Honey Island Swamp Monster | Ep. 94
This week, we head South to the Bayou and discuss the Big Foot-like cryptid, the Honey Island Swamp Monster. Honey Island Swamp is a preserved, and relatively undisturbed, marshland.
Essentially, the perfect location for a 7 to the 8-foot ball, hairy, yellow-eyed cryptid. Sightings have been reported since the 1960s and continue to this day.
But, is it believable? Listen today.
The Honey Island Swamp Monster
Is there a cryptid lurking deep in the swamps of Louisiana? Is a protected swampland home to a terrifying monster? Could a strange footprint prove its existence? That is what we discussed this week on our paranormal podcast, Believing the Bizarre.
What’s up Bizarro’s?! This week dive into the Legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster.
What Is The Louisiana Swamp Monster?
First, where is Honey Island Swamp? It is a marshland on the eastern side of Louisiana. It is bordered on the South by Lake Borgne, on the north by US Route 11, on the East by Pearl River, and the west by West Pearl River.
Technically this swamp is located inside the Pearl River Wildlife Management area and is called “Honey Island” because apparently there used to be a ton of honey bees nearby.
It is 20 miles long and 7 miles across. And part of what makes this area so cool and unique is the fact that it is a government-sanctioned protected wildlife area.
Compared to many other swampland habitats, the Honey Island Swamp has been minimally meddled with.
But with the absence of humans walking around and trashing the place, it means there is the possibility for unknown creatures to use this swamp area as a safe haven.
Now that we know a little bit about this protected and remote area, let’s learn about what could be living there.
What is the Honey Island Swamp Monster Of Louisiana?
The Honey Island Swamp Monster is a humanoid bipedal cryptid that was first spotted in the Honey Island Swamp area in 1963, which we’ll be getting into.
The swamp monster bears some striking similarities to the Legend of the BigFoot. It’s also known as the Cajun Sasquatch.
The Honey Island Swamp Monster is described as being ape-like, about 8 feet tall, 400 to 500 pounds, with thick brown or gray matted hair, yellow almost reptilian eyes, and an absolutely horrendous odor.
Perhaps the Honey Island Swamp doesn’t smell so sweet despite its name.
Also, unlike the more Pacific Northwest BigFoot folk, these Honey Island Swamp Monsters are said to have webbed feet.
Now, there are two theories that have been presented for why this creature might have webbed feet.
- Because they are in swampy conditions, and the webbed feet help them prowl around.
- The Honey Island Swamp Creature is detached from the other Big Foots of the world – so they technically have to keep reproducing with themselves which has led to things like webbed feet and fewer toes – like 3, for instance.
In addition to the Cajun Sasquatch, it is also called the Louisiana Wookiee, no word if there have been any Ewok sightings to go along with this.
Origin Theories Of The Louisiana Swamp Monster
There are 3 origin stories that are all kind of ridiculous but we are talking about a stank ass Bigfoot living in Honey Island Swamp.
Let’s cover these in order from least ridiculous to most ridiculous.
The First Origin Story
The first origin story, according to Cajun and Native American folklore, some folks claim the Honey Island Swamp Monster is a Leitche.
Essentially, this is a Bayou swamp monster that reportedly lurks around the Louisiana swamps, attacks people, and overturns boats. They are reported as being either illegitimate children raised by alligators or half-human half alligator hybrids.
You don’t want to see this monster swimming after your swamp fan boat, while you’re out trying to add to your gator belt collection.
The Second Origin Story
The second theory is that these Cajun Sasquatches are just scientific experiments gone wrong. Who knows what DNA they were flip-flopping and what genes they were playing connect 4 with to get the Honey Island Swamp Monster.
This is kind of like the scene in Jurassic Park where they are showing how they created dinosaurs. Except it doesn’t have Jeff Goldblum, and we all need more Jeff Goldblum in our lives. Because you know, “life finds a way.”
If the genetic modifications were true, could it be possible for all BigFoot creatures then? Rather than being a “missing link” so to speak. Or perhaps it’s own identity entirely.
The Third Origin Story
The third origin possibility is the craziest. Some folks believe that a circus was rolling through town on a train. Like trains do in most tragic stories – especially my hometown of Ashtabula – they crash. So now it’s known as Crashtabula.
And when trains crash animals get out. And when animals get out, they mate. Especially if you got a little sweet jazz playing in the background, I mean after all we’re not far from New Orleans.
But, some people claim that potentially, the Honey Island Swamp Monster is the offspring of an alligator and a chimpanzee.
They both swiped right and now we have a Believing the Bizarre topic. The magic of life.
Main Encounters With The Honey Island Swamp Monster
The first documented sighting of the creature took place in early August of 1963.
Harlan Ford, who was a retired air traffic controller, and his friend Billy Mills were hunting out in the Honey Island Swamp area. Due to his experience flying, he was actually able to scope out the perfect secluded areas for him and his friend, Billy, to hunt.
This particular spot was so secluded and off the beaten path that half of the trip they had to take a boat and the other half they had to walk.
During their time hunting, they claimed that they came across a large creature.
As they were hauling their equipment, they noticed that this unusually large animal was hunched over and seemed to be hovering over and feeding on a wild boar.
This tall and horrifying creature had ripped the boar’s throat completely out. Harlan described the humanoid figure as being covered in dingy gray hair, with long hair hanging from its head.
Out of fear, the men drew their guns. When they did, the creature stood and looked directly at them.
The two men estimated that the creature weighed close to 400 pounds and stood about 7 feet tall. The Louisiana swamp monster’s enormous size and hair were frightening enough, but the yellow-ish colored eyes and horrible stench that reeked from the creature were the two things that stuck in Harlan and Billy’s mind from this unbelievable encounter.
Within a few moments, the Honey Island Swamp Monster darted off with incredible speed into the marshland.
Once they got back and told everyone about their encounter, news started spreading across the area. This is when people started talking about coming up with potential origin stories.
The Native Americans at this time start associating the creature with the Letiche.
I don’t know where Billy stood on all of this, but it was reported that Ford became obsessed and was determined to find the Honey Island Swamp Monster again.
For about 10 years he traveled to and from their hunting location to try and either catch a glimpse of the creature or gather some type of evidence.
One day in the mid-70s on a trail near a small watering hole, Ford noticed what looked like the aftermath of a very bloody and brutal fight.
Seeing spots of spattered blood on the ground, he crawled through the shrubbery to the other side of the watering hole to find a wild boar that had just been killed and had its throat ripped completely out.
Very similar to his initial encounter.
Next to the dead boar turned out to be the best evidence he was going to capture (supposedly). We’ll get back to that.
What he found was a large footprint. He ended up making a cast of the footprint using liquid plaster, and this is how we know the creature had webbed feet and 3 toes.
When he took the casting to the local game warden and LSU’s College of Agriculture to be examined, they were unable to identify the animal that created the tracks.
From that moment on, he started taking his camera with him every time he went out in the wilderness to find the monster.
Ford passed away in 1980, and it is claimed that supposedly after his death his family found a Super 8 film in his possession that displayed the creature walking around in the Swamp.
But why would he keep this to himself? If he had proof of the creature he saw in his hunting territory, wouldn’t he share it?
The Search Was Continued by Ford’s GrandDaughter
His granddaughter, Dana, continued the search for the Honey Island Swamp Monster.
She has a documentary video with local eye-witnesses and encounters called “Encounters with the Honey Island Swamp Monster.”
She also wrote the book, “Honey Island Swamp Monster Documentation.”
DANA HOLYFIELD, AUTHOR
My name is Dana Holyfield. I am the granddaughter to the legendary Swamp Monster hunter, Harlan Ford. I have continued his research, investigating more encounters with the Honey Island Swamp Monster.
You may have seen me on TV shows that air on Travel Channel, History Channel, Discovery, Destination America, and more. I have been contacted by people all over the world who are interested in learning more about the Louisiana Honey Island Swamp Monster.
Other Encounters With The Swamp Creature
Pulled from unknown explorers. Com, in 1973, a guide was traveling down a bayou in a small boat when it struck something in the water.
The guide stopped to see what it was when he saw a creature swim to shore, climb out the water then walk into the woods on two legs.
According to mysterious universe, another witness soon came forward as well, a man by the name of Ted Williams, who claimed to have seen it on several occasions and said of the monster:
“The first time I ever saw it, it was standing plum still like a stump. I stopped and realized it wasn’t a stump and it wasn’t supposed to be there. When I stopped it ran. It was dark gray, about seven foot high, it jumped a bayou, that was the first time I saw it. The next time I saw him was swimming the Pearl River, two of them, one was bigger than the other and faster than the other and they swam just like a human with them long overhead strokes. I tried to get one of them to look at me and the other one ran off and the other one wouldn’t look at me. I could’ve shot it but I wouldn’t on account it wouldn’t look at me. It looked too much like a human to me, broad shoulders, arms hanging down below its knees, hands looked almost like humans.”
Another Encounter With The Louisiana Monster
“When I was a UPS driver I was driving down Alexandria freeway, and pulled over on a small bridge and took a leak down on the banks of the swamp.
In the middle of it I heard a splash and then I looked to the left and I saw two green glowing eyes looking through the trees and I heard intimidating heavy breathing.
I stopped and walked backward slowly and started up the rig and shifted as fast as I could.
Now, this was around 3:30 in the morning so I was out there by myself. I estimated the height was 7 to 8 ft. I was standing near a tree and I’m 5’7 so that’s how I estimated the height.
I never told anyone and this happened in 2008. I don’t know what it was so I’m just saying. I know the gators do not stand on 2 legs.”
The Second Experience With The Swamp Monster
The Swamp was in a different place in the 1960’s. I was only about 5 years old… and my father had bought some acreage in St.Elmo Alabama near Tilman’s corner not too far from Mobile Bay like in the movie Forrest Gump when he got his shrimp boat.
Around Mobile Bay, there are some small rivers, Dog river, and our home was at the back of the property by a swamp, and Halls Mill Creek, yes they had alligators, snakes, snapping turtles, and much of the same wildlife.
I remember one evening just before sunset and the shadows were creeping into the trees. We saw a hairy man, not extremely big, maybe 6 feet or so about 200 feet away and 30′ up on a large tree in the swamp, leaning over watching us.
I said to my brother, look the monkey man! My older brother of course had to correct me, no no, that’s the Boogeyman! We yelled for our father and mother to come to see my dad, but if my mom did she wouldn’t say. We were told never to go out at night and always together my father had to go out of town for work so my mother, two small children, me 5 and my brother was 8.
My dad would be gone at times all week and come home on the weekends my mother’s nerves from water moccasin and snakes in general plus the boogeyman, well she was scared!
We lived there for 2 or 3 more years before we moved. I was born in Mobile Infirmary, the rest of my family was from Louisiana, my mother was Cajun.. but that monkey man I still remember how he was leaning over watching us till the sunset and the darkness swallowed his silhouette.
As a boy, I just thought the monkey man was curious about us but my family’s fear that he may be sinister made me, my mom, and brother uneasy when my dad was away and all the noises from thousands of frogs crickets and all the creatures of the swamp would go dead silent except sometimes a strange scream coming from the Swamp!
All I have to say for people who don’t think there’s anything out there except the animals we know… go out and look for yourself! Once you see something that you thought didn’t exist you’ll never forget it!”
What Do You Think About The Louisiana Swamp Creature?
What do you think Bizarros? Is the Honey Island Swamp Monster a relative of Bigfoot?
Was it created through genetic experimentation? What about a train crash, or illegitimate children raised by alligators?
Do you believe the Honey Island Swamp Monster is real?