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316 encounters
Fall 1974 Sparland, Marshall County, Illinois Class B #55386

Witness recalls possible nighttime sighting near Sparland

The witness and a relative were outside their home at night waiting for a family member to return from hunting. They saw a bipedal figure approaching from the woods that they first mistook for the family member. The figure stopped and stood, then quickly went back into the woods, prompting the relative to bring the witness inside and secure the home. The family member arrived home later.

Partial sighting
8 June 1973 Prairie Du Rocher, Randolph County, Illinois Class B #42547

Woman recalls her possible encounter on a farm outside Prairie du Rocher.

The witness was camped alone with a dog near a sinkhole on a farm bluff to feed horses in the morning. After building a fire and cooking, loud grunts, growls and scream-like screeches came from the sinkhole while many young trees shook violently despite little wind. Horses stared then fled, the dog stayed close shaking, and a brief odd odor was noticed. Frightened, the witness doused the fire and left with the dog, and reports avoiding woods since.

VocalizationGrowlScreamMovement onlyOdor
6 June 1973 Madison County, Illinois Class C #3472

Series of three incidents describing a human sized creature near edge of Edwardsville

Three residents described separate encounters in early June 1973 with a human-sized creature that chased them. The creature was said to be about 5 feet 8 inches tall and broad-shouldered, with red eyes sensitive to light, a musty odor, and silent movement. One man told police it tore his shirt and scratched his chest.

Full-body sightingOdorAnimal behaviour
June 1973 Victoria, Knox County, Illinois Class A #32162

Recollection of daylight sighting as youth near Victoria

The witness and three companions were hiking on hilltops in a strip-mine area when a bellowing cow drew attention to a nearby clearing. A large white bipedal creature emerged, stopped and stared toward the witness for several seconds after the witness shouted, then turned and walked back in the direction it came from. The group ran back to their campsite and reported the sighting to adults, who did not take it seriously.

Full-body sighting
13 May 1973 Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois Class A #26905

Fisherman has closeup encounter with a juvenile near Kankakee

While fishing with two companions in a rural backwater area, the witness walked the shoreline away from the group and then pushed backward through a tall hedge onto a grassy lane. Face-to-face at close range he encountered a short, stocky, brown-haired biped that then fled upright down the lane while he ran toward his companions. He described the being as fully hair-covered with dark eyes and elongated arms, moving with a flailing-armed jog, with no sound or odor noted.

Full-body sighting
29 October 1972 Chestline, Adams County, Illinois Class A #28423

Man recalls his face to face daylight encounter in Siloam Springs State Park

The witness was breaking camp for the weekend and walked down a path to smoke, sitting on a rock. After hearing a sound behind, the witness turned to see a large, bulky brown-gray hair-covered figure about twenty feet away downslope at eye level. They locked eyes for a few seconds while the witness noted facial details, then the figure swung around a tree and hurried down a gully making noise as the witness ran up the path.

Partial sightingUnidentified soundFootsteps
15 September 1972 Kell, Marion County, Illinois Class C #3471

Beige upright creature seen at a distance of 1000 yards near Kell

The witness's mother was talking on the telephone on the screened porch when the outside dogs began barking intensely. She saw a large beige animal crouched at the edge of the woods about 1000 yards from the house. The creature stood upright, looked toward the house, then walked into the woods, after which the dogs calmed; the encounter lasted about 15-20 seconds.

Full-body sighting
1972–1978 Granite City, Madison County, Illinois Class B #32196

Memory told of family encounters near Granite City

The witness reports that while staying at the parents' rural property with a friend around dusk in late summer 1972, they observed a large hairy figure filling the barn doorway from about a hundred yards away. The pair ran to tell parents inside the house, and when they returned the figure was gone. The witness estimated the figure at eight feet tall, broad enough to fill the doorway, and brownish-black in color.

Full-body sighting
November 1970 Coal City, Will County, Illinois Class A #47911

Memory told of a nighttime road crossing near Coal City

The witness was driving west late at night when a 6-foot-tall hairy creature stepped into the road. It crossed slowly about 50 yards in front of the vehicle and showed no fear. The creature was described with reddish-orange hair, massive legs, long arms, and eyes that shone emerald green in the headlights.

Full-body sightingRoad crossingEyeshine
9 September 1969 It Was In Hampton Ill., Rock Island County, Illinois Class A #24147

Creature seen at a flooded rock quarry near Hampton

The witness was walking with a companion to a quarry at night to fish. While running down a steep slope to the water, the witness came within about ten feet of a tall, thin hair-covered figure crouched with its hands and feet on the ground and facing away. The witness immediately ran back up the slope without telling the companion what was seen, and the two then fished for about an hour with no further incident.

Full-body sighting
9 August 1969 Norris, Fulton County, Illinois Class A #28714

Memory told of seeing a bigfoot on the side of a road along Middle Branch Creek

When the witness was ten, the witness and the mother drove at night to assist a relative whose truck had broken down near a creek and woods. Headlights revealed a crouched figure behind a fence watching the relative's truck. The relative and the witness approached on foot with a makeshift light, at which point the figure stood tall on two legs and ran into nearby woods, disappearing within a few steps.

Full-body sighting
12 July 1969 Brereton And Norris, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #50155

Memory of seeing something chimp-like in the trees and being chased out of the woods near Brereton

In July 1969 the witness and two younger brothers were on bikes on a bridge over a creek when they watched a 4-foot dark brown young animal play in a tree about 300 feet away for five minutes. The witness felt overwhelming terror without seeing a threat and led the brothers away. While they rode about a half mile home, a brother reported a strange hairy man chasing them, which the witness interpreted as an adult protecting its young.

Full-body sighting
28 September 1968 Carpentersville, Cook County, Illinois Class A #12984

Nighttime sighting by motorists east of Carpentersville

Two companions lost while driving at night stopped beside a side road to turn around. A tall, dark-haired, upright creature crossed in front of their van from left to right, looking toward them. As they backed out, one thought it turned back toward the van, and they fled in fear.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
15 August 1968 Chittyville, Williamson County, Illinois Class C #3467

Witnesses describe 'huge' black creature that throws dirt at them near Chittyville.

On the evening of August 11, 1968, two people driving northeast of Chittyville reported encountering a large black hairy creature estimated at about 10 feet tall with an unusually large head. They claimed it threw dirt at them through the car window, frightening the passenger, before they left the area and notified police.

Full-body sightingObject throwing
Spring 1968 Brussels, Calhoun County, Illinois Class B #42730

Childhood memory told of seeing an upright, white animal while playing in a creek near Brussels

Two children were playing with tadpoles in a slough along a creek in the afternoon. One looked up and saw a white, extremely hairy upright animal with very long arms standing behind the other child. The children ran to a house a quarter mile away, adults returned with them to the area, and the children were told not to tell anyone about what was seen.

Full-body sighting
15 August 1967 River Grove, Cook County, Illinois Class A #46494

Memory told of a daytime sighting in Schiller Woods

The witness was resting by the Des Plaines River during a bicycle ride when a hair-covered creature was seen across the river splashing in the water. After the witness coughed, the creature threw large rocks toward the witness, then crossed the river silently and confronted the witness at close range. The witness fled along a trail while hearing a loud howl and screaming and seeing additional shadowy figures across the river.

Full-body sightingSilhouetteRock throwingHowlScream
October 1965 Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois Class B #40475

Memory told of strange occurrences while growing up near Castle Rock State Park

In the fall of 1965 the witness was staying in a trailer on the family property when loud screaming was heard approaching from the direction of the river. The witness and a relative heard something pacing behind the dwelling while the screaming continued, then striking the trailer sides four or five times. The witness fired a gun once from the doorway, after which no further sound was heard that night.

ScreamFootstepsProperty disturbance
7 November 1964 Villa Grove, Douglas County, Illinois Class A #30367

Memories told of encounters experienced by a family living near Villa Grove

On a clear November mid-afternoon in 1964, several children and later their mother watched a distant upright black figure standing in a harvested corn field. The children shouted at it, it appeared to turn toward them then away, and a dog chased after it out of view. The mother, frightened, brought the children inside. Decades later the witness still interprets the figure as a bigfoot.

Full-body sighting
Winter 1957 East Peoria, Tazewell County, Illinois Class A #55706

Memory told of daytime encounter near Farmdale Park

As a child hunting in snowy woods along a creek, the witness came over a hill and watched a tall black hairy figure moving around a stick hut in a blackberry patch and picking berries. After the figure noticed the witness, it left very quickly. The witness then reported a multi-hour gap with no memory of leaving before arriving home.

Full-body sighting
24 August 1953 Lawrenceville, Lawrence County, Illinois Class B #49182

Memory told of a possible childhood encounter at Georgefield Barracks

The witness was staying at home with her older sister while her parents were out. After hearing movement outside and seeing a large head at the window, she opened the front door, turned on the porch light, and came face to face with a tall hair-covered figure. Her middle sister arrived and ran toward the figure, which then left and quickly disappeared. The sisters did not discuss the incident at the time and only recalled it decades later.

Partial sightingMovement only