Comments on: Olathe’s Hairy Wildman

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:58:41 +0000

I was just going to ask about the Creek as a possible migration route through this territory, as that might explain the presence of BF in this area…

By: ndiandy

ndiandy — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:35:30 +0000

All the posts above are correct there are not large tracts of trees. Most of the sightings in NE Kansas have come from areas near rivers and streams. In the past few years there have been about 4 sightings reported that were within 10 to 15 miles of the Kansas River, near creeks feeding the Kansas. I am one of those believers that BF migrate, and the water ways would allow this. I believe the largest track of forested land in NE Kansas is on Fort Leavenworth, which happens to but up to the Kansas and is the sight of a sighting by soldiers in the 70’s. Though I don’t think I’ll ever see one it’s fun to threaten the kids. There are a couple of other cryptids to be aware of: Cougars and armadillos. Both of which are not suppose to be running about NE Kansas.

By: sschaper

sschaper — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:11:04 +0000

What would be the likelihood, biomechanical sense, to a biped standing hunched over like that? A bear might seem to, with the relative lack of shoulders, but a hominid? That doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, the standard evolutionist drawings show progressively more upright development, but I think, if I’m not mistaken, you don’t have the inbetween state, as it isn’t biomechanically sensible. Evolutionists are now considering if bipedalism developed in the trees, not on the ground to deal with some of that problem.

Of course, bears don’t typically go loping over the ground bipedally, though a. simus might have been able to, and the asian black bear can locomote bipedally up to a quarter of a mile, I’ve read, I doubt that it is with a ground-eating lope.

By: khiatt

khiatt — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:45:35 +0000

I too am surprised that at least a handful of readers are from the Olathe area. I suspect folks were as excited as me when they read the article. Northeast Kansas is simply not a hotbed of cryptid reports old or new.

I agree – in its native condition, I’d say this part of the state was probably rolling prairie with abundant vegetation growing along the waterways and creeks. Before WWII, it was turned mostly agricultural (cattle and crops)with hedge rows and fence lines. But, today, Johnson County is suburban Kansas City. Even what’s left of the rural part is populated by houses. There are plenty of trees, but not vast square miles of forest I generally associate with large upright primates besides homo sapiens sapiens.

Anyway, thanks to Loren for uncovering Olathe’s very own historical Wildman story.

By: Rainier

Rainier — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:30:07 +0000

Loren, Olathe is indeed a strange (but I’m not sure about magnetic) place that is hard to get out of your system. For even more evidence of this, check out a recent article in the KC Star. It turns out former NBA center Manute Bol lives in Olathe now. To me, that is much stranger than the Snake Man or any other oddities that might be lurking there.

As far as the habitat, the area around Olathe, to me anyway, can best be described as prairie and agricultural. Not a lot of trees but there is a lot more in the way of trees and other vegetation in eastern Kansas than there is in the truly desolate western part of the state. More in the way of streams, rivers and slightly rolling “hills” as well.

By: dogu4

dogu4 — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:55:33 +0000

I’m a little curious. Khiatt believes that there isn’t much good habitat since there aren’t a lot of trees. Indiandy seems to think it would be prime habitat with lots of open space rarely visited. While I have only limited familiarity with Kansas, I’m not sure but from my sense of natural history and a gander at the general landscape of this part of Kansas (on Google Earth) this looks like its natural state is prairie (short grass? long grass?) or some kind of savannah? Can someone point me to a good description of what the characteristics of the land is in contrast to how it was? Usually when settlement happened there would be planting of trees around farms and villages and deforestation where any sizable stand was available, which likewise changes the character of the habitat quite a bit.

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:46:14 +0000

I am the only one freaking out a bit that a greater percentage than usual comment makers are immediately finding a personal link to the fair town of Olathe? Is there something special (and perhaps weirdly magnetic) about Olathe?

By: Rainier

Rainier — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:15:07 +0000

I grew up in Olathe in the 1960s and my family also owned a lot of businesses there (including the most important one, the local tavern!) and I never heard any bigfoot-like stories. However, I was told by more than one childhood cohort to be on the lookout for something called “Snake Man” whenever we went fishing at this small pond just off a dirt road. He was supposed to be a man who had worked carnivals and had some kind of scaly skin condition. Supposedly he had a shack in the area. I don’t remember the location exactly but I believe it was near what used to be a “poor farm” just outside Olathe.

By: ndiandy

ndiandy — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:30:40 +0000

To Rainier, it’s interesting that you mentioned Prairie Center. My wife’s Grandfather use to own several businesses their before it was bought out by the government (the whole town) to build the ammunition plant. There is still a cemetery that sits on the west side of the ammunition plant, south of k-10 about 1 1/2. We visit this cemetery several times a year. The road accessing this area isn’t well maintained, it’s gravel and the bridge barely clears the creek. If there is any prime Bigfoot real-estate in Johnson County, it is there. Creeks, trees, corn, soybeans, deer, very little population. Not to mention the large tract of land that is unoccupied that use to be the ammunition plant. Drive down there about dusk and wait for it to get dark, pretty creepy place.

By: Rainier

Rainier — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:25:53 +0000

The Wilson dairy farm would probably have been located in what is now the Ernie Miller Nature Center or maybe even the Prairie Center. Both are NW of Olathe, just off K-7.