Alabama 1932: Man's Encounter with Manlike Apes in Little River Canyon

The southeastern United States has a rich history of unknown bipedal primate sightings, and Alabama is no exception. In the northeast corner of the state, where the Appalachian Mountains begin their 1500-mile stretch to Newfoundland, there is a lesser-known hotspot of Southern Sasquatch activity. The encounters in this area are generally not fanciful tales, but matter-of-fact occurrences, dating back to the oral history of the Cherokee Indians of the area. A particularly intriguing account comes from a newspaper report of an encounter with a troop of man-like apes documented in what is now known as Little River Canyon, located on top of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama. The report, which appeared in the Birmingham Age Herald in 1932, tells the story of Jean Smith, a young man who set out on a weekend adventure to marvel at the magnificent scenery of the famous canyon. As Smith was bushwhacking a path along the side of the river, he noticed what he first took to be several people walking in a line coming towards him. However, upon closer inspection, he realized that these "people" were actually man-like apes, completely naked and covered in hair. The leader of the troop was clearly male and was followed by three females with telling bosoms. Unfortunately, the newspaper article abruptly ends without giving any indication of the height or color of hair of the creatures. Some assume that the creatures had the typically black hair pigmentation of chimpanzees or gorillas, while others speculate that the story was a hoax inspired by the original feature film of King Kong. However, this argument falls apart when we fact-check the release date of King Kong and find that the flick didn't hit theaters until 1933, a full year after the article was published. Regardless of the true nature of the creatures, the account is a fascinating addition to the rich history of unknown bipedal primate sightings in the southeastern United States. To learn more, be sure to check out the full video on the YouTube channel Unknown Bipedal Primate. And, as always, if you have your own Bigfoot encounter stories, please share them with us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Until next time, happy squatching! Excitement Level: 6 *As a female editor for Squatchable, I am excited to share this interesting account of a possible man-like ape sighting in Alabama. The fact that the encounter was documented in a newspaper report adds an extra layer of credibility to the story, and I am eager to learn more about the history of unknown bipedal primate sightings in the southeastern United States.*