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AUGUST 13, 1965, MONROE, MICHIGAN, USA, CHRISTINE VAN ACKER AND RUTH OWENS BLACK:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

On August 11 or 13, 1965, near Monroe, Michigan, USA, Christine van Acker, aged 17, wwas driving to bring back home her mother, Rose Owens, on a road in a wooded area in the night.

Whereas she negotiated a turn of the road, a 2.10 height meters hairy and dark creature arrived on the road, and she had to brake. One moment later, the monster introduced an arm in the car by the open window and clutched Christine van Acker by the hair with its enormous hairy hand, with rough and black hairs with bleached ends, while growling. Its hand became entwined in the hair of the panicked girl, who stalled the car when she tried to accelerate away.

An understandable panic ensued, the two women screamed, Christine van Acker honked the car's horn repeatedly, and the creature eventually retreated to the woods.

Moments later, David Thomas, aged 22, came by, alerted by the sound of the car's horn, and found Mrs. Owens standing on the road and Christine van Acker draped on the steering wheel.

Miss van Acker had bruises at her face, and her photograph was published in the newspapers and magazines through the country, since the experience drew the attention of the national medias for there had already been many stories of upright half-men half-animals creatures in June and July of this year.

The locals over-reacted and organized a posse armed with weapons with guns and forks and searched the wooded countryside finding anything. These people thought that the creature could be a radiation-spawned mutant caused by the nearby Enrico Fermi atomic plant, where gates and to be closed and guard increased in result of these rumours and tensions.

The event attracted the curious, a restaurant owner was happy enough to declare that he does not care what the creature is as long as it stays in the area.

Thereafter, the story made the "Bigfoot" books and websites and even some UFO books.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. up1:] UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL:

[Ref. sa1:] SAGA MAGAZINE:

The magazine indicates that in the Summer of 1965, a hairy monster man terrorized residents during of Monroe County, Michigan.

Teen-aged Christine Van Acker and her mother, Rose Owens, declared a man-like beast attacked them when their automobile stalled on a lonely highway.

[Ref. tf1:] "TRUE FRONTIER" MAGAZINE:

The magazine indicates that in August 1965, the Sasquatch had returned to Michigan with at least 15 people claiming personal encounters with the hairy giant.

17-year-old Christine Van Acker of Monroe told newsmen that the creature had jumped into the road and reached into an open car window to grab her by the hair while she was driving with her mother. She sported a black eye as physical evidence of the nightmarish incident.

[Ref. jb1:] JANET AND COLIN BORD:

The authors indicate that on August 13, 1965, near Monroe, Michigan, Christine van Acker and her mother Mrs. Ruth Owens saw a black 7 feet Bigfoot reach into the car and give Christine a black eye.

The authors indicate that the sources are True magazine June 1966; Green, "Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us", p.201; Curt Sutherly, "Case History of a UFO Flap", Official UFO december 1976, p.59; Strange Life Sourcebook, compiled by William Corliss, 1976, vol. B1 p.21; Place, Bigfoot All Over the Country pp. 105-106; and Green, "The Sasquatch File" p.40.

[Ref. cc1:] LOREN COLEMAN AND JEROME CLARK:

The authors indicate that on August 13, 1965, a huge, dark, hairy creature attacked Christine Van Acker as she sat with her mother in their car near Monroe, Michigan.

A photograph of Christine van Acker's face with a highly visible black eye appeared in many newspapers around the country the next day.

[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The ufologist indicates that on August 13, 1965, in Canada, in Monroe in Ontario, Christine Van Acker had the surprise of her life by seeing a being of more than 2 meters in height with hairs "like spikes" approaching her car with open window. The creature put a hand inside by the window, and bruised Christine van Acker's left eye.

Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that the source is Jean Ferguson in "Les Humanoïdes...", Leméac publisher, Ottawa, 1977, page 123, 124.

[Ref. rh1:] RICHARD D. HENDRICKS:

The author indicates that a description of an overall hair-covered body, with hair six to eight inches long and the lack of distinguishing facial features fits the description of three cases including the 1965 creature that attacked Christine Van Acker near Monroe, Michigan.

[Ref. ft1:] THE FORTEAN TIMES:

An article on Bigfoot mentions that a Bigfoot attacked Christine Van Acker near Monroe, Michigan in 1965.

[Ref. cs1:] CURT SUTHERLY:

Author and journalist Curt Sutherly explains that on August 11, 1965, near Monroe, Michigan, 17-year-old Christine van Acker was driving, with her mother Rose Owens as passenger.

Curt Sutherly explains that the press stories were somewhat conflicted, but essentially, Miss van Acker was negotiating a curve in the road when a hairy 7 feet tall creature stepped onto the road, causing her to brake in panic, and an instant later, the upright monster reached through the open window.

Mrs Owens said she looked over and there was "this huge hairy hand on top of her [Chrsitine's] head."

A commotion ensued, both women screamed, Christine van Acker repeatedly sounded the car's horn, and the creature retreated in the woods.

A few moments later, David Thomas, 22, came by alerted by the car's horn sounds, and discovered Mrs Owens "standing on the road south of the car and Christine draped over the steering wheel."

Miss van Acker had bruises on her face, and her photograph was published in the newspapers and magazines across the country, as the experience drew the attention of the national media as there had already been numerous stories of giant hairy upright creatures in June and July that year.

The local people escalated the episode out of control and a posse of vigilante armed with firearms and forks searched the wooded countryside without finding anything. These people believed that the creature could be a radiation-spawned mutant from the nearby Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant, where operators had to close the gate and increase the guard in result of the rumour and the tension.

The event attracted the curious, and Sutherly notes that one restaurant owner was happy enough to say that "I don't care what (the creature) is as long as it stays around."

[Ref. ge1:] GEORGE EBERHARDT:

The author indicates that on August 13, 1965, Christine Van Acker was driving with her mother in a wooded area near Monroe, Michigan, when out of nowhere, a hairy giant stepped in front of the car. In her panic, Christine can Acker hit the brake instead of the gas, and the car died. The smelly, seven-foot-tall, apelike creature grabbed the top of her head and then retreated into the woods, and Christine ended up with a black eye.

[Ref. lc1:] LOREN COLEMAN:

The cryptozoologist indicates that on August 13, 1965, in Monroe, Michigan, Christine van Acker and her mother Mrs. Ruth Owens had an encounter with a black 7-feet tall Bigfoot, who reached inside their car, giving Christine a black eye.

[Ref. bf1:] "BIGFOOT FACT OR FANTASY?" WEBSITE:

This website indicates in a listing that on August 13, 1965, near Monroe, Michigan, Christine van Acker and her mother Mrs. Ruth Owens Black saw a 7-feet Bigfoot reach into the car and give Christine a black eye.

[Ref. ac1:] "ASSOCIATED CONTENT" WEBSITE:

In a "bigfoot" article, the website indicates that a famous sightings occurred in Monroe, Michigan in 1965 and made several local newspapers: 17 year old Christine Van Acker and her mother were driving on a dark country road on August 11, 1965, when a giant hairy man who appeared to be at least seven feet tall and completely covered with black hair, stepped out in front of their car.

The girl hit the brakes, causing the car to stall. As she frantically tried to restart the engine, the creature reached into the car with a long, hairy arm and hit her in the eye, giving her bruise.

The girl and her mother managed to escape and went to the local police where they told their horrifying story. The next day, newspapers carried a photo of Christine Van Acker's black eye and a harrowing tale of her account.

[Ref. ws1:] "WINTER STEEL PARANORMAL WEBSITE":

The website indicates that in 1965, Christine Van Acker was driving with her mother in a wooded area near Monroe, Michigan, when out of nowhere, a hairy giant stepped in front of the car. In her panic, Christine can Acker hit the brake instead of the gas, and the car died. The smelly, seven-foot-tall, apelike creature grabbed the top of her head and then retreated into the woods, and Christine ended up with a black eye.

Points to consider:

Note about the date: the UPI newswire for August 17, 1965 indicates that it occurred the previous Friday. The previous Friday was on August 13, 1965. It is however possible that this day was when the story appeared in the local press; which would explain why some authors date the occurrence August 11, 1965.

"What weighs more than 400 pounds, smells moldy, growls like a mad dog, and dislikes automobiles?" asked the UPI newsman. A bear, quite simply, but it seems that one preferred to make a Bigfoot out of it - or even a ufological close encounter of the third kind.

It appears in the UPI newsbrief that someone probably told the girl that was a bear. The girl rejected that obviously because she was probably a city girl who never saw a bear that close, and thought that they were to have "fur", hair soft like that of teddy bear, whereas her monster had rough hairs, which is indeed the case with bears - but certainly not like spines, she would have had traces of that.

In any case, it is obvious that this is not an investigated business but a press story, and that nobody in UFO and Bigfoot literature considered it useful to think before noting it down as a Bigfoot or UF-humanoid case.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Probable confusion, bear.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [up1] * "Blonde Gets Black Eye as 'Thing' attacks Car", news release by UPI (United Press International), USA, August 16, 1965.
• [---] ? Article in True magazine, USA, June 1966.
• [sa1] * "America's Terrifying Woodland Monster-Men", article by Warren Smith, in SAGA magazine, USA, July 1969.
• [---] ? "The Sasquatch File", book by John Willison Green, Agassiz publishers, USA, page 40, 1973.
• [tf1] * "America's Abominable Snowman", article by Bryan Stevenson, in True Frontier magazine, USA, December 1975.
• [---] ? "Strange Life Sourcebook", compiled by William Corliss, USA, volume B1, page 21, 1976.
• [---] ? "Case History of a UFO Flap", article by Curt Sutherly, in the sensationalist UFO magazine Official UFO, USA, page 59 or 60, December 1976.
• [---] ? "UFOs and Manimals: A Nuclear Power Connection?", article by Curt Sutherly, in Argosy UFO, USA, page 50, March 1977.
• [---] ? "Les Humanoïdes", book by Jean Ferguson, Leméac publisher, Canada, pp 123-124, 1977.
• [---] ? "Bigfoot All Over the Country", book by Marian T. Place, Dodd, Mead & Co publishers, USA, pp 105-106, 1978.
• [---] ? "Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us", book by John Willison Green, Hancock House publishers, page 201, USA, 1981.
• [jb1] * "The Bigfoot Casebook", book by Janet and Colin Bord, Granada publishers, USA, 1982.
• [cc1] * "The Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature", book by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark, Fireside Books publishers, USA, 1999.
• [go1] * "Chronologie OVNI", web page by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 1999, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/chron16.html
• [rh1] * "Interview with Bigfoot Witness", article by Richard D. Hendricks, Weird Wisconsin, April 5, 2000, at www.weird-wi.com/creatures/grantoninterview.htm
• [ft1] * "Bigfoot Resurfaces in Wisconsin", article in the magazine Fortean Times, #135, June 2000.
• [cs1] * "UFO Mysteries: A Reporter Seeks the Truth", book by Curt Sutherly, Llevelyn publisher, USA, pp 27-29, 2001.
• [ge1] * "Mysterious Creatures: A Guide To Cryptozoology", book by George M. Eberhardt, ABC Clio publishers, USA, 2002.
• [lc1] * "Are Eastern Bigfoot aggressive?", article by Loren Coleman on his blog Cryptomundo, USA, May 10, 2006, at www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/bfaggressive
• [bf1] * "Chronological List of Bigfoot Sightings 1951 - 1960,", listing by the website Bigfoot, Fact of Fantasy?, USA, circa 2007, at home.clara.net/rfthomas/cb/1965.html
• [ac1] * "Bigfoot Prowls in the Midwest!", article by "MF", October 15, 2007, at www.associatedcontent.com/article/405235/bigfoot_prowls_in_the_midwest.html
• [ws1] * "More and More Facts!", article at the Winter Steel Web Site - Paranormal Information & Stories of the Unexplained, undated, circa 2008, at www.wintersteel.com/Factsp3.html

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This page was last updated on May 13, 2008