Class B First-hand BFRO #36817

Screams and stalking at a Girl Scout camp 13 miles west of Dubuque

1 August 1959 nightly after 10:00 p.m. Graf, Dubuque County, Iowa

Account

In the summer of 1959 the witness was working as a counselor at a wooded Girl Scout camp. Over roughly two weeks, staff repeatedly heard footsteps moving through the tent area after dark, saw a dark figure near a hut, and found a director's tent ransacked, with deputies searching each day without finding anyone. On the final night the group heard extremely loud screams that moved from near a remote tent toward a pond and creek and found a large maple branch freshly broken off, leading the witness years later to wonder if the visitor had been a Bigfoot.

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.

Described appearance

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

Height src
mid-height
Build src
gangly
Gait src
run across the road on two feet
Posture src
standing
Other features src
dark

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
1 August 1959
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
nightly after 10:00 p.m.
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Graf, Dubuque County, Iowa
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
42.48, -90.86 (± 2 km)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 36817 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 70% confidence
Witness was
working as a counselor at a Girl Scout camp
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
a mid-height gangly creature
Stated BFRO report #36817 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #36817 · 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
Ontario Richardson (BFRO)
Tree damage

Large maple branch found broken off and lying on the ground near a remote tent

Measurements: at least seven to eight feet from the ground; approximately six to seven inches in diameter

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Tree damage

Deputies visited the camp daily to search for a prowler and stayed overnight on the final night.

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

Deputies visited the camp daily to search for a prowler and stayed overnight on the final night.

BFRO report, “Observed” section

Source timeline

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

  1. Published 2012-10-28 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 254c26e7f1f9
    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

  • “Two recent sightings, both within 3 to 4 miles or so from the camp.”
    Not in the Anomadex yet