Southern Illinois Family Shares Generations of Bigfoot Encounters

If you've ever wondered whether Sasquatch activity extends beyond the Pacific Northwest, a recent interview on The Cryptid Creatures Show might just change your mind. Bryce Edwards, a 41-year-old factory worker and father of four from Southern Illinois, sat down with the hosts to share some absolutely fascinating family history involving these elusive beings on a 642-acre farm that's been in his family since the 1860s. What makes Bryce's story stand out is the multi-generational aspect. His grandmother had a terrifying encounter back in 1963 when she saw what she described as a "honey bear" emerge from the woods across the road from her house. She was outside with Bryce's father, who was five at the time, and his uncle, who was just one. The creature came out on all fours, spotted them, and then stood up and started walking toward her on two feet "like a man." She grabbed the kids and ran inside, locking the door and hiding in a closet until her husband got home from work. That's not the reaction you have to a regular black bear passing through, and Bryce realized this years later when he heard another old-timer on a podcast using the same term "honey bear" to describe Sasquatch. The term has actually popped up in various regions as a colloquial name for these creatures, which makes grandma's story make a whole lot more sense in retrospect. But it doesn't stop there. In 2015, Bryce's dad and his cousin Jerry (who has since passed away) were over at Jerry's place on the farm around dusk in late August. They were out there when coyotes started going off across the road in a field, and then everything went dead silent. Then they heard this deep roar that Bryce's dad said you could feel in your chest. The hair stood up on both their arms. These aren't city folks either - his cousin Jerry was out there hunting every single day and knew every animal sound in those woods. For something to completely silence the wildlife and rattle two seasoned outdoorsmen like that? That's significant. Bryce himself has had his own experiences and even made a documentary to bring awareness to the fact that Sasquatch are present in Southern Illinois. The farm sits along train tracks that eventually lead down to the Shawnee National Forest, which has been a hotbed of reports for years. A researcher he worked with recently did an investigation down there and found prints and got a lot of activity, sending Bryce photos of what he found. The Shawnee National Forest covers over 280,000 acres across seven counties in Southern Illinois, with rugged terrain, bluffs, and dense hardwood forests that could absolutely support a population of these reclusive beings. The area has a long history of sightings, and Bryce's family farm seems to be right in the middle of it. It's rare to find a witness with this kind of deep family connection to the subject - multiple generations all having experiences on the same piece of land over the course of decades. Whether you're a longtime researcher or just Sasquatch-curious, this one's definitely worth checking out.