporated into the semi-fictional premise of a
Lost Tapes
episode titled “Southern Sasquatch.” Most recently, the legend of the Fouke Monster managed to slip into prime time with its coverage on the ABC show,
Wife Swap
.

Another notable testament to the creature’s enduring legacy can be found in a public service ad created by the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission in 2007. In this 30-second television ad, [16]  the character of the Fouke Monster is used to address the growing problem of litter. The tongue-in-cheek premise is effective and clever, in that it envisions the Fouke Monster as a legendary movie star 35 years after his most famous movie (i.e.,
The Legend of Boggy Creek
) had been filmed. In keeping with this theme, the monster’s hairline is receding, its teeth are capped, and it is generally shown to be older than it was in 1972 at the “height of his career.” In the clip, the “monster” speaks out against the evils of littering, explaining that all kinds of animals live in the forest and none of them should have to put up with such clutter. The ad was run quite extensively, appearing on CNN, Discovery, Sci-Fi, and ESPN, as well as on local stations in Arkansas.

The aging Fouke Monster poses with creative director Chip Culpepper.
(Courtesy of Mangan Holcomb Partners and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission)

The Fouke Monster has also inspired musical acts. There was the 45 RPM single “Fouke Monster” by Billy Cole and the Fouke Monsters from 1971. More recently, the extreme metal band, Troglodyte, paid tribute to the legend by titling their 2011 CD, “Welcome to Boggy Creek.” The band’s founder, Jeffery Sisson, is heavily influenced by Bigfoot lore and cites
The Legend of Boggy Creek
as a major influence. “Welcome to Boggy Creek” not only pays nod to Pierce’s movie in the title, but the intro track was created as a sort of homage to the movie’s spooky intro complete with swampy sounds, narration, and the inimitable scream of the monster.

A sympathetic Fouke Monster makes an appearance as the central character in two children’s fiction books. The first,
The Return of the Fouke Monster
, was written and published by Ethel Wright in 1975. It can still be found in the local Texarkana college library. The second book,
The Night We Saw the Fouke Monster
, was written and published by Angelia Purvis in 2007. This one is still available online.

A far more frightening creature turns up in the 2011 indie film,
Boggy Creek
. Early buzz suggested that it was to be a remake of the original
Legend of Boggy Creek
, but as it turns out, it’s a completely unrelated story set in the fictional town of Boggy Creek, Texas. Even so, the film, with its small-town setting and use of spooky swamp-scapes, obviously draws influence from Pierce’s masterpiece, and one-by-one the cast of the movie is picked off by a ghastly hoard of Southern Sasquatch, which are infinitely more angry and violent than those in Pierce’s film, as one would expect in today’s horror market. The new
Boggy Creek
also shares common ground with
Creature From Black Lake
, as both films were shot on location at Caddo Lake.

The legend has also been successfully merchandised. A quick search of the internet will bring up various t-shirts based on
The Legend of Boggy Creek
movie or the Fouke Monster itself. The Monster Mart in Fouke continues to sell its own t-shirts and hats, and Smokey Crabtree is happy to sell fans a souvenir or two at his bookstore or at any of his Bigfoot-related conference appearances.

Various monster merchandising.
(From the personal collections of Lyle Blackburn and Loren Coleman)
The stuffed doll was handmade by the late Karen Crabtree.
The dolls sold at the Monster Mart from about 2002-2007.

In town, hardly a day goes by that some visitor doesn’t stop into one of the local establishments to ask about the monster. Some of the locals may just smile and laugh, but there are still plenty of folks who are willing to tell a quick story or two, or tell about the time their grandparents helped make a movie. The subject of the Fouke Monster seems to have touched almost every resident, whether directly or indirectly through friends and relatives. To some outsiders it may seem like a “fringe” subject, but to most of the locals, this is a part of everyday life in Fouke, something that runs through their blood like the web of creeks that runs through the surrounding woods.

During the 1980s, the town incorporated the monster into
the theme of an art fair.
(Courtesy of the Miller County Historical Society)

It would be hard to live in Fouke for too long without becoming aware of the town’s notorious claim to fame. I spoke to one newcomer, a teenager, who had recently moved to Fouke with his family. I asked him if he had heard of the Fouke Monster prior to moving there. He had not, but he said that within a week of living there, his mother went out to rent a copy of
The Legend of Boggy Creek
so they could get up to speed on the local history. They enjoyed the campiness of the movie, but he admitted that now, when he rides through the local cornfields, he often throws a wary glance over his shoulder just in case something might be lurking in the shadows of the treeline. “It’s always in the back of my mind,” he told me.

It might indeed be wise to keep an eye on the woods around Fouke, even today. A sighting of a mysterious creature by two locals in May 2010 suggests that something still lurks in their midst. The two locals, Michael and Liz Rowton, were both “non-believers” when it came to the Fouke Monster. Liz had been employed at the Monster Mart convenience store for more than seven years, so she had heard more stories from locals and tourists than most anyone in Fouke, but even this did not convince her that it might be a real flesh and blood animal. However, after a startling encounter in the spring of 2010, her mind was forever changed.

Liz had been working the late shift at the store, so by the time her husband Michael picked her up it was approaching 11:00 p.m. It had been raining that day, but by the late evening it had dissipated into a fine mist that covered Fouke in dreary haze. The couple left the Monster Mart and headed north on Highway 71 until they reached the County Road 22 turnoff, not too far from the property where the Fords were allegedly attacked by a creature so long ago. Michael turned right onto Co. Rd. 22 and proceeded down the long winding pavement that cuts its way through the mass of thick trees on either side. The fine mist glistened as the headlights blazed across the wet macadam, but visibility was not a problem. After traveling a mile or so, they passed a small cluster of oil wells in a clearing on the left side of the road. As they approached, Michael noticed something ahead, something squatting in the grassy area between the edge of the road and the wall of trees. Caught in the headlights, the thing stood up and quickly ran across the road a mere 20 yards in front of them. It was so sudden that Liz was looking down at the time and did not see the creature. However, she knew something unusual had happened when Michael abruptly slowed down and craned his head in the direction of the strange runner.

Alarmed, Liz asked her husband to explain… immediately. In a tone of utter disbelief, he simply said: “I think I saw the Fouke Monster.” The look on his face told her that he was not playing a joke. She urged him to turn around so they could get a better look. Michael slowed down and did a 180 in the road. The headlights spilled into the trees where he had seen the creature run. Scanning the lighted area for any sign of the creature, they caught a glimpse of its shadowy outline as it stood just inside the cover of tall pines. Michael eased the car forward for a better look, but the animal, or whatever it was, quickly disappeared from sight.