Class A First-hand BFRO #26963

Blacksmith recalls seeing a creature come down a mountainside and shares a sketch he drew

Spring 1974 just after dark Stonewood, Harrison County, West Virginia 2 witnesses

Account

Two teenagers were collecting nightcrawlers behind a rural house just after dark when they heard something moving down through dense briars on a nearby logging road. The witness shone a flashlight and watched a very tall, muscular, hair-covered animal move past about 60 feet away for several seconds. The pair were frightened, and the next day they used a sapling to estimate its height at nine feet.

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
9 feet tall
Build src
built like a large bodybuilder
Hair colour src
dark brown with reddish tinge on tips
Hair length src
10-12 inches long hanging down off forearms
Arms src
swinging arms
Other features src
hair mostly straight

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
Spring 1974
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Season
Time of day
just after dark
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Place
Stonewood, Harrison County, West Virginia
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Nearest Road
Map point
39.16, -80.23 (± 10 km)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 26963 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
2
Derived BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
collecting nightcrawlers for fishing
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
enormous animal
Stated BFRO report #26963 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #26963 · 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
Russ Jones (BFRO)
Other

witness sketches of the animal sent to the investigator

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Other

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone for about 90 minutes and received sketches.

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

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone for about 90 minutes and received sketches.

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 2009-12-02 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 1 image at source Hash c8c825bc5957
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization