One of the first times someone reported a Bigfoot in a major publication was the Arkansas Wild Man. He was reportedly seen as early as 1834. There were many sightings and even an expedition to find and kill or capture it.
Some theorize that he was a man that had gone feral after being lost and surviving. Descriptions from back then started with the wild man being just over 6 feet tall. This is much smaller than modern bigfoot sightings. Did they get bigger over time? Or did the story just grow?
Even as the newspapers picked up the story over the span of more than a decade, he seemed to grow. First reports seemed like it could be just a man. A man who lived in the woods and was incredibly fast. Quickly stories grew as did the Arkansas Wild Man. Reports of 22″ long feet and ability to leap 14 to 16 feet at a time.
Was this a bigfoot? Or was this an embellished story that changed over time? I can’t think of a reason a feral man could leap 14 feet. Or for that matter why a human would be so fast. Is there a chance that this feral man had built 22″ long shoes? Maybe he even build shoes that could help him jump.
There are many interesting theories surrounding Bigfoot. One of them is that Bigfoot is an alien, or a time traveler. It isn’t a big leap to go from one paranormal genre to another but in this film I plan to explore Bigfoot within the constraints of the world as we know it. It is interesting to ponder the Arkansas Wild Man could be a tourist from the future that had some sort of flying shoes to get away if caught.
One thing is certain, the Arkansas Wild Man stories gave credibility to the idea that something else is out there. Major publications all over the country picked up the story. Could this be why so many people claim to have seen Bigfoot? If these stories are exaggerated and it was just a man, why do so many people still see a version of it? How do you account for Native People having stories well before the newspaper?
I don’t know the answers, but I aim to find them.