Available now is the third volume in David Weatherly’s ongoing series of Bigfoot-themed books titled Wood Knocks. You may associate David more with the Black Eyed Children phenomenon than with Bigfoot. The fact is, though, that he has done an excellent job of providing those with an interest in Bigfoot a fascinating collection of material on the United States’ most famous monster. And, I’m pleased to say, volume 3 of Wood Knocks is as good as the previous two. If you read and enjoyed volumes 1 and 2, you won’t want to miss this one. As with the earlier books, David gives us a wide and varied body of data on Bigfoot – all of it fascinating and much of it downright weird.
Joshua Cutchin’s 29-pages-long paper makes for excellent reading. It’s focused on certain angles of the Bigfoot phenomenon that I have a deep interest in. Namely, those aspects of the mystery that seem to be tinged with more than a bit of paranormal activity. Joshua addresses one of Cryptozoology’s most famous Bigfoot encounters (or, “confrontations” might be a better term); that of a very strange affair that went down in the 1920s. Joshua does so by noting something that few have commented on: the similarities between Bigfoot encounters and poltergeist activity.
As Joshua says; “The comparison between Bigfoot encounters and poltergeists has been drawn in the past. Fred Beck, survivor of the infamous ‘Ape Canyon’ attack where multiple Bigfoot allegedly besieged a cabin near Mount St. Helens, Washington, perceived his attackers as spirits, the accompanying thumps on the cabin walls as poltergeist behavior.”
Joshua turns his attention to a wealth of additional, mysterious data on Bigfoot, including matters concerning “disembodied voices” and their connection to Bigfoot. Strange odors – not unlike hydrogen sulfide – are reported when Bigfoot is near. Joshua also demonstrates how Bigfoot appears to have an adverse effect on electrical equipment, and appears to have a connection to mysterious balls of lights – often referred to as “Ghost Lights.”
Robert Robertson’s contribution is an excellent study of the Skunk Ape phenomenon. As you may know, Bigfoot goes by various monstrous monikers in different parts of the United States. As for the Skunk Ape, it’s predominantly seen in Florida, very often in the Everglades. What I particularly enjoyed about Robert’s paper is that it provides the reader with a lot of old material. As he says: “The first recorded sighting of an unknown primate in Florida was 1818 at Apalachicola, described as a 5ft tall baboon.” Robert details a 1929 case from the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. It concerns two hunters who learn of “giant cannibals” that were “said to prowl the swamplands.” Robert also spends a lot of time addressing sightings in the 1970s – and through to the present day. He makes an excellent case that there is indeed an unknown primate in the wilds of Florida.
Marvin Leeper takes us on a trek around Oklahoma. In his quest to understand the Bigfoot phenomenon, Marvin turns his attention to Native American legend and history on mysterious man-beasts. As was the case with Joshua’s submission, this one gives a great deal of insight that even many Bigfoot researchers will be unaware of. Native Americans in Oklahoma, says Marvin, told of the Caddaja, “the Giant that taunted men and drew them into the forest never again to see the light of the day. While little elaboration was given these creatures by the Spaniards, similarities with the lore of other indigenous peoples lends a strong association with the creature known as Sasquatch or Bigfoot.” And there is much more to Marvin’s paper, including a wealth of material on latter-day encounters with Bigfoot in Oklahoma.
Okefenokee Swamp
Also on a regional approach, is David Weatherly. David shares with his readers the extensive Bigfoot-driven data he has uncovered in Arizona – a state which many may be unaware has a long and varied history of encounters with giant, hairy creatures. David reveals the story of what is known as the “Mogollon Monster,” which is described as “a bipedal humanoid around seven to eight feet tall. Its eyes are reportedly red and much of its body is covered in long black or reddish-brown hair. Many reports claim the creature has a strong pungent odor…” I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to learn just how many notable sightings of Bigfoot have been made in Arizona – and for decades.
Timothy Renner also examines the high-strangeness aspects that intrigue some Bigfooters and outrage others! To his credit, Renner addresses this matter in a careful, logical fashion, He says: “Will-o-the-wisps and UFOs are the most commonly reported around the same time and place as Bigfoot sightings. These lights are not always reported, and they are not even reported in conjunction with most Bigfoot sightings – but they are reported often enough where it seems willfully ignorant not to at least note their appearance.” Timothy does exactly that: he presents his own, carefully considered, thoughts on Bigfoot. He notes that he is a full-on believer in Bigfoot, but adds that, “I also believe there is something very, very strange about these creatures.”
Bruce Champagne offers us a great, thought-provoking paper on the matter of what he terms “relict hominoids.” He states: “Among the first relict hominoid sightings in Southern California were of the ‘Fontana Speedway Monster’ of the San Bernadino Mountains, while on the Tule River Indian Reservation, potentially, 1,000-year-old pictographs of the ‘Hairy Man’ adorn rock walls in Central California.”
His research has led him to conclude that: “Desert-dwelling, relict hominoid distributions of gender, age, class, body size and type, hair coloration and length, and recognized behaviors do not appear to be significantly different from forest and swamp/wetland environment distributions.” And, you’ll also find an article from me on one of the weirdest sides of Bigfoot. Namely, that of the Bigfoot of the U.K.
And, with all of that said, I’ll conclude by adding that Wood Knocks volume 3 is a book which covers a wide-range of data, theories and case-files, and leaves you pondering deeply on the true nature of this elusive creature.
Nick Redfern (CLICK HERE TO READ AND SEE MORE)
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