Whether you like or despise the Mountain Monsters TV show, it is always interesting to look for the facts behind the story told on screen.

In one episode, the AIMS crew set out for Washington County in Pennsylvania. According to the team, this bigfoot was said to possess extreme speed and strength. This Shawnee Indian legend was said to have first come to light in the 1700s.

One source says that the name "Dustman" was a misinterpretation of the name used by the Native American tribes in the area. They called the creature "Duskman", as the creature was said to come out at dusk. The creature was said to be humanoid and averaged 6 to 7 feet tall, was covered in hair, and was bipedal. White settlers thought the people were saying "Dustman" so spread the story.

Other sources say that although the Shawnee do talk of bigfoot in their legends, they do not appear to use the name "Dustman" nor "Duskman" and that reported sightings in Washington County also do not use the name.

There are plenty of sightings of bigfoot-type creatures in this county. Here is a partial list of reported encounters from Washington County.

January 5, 1995: Canonsburg. Before dawn, a motorist on his way to work saw a hairy creature on two feet cross the road 75 to 100 yards in front of their car.

February 5, 1994: North Strabane Township. A woman and her son reported viewing out their kitchen window, a tall, hair-covered creature walking through a field about 200 yards away. It was black and walked on two legs with long strides. It appeared to have no neck.

February 6, 1994: North Strabane Township. Tracks were found in the snow running along the railroad tracks. The prints had five toes and were 18" by 8 1/2" with a 50" stride.

July/August 1992:  Near Wylandville School.  The witness saw four bipedal creatures cross the road 50-60 ft in front of his car. They were walking erect; had dark shaggy hair, and long ape-like arms. Two of the creatures were 7-8 ft. tall and the other two were 5-6 ft. tall. The creatures were seen by the light of his headlights.

June, 1985: Long Branch Borough. The first reports were loud piercing screams that lasted for 5 to 10 seconds. Several witnesses also reported seeing two or three 8 to 9 ft tall hairy creatures on two legs. The creatures were standing about 100 yards away watching the humans work on a barn. They were standing in shadows and the people could not see much other detail.

September, 1979: Lagonda Township. Three witnesses who were standing in their backyard watched as a tall hairy creature came out of the woods, quickly crossed an open area, and disappeared into a cornfield. This action took from one to two minutes; they were around 500 ft away. The witnesses noticed no odors or sounds from the 7-foot-tall creature. It walked slightly stooped in a loping manner, with its long arms hanging below its knees. It had coal-black hair. No facial features were noticed.

Sometime between 1978 and 1980: BFRO report 50123. Audio recording submitted. The person reporting was 8 to 10 years old when the experience happened. He was with his father at the time. It was night and it was too dark to see under the trees but they could both hear something fighting with a dog. They heard and recorded the screams and growls of this creature that "shook the ground". The neighbor's dog who had always roamed the area disappeared that night and was never seen again. It was some time before his father allowed him to return to the area. When he was finally able to explore where he thought the sounds had come from, he found deer hair and bones scattered over about 20 yards. Neighbors of his told him that they had seen a big creature walking through a field near their home. He offered no date for that encounter.

November 16, 1977: Washington County. A farmer reported that he had seen a bigfoot.

July 14, 1975: Washington County: Two witnesses driving on I-70 saw an 8 ft tall brown, hairy creature with red eyes cross the road in front of their car. It disappeared after running up an embankment.

July 10, 1975: Washington County: A State Policeman reported that at around 4am he had seen a 7 ft tall bipedal figure in his headlights. He described it further as having a large head that was pointed at the top and that it walked stooped over.

There are many bigfoot sightings throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Hope you enjoyed seeing just a few of the reports from Washington County.