Class A Second-hand BFRO #1197

Several sighting reports near the Racoon River within days of each other.

November 1978 11:30 PM Adel/West Des Moines, Dallas County, Iowa 1 witness

Account

The witness's brother was driving a tractor home late at night when he noticed two large hair-covered figures walking parallel to the road along a fence line. He described the taller one as about seven to eight feet tall, bulky with long swinging arms, and watched them continue along the timber. The account was relayed secondhand by the reporter along with other nearby reports from the same period.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
seven to eight feet tall
Build src
bulky
Hair colour src
black
Arms src
long swinging arms
Gait src
long gait, walked calmly
Posture src
smaller one slightly hunched over
Other features src
short neck, black hair from head to toe

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
November 1978
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
11:30 PM
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Place
Adel/West Des Moines, Dallas County, Iowa
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Nearest Road
Map point
41.59, -93.97 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 1197 (3 decimals, no boundary)
Account type
Second-hand
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Derived BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 80% confidence
Figures reported
2
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
driving a tractor home from the fields
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
two Bigfoot creatures
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #1197 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Dawn Harrack (BFRO)
Tracks

An investigator interviewed the yard-light witness and, with the sheriff, found tracks in frost spaced 48 inches apart and noted comparison to tall clothesline poles.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Measurement

An investigator interviewed the yard-light witness and, with the sheriff, found tracks in frost spaced 48 inches apart and noted comparison to tall clothesline poles.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

An investigator interviewed the yard-light witness and, with the sheriff, found tracks in frost spaced 48 inches apart and noted comparison to tall clothesline poles.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

An investigator contacted the cabin witness, who said he could not remember details and did not want to relate the story.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

An investigator interviewed the tractor witness about seeing two figures walking along a fence line and disappearing into timber.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

An investigator interviewed the reporter about the vocalizations heard with his mother and the dogs running away.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2000-02-13 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 3f9d7b0ecafe
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “a truck driver on the I-80 in the vicinity of the Raccoon River”
    Not in the Anomadex yet