Bigfoot in Illinois
210 mapped reports in the TidyTuesday extract of the BFRO database (#6 of 49 states with reports). A row is a submitted report, not a confirmed animal.
One profile per state. 'stats' are computed from sightings_seed.csv (4,045 mapped BFRO reports, 1869-2021, from the TidyTuesday 2022-09-13 extract). These are mapped reports in that extract, not all reports ever made and not confirmed sightings. Class A = clear sighting, Class B = sound/tracks/obscured view, Class C = secondhand or less reliable (BFRO definitions). Festivals, creatures and museums are pulled from festivals.json, regional_creatures.json and research.json.
Mapped reports
- Class A (clear sighting report): 110
- Class B (sound, tracks, or an obscured view): 96
- Class C (secondhand): 4
- Years: 1964–2021. Since 2010: 91.
- Busiest decade: 2010s (86). Busiest month: October (35).
- Seasons: spring 37, summer 49, fall 83, winter 41.
- Counties with at least one mapped report: 78.
Top counties: Cook County (14); Madison County (12); Sangamon County (11); Fulton County (10); Jackson County (10).
Regional names
- Big Muddy Monster — local Bigfoot-like report cluster
- Enfield Monster — local cryptid (three-legged description; not Bigfoot-like)
Festivals
- Big Muddy Monster Festival · Murphysboro · 2026 edition was June 20 at 13th & Walnut St; recurrence and 2027 date not yet posted
Public land
Journal
Sources
- Bigfoot sightings dataset (TidyTuesday 2022-09-13, compiled from BFRO reports)
- BFRO: Report classification system
- City of Murphysboro: The Big Muddy Monster (case file)
- Sasquatch Research Observatory: Big Muddy / Murphysboro 1973
- Big Muddy Monster Festival
- Wikipedia: Enfield Monster
- Shawnee National Forest