Chasing American Monsters: Over 250 Creatures, Cryptids & Hairy Beasts

347 Pages·2019·10.4 MB·English

by  Jason Offutt

About the Author Jason Offutt grew up on a farm near the town of
Orrick, Missouri. In his life, he’s been a farmhand, journalist,
photographer, bartender, and the mayor of a small town.
Jason’s books include the novels Bad Day for the Apocalypse, its sequel Bad
Day for a Road Trip, and A Funeral Story; the collection of short horror Road
Closed; the parody survival guide How to Kill Monsters Using Common
Household Objects; the humorous travelogue Through a Corn-Swept Land: An
epic beer run through the Upper Midwest; and the paranormal titles Haunted
Missouri, What Lurks Beyond, Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among
Us, and Paranormal Missouri. Jason also writes a weekly syndicated humor
column.
He lives with his family in northwest Missouri where he teaches college
journalism and keeps humanity safe from the inevitable invading Martian space
army.

Llewellyn Publications
Woodbury, Minnesota
Copyright Information Chasing American Monsters: Over 250
Creatures, Cryptids, and Hairy Beasts © 2019 by Jason Offutt.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in
any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written
permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive,
non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on
screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted,
downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or
by any means.
Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written
permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and
is illegal and punishable by law.
First e-book edition © 2019
E-book ISBN: 9780738760063
Book design by Samantha Penn
Cover design by Kevin R. Brown
Cover illustrations by Michael Koelsch / Shannon Associates, LLC
Editing by Holly Vanderhaar
Interior illustrations by Ty Derk
Project management by Samantha Lu Sherratt Llewellyn Publications
is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names:
Offutt, Jason, author
Title: Chasing American monsters : over 250 creatures, cryptids, and
hairy beasts / Jason Offutt.
Description: First edition. | Woodbury, MN : Llewellyn Publications,
2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018053960 (print) | LCCN 2018059921 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780738760063 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738759951 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Monsters—United States. | Animals—Folklore. |
Animals—United States—Folklore.
Classification: LCC QL89 (ebook) | LCC QL89 .O35 2019 (print) |
DDC 001.944—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018053960
Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any
authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements
between our authors and the public.
Any Internet references contained in this work are current at
publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific
reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the
publisher’s website for links to current author websites.
Llewellyn Publications
Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
2143 Wooddale Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is an arduous process. It is highlighted, of course, by the exciting
research and writing portion where the author sits in front of a computer with a
cup of coffee and cries.
I’m joking. We only cry sometimes.
There are people who make the process easier. In my case, it’s my family that
(occasionally) gives me the time to sit in front of my computer without a toddler
in my lap. I can’t say the same about the family cat. Gary, you’re a detriment to
the creative process. There. I said it.
I’d like to thank the wonderful people I’ve worked with at Llewellyn
Worldwide, Amy Glaser and Holly Vanderhaar, without whom you wouldn’t be
reading these words.
I’d like to thank Ben Grundy and Aaron Wright at Mysterious Universe who
gave me the forum to share my original monster stories. Check out all the great
content at mysteriousuniverse.org. Seriously. And don’t forget to listen to the
MU podcast. It’s amazing.
And lastly, a shout-out to podcaster Tim Binnall, who not only has been
gracious enough have me appear on his show Binnall of America Audio multiple
times, he once challenged me to use his name in all my books, hence making
him a permanent fixture in the Offuttverse. Here’s mention number one, Tim.
You’re welcome.
For my mother,
who suffered silently through a young Jason Offutt’s monster
fascination. I never outgrew it, Mom. Sorry about the Bigfoot
thing.
Contents
Foreword by Nick Redfern Introduction
Chapter 1: Alabama
Chapter 2: Alaska
Chapter 3: Arizona
Chapter 4: Arkansas
Chapter 5: California
Chapter 6: Colorado
Chapter 7: Connecticut
Chapter 8: Delaware
Chapter 9: Florida
Chapter 10: Georgia
Chapter 11: Hawaii
Chapter 12: Idaho
Chapter 13: Illinois
Chapter 14: Indiana
Chapter 15: Iowa
Chapter 16: Kansas
Chapter 17: Kentucky
Chapter 18: Louisiana
Chapter 19: Maine
Chapter 20: Maryland