YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Fall

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Jackson County

LOCATION DETAILS: Just south of the intersection of HWY 60 and Emerson Rd.

NEAREST TOWN: Spring Arbor

NEAREST ROAD: Emerson Rd.

OBSERVED: I was delivering grain to a farm on Hwy 60, but to get to the farm, had to turn south off 60 onto Emerson Rd. to get to unload in the area. Right after turning off 60, I usually stop and turn on trailer backup lights and remove tailgate turnbuckles so I can see to back up at farm. On this morning, as I was walking to the back of the trailer, I heard a lot of noise, snapping limbs, sounds like something was pacing back and forth, in the patch of woods on the east side of road. As I got to the back of the trailer, I suddenly had the smell of a dead animal, strong, coming from the deep ditch on the west (field) side of the road. This road had one little property light up by the intersection, otherwise it was dark except for the small amount of light from the tractor and trailer backup flood lights. Suddenly I'm struck with fear. Now, I'm six foot 230lbs and don't scare easily, and cant explain the feeling that came on me. The noise in the woods was intensifying, getting louder, almost impatient, while the smell got more intense and I felt like there was something in the ditch staring at me. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of fear and ran back to the cab, took off into the farm and unloaded. I got out after unloading, this is just on the south side of the patch of woods and couldn't hear or smell anything and the feeling was gone.

ALSO NOTICED: Creepy feeling, suddenly scared, felt observed. Smell of dead animal coming from deep ditch on west side of road. Thrashing and almost pacing back and forth in wooded area on east side of road.

OTHER WITNESSES: Just me

OTHER STORIES: Have often gotten a weird feeling in this spot.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: About 5 am it was dark, dry, cool.

ENVIRONMENT: Small stand of trees to the east, open field to west, heavy woods to the north on other side of HWY 60. Parked on side of Emerson Rd. Dark except for one property light up at intersection.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Knox:

The location of this report is within the township of Spring Arbor, but outside the Village of Spring Arbor. The township is located southwest of Jackson and consists of rolling terrain, farms, lakes, wetlands and woods. Spring Arbor Township is known for its artesian water springs which form several of the lakes, creeks and rivers near the location, of which Lime Lake and Spring Arbor Lakes are, but just two of them. There are numerous corn and soybean farm plots in all directions, along with a cattle farm just east of this location.

The surrounding farm lands provide food sources for a varied assortment of wildlife; ex: (Canadian geese, ducks, deer, squirrels, raccoons, etc.), while the lakes, creeks & rivers are teeming with crayfish, fish, turtles, etc.

South of the report’s location is the Falling Waters Trails, a 10.5 mile “rails to trails” project, which runs East North East to West South West, connecting the city of Jackson to the Village of Concord. Though this trail crosses several county roads, it is otherwise secluded along the majority of its route and runs directly thru Lime Lake. During the day, bikers, walkers & joggers can be seen up & down the trail, while at night the trail is closed, thus affording a degree of seclusion along its route.
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My initial phone contact with the witness was cut short due to his busy schedule and we made arrangements to speak later in the week. When we finally spoke over the phone, I found out that my witness, a truck driver who lives in the state of Iowa, was in the Spring Arbor area delivering used grain from a brewery to a cattle farm east of this location. The witness stated that he has made this trip several times prior to that day’s delivery.

The witness explained that as usual, he arrived at the farm a couple of hours prior to sunrise and stopped his truck near the east entrance to the farm to undo the turnbuckles on the trailer’s gate. This entrance, a dirt path leading to the concrete pad where he is to dump the grain also leads to the barn housing the cattle on the property. Upon arrival, the witness normally turns on the lights at the rear of the trailer to supplement the little bit of light coming from the street light on the property north of where he stops.

As he went to the rear of the trailer to undo the turnbuckles, he heard a lot of noise coming from the bushes off to his right. The noise sounded like something was pacing back and forth, snapping branches and thrashing about with them and the witness stated he could sense a feeling of frustration, or maybe that of impatience. He also remembers a smell; a rank putrid smell coming from the west side of the road, possibly from within the bar-ditch.

The witness, as he was undoing the turnbuckles was initially a little nervous about all that was going on, till the noise on the east side of the road grew in intensity, eventually causing him to run back to the cab of his truck and head up the drive to the concrete pad.

Once the grain was dumped onto the concrete pad, the witness returned to the road and exited his truck to secure the turnbuckles and immediately noticed that all feelings of uneasiness and intimidation that he previously experienced was now gone, as well as the odor. The witness made note that he is not the type to be easily spooked, but something occurred causing him to experience something that was out of the ordinary.
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It was early fall when I first visited the site, it was then that I noticed that this area, this road, could easily be picked up and transported to anywhere in the state of Michigan and not seem out of place. This was your typical road, one out of countless thousands that bisect many townships and farm fields within our state, lined by trees that overhang the road, vines hanging down from the trunks & branches of those trees and thick, impassable walls of brush lining the roadway.

There is nothing unusual or out of the ordinary about this particular stretch of road, but, as I delved deeper into this location, I found that you can’t judge a book, nor a location, by its cover.

After walking up and down looking at both side of the road, I headed off the road to the east side and found that if I wound my way through a narrow cleft in the brush, I found an opening, a “clearing, if you will,” within all the tangled brush, only a few yards behind those overhanging trees, dangling vines and overgrown brush that line the road. A near perfect blind within a few feet of the road and out of sight to any casual passerby.

This clearing did not have a natural look to it. There were branches & trunks of small trees lying on the ground, pressed somewhat into the dirt, providing a barrier between the soil and anyone walking around. There was room to walk about and with the natural wall of foliage between the clearing and the road a measure of security was easily afforded to anyone within the “clearing”.

Though this clearing could easily be a construct by a group of adventurous kids, its much bigger than what a few kids might carve out. And with only one house near and the farm a ½ mile away, this area isn’t being overrun by kids seeking their new hideout.

After a careful search, I was unable to locate any evidence of anything living there recently, thou this may be a layover area for someone passing through the area, since some of the weeds and brush were trampled down, but still green and growing. There were no obvious prints, no carcasses of any type of animals were seen, and no obvious bedding areas were found.
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The description of breaking limbs, the thrashing sounds in the brush, the overwhelming feeling of intimidation, the putrid smell in the bar ditch on the other side of the road and then the suddenness of it all being over, these are all typical behaviors that have been previously associated with a sasquatch encounter.

After listening to the witness as he re-lived the events of that morning and then visiting the site to find a clearing in the area that the witness reported hearing the limbs breaking, a thrashing about and the sound of something large pacing back and forth lends credence to what I believe the witness experienced that day.

About BFRO Investigator Richard Knox:

Richard is a designer for a power company that services the majority of Lower Michigan. He is a former Emergency Medical Technician & Volunteer Firefighter. He enjoys camping, hiking and Geocaching with his wife, kids and grandkids. He and his wife attended the 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2018 Michigan Upper Peninsula Expeditions.

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