Rural Mysteries of the North Fork Polygon

Sick and Twisted Critters

Our investigators have reported a recent increase in abnormal animal effects in the North Fork CAFIWAM Polygon.

On this page we provide a gallery, open case files, research resources, and more.

If you have seen or experienced anything even the least bit unusual, please forward pictures and a description of your critter sighting. Include the location and your best hypothesis/theory/guess explaining how the creature might have been tortured into its' altered state.

Hopefully it's not too late to warn you of the graphic and disturbing nature of the photographs displayed in this gallery.

Snake Abductions: On June 10, 2006 we found a 3-foot long rattler on a bright green patch of lawn near Rural Mysteries Headquarters and implemented our emergency response plan. More...

Artist Rendition by Thayrn

Warning: Do not attempt to investigate these mysteries alone or without proper training.

In 1982, four backpackers were "worried about a whiskery fish able to walk on land". The exact location is unknown, but the incident occurred somewhere in the North Fork American River Canyon. The fact that the witnesses purchased special boots to protect their ankles lends credibility to their report.

An artist dramatization sketch is now available to help with field identification.

Jaws vs. Sasquatch

We think that the 1978 cover of "Famous Monsters" magazine #146 shows what would happen if the legend of the Ghost Dam of Auburn ever came true.

Our Mountain Bike Field Unit's Public Relations Officer patrolled the Cape Horn area on May 20th, 2006. Thayrn discovered three tufts of strange smelling fur-hair in the middle of a seldom used dead-end side trail. We're not saying the sample was from Bigfoot's pelt, but we're not saying it wasn't either. The pictures will be analyzed utilizing the sophisticated image enhancing technology of the Seattle Satellite Research Branch. Oh... and we also found a dime.

Great Iowa Hill Bear and Panther Fight of 1854

Original 1854 Fight Poster

No one remembers which animal won this eppic struggle. The text from the original 1854 poster advertising the great battle offers few clues:

"The proprietors have procured a large and ferocious panther, caught near the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and purchased the celebrated grizzly bear, Lola Montes, which they will fight on Sunday, November 5. Rich and rare sport may be expected, as both animals are in fine condition. The Panther is one of the largest of the species, and the Bear unequalled for his weight. They have also procured a number of fine game chickens! Which they will fight. Any person having Game Chickens and wishing to test them, can have an opportunity either for sport or wager. The whole to conclude with a Match Fight between the favorite dogs, Union and Star. Mr. Stevens will enter the celebrated Dog, Major, with $500 attached to his neck, challenging any Dog of his weight for a Rough and Tumble Fight."

Note: No poster since has displayed a wider range of font-sizes.

News! The Bull and the Bear are returning to Colfax! Mel and Thayrn are restoring the historic sculpture of battling behemoths.

Part I | Part II

Artist Rendition by Ruth Doyle

These large persistent members of the Procyonidae family have intimidated an Auburn neighborhood, returning night after night, causing 10's of dollars in property damage. One desperate home owner living on Flood Road even unsuccessfully tried repelling the varmints with a combination of ammonia-filled, peanut butter-smeared balloons, motion activated water sprinklers, and a teeny little electric fence ... and still they return ...

More killer raccoons in the news:

"It's not just cats being attacked. Five raccoons actually ganged up on and carried off a little dog, who survived. One thing that makes these raccoons scary is they have no fear. One neighbor threw firecrackers at them to try to scare them off, and it didn't even bug them, Hall said. "It's a new breed," Keeton said. "They're urban raccoons, and they're not afraid." "There's one really big bad dude," she added. "He was the biggest raccoon I've ever seen. He was a monster," added Tony Benjamins, whose family has had two cats killed. The raccoons are so bold they bit Lisann Rolle when she tried to fling three of them off of her cat, Lucy." - The Olympian 8/21/06

The Day the Earth Stood Still

A notorious Gang of Squirrels are responsible for a rash of recent power outages in Auburn.

The most recent squirrel-related blackout occurred on November 2, 2007 when an aggressive gray got past security at the Placer substation and cut power to 6,752 Auburn-area customers. As you can see from the picture on the right, vehicles were frozen in place, similar to the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still

Squirrel-Queda? Wildlife-related outages are becoming increasingly common in Auburn. Homeland security officials are blaming Squirrels for at least four outages:

• The November 2007 outage affecting 6,752 customers
• An August 2004 outage affecting 2,100 customers
• A November 2003 outage affecting 5,800 customers
• A January 2003 outage affecting 14,000 customers

We don't know yet if they're affiliated with the Auburn Gang of Raccoons.

Lake Theodore Lake Creature

No one has ever seen the Lake Theodore Lake Creature.

Adventure scientists continue to investigate the existence of a creature known only as "Irving". The ravenous animal was originally made famous by a local comic strip. More...

Two of our brave investigators followed-up on reports of a frightening "roadside attraction" located on Canyon Way just west of Colfax near Highway 80 next to Mom's Kitchen. For some reason, this creature is never seen on windy days.

   
Hey, why is there a gorilla in this parking lot?

• Great Iowa Hill Bear and Panther Fight of 1854
• Placer County Bigfoot Sightings
• Recording of Bigfoot Yawning (MP3, 404 KB,
  41 seconds)
• Ghost Deer of Northern California
• Robot Catfish
• Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
• Weird Predator Petting Zoo
• Cryptozoology Clearinghouse
• More Cryptid Links
• More Cryptid Sightings
• Sceptic's Dictionary

There are very few cetacean mammals in the CAFIWAM area, but some things are worth worrying about.

• Oregon, 1970 (includes original news film)
• Oregon, 1970 (includes recent interviews)
• Taiwan, 2004

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