Bigfoot Society - Driver Spots Juvenile Bigfoot Near Pennsylvania Grand Canyon / Peoria, Illinois Updates!

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

A driver traveling Route 6 near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon witnesses a shocking encounter with a lean, black, juvenile Bigfoot that darts into the brush in seconds. In this episode, we explore her ...detailed account of the creature’s shape, movement, and behavior—along with how the sighting has stayed with her for nearly a decade.But the mystery doesn’t end in Pennsylvania. We also dive into multiple Bigfoot encounters across Central Illinois, including East Peoria, Farmdale, Mapleton, Goofy Ridge, Jubilee State Park, and Banner Marsh. From massive footprints in frozen creeks, to dark figures rising from cornfields, to pounding inside outbuildings at 3 AM, to strange lights moving through the treetops—witnesses describe chilling moments they’ve never forgotten.This episode brings together first-person testimonies, regional Bigfoot hotspots, and decades of sightings, revealing a pattern of activity that follows waterways, remote forests, and isolated rural corridors throughout the Midwest and Northeast.If you’re fascinated by Bigfoot sightings, cryptid encounters, wilderness mysteries, or eyewitness stories that challenge what we think we know, this conversation is a must-listen.Topics Covered:– Juvenile Bigfoot sighting on Route 6 near Gaines & Ansonia, PA– Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (Pine Creek Gorge) encounter details– Bigfoot footprint discovery in East Peoria– Shadow figures, creature structures, and creek-side sightings– Farmdale tree-line encounter and runaway eyewitness– Mapleton cornfield creature rising to full height– Terrifying pounding in a Jubilee State Park outbuilding– Strange pulsating forest lights– Historical patterns of Illinois Bigfoot reports– Emotional impact on witnesses over decades🗣️ Share Your StoryHad a Bigfoot encounter or strange experience?Send it to bigfootsociety@gmail.com – your story might be featured on the show!🎥 Watch & Subscribe on YouTube🔴 Subscribe here → Bigfoot Society YouTube💬 Leave a comment & let us know your thoughts!📞 Leave a voicemail with your story → Speakpipe (Use multiple voicemails if needed)👥 Share this episode → Watch & Share🎧 More episodes → Podcast Playlist🌲 Recommended: New Jersey Bigfoot Encounters💥 Support the Show & Get Perks✅ Join the community on Supercast – Become a Member✅ Listen ad-free & early on YouTube – Join Here📱 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @bigfootsocietyTwitter: @bigfoot_societyTikTok: @bigfoot.society🧰 Tools & Partners I Use (Affiliate Links)These help support the show at no extra cost to you:Beam (Better Sleep): Try BeamWildgrain (Better Bread): Join HereSeed (Probiotics): Get SeedMedi-Share (Healthcare): Learn MoreLMNT (Electrolytes) Free Sample Pack with your first purchase! : Get LMNTOrganic and non-GMO groceries delivered for lesshttp://thrv.me/uarEhS🎙️ Podcasting Tools:Repurpose.io: Try ItDescript: Sign UpStreamyard: Start RecordingRiverside.fm: Try Riverside🎧 My Audio Interface: View on Amazon☕ Buy Me a Coffee – Support Here🛍️ Grab Some Merch – Shop on Etsy📬 Mailing Address:Bigfoot Society125 E 1st St. #233Earlham, IA 50072

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Starting point is 00:01:28 You're listening to Bigfoot Society and I'm Jeremiah Byron. In this show, we go beyond the campfire stories to bring you first-hand encounters from people who say they've seen something impossible. From backwoods trails and remote mountain haulers to quiet farms and crowded highways, the stories come from everywhere. And each one leaves us with more questions than answers. These are the voices of the people who've lived it. So settle in because today you'll hear another account that just might change the way. you see the woods forever. So stay with us. All right, Bigfoot Society. You've got the privilege of talking to Jill today.
Starting point is 00:02:05 Jill is a listener over on the YouTube side that reached out about an experience that she had in Northeast Pennsylvania. So welcome to the show, Jill. How are you doing today? Good. I'm good. Awesome. I've heard a bit about this area. It's come up on the show recently a few times, So I'm excited to hear what your experience was. I know a little bit about it. So feel free to take us back to the day when you experienced what you saw that day. Okay.
Starting point is 00:02:40 So I guess I was just driving down Route 6. I was eastbound. Somewhere between like Gaines and Ansonia, which is like near the, coming close to where the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is. and it was like about dusk time starting to get dark. And I just, I don't know, just saw this black figure and it kind of looked apish, I guess, and it was like just dark, dark black. And it was smaller.
Starting point is 00:03:15 So I would say, I believe it's a big foot. I would say if it is, then it'd be like a juvenile big foot because it wasn't real, real big, but fairly good size. and I don't know, he was there and he was not, you know. He kind of climbed up into the brush off the road and that was it. All right, so it happened very, very quickly. How many seconds in all would you say that you had the sighting for? Oh, I don't know, maybe five seconds.
Starting point is 00:03:51 Gotcha. And you're saying so as you're driving by, you see it on the side of the road, it climbs up into the brush? Yes. Okay. You said that it looked apish. Do you remember what details you saw that made you think that it had an apish look to it? Just the shape of it, I guess, would remind me of like a, I wouldn't say it was as heavy as a gorilla, but maybe like an orangutan, maybe. It was black, black, black, though.
Starting point is 00:04:26 Gotcha. So when you say potentially like an orangutan, I, okay. Are you saying like the shape of the body then or maybe how the head looked or anything specific that that made you feel that way? Just sort of that, you know, long arms and sort of hunched over the shape of the body, I guess, too. Gotcha. When you had, you know, just a few seconds, but your viewpoint, was it dead onto it or did you see more of a side profile or the best? back of it? I'd say side profile.
Starting point is 00:05:07 So he was just on the side of the road, and he just kind of crawled up a bank and into the brush, and then I didn't see him. And was it on all fours, or was it standing on two legs at the time? Sort of hunched over. Not really, like, on all fours, but definitely is like arms were reaching to the ground.
Starting point is 00:05:32 Okay. Okay, so tell me if I got this right then. So it was, sounds like it was on two legs, but also hunched over and maybe having its front arms down to the ground, maybe leaning on those or something like that. Right. Okay. Could you tell anything about, you said that it was a darker color, darker black. Could you see anything to do with the hair, like the length of the hair, anything like that? No, I was pretty far off from it, I guess.
Starting point is 00:06:11 I wasn't terribly close, so. Like, it's like that. I don't have the greatest size side either, so details like that. And then what the time and day it was. Gotcha. How far away would you say it was? I'm not good at distance. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:06:29 How about this? would you say it was about the length of a tennis court or longer? Longer. How much longer? Maybe a football field. Okay. And so, yeah, that's a little bit of a length. Were you able to estimate how tall it seemed at all?
Starting point is 00:06:50 No, I mean, I would say it was bigger than a large dog, for sure. when it climbed up into the brush did it have to jump up to reach the brush or did it just reach up and climb up there it just kind of climbed up wasn't really reaching just kind of climbed out of i don't know okay okay gotcha um so after you had that sighting then uh did you stop or go back or continue to just keep driving. I just kept driving. I just kept driving. Okay.
Starting point is 00:07:37 Gotcha. Could you see anything to do with the shape of its head or anything about the head at all? Just that it was, you know, like didn't really have much of a neck and, I guess, kind of leaning forward. Okay. Did it, the shape of the body, did it seem like it was a little? overly muscular or more lean the way it was put together? More lean.
Starting point is 00:08:13 Okay. Got it. So more of a smaller lean juvenile, as you had kind of said earlier then. Right. Okay. Was it doing any activity when you first saw it? No. Just kind of hanging out there and then.
Starting point is 00:08:35 Right. It's like he saw me and then left. Okay. Gotcha. After you had the sighting, did you tell anyone about what happened? Yeah, I told some of my friends and stuff. This was like 2015, I think. I guess I didn't say that in the beginning, but so it was several years ago now. Okay. So 2015 and do you remember the month that happened in? No, I don't. Okay. And maybe was it, was it snowy out? Was it snowy out? Was it snow?
Starting point is 00:09:13 Summer, spring, anything like that? No, it wasn't, it might have been spring, but it wasn't snowy. When you told your friends about what happened, what was their reaction? Well, they don't believe me. That doesn't bother me. Why does that not bother you? Because a lot of people don't believe that they're real. And I do.
Starting point is 00:09:43 I, and especially since I've seen one, I think, you know, it's highly plausible that there's creatures out there that we don't, you know, have documented or whatever, so. Absolutely. You mentioned this was near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Can you tell me a little bit about that area? Yeah, it's very remote. They called the PA Wilds, so there's lots of wildlife. The canyon is, you know, like just a canyon, but it's all wooded, like, trees and stuff. And very, I mean, there's a lot of remote areas out there.
Starting point is 00:10:28 Okay, gotcha. So it really sounds like it's a place where something could potentially hide out if it wanted to. Yes. Yeah, okay. How did this affect you after? you had deciding did it make any changes in your life not really i i mean i felt pretty blessed to have seen one um like i said i do believe that they're out there just felt pretty blessed about it i guess absolutely i mean it's it's a very i'd say it's a very rare thing and a very special thing
Starting point is 00:11:08 to to to have happened to uh i guess it all does depend on on how you view it. Some people would probably disagree that it's a very traumatic experience. But did you feel more that it was traumatic or you actually had a good outcome from it? Good, because, like I said, I wasn't like, I wasn't that close to it. I was in a car. I wasn't scared at all. Like, it was there and then I wasn't.
Starting point is 00:11:39 So it was more just like, wow, I got to see one. But I feel that way about all wildlife when I see it. I'm like, you know, when I've seen bear, I get so excited when I see bear. Oh, sure. It's very cool. Right there with you, it's cool to see something like that. That is hard, hard to see, I guess, depending where, what part of the country you're in. When you've been telling people over the years, which let's see, this happened about 10 years ago,
Starting point is 00:12:08 has there ever been anyone that said, oh, yeah, you know, I've heard of, stuff in there or I've experienced stuff in that area too? No. I mean, the people who do believe me, I don't, well, I do have one friend that said she'd seen one who had been way long time ago. But out of, I'm trying to think where she said, Ogdensburg Road, which is kind of near Lasburg, PA, another very very. remote area. So she had seen one, a big one. And the other people that believe me are just,
Starting point is 00:12:51 they believe more in the paranormal stuff, which I don't really believe in, not that I don't believe in paranormal. I just don't believe that Bigfoot is paranormal. Sure, sure. What do you feel that it probably is then? Wildlife. Okay. Gosh, so like an undiscovered, large wildlife of North America. Yes. etc. Actually all over the world. Right. I would say all over the world.
Starting point is 00:13:18 Yeah, all over the world. How far away is this area from the Allegheny National Forest? It's like two hours from where I was because I used to live out that way. Gotcha. Would you say this is the first, a thing you've experienced that was out of the ordinary? As far as like paranormal and stuff. Yeah, I mean, and I know that you're not really looking at it like this,
Starting point is 00:13:59 but sometimes it does get categorized with, you know, if a person has an experience like this, well, they may have had a UFO sighting as well or a ghost or et cetera, high strangeness, things like that. Yeah, no, I've never really experienced. anything like the UFOs or more of ghost kind of stuff. So. Okay.
Starting point is 00:14:22 After you had this sighting, did it kick off anything in your life where weird things started to happen like, you know, strange dreams or things of that nature? No. I really, it was to me just like seeing other wildlife. It wasn't, yeah, I don't think of it that way. Yeah. Absolutely. Got it, got it. Yeah. No, no sweat. It's very cool. Is that something that you would want to see again? Oh, for sure, yes. Safely. Safely. Yeah, exactly. So you would be cool with the same setup where, you know, you're in the car and you have that kind of security.
Starting point is 00:15:04 Right. Yeah. Got it. How close would you be comfortable with it being to the car? within 100 feet I think okay that's cool after you have this citing did it sometimes with some people it'll start a time where they will you know wanting start wanting to know more about it they'll start you know reading a lot more they'll start going on little investigations in area trying to figure out trying to find tracks did that
Starting point is 00:15:41 did do anything like that to you at all? No, well, see, at that time I was working on moving. So that was one of my trips back and forth because I was still living, like, out near the Allegheny National Forest back then. So I was pretty busy with all of that and raising kits and everything. So in the last year, I've, I have read A book and started watching more things about it. But at that time, I was pretty busy with other things. Well, it is, it's an interesting encounter because, I mean, it is, it was quick and it was a bit away from you, but it's in an area where I can't find a lot about it. I did some searches to see if I could find anything else around the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, which is also called, I think Pine Creek Gorge.
Starting point is 00:16:39 Yes. is what it's called. Yes. I couldn't find much. I did find some reports in Lycoming County, in Potter County, and I think those are within 50 miles or so. And not a lot of recent stuff. You know, back in the 90s, the 70s, there were some reports and maybe some vocalizations in the 2000s. in the 2000s there.
Starting point is 00:17:12 But it's interesting. Perhaps someone listening will say, well, I know something near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. And if so, please reach out. I've checked my map and I don't have anything marked in that area, but I haven't gone through all my episodes yet. So we'll see. But Jill, I want to make sure that you were able to share
Starting point is 00:17:35 everything that you experienced that day. Yep, that's pretty much it. Awesome. Awesome. Well, good stuff. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. I do appreciate it. And if you, you know, if you ever experience anything else in that area, please reach out. I would love to hear about it. And thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank you. All right, Bigfoot Society. Thanks for coming back for another show. We've got Diana here today. and Diana reached out about some interesting accounts that she has gathered over the years and also some experiences herself. And these are all based out of the central Illinois area around Peoria for the most part.
Starting point is 00:18:23 So welcome to the show, Diana. How are you doing today? I'm doing well. Thank you for asking. Awesome. And to point out, so with this show using a new program called, Riverside. There will be some where there will not be the video of the witness or the interviewee for certain privacy reasons, which is a-okay. But this program does allow us to have better audio
Starting point is 00:18:53 quality than a telephone call, which I know a lot of you will appreciate. So yeah, Dana, I'm excited to hear what you have to share today. I'm going to go ahead real quick and you've been nice enough to put a map together with some stars for locations and you'll be kind of walking us through that as we go. But feel free, Diana, to take the reins. I think you were saying that you might have a personal account to share first today. Yes, mine happened around 1979, 1980. I grew up in, actually, we built a log cabin facing I-74 in East Peoria. And it come wintertime and my best friend came over.
Starting point is 00:19:44 And we were bored. We decided to go off into the woods. It was freezing cold out and a little bit of snow on the ground. But we were bored. We're kids. We're 12, 13 years old, you know. So we went behind the log cabin down in the deli into the creek and was following the creek. And I noticed one thing I would like to add, it was totally silent.
Starting point is 00:20:06 And I didn't think twice about it. I was just a kid, you know. But even though bitter cold, you're still going to have a little bit of a squirrel running through or something. But it was a dead silence. And I'm joking around with my best friend. And I said to her, wouldn't it be funny if we saw Bigfoot? And moments, I'm talking less than five minutes. We look down and there is this huge like footprint in the snow and ice right in the dead center of the creek.
Starting point is 00:20:39 And we looked at each other and we looked back at that. And I know her heart was racing as fast as mine. I mean, you automatically got that nervous feeling. And we took off running out of the woods, got out of there. She had to help me up the gully, of course. But anyway, we got out of there and got back home. And I noticed, and we'd only been living there less than a year, we'll say. And after that, I would try to ignore things, but I noticed I never went in that backyard, really.
Starting point is 00:21:12 You'd always have a sense of a nervous feeling and uneasiness. And this led into me even being an adult. I lived there until I was about 25 when I got married. And I wouldn't even go on the edge, really. I just, you always got this nervous filling. Now, on that note, I was listening. It could have been your podcast or it might even have been Bigfoot case files. I'm not for sure which one.
Starting point is 00:21:41 But there were sightings just a few years earlier following that creek, like say less than a mile from where we saw that footprint. And if you start doing your research in the Taswell County, East Peoria area, It seems to be along that creek, which feeds into a levee system and then feeds into the Illinois River. So they're following those waterways is how I look at it, you know. But that kind of hit me when I was listening to a podcast and I, you know, heard that where they had had sightings before. And I'm like, it was less than 10 years and we saw the footprint, you know. and so kind of led from there, but I've always had a fascination. I was one of those, think about it, 70s kid, you grew up with, what was that Leonard Nimoy
Starting point is 00:22:35 and the show that he had and all of that good stuff. Yeah, exactly. Even, what was it, a million dollar man, six million dollar man, remember he had Bigfoot on there. That's true, Steve Austin. Yeah, absolutely. Yes, definitely. So it was always a fascination to me. Now, in the next area where there were three sidings, or two sightings in an oddity,
Starting point is 00:23:06 that was on a street named Kerfoot, which is only about a mile, maybe two tops, from where I grew up. And if you look on the map, you're going to see East Peoria. And I'm, okay, I lived where the middle. star was and these other three happenings is where the left side star is right underneath the O of Peoria. Let's see, the first one was my best friend come to school. We went to school, Glendell Grade School.
Starting point is 00:23:41 And she shows up and she was telling me that they couldn't go outside to go to school right away because her dad had walked out and they kept a dog outside. and when he come out, he found the dog skinned. And from what Jewel remembers, my best friend, it wasn't skinned like, say, a human with a knife and everything, but it was skin. It was dead, and he wouldn't let the kids see it. But that was a story, you know, since childhood that I've heard from not only my best friend,
Starting point is 00:24:17 her family members are walking out and finding this dog skinned. and in that same area, or their backyard, you might as well say, they had an elderly man that stayed there for a while. And Bud, Bud was his name. And he swore clear up to the moment he was dying that he saw what he considered a big foot, squatted down on a hillside behind their house. Now their house, you had to go up a steep driveway to get to, so you're kind of isolated from the rest of the homes on Kerrfoot. And then behind their house was another hill. And supposedly what Bud seen squatted down was on that other hill that was behind their house. But like I said, he swore to it.
Starting point is 00:25:15 And then she informed me that her older brother, Billy, he was across the street. Now, across the street, you've got your homes, and then you've got a creek, and then you've got a really steep hill, and on the other side of the hill is I-74. Well, on that hillside is tons of coal mines, old dilapidated coal mines. Some of them you don't even realize they're there. They've been covered with dirt through the years. and so forth. But he swore that he's seen a very large, dark, shadowy figure in the woods there on that hillside. And what he did is he hid behind a tree to where he felt safe enough to, you know, run back home.
Starting point is 00:26:03 But I just learned that today, actually. But that was the three sightings on Kerfutter, two sightings and one oddity of finding the dog's skin. I don't know what to think. Also, something that was found on that other hillside behind Jules' house, her and a neighbor kid went up there exploring. And all Jule could say, and she still says it today like this, Diana, it looked like somebody was having like a satanic ritual or something other. She goes, there was a fire pit and there was these markings and just,
Starting point is 00:26:45 the way things were positioned. She can't fully remember details, but she remembers that. Oh, boy, that puts a whole different spin on it, potentially. Mm-hmm. Oh, my goodness. Wow. So, and there was just always, this cluster, though, that you're seeing in East Peoria, there's always been an eerieness.
Starting point is 00:27:15 Like I said, you know, I never even went into my backyard. once we built that house. I just didn't like it. I would step out onto the deck and walk off of the deck, but beyond that, I would never go back to those woods. And there would be days I'm not even thinking of anything like a big foot being back there or whatever. But you would get that sense of nervousness, uneasiness.
Starting point is 00:27:42 Let's see here. Now we're going to go over under East Peoria to the far right. Now this was one of my cousins and two of his friends. They were in an area. And if there's any listeners from this area, they're going to know Farmdale. Farmdale, of course, has a creek running through. It's kind of like the river flats in a way. It's a valley, of course.
Starting point is 00:28:08 But they were down there. They were like 14, 15 years old, not old enough to drive yet. So they're on their bikes. And they're down there playing in the woods, riding on their bikes. and they happened to stop and everybody's just kind of looking around. But Tim, the friend, happened to get real white,
Starting point is 00:28:29 from what I understand, from talking to my aunt and my cousin. He got really white and they're like, what's wrong? And he flung his bike down and he ran back up the hill, which was an entirely residential area called Highway Village.
Starting point is 00:28:47 and he basically ran home. He didn't want any part of it. But he's in his 40s now, and he still swears that what he's seen was a big foot. It was very huge. It was dark brown, almost black. And it was walking along the tree line there. And he caught this big foot walking along the tree line. But he still swears to today that's what he's seen.
Starting point is 00:29:16 and it still puts a nervousness in him. And, Diana, is this the star that's in the southwest corner? No, this is the one in the southeast. You've got the three stars under East Peoria. Well, two directly under Peoria and then one off to the right. This is the one off to the right. That's Farmdale. Got it.
Starting point is 00:29:43 Yeah, and that's just an area where you've got homes here and there. You got a little mobile home park. But there's a lot of wooded areas down in there. And, of course, a creek. So you got another waterway, you know. Now, the next one, I guess we'll get to, is my landlord, where I live now. We've known each other since we were 14, but we're in Florida now. And he was just telling me this last week when I told him that I was going to be speaking with you.
Starting point is 00:30:16 He used to live off of 150 and McCluggage Bridge. So when you look above Peoria and you see the gold star, like in between Peoria, too and Peoria, he lived right in that area, right off of, I guess it would be Washington Street or Adams. I'm not sure if it's, I think it's considered Adams, actually, and 150. and he would take his ATV, go up the hillside into the woods, and you'd come out to a large cemetery called Springdale Cemetery right there on, was it, Prospect? And I know if anybody's from this area,
Starting point is 00:30:58 they know exactly where I'm talking about. But he said that one day he was going through the woods, not driving his ATV, he was just walking through the woods. And he kind of, you know, he was getting lost, if you want to say it. quotations, you know, just getting into the woods and having a good time. But he told me that he come across a structure. And I'm like, you did? And he goes, yeah, he goes, this thing was massive. And he said it was about eight to possibly 10 feet tall and at least eight foot or more in diameter. And it was intertwined with the twigs, the tree limbs, the branches. And, you know, we can't say
Starting point is 00:31:41 that it was an actual Bigfoot structure, but it was something that he's never forgotten, you know what I mean, because of the massive size of it and everything, and the way things were intertwined. There was another time he was riding his ATV, and something started chasing after him behind it. And, you know, he got away and everything,
Starting point is 00:32:08 but that is something of knowing that, something is back there. It could have been a buck. We don't know. But there was still something chasing him on his ATV. And this was like in the middle of the night. My goodness. How far away from the zoo is that?
Starting point is 00:32:27 I'm trying to think. Peoria Zoo. Oh, actually less than a mile. Yeah. Okay. And I will say this. They have spotted a mountain lion, an actual mountain lion. And it's on camera.
Starting point is 00:32:44 I think it was like 20 years ago or under 20 years ago in that cemetery. Now, the mountain lion can't build the structure, but he could be the one chasing you, you know. So that could be it. But the mountain lion didn't come from the zoo. We don't know where it came from, but it was spotted up there in the cemetery. And around the same time or close to it, across Illinois River on the East Puria side. a homeowner just a few years ago, less than 10 years ago maybe, they spotted the mountain line on their trail camera behind their house. Okay.
Starting point is 00:33:24 So we do have that to contend with. Now let's see. Where are we going? We got Roger. We got all of us taken care of. We'll go to my aunt, which is below Peking. and she lived in Topeka, Illinois, which she literally lived on the edge of a community called Goofy Ridge.
Starting point is 00:33:49 And I'll give you a little history on Goofy Ridge. I actually know a little history about this. My great uncle was bodyguard for one of the Shelton brothers. Have you ever heard of the Shelton gang? Actually, I haven't. Okay, you know, back in the mob days, what is it, 20s and 30s or whatever. Oh, sure. But they were central and southern Illinois is what they were.
Starting point is 00:34:17 And they did run with El Capone. They were friends with El Capone and his bunch and everything. But Goofy Ridge has, I think, one large lake and multiple lakes. But you're down by a marsh area is where you're at. And actually, you know, you were bringing up Banner Marsh one time. Yeah, I was going to bring that up. Yeah. You're basically across the river from Banner Marsh.
Starting point is 00:34:42 Oh, there you go. But they used to take their victims down to Goofy Ridge. And if you were to drain that lake, I'm sure you're going to find bones, evidence, and stuff like that. Kind of like Lake Mear, things that they found, you know. But what I'm getting at is, is my aunt, this is just, I want to say 2018, maybe. between 2018 and 2020, she was doing her dishes and it was kind of dusk out. And she happened to look out the window right there at her kitchen sink. And my middle name is Dora.
Starting point is 00:35:20 So she calls me Dory. And she was like, Dory, I don't know what I've seen. But she goes, it was over in the alley. And it was very large and it was dark. And she goes, it just made me so nervous I had to step away. and she's another one that still gets nervous with just that moment of seeing something, you know, years later. And she's, what, 75 years old? But it just makes her a nervous wreck, you know?
Starting point is 00:35:51 Now, I did go out there that next day to look for footprints. But where I messed up, I got the alleys messed up. She has an alley that runs right next to her property, which that's, kitchen window faces, but then across the street, there's another alley, and that window faces it somewhat, too. And I went to the wrong alley. I thought she meant the one right next to her property, and it was actually the one across the street. So I never did find any footprints or anything. But whatever it was, it spooked her. She don't like to go out at night with her little dogs. You know, so here come the P-Pads in the house after dark, you know.
Starting point is 00:36:39 But that also, like I said, when you kind of estimate Banner Marsh and Goofy Ridge, you know, you've only got a short distance to the river. I mean, I don't know how far, but, you know, just a few moments and you're going to be at the river. I would say they're kind of close. And absolutely. And Banner Marsh is where, I was within the last year, I think, the trucker. Uh-huh. Yeah, the trucker had the sighting. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:14 And I've been back in Banner Marsh, and I can see that. It's very isolated. Even in the middle of the day, you think there'd be people out there more than what I have seen in my years. But more people fishing and doing things. But no, it's real quiet and very isolated. I don't know, but I can see that. You're all in that wooded area and you're away from any urban, you know, what you're going to find is a house here and there or a small community, you know, here and there,
Starting point is 00:37:49 like Banner or, what is it, Glassford up on top of the hill? These are all very small communities, you know. Okay. If you even want to call them a community, there might be an abandoned gas station, you know, And that's about it. Or a little restaurant and an abandoned gas station or whatever. Not a whole lot going on that are near these areas. In particular, where the truck driver and Banner Marsh.
Starting point is 00:38:18 But Goofy Ridge, I can definitely see something like that out there. Let's see here. The next one is Mapleton. Now, you see where it says Hannah City. Yep. right below it is a gold star. Okay, this is actually Jules' ex-husband.
Starting point is 00:38:41 Him and I were talking, he was helping me prepare my move to move to Florida. And, you know, we were talking and I had, you know, probably your channel on YouTube, playing on the TV while we're packing and loading things.
Starting point is 00:38:55 And he goes, Diana, you know, I've seen something when I was young. And we sat down, he started telling me about it. And this is probably in the late 70s, maybe 77, 78, he was thinking. He's about 14, 15 years old, riding his dirt bike.
Starting point is 00:39:14 You know, it was like a little Kawasaki or Suzuki. And his parents, they lived on a street or a road called Lancaster. And they lived in a big old farmhouse that had belonged to his grandparents. But they were building a new home across the road from that. but he'd go out there in the farm, you know, it was all cornfields, bean fields, and stuff like that. And like he was describing to me, he goes, you know, when they plow the field and at the corners, there's always a few stocks left over. And I know you would know this, Jeremy, being in Iowa. In the corner areas of a field, there's always a little bit of a cluster that's left over.
Starting point is 00:39:58 Well, he was on his dirt bike, and he comes around that corner, and he said, as he's coming around that corner, something large and dark stood up. And he looked over at his shoulder as he passed. And he goes, I don't know what I was seeing. All I know it was huge, and it was hairy, and it was very dark. And he said, I just high-tailed it home. Now, on a funny note on that, when he got home, he's like, Mom, Mom, I don't know what I saw, you know, whatever he's saying and everything. And you know what? She said to him, well, honey, then I want you to ride that over on the south side.
Starting point is 00:40:39 Like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. It's like, Mrs. Ford, what are you thinking? Right. Yeah, that's funny. Yeah, he believed that his mom probably knew a little bit more, but she didn't want to spook him as a kid, you know. But it's something that still sticks with him.
Starting point is 00:40:58 You know, what was that thing because it was so tall, and he couldn't really give me an estimate of how many feet he thought it was. It just, it was so tall, and he could see the fur on it, and it was so dark colored. But it just, it was coming up as he was round in that corner. So that would freak me out a little bit. Now, the last one, and I know you've had sightings in Jubilee, as I've heard of my- Yeah, we've talked to a few people about Jubilee. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, well, this is just within 2020 and 2023, the man that put my roof and my deck on my house up there in Illinois, he has a tree stand out there in Jubilee State Park. And one night, he said it was about three in the morning. He was leaving his tree stand. And he's the only one out there, by the way. He's the only one out there, by the way. You know, his truck is the only one in that particular parking lot. He don't know of anybody else being out there.
Starting point is 00:42:07 And he's walking to his truck and you have to pass an outbuilding. And he said, as he's passing that outbuilding, he said, Diana, I don't know what was in there. But he goes, whatever it was, it was pounding on the wall so hard like it was trying to get out. And he looked at me before I said anything. And he goes, no, it wasn't a deer. trying to get out of there. He goes, it was pounding like a human's fist, but he goes, it was so intense. It was not a human.
Starting point is 00:42:40 So I visualize that, this thing trying to get out of this building, you know? And of course, nothing was reported. But I asked him, I said, what'd you do? He goes, I got out of there. He goes, I ran to my truck and I grabbed my handgun. And, yeah, but that's something that is always stuck with him because you're one what in the world was in that building pounding so hard like it was trying to get out of that building. Oh, my goodness.
Starting point is 00:43:10 Could you imagine that, though? Middle of the night. You're by yourself. And he's a little guy. He's a little guy. He's not no big guy. So it's like, oh, Lord. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:43:21 And then he did have another instance, and this didn't have anything to do with Bigfoot. And I got to see the video on this. it's a light in the trees. He's up in his tree stand. It's about five in the morning, he said. And he goes, we're on position. He goes, no, it wasn't an airplane. It's not car lights.
Starting point is 00:43:43 It wasn't a flashlight. He goes, this light was in the trees. And you could see it dancing around in the trees back and forth. And then it would pulsate and then not pulsate. You know, just keep getting bigger. go small, bigger and go small. And it did this, he said, for about 10, 15 minutes, and then it just disappeared. It just like, bloop, it was gone. But I got to see that video of that. And it did. It made you wonder, what in the world is that light? That area is so weird. I mean, there was even,
Starting point is 00:44:23 you know, the wild animal park. Did you see that they posted last winter with the tracks? I lived less than a mile through the cornfields of wildlife prairie. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay. Because when I moved, you know, course, from East Peoria and I'm an adult now, I live less than a mile through the cornfields there, wildlife prairie. So I'm real familiar.
Starting point is 00:44:51 Yeah, I almost, man. What? I almost got him to come on the show and talk about it. And then I'm pretty sure they may have gotten freaked out a little bit because they saw it was a big foot podcast. I'll throw an allegedly in there, too. But it never happened at the end of the day. So, but I mean, yeah, Jubilee College, I got to visit that area one day.
Starting point is 00:45:20 You do. It's not that far away from Iowa, to be honest. It's just, what, four or five hours. Well, it depends on where you live, like, say, from Davenport, you're, what, an hour and a half? from Des Moines, you're six to eight hours, something like that. Yeah. You're not far. And I will say that area, you get off on I-74 at the I-4-74 at the Farmington Road exit.
Starting point is 00:45:46 You're right there. All you got to do is just make a left on the Farmington Road, and you're heading in the right directions. And that would also be for the one in Mapleton, where Lou, the ex-husband, seen it rise up out of the cornfield, Jubilee, and yeah, that would be it for those. But you'd be in that vicinity. And I think you've even had other people call in through the years that you've done this that are out in that direction, Farmington. And I can't remember one other community I've heard it mentioned.
Starting point is 00:46:22 I've listened to so many because what I do for a living or one of my jobs that I have, I'm able to have my Bluetooth in my ear, and I listen to the video. So it's like I go on binge nights now and then, you know, with your podcast. I think I've almost listened to every one of them, too. But I, you know, when I hear my neck of the woods of where I grew up or that vicinity, it's like I'm all ears. I want to hear more, you know. No, 100%.
Starting point is 00:46:50 Peoria is one of those places where it does keep coming up. And it has for years. And like even, I remember talking to an individual about a little north of Peoria. And I want to say they were like kids and they had a sighting of two of them in a creek. This is a few years ago. So I'd have to look this one up. That might be Chickapoo or Bradford or, you know, any of that north of there. But yes, you're out in the middle of cornfields and wooded areas.
Starting point is 00:47:23 You know, somebody brought up about. on your show, they made a comment about most people think Illinois is just flatlands and, you know, farmland. We have a lot of wooded areas. We have a lot of hills, just a lot more than what people think, especially in that central Illinois section, you know, with the river going through it and everything. It's, I actually miss it. I miss it. I miss Illinois landscape. I'll take it over Florida landscape in a lot of ways. Yes, the ocean is beautiful. The golf is beautiful. But when you get more centralized, people make fun of Illinois and Iowa being flat lands. Get down here to southern Florida. That's flat. I mean, that is flat. I hear that stuff all the time.
Starting point is 00:48:16 But I think the other mistake people make about Illinois is thinking that Bigfoot's just in like the southern part, which it totally is down in the Shawnee. But they don't realize how crazy central Illinois is with Bigfoot reports over 50, 60 years. It is absolutely insane. There's a lot of things. And I will say this. I have a different belief now. I've gained a close relationship with Christ. So I don't really get into psychics and all of that.
Starting point is 00:48:50 But I did have an incident when I lived in a community or a village called Norwood right off of Farmington Road. I lived there for 20 years. But a psychic who, my friend at the time, the only thing we knew to turn to at that moment when I had this experience was a psychic. And he said to me, he goes, baby girl. He goes, I'm telling you, as soon as you get out of Illinois, you're going to feel a lot happier and you're not going to feel that heaviness that you feel. He goes, I'm telling you, there's a lot of bloodshed on Illinois land. And I started thinking about that. And there was one time I went to Tennessee to see some of my cousins.
Starting point is 00:49:38 And I'm listening to music. I've got it cranked up. I'm not thinking anything. You know, it's late at night. and I realized I went from feeling kind of perky inside to feeling kind of heavy and just kind of down in the dumps. And all of a sudden I see the sign on what is it, I-57, and I realize, I'm in Illinois. And so see, without even me thinking about it, I crossed that line and I felt the difference. Wow.
Starting point is 00:50:11 But I don't know, do you do paranormal too? so it is it's a thing where like it'll come up in some shows i i never i think real quick i learned i learned my listen a long time ago i don't i don't try to go after it as a hundred percent focus but like sometimes it does come up in the episodes because it's part of a person's experience it's just you have to be really careful yes Because I had an experience for a year on my property in Norwood, which is right off of Farmington Road, and I had a creek that ran behind my house. But it was after my boyfriend at the time demolished my porch. It was a slab.
Starting point is 00:51:06 But under the slab was a hidden room. I'm thinking it was a coal room is what it was, but it was hidden. And that night, it all. started and I'd never experienced evil like I had felt and seen actually. And for a year of all of these crazy happenings and that psychic, he wanted me, of course, well, you need to get a medium out there and you need to get this and that. And I'm looking into it like an idiot. And I'm seeing, oh, you're talking almost $2,000 to have these people come here and
Starting point is 00:51:44 supposedly remove this. And I thought, I'm not doing that. I'm not Catholic, but my client is a priest. I'm going to Father Carl. And so I went to Father Carl and I started to talk about it like normal. Now, see, I'm getting a lump in my throat. It happens every time because it was such a scary moment for me or a year. But I looked at him. I said, I need your help. I don't know what's going on. And it was so terrifying and he took me seriously and he started to bless me with holy water and he said no i'll be right back he went and got the holy oil and he blessed me with holy oil holy water he prayed over me and he even gave me believe it or not a half a gallon of holy water and he said i want you he goes i want you put this in a misting bottle and he goes i want you to go around every perimeter of your property, go in the house.
Starting point is 00:52:46 He goes, I want you to bless yourself too again. I want you to bless your animals. And anybody that comes in at home, I want you to bless them. And that night, and it was 10 o'clock at night, pitch dark. And in my backyard, it's so dark you can barely see your hand. You know, there's not much of lights back there at all. And I did just that. I went all around the property.
Starting point is 00:53:10 I went in the house. I blessed my animals. of my turtle and my friend that was there with me for support, you know, got her blessed. And I'm not kidding you, no sooner than I got everything done, I walked out there, her and I did, and you could feel the heaviness was gone. The heaviness was gone. And my dog started being, I had two little mini beagles. And they were always, when the thing, when the happenings first started happening, they would not leave
Starting point is 00:53:43 that patio to go to the bathroom. They would stay right at the back door. And so eventually, after so many times of doing that, I've got to take him to the front yard, you know? And they were starting to go back out of the back again. But as soon as I blessed that property with that holy water and just praying over it, it seemed to just remove it. Now, on that note, the psychic told me, if I do this, he goes,
Starting point is 00:54:13 goes, you'll have blood on your hands. And I go, what do you mean? And he goes, it's going to move to somewhere close to you or someone close to you. And I didn't know if he meant literally or figuratively. And I'm asking him, and he just kept saying, I don't know, you'll find out. Well, after I did that, three or four days had went by, and I realized I hadn't seen Jasmine, the German Shepherd mix next door out in the back. yard. I'm only seeing Taka.
Starting point is 00:54:46 And so, Mark come pulling in the driveway, the owner, you know, into his driveway. And I'm like, Mark, I go, has anything happened to Jasmine? He goes, well, he goes, I had to take her down to peek into my daughters. He goes, I've
Starting point is 00:55:01 come home the past couple days and she has, Taka has just torn her up and just blood all over the deck and her face is tore up and stuff like that. and to just keep them safe and her not getting injured, we took her to his daughters.
Starting point is 00:55:21 And I always thought that was so weird, you know. And those dogs would bark. We went a year with those dogs, especially Dakara, who was a hybrid, like part wolf, part German Shepherd or something like that. You know, she was one of those, like she loved me, I loved her. but you still had to be a little careful around her, you know, no quick moves and stuff like that. But for a year of whatever was on that property or on my property, starting at 10 o'clock at night until the sun started to come up, bark, bark, bark, bark. It was just constant to where it would drive you nuts.
Starting point is 00:56:05 And no matter what you did, no matter what Mark and his wife did to try to get him to stop, it would not stop. But once I blessed that property, it stopped. But then Jasmine is getting injured, you know, for a couple days in a row, you know, starting the day after I did that. So, I don't know. Man, it is, it's one of those things that makes you wonder. I know that, you know, I get a lot of people that reference that, I mean, just using the name of Jesus can be very. powerful in different situations even regarding um you know bigfoot interactions in their own home it is very very interesting stuff not quite sure what it all means uh potentially you know what that
Starting point is 00:57:00 could say for what bigfoot might be or what might it what what it might not be but it is some very interesting accounts that come out when when that that topic gets broke But, you know, Diana, I just want to say thank you for coming on the show. You are very welcome. You are very information is crazy. I mean, it's very immense that you shared about Central Illinois. And thank you for doing that. I wish I could give you more details.
Starting point is 00:57:29 But like I said, I wanted to make sure people at least and you got a visual aware, even the smallest of siding or oddity, you know, was spotted to add, you know, to your research. So, and I'm sure there's people out there that know right where I'm talking, you know, from I-74, East Peoria, Curfoot, Farmington Road, even Springdale Cemetery, they're going to know where I'm talking about, you know, and hopefully it just adds to the research of trying to figure this out. But every one of these areas all leads to a waterway.
Starting point is 00:58:10 And I got a tenets leading right to the Illinois River. Exactly, exactly. But I want to thank you for giving me the time. And I wish I could give you much more. Unfortunately, this is all I got. But I will say every one of these people, including myself, we still haven't forgot the things that we've seen. Whether it was a big footprint in the snow and ice, yeah, I've seen it walking along the tree line. You know, it's never left.
Starting point is 00:58:42 us and I don't think it ever will. It's always, it's part of us now, those memory, that vibe, that energy that you feel, that nervousness, uneasiness, you know? I mean, you saw me even here talking about, you know, paranormal or whatever, and you heard me get emotional. Absolutely. And that's all, look it. I'm doing it again.
Starting point is 00:59:05 I'm getting ready to get emotional. It's a very genuine feeling that I get. And it's scary is what it is. And I think that's what gets me emotional is I was always into all of these paranormal shows, Bigfoot shows, which I still love Bigfoot, but paranormal, I don't watch anymore. I have a discernment against them. And I even learned from a friend who used to be like a true hippie, like living out in the woods for five years, you know, homesteading. And she was a true hippie. followed the dead for seven years and all of that.
Starting point is 00:59:42 Oh, wow. Yeah. But she said Diana, and she gave her life to Christ, by the way. She's far from that. But she said, Diana, you've got to stop watching these shows. And if you do, you need to pray about it and rebuke certain things when you're watching this because you're allowing that door to open up for evil to come in. And I don't know.
Starting point is 01:00:06 You know, even her saying that. I still watched a little, but it really took hold as my relationship with Christ grew. I just have no desire. I don't want to chance it. You know, I don't want those doors or windows even to be open for anything bad to come in. So there you go. Yeah, I mean, it makes perfect sense. You start to get more into that relationship and your desires will start to change.
Starting point is 01:00:37 so it makes perfect sense to me. Exactly. Diana, keep in touch for sure. I will. If you hear anything else, feel free to reach out. But thank you so much for spending some time with us today. I will. And I will say this real quick.
Starting point is 01:00:50 I'm friends with an artist down here. And he lives in the Everglades out in the middle of nowhere with his son and daughter-in-law. And I'm going to start asking him to see if he's ever seen or had any things, you know, with skunk ape because he lived right down in the Everglades, you know. And he was really interested in hearing about me having this interview with you. And so I'm probably going to see him Saturday. And I'm going to ask him some things about it. And if I, you know, if he's ever seen anything, I'll email you over.
Starting point is 01:01:27 You know, what he can. That sounds great, Diane. We'll be watching out for that. But hey, you know, you have a great rest of your day. It's been fun chatting with you. Oh, you too. Thank you so much. And you stay warm up there in that snowy Iowa.
Starting point is 01:01:43 Stay cozy. All right. Take care, Jeremy. Before we wrap this episode, I want to say something directly to a very specific group of listeners. If you're in the military, any branch, or forces, and if you've seen something that no one can explain, or if you're a national park ranger or forestry worker who's been told to stay quiet, if you're a pilot who's seen something. strange down on the ground, or if you're with the FBI, a federal agency, or working intelligence, and you stumbled upon something you're not allowed to talk about. And if you're a firefighter, paramedic, or search and rescue responder, who's heard screams or found tracks that didn't make
Starting point is 01:02:23 sense, if you're in the logging industry on a remote oil field or trucker with government contracts, and you've had something happen that you've never told a soul, and if you're a biologist, a wildlife specialist or a field researcher under contract who has found evidence you're not allowed to report if you're a pastor, a missionary, or someone on a spiritual retreat and you saw something that shook your faith, or if you work in the shadows, CIA, NSA, or anything with clearance, and you've seen what the public hasn't, then I want to talk to you. Even if it's anonymous, you can reach me at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com. The world needs to hear what you've been forced to carry alone
Starting point is 01:03:10 and you're not alone. You've got the story. We've got the mic. See you in the woods. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bigfoot Society podcast. Every encounter we share reminds us that the world is bigger and stranger than we think
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Starting point is 01:03:54 sighting, please, I'd love to hear from you. So email me at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com, and let's start the conversation. If you haven't gotten a chance yet, check out our membership community over at www.w.w.com.com. And that's where you can hear tomorrow's episode today, early and ad-free, and members-only episodes every week. Also, it's a place to connect with other people that are into the Bigfoot subject as much as you are. Thanks again for following along with the Bigfoot Society. Until next time, keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and never stop asking what else might be out there and see you in the woods.

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