Standing at a height of 7 foot and 7 and a half inches, Martin Van Buren Bates was known as the Kentucky Giant. What an impressive man he was, weighing in at a whooping 328 pounds. But there are some conflicting reports on just how large of a man he really was. Some sources list Bates at 7" and 11 inches tall and weighing over 500 pounds. My guess is that he weighed more than 328 pounds. While he was known as the Kentucky Giant, he also was called "Kentucky River Giant", "Giant of the South", and "Baby". He had gotten the nickname baby when he was 11 years old.

Bates was born in 1837 in Letcher county Kentucky to normal sized parent and hit a growth spurt around the age of 7. By the time he was 12 years old, Bates was over 6 foot tall and weighed over 200 pounds and was still growing.

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Back in October of 2015 I published an article called The Legend of Devils Garden. Devil's Garden is/was located in Hutch, Kentucky and for many years it was a popular swimming area. The Legend surrounding how the area got its name is one that seemed to be full of mystery and death. As I was researching the original article I could not find a lot of information. Then I stumbled across several websites that told the tale of accidental murder, a cover up, strange disappearances and finally after 15 years, a confession.  

There appears to be only one problem with this legendary tale, its just not true. I do not know where this fantastic tale originated or who started it, but it was an interesting story. At the time I had doubts about the authenticity of the story but it seemed believable just unverifiable and after all I read it on the internet so it had to be true, right?

I'm pleased to now be able to set the record straight and bring you the REAL story about Devil's Garden. It may not be filled with murder and mystery, but it is still very interesting.

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Ansel Adams photo of the High Sierras, taken around 1927.

Matthew Brady photo of the aftermath of a Civil War battle

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!



This post sponsored in part by

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Old Photo of Cudjo Caverns (Gap Cave)

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years of experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter, a published photographer, and a poet.



On Memorial Day 2014, I finally got to visit Cudjo's Caverns, which is now known as Gap Cave (again). Growing up I can remember our family driving by this tourist stop many times but we never did go in and take the tour. As I grew older, Cudjo's Caverns was shut down, and the road going past it was closed off and later removed, this was done because the Cumberland Gap Tunnel was completed and you no longer had to drive over this dangerous, curvy road to visit Tennessee and Virginia. Many lives have been lost crossing this mountain.

Once we heard that the Caverns were back open and that the Cumberland Gap Park Rangers were giving guided tours, we decided to make reservations.

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