Nebraska Bigfoot sightings weave a captivating thread through the folklore of the Cornhusker State, where vast prairies and quiet river valleys harbor tales of a mysterious, hairy creature. Known as Sasquatch or Ci’tonga in Omaha tribal lore, this elusive bipedal figure has sparked intrigue among residents, from rural farmers to urban dwellers.
Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska challenge perceptions of a state often seen as flat and open, revealing a landscape rich with hidden forests and shadowy encounters that fuel a growing cryptozoological fascination.
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Nebraska Bigfoot Sightings
The legacy of Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska stretches back to 1957, when a chilling encounter in Valentine, Cherry County, marked the state’s first documented report. Since then, sightings have dotted Nebraska’s diverse terrain, from the rolling Sandhills to the dense woodlands along the Missouri River. Witnesses consistently describe a towering, shaggy humanoid, often 7 to 8 feet tall, with a musky odor and a knack for vanishing into the underbrush.
These encounters span rural backroads, state parks, and even urban fringes, with reports of eerie howls, glowing eyes, and oversized footprints. The Oakland Creature panic of 1974 in Burt County stands out, where multiple sightings triggered community alarm and a police hunt. More recent accounts, like a 2024 sighting near Omaha’s Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, show the legend’s persistence. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) and local enthusiasts like Harriett McFeely have cataloged these reports, though definitive proof remains elusive.
The table below compiles all known Nebraska Bigfoot sightings from 1957 to 2025, drawn from credible reports. It includes the date, witness (where documented), location, and a precise description of each event, arranged chronologically.
Table of Nebraska Bigfoot Sightings:
| Date | Witness | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Two young girls | Valentine, Cherry County | Two girls, playing hide and seek, saw a large, hairy, bipedal creature in an alleyway. It stood upright, covered in dark, shaggy fur, with a human-like gait, then fled. |
| July 4, 1974 | Dale and Linda Jones | Oakland, Burt County | Awakened by a freakish scream and their dog’s barking, the Joneses investigated their farm. Dale found nothing but reported an eerie presence near the pig pen. |
| Summer 1974 | Nick Wickstrom | Oakland, Burt County | While delivering newspapers, 13-year-old Nick and his family saw a large, dark figure running alongside a gravel road, vanishing into nearby trees. |
| Summer 1974 | Unknown | Oakland, Burt County | Residents reported a creature with a bear-like body and monkey face, or resembling a mountain lion or giant possum, prompting a police search. |
| 1974 | Unknown | Gage County | A sighting was reported, described as a tall, hairy figure near a rural road, but details are scarce. |
| 1974 | Unknown | Holt County | A brief sighting of a large, bipedal creature was noted, with minimal details recorded. |
| 1979 | Unknown | Knox County | A report described a hairy, upright figure near a riverbank, but specifics are limited. |
| 1979 | Unknown | Saunders County | A sighting of a tall, dark creature was reported in a wooded area, with no further details. |
| 1980 | Unknown | Lancaster County | A brief encounter with a large, hairy figure was reported near a rural property. |
| 1997 | Unknown | Saline County | A sighting of a bipedal, fur-covered creature was noted, with limited documentation. |
| 1998 | Unknown | Dakota County | A report mentioned a tall, shadowy figure in a forested area, but details are sparse. |
| 2006 | Three hikers | Chadron State Park, Dawes County | Hikers observed an unusually tall, black-furred creature walking on two legs near a trail, disappearing into dense trees. |
| 2008 | Unknown | Howard County | A sighting of a large, upright creature was reported near a farm, with no additional details. |
| 2012 | Unknown | Sarpy County | A brief report noted a tall, hairy figure near a suburban park, lacking further specifics. |
| November 25, 2017 | Robin Roberts | Along I-80 near North Platte, Lincoln County | Driving at 9 p.m., Robin saw an 8-foot-tall, heavy, stocky creature on the highway shoulder near a river, dark in color, before it vanished. |
| 2018 | T. Bell (investigator) | Omaha Indian Reservation, Thurston County | A witness reported a tall, bipedal figure at dusk, investigated by BFRO’s T. Bell, who found no physical evidence. |
| 2020 | Father and son | Neoaha State Park near Niobrara, Knox County | At dusk, a father and son saw a tall, dark figure at the tree line near the river overlook trail, standing motionless before retreating. |
| Summer 2024 | Unknown | Near Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, Douglas County | A daylight sighting described a 7-foot-tall, shaggy creature near the gardens, moving swiftly into nearby woods. |
| Summer 2024 | 15-year-old boy | Near Linwood, Butler County | Driving to driver’s ed before sunrise, the boy saw a 7-foot-tall, hairy creature cross a gravel road near Skull Creek, disappearing into trees. A hair sample was later found. |
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Investigation Efforts in Nebraska
Investigating Nebraska Bigfoot sightings involves a blend of grassroots passion and systematic inquiry. Harriett McFeely, dubbed the “Bigfoot Lady,” leads local efforts through her Bigfoot Crossroads of America Museum in Hastings.
Opened in 2018, the museum showcases footprint casts, hair samples, and a detailed map of sightings, serving as a hub for cryptozoology enthusiasts. McFeely’s Annual Nebraska Bigfoot Conference draws researchers, witnesses, and skeptics, fostering dialogue and sharing evidence like stretched deer tendons suspected to be Bigfoot-related.
Beyond McFeely, the Rez Squatching Research Community, co-founded by Barry and Derek Webster on the Omaha Indian Reservation, explores sightings tied to the tribe’s Ci’tonga legend. Their work emphasizes cultural connections, interviewing tribal elders and mapping encounters on reservation lands.
In 2019, a Giants and Bigfoot Campout in Deweese, organized by McFeely, featured experts like Don Monroe, who shared firsthand accounts of sightings and footprint evidence from across the U.S.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission occasionally investigates, as seen in the 2024 Linwood sighting, where conservation officer Mike Luben examined a hair sample but suggested it might be bear hair. Local groups like the Nebraska Sasquatch Research Team, formed by enthusiasts in Lincoln, conduct field expeditions, setting up trail cameras and recording vocalizations in areas like the Sandhills.
Despite these efforts, skeptics highlight the lack of conclusive evidence, suggesting misidentified wildlife or psychological factors, yet investigators persist, driven by witness credibility and cultural significance.
Detailed Case Studies
1957 Valentine Sighting
- Date: 1957
- Witnesses: Two young girls (names not publicly documented)
- Location: Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska
- Details: In the small town of Valentine, two young girls were playing hide and seek in an alleyway during the evening. They froze when a large, hairy creature emerged from the shadows, standing upright on two legs. Covered in dark, shaggy fur, it moved with a human-like gait, towering over the girls before bolting into the night. The girls, terrified, described the creature as unlike any animal they knew, with a musky smell lingering in the air. This encounter, one of the earliest recorded Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska, gained attention years later when reported to local historians, though no physical evidence was collected. Its significance lies in its historical precedence and the girls’ consistent, unembellished account, which aligns with classic Sasquatch descriptions.
1974 Oakland Creature Sightings
- Date: Summer 1974
- Witnesses: Dale and Linda Jones, Nick Wickstrom, and others
- Location: Oakland, Burt County, Nebraska
- Details: The Oakland Creature saga began on July 4, 1974, when Dale and Linda Jones, a young couple in their 20s, were jolted awake by a piercing scream on their farm off US Highway 77. Their German shepherd, Shep, barked frantically. Dale grabbed a flashlight and checked the pig pen, suspecting an animal in distress, but found nothing. The eerie presence lingered, and soon, other residents reported similar encounters. Nick Wickstrom, then 13, was delivering newspapers with his family when they saw a large, dark figure sprinting alongside a gravel road, vanishing into trees. Other accounts described a creature with a bear-like body and monkey face, or resembling a mountain lion or giant possum. The sightings sparked panic, leading to a police search that found no evidence. The community’s fear and varied descriptions suggest a mix of genuine sightings and heightened imagination, making this a cornerstone of Nebraska Bigfoot sightings.
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2017 Interstate 80 Sighting
- Date: November 25, 2017
- Witness: Robin Roberts
- Location: Along I-80 near North Platte, Lincoln County, Nebraska
- Details: At around 9 p.m., Robin Roberts, a Colorado resident, was driving with Harriett McFeely along Interstate 80 near mile marker 197. Near a river, Roberts spotted an 8-foot-tall, heavy, stocky creature standing on the highway shoulder. She described it as dark, robust, and upright, unlike any known animal. Startled, she alerted McFeely, who contacted the Nebraska State Patrol. A trooper investigated but reported that “Sasquatch remained elusive.” McFeely noted the sighting’s proximity to a river, a common trait in Bigfoot reports. The incident gained traction due to McFeely’s credibility and her museum’s role in documenting Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska. Despite skepticism about tourism motives, Roberts’ detailed account and the trooper’s response underscore the sighting’s impact.
Bigfoot Sightings vs Other Cryptid Sightings in Nebraska
Nebraska’s cryptid landscape extends beyond Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska to include other enigmatic creatures and paranormal phenomena. The Alkali Lake Monster, reported since 1923 in Walgren Lake near Hay Springs, is a serpent-like beast, described by J.A. Johnson as a 40-foot-long creature with rough, grayish-brown skin and a horned head. Some likened it to a giant alligator, while others suggested a large catfish or beaver. The legend persists, with occasional modern reports of ripples or shadows in the lake.
The Shunka Warak’in, a wolf-like cryptid with hyena-like features, has been reported sporadically in the Great Plains, including Nebraska’s western counties. The Fence Rail Dog, another canine-like creature, appears in folklore but lacks specific Nebraska sightings. The Oakland Creature of 1974, while often tied to Bigfoot, may represent a distinct entity due to its varied descriptions.
Paranormal activity, such as UFO sightings, dots Nebraska’s history, with notable reports in the 1970s near Ashland and in 2020 over Lincoln. Some researchers, including McFeely, speculate a link between UFOs and Bigfoot, noting their shared locations along rivers or remote areas. Other unexplained phenomena include tales of albino figures in sewers or giant birds snatching livestock, though these remain anecdotal.
No definitive evidence connects these to Nebraska Bigfoot sightings, but their coexistence fuels theories of a broader supernatural presence in the state’s wilds.
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Conclusion
Bigfoot sightings in Nebraska illuminate a state where folklore and mystery intertwine, from the windswept Sandhills to the wooded Missouri River banks. These encounters, from the 1957 Valentine sighting to the 2024 Linwood report, reflect a persistent fascination with Sasquatch, or Ci’tonga, rooted in Native American traditions and modern curiosity.
Investigators like Harriett McFeely, the Rez Squatching Research Community, and local enthusiasts keep the search alive, despite the absence of concrete proof.
Alongside other cryptids like the Alkali Lake Monster and paranormal tales, Nebraska Bigfoot sightings enrich the state’s cultural tapestry, inviting wonder and debate about what lurks in its shadowy corners.
