“Has Murphysboro’s “Big Muddy Monster” of mid-1973 returned? No one knows for sure, but four truckers on Illinois 3 near the Illinois 149 junction west of Murphysboro said they saw something Sunday night that they can’t explain. Jackson County officials said radio reports from Randolph County show the four northbound truckers called into Randolph County on citizens ‘ band radios and reported seeing what they described as a “bear like animal on Illinois 3, about three miles south of Il linois 149. Jackson County does not have equipment to receive citizen’s band messages. The equipment is to be installed within a few weeks. One of the truckers said the large dark animal at the side of the road “looked like a gorilla.” The sightings apparently occurred just south of a United States Forest Service rest area near thick woods. ‘ Police said descriptions by the truckers are similar to several “monster” descriptions supplied by eyewitnesses in the Murphysboro area in June 1973. The “Big Muddy Monster, which took its name from two sightings close to the Big Muddy River, first was reported by a couple parked in a lot near a boat dock on South 24th Street in Riverside Park. The second sighting was by a young couple at a home in Westwood Hills Subdivision, on high ground above the river and Riverside Park. Descriptins from both sightings wrere of a “seven-foot tall light-haired muddy monster.”
News stories on the sighting brought inquires from all parts of the nation including official inquires from scientists studying reports of similar in stances. Scientific investigation identifies many of the sightings as a Sasquatch, more commonly known as “Big Foot,” and usually associated with Northern California and Oregon. Interest in the Big Muddy Monster is still high though. Murphysboro Police reported today they have been advised a team is en route to Murphysboro from the Kansas City Star newspaper. A similar team camped out several days in the river bottoms in 1973 seeking factual evidence connected to the June sightings.
03 Feb 1975, Mon
Sasysquatchgirl 
I saw this big hairy creature in jan 1972 about 20 miles south of murphsboro il driving in my car around 2:00am heading home to jonesboro il . Probably the first person to see this creature they ended up calling the Big Muddy Monster. Told only a few people over the years. Iam glad some other
people saw it too. Moved to South dakota a few months later and heared on the news about the other sightings later the next year. Good to know i was not going crazy seeing this big hairy creature .
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Jerry, thank you so much for sharing that. Means a lot. I would love to chat and hopefully add your story onto the blog, do you think you’d be interested in doing that?
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