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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

JULY 27, 30, 31, 1978, OTTOSEN, IOWA, USA, PEOPLE:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

Bigfoot amateurs collected these stories from local newspaper and summarized it:

On July 27, 1978, in Ottosen, Iowa, USA, Donette Henkins, aged 9, reported she saw a "short, hairy, apelike animal with fangs and deep-set eyes"; which stood in shadows a few inches away and growled.

On July 30, 1978, again in Ottosen, Dawn Henkins, aged 11, Mrs. Henkins and a neighbor said they sae an "apelike creature with a wide forehead", walkin between buildings on Main Street at night.

On July 31, 1978, still in Ottosen, "three or four boys" aged 10-12 said they saw a "Bigfoot" in a shed, and again later.

These little documented stories with primarily children as witness hardly seem in connection with any "UFO occupants", but nevertheless made it into a catalogue of ufology presenting the affair as follows:

"Early in August 1978", at night, "numerous witnesses" reported seeing a hairy, foul smelling 5-foot tall, ape-like creature that made growling noises and grunts. It had large red glowing eyes the size of golf balls. There were also reports of mutilated dogs and rabbits, and cats disappearing. "Strange tracks" were found in the mud. A girl riding her bike saw a 5-foot tall figure in the light of a streetlight, standing next to a garage less than a block away. The creature was broad and covered with hair. The girl's scream brought her mother and two other people to the scene. Riding bikes to where the creature had been seen, the trio stopped when they heard a man's voice say "does anyone know what time it is?" They had no idea where the voice came from, but looked down toward the garage and saw a "head" looking at them. The head was large, covered with hair and with huge dazzling eyes. "The witnesses quickly left the area."

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. bo1:] JANET AND COLIN BORD:

[Ref. mm1:] MARK MALONE:

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Ottosen, Iowa, early in August 1978, at night, numerous witnesses reported seeing a hairy, foul smelling five-foot tall, ape like creature that made growling noises and grunts. It had large red glowing eyes the size of golf balls. There were also reports of mutilated dogs and rabbits, and cats disappearing. Strange tracks have also been found on the mud. A girl riding her bike saw a five-foot tall figure in the light of a streetlight, standing next to a garage less than a block away. The creature was broad and covered with hair. The girl's scream brought her mother and two other people to the scene. Riding bikes to where the creature had been seen, the trio stopped when they heard a man's voice say "does anyone know what time it is?" They had no idea where the voice came from, but looked down toward the garage and saw a "head" looking at them. The head was large, covered with hair and with huge dazzling eyes. The witnesses quickly left the area.

Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "Frank Santiago, Omaha World Herald."

[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 12 September 1978 in Ottosen, Iowa, USA, "A sighting of bigfoot was reported. One bigfoot was seen."

The source is given as Eberhart, George M., A Geo-Bibliography of Anomalies, Greenwood Press, Westport, 1980, ISBN:0-313-21337-2.

[Ref. pm1:] "PHANTOM AND MONSTERS" BLOG:

Points to consider:

According to the descriptions, quite fragmented, and coming primarily from little children, one wonders why this alleged Bigfoot of stinking odor and torturer of cats, dogs and rabbits, could not be just a bear. And maybe some poor unshaved bum was involved too.

In any case, it seems not quite guaranteed that the thing came on board a UFO.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Probable confusions, bear, bum. Not UFO-related.

Sources references:

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

• [---] ? Article by Frank Santiago, in the local newspaper Omaha World Herald, Omaha, Iowa, USA, August 2, 1978.
• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper Algona Upper Des Moines, Algona, Iowa, USA, August 3, 1978.
• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper The Messenger, Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA, August 3, 1978.
• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper The Independant, Humboldt, Iowa, USA, August 5, 1978.
• [---] ? Article in the local newspaper Kossuth County Advance, Algona, Iowa, USA, 7 août 1978.
• [---] ? "Stories of 'Bigfoot' in Iowa during 1978 as Drawn from Newspaper Sources", article by Mark A. Hall, in The Minnesota Archaeologist, UsA, Volume 38, #1, pp2-17, February 1979.
• [---] ? "A Geo-Bibliography of Anomalies", book by George M. Eberhart, Greenwood Press publishers, USA, 1980.
• [bo1] * "Chronological List of Bigfoot Sightings 1818-1980", in "The Bigfoot Casebook", by Janet and Colin Bord, Granada publishers, USA, 1982.
• [mm1] * "Older Iowa Biggfoot reports", compiled by Mark Malone, 1995, at www.bigfootencounters.com/sbs/olderiowa.htm
• [ar1] * "1978 Humanoid Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2007, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1978.shtml
• [ud1] * "12 Sep 1978 - Ottosen, Iowa, USA", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2010, at thecid.com/ufo/uf12/uf5/125411.htm
• [pm1] * "Bigfoot in the Hawkeye State", on the Phantom and Monsters blog, December 13, 2011, at naturalplane.blogspot.com/2011/12/bigfoot-in-hawkeye-state.html

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This page was last updated on February 8, 2012