Ohio Grassman
The Ohio Grassman is a legend that has persisted for nearly 150 years in Ohio. The first sightings date back to 1869. They described the being, which would later become know as the Ohio Grassman, as a large, hairy, bipedal creature that stood at a staggering nine feet tall.
The Grassman is quite similar to Bigfoot based on description alone as it a large, hairy, bipedal creature. However, its behavior and habits set it apart from typical Bigfoot lore. The Grassman seems to largely eat tall grasses. In fact, that’s where The Ohio Grassman gets its name from! The Grassman is often seen around farms and especially eating tall grasses such as wheat. This is perhaps the reason it is so particular to Ohio, which has quite a bit of farmland. 150 years ago when the sightings first began, Ohio was quite underpopulated and there was plenty of water, places to shelter, and even game to hunt. Although it appears the Grassman’s main diet is wheat and other farm products when these are no longer available they could hunt game, which is plentiful.
In addition to a different diet, the Grassman also seems much more sociable than Bigfoot. Many Grassman sightings include more than one Grassman, and it is reported that mothers have been seen with babies.
One of the most famous sightings too place in 1978 at Evelyn and Howe Cayton’s home. The family was enjoying a quiet evening with their children, grandchildren, and a few friends. While Evelyn and Howe were relaxing in their home when suddenly their children and a few of their friends came screaming through the door, apparently scared to death. They told Evelyn and Howe that while they were playing outside they came across a monster in a gravel pit. Unsure of what to do but believed the fear of the children so the pair headed outside and saw a creature covered in dark hair that was about 7ft and around 300 pounds. When asked, Evelyn said that the Grassman simply stood there...although she hightailed it out of there quickly after witnessing it.
This would not be the last time the Caytons would see this creature and they reported they saw it many more times. Sometimes they would simply smell that it had been there as it often left a strong rotten-eggs smell whenever it passed through.
The Caytons never reported to the creature stealing anything, disrupting the family, or acting aggressively which against puts it at odds against similar creatures like the Minerva Monster.
Thanks to Lea B for the #blogstonishing suggestion!
The above image is not directly related to the story. It is a farm in Ohio. The picture is entitled Remodeled house on Scioto Farms, Ohio and is made available thanks to the public domain.