Anomadex
Class B First-hand BFRO #17189

Close encounter remembered and possible vocalizations heard and recorded near Minerva

August 1991 3AM Canton, Stark County, Ohio 1 witness

Account

The witness camped alone on pine needles above old coal mines after companions left for the night. Around 3 a.m. he awoke feeling watched to dead silence, then heard loud ape-like screams from both ends of camp at intervals. He saw a very large hairy biped cross the camp about 20 to 30 feet away and felt its steps through the ground. He walked quickly out of the camp and ran to his parents' house once clear of the woods.

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

Partial sighting

Sounds

Scream Footsteps

Described appearance

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

Build src
massive, very large
Hair colour src
looked black
Arms src
didn't swing arms around like a gorilla
Legs src
seen only down to calves
Gait src
thumping, running on two legs
Posture src
two-legged
Other features src
top of head like a gorilla's, mostly hair-covered

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
August 1991
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
3AM
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Canton, Stark County, Ohio
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Nearest Road
Map point
40.75, -81.27 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 17189 (5 decimals, no boundary)
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Derived BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
2
Derived BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 65% confidence
Witness was
camping alone overnight
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
large two legged something
Stated BFRO report #17189 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #17189 · 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
Mark Maisel (BFRO)
Follow-up

A researcher met the witness, reviewed the tape recording, had reports filled out, visited the camp site, and suggested a territorial dispute involving two or more young males.

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

An investigator visited the area, drove around to learn the terrain, noted pines, former strip and coal mines, power-line draws, ponds, creeks, orchards and farms, and could not access the exact former camp site because ownership changed and a house was built.

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. BFRO report #17189 Primary
    Published 2007-01-02 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash a379cfc64e90
    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