Wild Man In Chippewa Falls
Captured By A Marshall Forty Miles North Of The City And Now Is In Jail
Racine Journal | June 29, 1899

A wild man was captured in the woods forty miles north of Chippewa Falls and placed in the county jail last night. He is about seventy years of age and has lost nearly all semblance to a human being. His hair and beard are about a foot long and his clothes consist of a solitary gunny sack wrapped around his body and a pair of overalls, also a coonskin cap. Many persons went to the jail to gaze upon him.

It is impossible to hold conversation with him, as he has lost all knowledge of speech and is undoubtedly an imbecile. The strange creature wandered into Tony, on the Soo road, and was taken in charge by the Marshall there. From appearances he has lived the life of a hermit in the wilderness for many years. He will be examined and sent to an asylum.

Chad’s Take – Man or Beast?
During the 1800s, and early 1900s sightings of wild men seemed to fit into two separate categories. The first category, in which this case would fall into, contained sightings of a human hermit intent on living as a wild beast. These men had rebelled against the progress of society and decided to live naturally in the woods. These wild men were nearly always reported to be disheveled looking men with long unkempt hair and extended whiskers (a beard). The dress of these wild men varied from being completely covered in animal skins to wearing the skimpiest of cloth around the groin. It was assumed that anyone who chose to live their life in this manner was mentally ill (as many were). However, today one could also look at these men as early environmentalists.

The second category of wild men was a bit more peculiar. This category contained sightings of some unknown creature. One of the main differences of these wild men was their height. Most people who witnessed these creatures reported them to be between seven and nine feet tall. Instead of having long hair and a beard these creatures often were said to have short thick matted-down hair covering their entire body without any clothing. When spotted, these creatures usually frightened the witnesses who, after regaining their composure, would then gather a search party and set out in pursuit of these mysterious creatures. Having compiled numerous reports of these creatures from our past I am struck by the remarkably resemblance these sightings have to modern day Bigfoot sightings. Many articles even make reference to the discovery of extremely large footprints left behind by the unknown creature.

I think a large part of reading these old wild men articles is the enjoyment that comes from deciding for yourself just who or what these wild men were.

Keep an eye out ...