Did Conecuh County's Sheriff make a cast of 'Bigfoot tracks' decades ago?

Much has been made during the past week over the Bigfoot story in last week’s edition of The Courant.

Most of you have probably read that story by now, and I’d like to take a little space this week to say that I fully believe that the men who reported the Bigfoot are telling the truth. I’ve known one of the men for over a decade and one of the other witnesses is a local minister. I truly believe that they did see something very out of the ordinary at Pine Orchard.

Since the Bigfoot sighting at the Sepulga River in July, I’ve received a wide variety of behind-the-scenes calls, letters and e-mails from people all over our area who have had Bigfoot experiences.

One man from Burnt Corn told me that he believes “100 percent” that a Bigfoot-type creature roams the woods in that community, which is just south of the Pine Orchard community. This man told me that in February 2015 he was out hunting when he saw the creature peek out from behind a tree at him from about 20 yards away. He also reported seeing unusual tracks and the sounds of the Bigfoot creatures “smacking” a tree.

A number of other people have told me that the late Sheriff Edwin Booker years ago took a plaster cast of a supposed Bigfoot track somewhere in Conecuh County. Many years have passed, but most agree that this took place in the late 70s or early 80s.

No one who currently works at the Sheriff’s Office remembers this incident, but they assured me that if Sheriff Booker had made a plaster cast of an unusual track, it wouldn’t have been for fun or a joke because making tracks casts can be a pain in the neck.

The Courant’s Butch Adams and Evergreen Police Chief James Simpson, both longtime observers of events in Evergreen, told me that they vaguely remember the Booker track incident and thought that a picture of it ran in the newspaper either in 1978, 1979 or 1980.

In a brief search on Monday, I was unable to find the Booker Bigfoot picture, unless I just flat-out overlooked it, which is possible. It’s also possible that it was published in the paper prior to 1978 or after 1980, so I’ll have to continue my search for that unusual photo when time allows.

Also during the past week, I spoke with another property owner in the Pine Orchard community who said he fully believes the story in last week’s paper and said that he’s also had a number of unusual experiences on his property. He’s never seen a Bigfoot, but he has seen and heard signs that indicate to him that something unusual either lives in that area or passes through it from time to time.

By nature, I am a very skeptical person, but I also believe that there’s a lot about the world we don’t understand. As a people, human beings know a lot about how the world works, but I’m sure that future years, decades and centuries will show that we’re probably not as smart as we think we are.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone else in the reading audience who has spotted a Bigfoot-like creature, a black panther or any other unusual animal in Conecuh County. You can reach me at The Courant by writing The Evergreen Courant, ATTN: Lee Peacock, P.O. Box 440, Evergreen, AL 36401 or by e-mail at courantsports@earthlink.net. Also, if anyone remembers when the Booker Bigfoot picture ran in the newspaper, please let me know.