The Legend Of The Mogollon Monster Of Arizona

Lurking in the trees along Arizona's Mogollon Rim is a legend that has terrified campers and locals for centuries. Standing over 7 feet tall, the Mogollon Monster is described as Arizona's own Bigfoot. Whether it's a misidentified animal or something completely unexplained, the Mogollon Monster has stalked the edge of belief and folklore for generations.

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The Prospectors Sighting

One of the first recorded sightings of the Mogollon Monster was in the early 1900's, when a prospector named  I.W. Stevens reported a terrifying encounter along the Mogollon Rim. In a story that was later published by The Arizona Republican in 1903, Stevens claims that he saw a creature covered head to toe with long hair and had a long, matted beard. He said it wasn't wearing any clothes and had claws that were at least two inches long.

He said the monster's face had no hair, and its skin was filthy. He later reported that when he came across the monster, it had been drinking the blood of two mountain lions. The report says that he claimed the monster threatened him with a club while screaming "the most unearthly screams". Whether or not Stevens was making this up or telling the truth, his story was the start of dozens of similar tales from the area.

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A Boy Scouts Sighting

Don Davis claims that in th 1940's, when he was a Boy Scout, he saw the monster. In the summers of 44,45, and 46, Davis attended a 10 day boyscout camp near the Mogollon Rim. He was a young teenager at the time and had decided to go on an overnight hike with some of the other boys in his group. According to Bigfoot Encounters, the boys decided to race down the trail to see who could get to the campsite first.

While all the boys booked it through the woods, Davis reported another boy had stopped right in front of him as they came around a tree. At first, he tried to push past him, then he realised what had stopped the other boy. He didn't have a great view ahead of him, but claims he saw a giant reddish-orange figure about 100 yards away. He assumed it was another Boy Scout at first, but upon further inspection, he realized it wasn't. He described the monster as an enormous, muscular, ape-like figure with fur and a hairless face. He and the other boyscout sprinted to the camp, where they confirmed what the other had seen. 

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Multiple Sightings

Between 1882 and 2004, a woman named Marjorie Grimes reportedly saw the Mogollon Monster on numerous occasions. She described the monster as a tall, black creature with humanoid features. She said it was quick-moving and was "walking with big strides." Each time she saw the creature, it was supposedly only for a few seconds before it would disappear back into the woods.

There have also been a couple of sightings of a "hairy creature with a humanoid face and long claws" on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation as well. Whether or not these reports are official is unknown.

The most recent sighting of the Mogollon Monster was by a camper in 2016. Whether or not the legend is fact or fiction, many people across northern Arizona have claimed to see and hear it. Is the Mogollon Monster real, or is it just another Bigfoot story, unbacked by science and based on word of mouth? Whether or not the tales are true, keep an eye out next time you go to the pines of northern Arizona, who knows if you'll be the next person to spot Bigfoot there.

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