Media Article # 418

Thursday, July 8, 2004

Bigfoot Legend Thrives In Chilton County: Man-Like Creature Lives In Peach Grove, According To Legend

NBC13 Birmingham Tuscaloosa Alabama

CLANTON, Ala. -- Whether you're a believer or not, the legend of Bigfoot is alive and well in Chilton County.

For decades people there have been talking about the strange creature that apparently has an affinity for the local peach crop.

In the 1960s, some strange footprints were found in a Chilton County peach grove. Now the original investigator reminisces about the time he spent tracking Bigfoot.

”In our opinion it was definitely not a fake. It was a real track,” said James Earl Johnson, the former Chilton County investigator, whose case sparked a legend back in the
1960s.

“We checked the peach orchard, and there was a trail leading out of the peach orchard, and it was tracks -- strange looking tracks, similar to a human but bigger and wider,” said
Johnson.

With nothing but a print to go on, picking a name for the elusive creature wasn't very hard. Since then, Bigfoot sightings have been reported across the country, and sketches of the creature vary depending on where the sighting occurred. The name varies as well. In Alabama, the creature is known as Bigfoot, while in northern areas, it's known as a Sasquatch.

“Supposedly, the legend is that a hairy man-like creature that walks on two legs at some point inhabited the bottomland swamp regions in Chilton County in Clanton, Ala.,” said
Bryan Wyatt, a Bigfoot researcher.

“I know one thing: (Bigfoot) likes Chilton County peaches,” said Johnson.

Click here to view the original article

• Submit a report
• Submit a comment or article