The Monster of Dead Man's Hole
This post was initially going to be about a ghost town, but my search led me to this juicy find. I was looking for information on a Dead Man's Hole in Oklahoma. I came to find there's one in about every state including California. We've all heard about Bigfoot, Yowie and Nessie, but there was a monster that pre-dated all of them.
Dead Man's Hole is located near Oak Grove, California and was a stop of the Butterfield stage line. When the line was established, it ran right by a sparkling water hole. The stage often stopped there to refresh men and horses before continuing their trip. It was on one of these stops in 1858 that a legend was born. The driver got out for a drink. He leaned over the water just to meet face to face with a dead man, the first known victim of the hole. Several reports circulated San Diego of the disappearance of men but were dismissed.
A French sheepherder was found dead at the hole in 1870. Six years later, a stage passenger claimed to have seen a naked "thing" with long black hair watch him from a nearby bush. A few years later, a man named William Blair was found strangled in the woods near the hole. A couple of his wealthy friends from San Francisco investigated the death but found no clues. A year later, an Indian girl was found 200 feet from where Blair's body was discovered.
In March of 1888, a couple of hunters named Edward Dean and Charles Cox explored the canyons behind Dead Man's Hole. They managed to hike a mile through the rough terrain. Upon taking a break, they heard a crash nearby. What they found was a creature with dark brown hair like a bear and six feet tall scurrying away. The hunters began to follow it but decided to stop it in its tracks by firing a shot in the air. The beast turned to reveal its human-like face. It started climbing the canyon wall to a cave opening. Cox fired again, killing the creature.
James Jaspar reported in a San Diego newspaper that the monster's body was being taken to San Diego to be put on exhibit the next day. However, there weren't any further reports after the 1888 article concerning the beast. Was the monster revealed to the world or did it disappear in transit? Why weren't there any more articles about the Monster of Dead Man's Hole? Perhaps the truth lies more in logic rather than conspiracy. It may have something to do with the date James Jaspar's article was published on: April 1, 1888.
Dead Man's Hole is located near Oak Grove, California and was a stop of the Butterfield stage line. When the line was established, it ran right by a sparkling water hole. The stage often stopped there to refresh men and horses before continuing their trip. It was on one of these stops in 1858 that a legend was born. The driver got out for a drink. He leaned over the water just to meet face to face with a dead man, the first known victim of the hole. Several reports circulated San Diego of the disappearance of men but were dismissed.
A French sheepherder was found dead at the hole in 1870. Six years later, a stage passenger claimed to have seen a naked "thing" with long black hair watch him from a nearby bush. A few years later, a man named William Blair was found strangled in the woods near the hole. A couple of his wealthy friends from San Francisco investigated the death but found no clues. A year later, an Indian girl was found 200 feet from where Blair's body was discovered.
In March of 1888, a couple of hunters named Edward Dean and Charles Cox explored the canyons behind Dead Man's Hole. They managed to hike a mile through the rough terrain. Upon taking a break, they heard a crash nearby. What they found was a creature with dark brown hair like a bear and six feet tall scurrying away. The hunters began to follow it but decided to stop it in its tracks by firing a shot in the air. The beast turned to reveal its human-like face. It started climbing the canyon wall to a cave opening. Cox fired again, killing the creature.
James Jaspar reported in a San Diego newspaper that the monster's body was being taken to San Diego to be put on exhibit the next day. However, there weren't any further reports after the 1888 article concerning the beast. Was the monster revealed to the world or did it disappear in transit? Why weren't there any more articles about the Monster of Dead Man's Hole? Perhaps the truth lies more in logic rather than conspiracy. It may have something to do with the date James Jaspar's article was published on: April 1, 1888.
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