Encounter Atlas
The Grassman is Ohio's regional name for Bigfoot: a tall, dark, hair-covered biped reported in the wooded hills and old strip-mine country of the eastern half of the state. The name comes from lean-tos and beds of flattened grass and bent saplings that some witnesses say they found near sightings.
The best-known case came in August 1978, when a family living near a gravel pit outside Minerva, in Stark County, said a large hairy creature kept returning to their property at night and stared in through a window. Deputies investigated, footprints were reported, and the press dubbed it the Minerva Monster. Some locals suspected a publicity stunt; the family stood by their story.
Since the 1980s Salt Fork State Park near Cambridge has become Ohio's hotspot, with dozens of reports, an annual Bigfoot conference and regular night hikes run by researchers.
What witnesses report
- Nests or lean-tos of bent saplings and flattened grass
- Dark hair, 7 ft or taller, walking upright
- Rock throwing and wood knocks near campsites
- A rotten, musky smell
- Large footprints in creek mud
Famous cases
- 1978Minerva Monster sightings
Minerva, Stark County, Ohio - 1985Salt Fork reports begin to pile up
Salt Fork State Park, Guernsey County, Ohio
Seen the Ohio Grassman?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
