Oklahoma Woman Shares 70 Years of Bigfoot Encounters

There's something about a firsthand account that spans seven decades that just hits different. A recent video popped up featuring a conversation with a woman named Arla Colette Williams, who has been sharing her experiences with these elusive beings since she was barely old enough to walk. And let me tell you, her story is one of those that stays with you. Arla grew up in Oklahoma, about 45 miles from Tulsa, in an area near Oaki County. Her connection to these beings started incredibly early. When she was just three years old, sick at her grandmother's house, she was sitting outside playing in the dirt when she heard footsteps approaching. She assumed it was her grandmother, but when she looked up, it was what she describes as a "hairy kid" — a young juvenile male standing maybe 10 or 15 feet away. They looked at each other for a moment before he turned and walked back into the woods. She ran inside to ask her grandmother what she'd seen, and that's when her grandmother began teaching her about them. But it was an encounter at age six that really stands out. Arla was sitting on the bed in her parents' bedroom, talking to what her mother would later describe as a "dirty, hairy man" at the open back window. Her mom came out of the closet, saw what was happening, and screamed for her dad. Her father came running out of the bathroom, grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen, and headed outside. Years later, Arla's mother confirmed to her that she had seen one herself. What makes Arla's story particularly compelling is the generational knowledge passed down through her family. Her grandmother taught her that these beings are neighbors — and as neighbors, they deserve respect. Sometimes you see them, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you talk to them, sometimes you don't. That foundation of respect, rather than fear, shaped how Arla interacted with the woods and everything in them throughout her life. She was taught never to go out looking for them, because that would be disrespectful. Instead, she simply lived her life in the woods, and if they were around, she might know it. She might not. That's the nature of neighbors, after all. One thing that really caught my attention was Arla's perspective on what these beings actually are. She believes they were here before us, that they came from somewhere else, and that they are flesh and blood just like us. But she also acknowledges they have abilities that seem impossible — the ability to appear and disappear, to be seen one moment and gone the next. She mentions that she believes humans once had those abilities too, but walked away from them at some point. She even referenced elders she's seen doing things that many people say can't be done, including a story about an Indian man in the town where she grew up who had remarkable abilities. The video cuts off right as she's getting into that story about the Indian man, which is frustrating because it sounds like it was heading somewhere fascinating. The conversation touches on so many of the questions that researchers and witnesses grapple with — the nature of these beings, their relationship to humans, and the abilities they seem to possess that go beyond what we typically understand about physical creatures. Arla's account is a reminder that for some people, these encounters aren't a single event or even a hobby. It's a lifelong relationship with neighbors who happen to live in the woods. Her grandmother's teachings about respect and coexistence offer a perspective that feels increasingly rare in a world that tends to view the unknown with suspicion rather than curiosity. If you're interested in hearing Arla's full story in her own words, the video is worth checking out. There's something about the way she tells it — matter-of-fact, almost casual — that makes it all the more believable. These aren't campfire tales meant to scare. This is someone sharing her lived experience with the same matter-of-factness you'd use to describe your neighbors. The conversation also touches on how the topic has only really become openly discussed in the last 10 to 15 years. Before that, you simply didn't talk about it. People would think you were crazy, and even if they didn't, there was an understanding that these beings were special and not everyone saw them. That cultural shift toward openness is something worth paying attention to, especially as more witnesses feel comfortable coming forward with their stories. Arla's story is a beautiful example of the kind of generational knowledge that exists in families across the country — knowledge that was kept quiet for decades and is only now finding its way into the broader conversation.