WV's Canyon Monster

This upcoming Saturday, I’ll once again be joining Wild and Weird WV at the Kanawha State Forest for a hands-on Bigfoot workshop! (Click HERE for my blog on the 2021 workshop.) I’m looking forward to a day filled with food, friends, and fun, learning all about Bigfoot and how best to document any explorations into his existence. Therefore, I’ve spent the summer doing a lot of reading, watching, and listening to any and all media I can find concerning Bigfoot. But, I’ve yet to actually WRITE anything about Bigfoot…until now. I thought today would be the perfect time to share a little about West Virginia’s Canyon Monster. 

Much of West Virginia has had its fair share of Bigfoot sightings and reports, but between 1960 and 1975, a major flap of encounters were coming out of Tucker County, located in the northeastern part of the state. Many of these sightings were located in or near the town of Davis, particularly an area near the Monongahela National Forest and Blackwater Falls State Park. The monster (or monsters) were named the Canyon Monster after the Blackwater Canyon, an eight-mile gorge containing the Blackwater River. 

Things seem to have gotten their start with an incident occurring during the summer of 1960. Several young men were camping in a wooded area just outside of Davis, when one of the guys was tasked with chopping some firewood. As he was working, he heard a noise and felt a jab to his ribs. Probably pretty perturbed that his buddies were messing with him while he was laboring over the firewood, he turned around and came face to face with what he described as a ‘horrible monster.’ Standing in front of him was a creature with “two huge eyes that shone like big balls of fire.” The eyes were very far apart, and the creature, standing at least 8 feet tall, was covered in shaggy hair. 

After staring at each other in shock for a moment, the creature ran off into the woods. The witness, although pretty shaken, decided along with his buddies that it would be better to go ahead and spend the night there, rather than try to trek out in the darkness. It’s hard to say whether or not the young man’s friends initially believed his fantastical story, but at first light, the group found large footprints in the mud, leading into the woods going the same route as the creature was reported to go. 

The same, or similar creature, was spotted around Parsons, WV that summer as well. And, even though sources say the ‘flap’ ended in 1975, the area around Blackwater Falls is STILL getting Bigfoot reports. In 2007, a footprint found off the Canaan Loop Road was investigated by Cliff Barackman and shown on the television program, Finding Bigfoot.

Blackwater Falls State Park and the surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful and tranquil, and I can see where Bigfoot would enjoy living in the area. If you or somebody you know has had a Bigfoot encounter in this area, I’d love to hear about it. Please let me know in the comments below, or find m over on Theresa’s Haunted History of the Tri-State Facebook Page! 

Happy Squatchin’!