Incident #1001048
Florence, Lane Cty, Oregon
Mar 1974
Account
Nick Wells was walking to school when he smelled a rotten stench, heard a deep growl and then heavy thudding steps in the brush and a panting growl. Whatever was there was keeping pace with him, stopped when he stopped, and when he ran it crashed through the brush beside the road. He stopped again and it kept going, getting in front of him. At that point he saw the head and shoulders above the brush. It was hunched over, partially behind a tree. When he cocked his head and blinked the creature did the same. Head was bigger than a basketball, brownish-black hair all over except across the cheeks and nose and under the eyes. Skin little lighter than the hair. Low forehead, protruding eyebrows, wide nose with large nostrils, mouth closed with thin lips, ears covered, sloping head. It was near freezing and steam was coming from the big nostrils. He ran away, yet later felt the thing was just curious about him. Later he and a friend found what they considered an 18-inch footprint. Mike Jay reports finding 18" x 6.5" and 16" x 5" tracks on May 11, at four different locations
When
- Observation Date
- MAR 07 1974
- Month
- Mar
- Year
- 1974
- Season
- spring
- Time of Day
- early morning
- Duration
- brief
Where
- State / province
- Oregon
- County
- Lane Cty
- Nearest Town
- Florence
- Distance from Town
- 0
- Population of Town
- 4500
- Elevation/Altitude
- 0
- Latitude
- 4358--
- Longitude
- 12406--
What was seen
- Individuals
- one large, sex unknown
- Total Individuals
- 1
- Population Status
- urban
- First Seen
- in
- Terrain Object
- bushes
- Near or/at
- road
- Shot Hit
- No
- Tracks
- found later
Witnesses
- Witness(es) Sex
- Child or children
- Report type
- 2nd person
Setting
- Terrain
- delta
- Slope
- level
- Nearby Water
- river, ocean
- Distance to Water
- close
- Substratum
- fine material
- Cover
- heavy
- Undergrowth
- heavy
- Undergrowth size
- man high
- General undergrowth
- heavy
Weather and light
- Relative Temperature
- cold
- Lighting
- daylight
- Visibility Index
- 5
Source
- Source
- Portland Oregonian, quoting Nick Wells. . Also Feb
- Source Type
- newspaper
- Source Date
- MAR 11 1974
- Source reliability
- 7
- Incident reliablility
- 5
- Jwg file date
- MARCH 1974
- Incident type
- 1
Creature description
- Eye shape
- round
- Hair Covered
- yes
- Height
- 6 ft
- Posture
- stooped
- No hair on
- near eyes
- Appearance
- unkempt
- Hair Colour
- brown black
- Face Colour
- dark
- Ears
- covered by head hair
- Head Profile
- flat on top
- Forehead
- low
- Brow Ridge
- heavy
- Nose
- no snout
- Nose Shape
- large flat nose
- Nostrils
- Yes
- Mouth Open?
- closed
- Lips
- thin
- Movement
- staying still
- Sound
- growl, panting
- Odour
- strong
- Human Contact
- followed
- Reaction
- watched, approached
- Attracted By
- human activity
- Other Unusual Y/N
- Yes
- Describe Unsual
- Creature had run through the brush parallel to the informant before the first sighting.
- Position when first seen
- bent over
- Head Size
- large
Witness
- Sex
- Child
- Interviewer
- Mary Wells, Nick's mother
- Interview date
- MAR 7 1974
- Witness Saw with
- naked eye
- Observer Was
- walking
- Moving Y/N
- Yes
- Position
- upright
- Making Noise Y/N
- Yes
- Closest horizontal distance
- close
- Least vertical distance
- nil
- Action on sighting
- studied, fled
- No of witnesses
- 1
- Track witnesses
- several
- Age
- 10 to 15