CADDO COUNTY MYSTERIES: BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS

ANADARKO — Today, we're talking about Bigfoot sightings because after last week's discussion about Old Indian Road or Indian Road, as many of y'all were quick to correct us, one thing that kept popping up in the comments was people sharing stories about seeing a Bigfoot-like figure in the area. And it wasn't just one or two people. Several people described seeing something similar, which naturally got us curious.

So, down the rabbit hole we went.

Upon doing some research regarding Bigfoot sightings in Oklahoma, we learned there's actually a database dedicated to tracking reported encounters called The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). According to the BFRO, there have been more than 100 reported sightings across Oklahoma alone. And if you're wondering which state claims the crown for the most Bigfoot reports, that honor goes to California, which has nearly 500 sightings logged in the database. Because apparently Bigfoot enjoys the West Coast life. We kid.

Many of the reported Bigfoot sightings in Oklahoma come from remote, heavily wooded areas such as Beavers Bend State Park and Hochatown in the southeastern part of the state. As for our neck of the woods, several sightings have reportedly been reported near the Washita River and the Parallel Forest in the Lawton area.

And just this year in February, according to the BFRO database, a family reported seeing a tall figure walking along a power line easement near the Washita River about 11 miles east of Durant.

When we took a deeper dive into the database, we found five reported sightings in Caddo County, including one in Anadarko:

• March 1992
• October 1999
• June 2001
• June 2003
• April 2012

The Anadarko sighting was observed on April 26th, 2012. According to the BFRO database, the witness claimed to have seen a large, hair-covered figure behind his home in Prairie Village. And interestingly enough, their property backs up to the Washita River.

Would you look at that? Considering how many of the reported sightings in this part of Oklahoma seem to be connected to the Washita River, that definitely caught our attention almost instantly.

Now, before we go any further, we want to be crystal clear that this is simply a reported sighting that was submitted to and documented by the BFRO. We have no way of independently verifying what the witness saw.

That being said, here’s the report as documented by BFRO Investigator Robert Darnell:

“5-31-12: Spoke with Jason at length about his sighting. He described the area where he lives as being very near the Washita River. His back porch faces north towards the river, which is within eyesight and very close. He reports that while using the restroom, he saw something out of the window that caught his eye. At first, he thought that maybe it was his neighbor. He looked again and saw that it was not his neighbor, but rather a reddish-brown colored creature, completely covered in hair. It was about 6' 2" tall and "thick". He described it as being only 20 yards away when it was walking towards the river. He watched it take several steps before disappearing into the tree line and down into the river bottom. He was positive that it was not a person--he saw hair from "mid-thigh up" and the hair on the head was longer. He repeated that this sighting was at noon in broad daylight. The creature did not turn around and he did not see its face. "There is no way that this thing was human." He clearly saw that the creature was covered in hair but noted that the hair on its head was longer than on the rest of its body. Once it was in the trees, its color looked a lot darker. When it was in the sunlight, it was light reddish brown. He seemed like a reliable witness with nothing to gain or lose from talking to me.”

So, what was it? We have no idea.

But that's what makes stories like this so interesting. It's kind of hard to ignore how many people have reported seeing something similar, especially in and around the Washita River.

Now, hear us out, we aren't claiming Bigfoot is hiding out in Caddo County. But all we're saying is that if you find yourself walking along the Washita River after dark, you might want to keep your eyes peeled. You know, just in case.

So, that leads us to a few questions.

What do y'all think? Have you ever seen something strange along the Washita River?

Have you or someone you know ever had a Bigfoot encounter?

Besides Ol' Indian Road, are there any other areas around Caddo County where people have reported seeing a Bigfoot-like figure?

And if you've got a story, we want to hear it. After all, some of the best local legends start with, "You're not going to believe this, but..."

Drop it in the comments below.