This is a Guest Post by Stewart Taylor. Stewart enjoys sharing with interested folks about what he has been fortunate with obtaining. To teach and convey these subjects are a forest people living among us.
GIANTS IN AMERICA BY STEWART TAYLOR
Throughout world history and legends, there are documented accounts of ordinary men coming in contact with humanoid giants of various sorts. The Titans, Ogres and Trolls are just a few of many widely used examples. There are also similar records contained within various religious documentations. For one, the Christian Bible clearly relates how giants came to be among men in its very first book, Genesis, chapter 6.
In today’s world, a vast majority of folks give this subject little serious consideration or thought. They quickly discount this particular information as merely just fables or fairy tales. Most consider it on the same level as a Mother Goose tale and other stories for young children to dream on at bedtime.
Regardless of these commonly held opinions, it doesn’t change what has occurred closer to home. In North America, Native American history and legends have contained information on giants for hundreds of years, some of which are clearly recorded in ancient cave paintings or masks and totem figures.
Many Native American tribes have names for these subjects. A few examples in the English translation are: “The Stone Giants” are used by the Cherokee and Iroquois people. The Lakota term is “Big Elder Brother” and the Taos call them “Big Person. The list of names is very extensive and other than a limited few terms like “Demon”, “Devil” or “Cannibal Giants”, none lists or compares these subjects to an animal.
A close study of American news accounts also reveal numerous stories of humanoid giants being seen. It starts along the east coast in the 1700’s then moves with the westward push into the 18 and 1900’s. In Daniel Boone’s memoirs, he wrote of shooting a ten foot “Yahoo” in 1782. It was located in Kentucky somewhere along what is now the Montgomery-Powell County line. In another account, Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th president, wrote a book in the late 1800’s, titled “Wilderness Hunter”. It has one chapter about two young hunters/trappers encountering a large hairy giant in what was then the remote Montana territory. They entered it in a remote valley that was shunned by the local Indian population as being an evil dangerous place.
Here in America, there are presently dozens of organized groups dedicated to investigating and documenting reports of giants. It is information coming from everyday people seeing or hearing something very unusual in the wooded areas of America. An appreciable number of these witnesses are respected folks like doctors, nurses, active military, police and firemen, all having no reason to lie or receive any personal gain for telling their story. Some would have been better off never telling their story for the rejection and ridicule they received. All for doing nothing more than telling the complete truth of what happened to them. It is an ignorantly cast prejudice that has stifled numerous personal accounts, some of which may be never told to another!
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (B.F.R.O.) was formed in 1995. Since that time, they have investigated and published over 4600 credible and verified witness accounts believed to be directly associated with the Bigfoot/Sasquatch phenomenon. Most of them occurring right here in North America! The total number of submitted reports is actually much higher than this published figure, but if a reasonable level of certainty cannot be verified or established, it is not listed on their internet website.
Like most other folks, I never gave this phenomenon much serious consideration. As a young adolescent back in the mid 1960’s, I was intrigued by the first release of the Patterson-Gimlin film on the local news channel. I spent a short time pondering all the possibilities, but it was quickly gone, soon replaced by other youthful adventures and interests.
I was raised up along the west coast, hunting, fishing, camping and hiking in areas of reported Bigfoot activity. Not once do I ever recall hearing or seeing anything close to making me believe this elusive giant could really exist. It was years later after several decades of mature adult life and moving to the southwest U.S., that I had my first “What in the world was that!?” moment.
My son and I were night fishing along a remote, heavily wooded creek bank in North Texas. We parked there shortly before sundown and had fished well past midnight by the light of the Coleman lantern placed on my pickup’s tailgate behind us.
At some point, I became aware of subtle movements in the brush north of us. A swish of a branch here, a crackle of leaves there, I first noticed it about 100-150 yards away and it seemed to be slowly getting closer to us. There was a side slough running perpendicular into the creek beside us. It was about 20 feet wide and separated us from the thick brush where the noises were coming from.
I wasn’t at all concerned since many night animals such as armadillo, raccoon, coyotes etc., often forage through the night and are no serious threat. It was then I felt the very distinct feeling of being watched and then a loud close snap of a fairly large twig being stepped on. Not something any light four legged animal would do.
My level of alertness perked up several notches and I began to discreetly scan our entire perimeter, not wanting to concern my then 15 year old son. Nothing was there, so I then focused on the thick brush line. I got up and strolled over to the truck cab retrieving a bright spotlight and began to scan that direction.
I can’t precisely relate what I momentarily saw flash by the roving circle of light, but looked like a man’s face recessed back in the brush. It was there one split second and gone the next. I jerked the light back to the spot, but then saw nothing. Noticing my sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, my son asked “What are you doing Dad?”?
“Oh nothing….just looking” I replied, not wanting to sound a bit concerned to him, but was now not at total peace with this subtle activity.
I put the light up and sat back down and continued fishing. Not more than 10 minutes, not less than 5, a huge cinder block sized object came hurtling out of the brush line, crashing into the water less than 10 feet from us. It produced a splash about like a 50 pound child doing a cannon ball off the high dive. We both instinctively fell back in our folding chairs away from the splash as huge drops of water rained down on us.
“WHAT WAS THAT!?...WHAT WAS THAT!?” my son screamed out lunging to me and tightly clutching my side as his terrified eyes wildly darted about.
I pulled him back from the water watching to large waves fan out. I was completely bewildered at the unexpected chain of events. What I did know was that whatever hit the water was large and didn’t float. I also knew if it had hit either one of us, it would have inflicted at the very least, serious bodily injury-probably more. Feeling quite threatened, I raced over to the truck and grabbed my 357 revolver loaded with hot personal defense rounds.
“THAT’S NOT FUNNY!” I yelled out. “I HAVE A GUN AND MAY DECIDE TO USE IT IF YOU THROW SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!”