Have You Heard Of The Ohio Grassman?
We've written about sightings of bigfoot all around Michigan and Ohio before. In fact, last August, a woman claimed she had proof of bigfoot in central Ohio, near the town of Mohican.
But maybe, it's not that simple to call this one a "bigfoot" sighting, as it might actually be another Ohio Cryptic Legend - The Grassman!
Different parts of the world call the Bigfoot by different names. Colder climates, particularly in east Asia refer to him as "Yeti." Across the U.S., the creature has several names - Skunk Ape (Florida), Fouke Monster (Arkansas), Wood Booger (Virginia), Momo (Missouri), and many other places refer to him as a "wood ape."
Are these all simply different "races" of the same species, similar to humans of different skin tone and ethnicity?
It's possible, as each version has their own characteristics. Specifically though, we want to highlight the version from Ohio - The Grassman.
What is The Grassman?
According to the official Cryptids Wiki website, the Ohio Grassman, also known as the Kenmore Grassman, or "Orange Eyes," is a near mirror image of what we typically call Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. Specifically, they will stalk the woods of Ohio.
It's described as having a snub nose, deep-set eyes, blackish-brown in color with long arms, a pointed and bulky head with no neck, very wide shoulders, and luminous red or orange eyes. The can also be seen with either gray, brown, or black hair.
What makes this creature unique, though, is how it gets its name. The Grassman is named for the alleged small, hut-like living structures, or nests, it will build out of tall grass in the area.
Origins of The Grassman
The First prominent sighting of the Grassman happened in Minerva, Ohio in the late 1970s.
The grandchildren of Evelyn and Howe Clayton, along with their friends, ran screaming inside about a hair monster they saw in the gravel pit outside.
"When the couple went out to investigate, they saw what the crying children had described. It was covered in dark matted hair, sitting in the pit, and fiddling with discarded trash."
They estimated it to be around 300 pounds during that sighting, and in fact, the Claytons would see the Grassman several times after that, peering through their kitchen window, and on top of a hill near a strip mine at night.
"The next month, in broad daylight, the couple observed two hairy bipeds on the same hill .It was only after these reports by the Claytons were made that a startling connection was made. Days before the gravel pit incident, the Claytons' German Shepherd was found dead, its neck broken, presumably killed by the hair beast."
Historical encounters
But even before the Clayton's first "official" sighting, Natives in the region had mentioned a race of bipedal ape-men living in the Ohio Grasslands, they called "Wild Ones of the Woods. They would leave out food for the creature to keep the peace with it.
Also, in the 1800s, sightings of a similar hairy biped were made by the Ohio River, where at least once, it apparently tried to throw a man out of his carriage, but retreated when the man's daughter, who was riding as a passenger, threw stones at it.