According to the American Guide Series, Winsted, Connecticut has always been known as a “never-never land where the unusual is expected to happen and usually does. Tales of five legged cows, talking owls, tame trout and even a wildman…”
In August, 1895, Winsted Selectman Riley Smith and his trusty companion bulldog, Ned, stopped by a place called Indian Meadow to pick some berries from a bush. Ned suddenly came whimpering and crawling toward him with his tail between his legs. Moments later, a creature resembling a “wildman” over six feet tall sprang from a clump of bushes. The hairy entity let out some unidentifiable, fearful screams and cries before fleeing from the terrified duo. Smith and Ned were paralyzed with fear despite the two being fearless and full of “pluck.”
The story spread quickly through the region and piqued the interest of newspapers from New York to Boston. Before long, Winsted was besieged by reporters, thrill-seekers, ghost hunters, scientists, and anyone else who wanted to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creature. People began to pour forth with frightening stories of their encounters with what became known as the Winsted Wildman.
Mrs. Mushone was strolling through Indian Meadow with Miss Sadie Woodhouse when they encountered the creature in the same location Mr. Smith first saw it. They described him as having large white teeth, long straggly black hair and a muscular form. The beast stood over six feet tall and was very wiry when it took flight from them. Another local, James Maddrah was also chased out of the same berry patch in Indian Meadow by the beast.
Mrs. Pulver of Colebrook, mother of Colebrook Postmaster Bert Pulver, hailed a passing stage, ranting that she had just seen the Winsted Wildman wandering around her property. She desperately pleaded with the driver to send a search party so that they may catch the dodgy prowler.
John G. Hall ran a stage between Winsted and Sandisfield, Massachusetts. While passing through Colebrook, a large creature ran out in front of him, stopping for a few moments before bounding a stone fence and disappearing into the forest. Sightings of the Winsted Wildman spread through the Connecticut towns of Norfolk, East Canaan, Colebrook, Winsted, North Goshen and Sandisfield, Massachusetts. No one in the region was safe from the possible appearance of the elusive and mysterious being.
John Williams came face to face with the beast while walking home one evening. Authorities were able to trace the creature’s large footprints to the mountains before the trail was lost. Charles Benson of Norfolk claimed he was chased by something that jumped from a tree and pursued him at a breakneck pace all the way to his home. Farmers came forth with accounts of the wildman stealing their poultry and produce. One farmer claimed he shot at the creature, but the shot bounced off its body causing no harm or effect to it.
A group from Norfolk saw the creature enter a hole in the side of a mountain. They secured massive chains across the opening in an attempt to lock the monster in. The next morning, the chains were found torn to pieces, as if someone with great strength had effortlessly pulled the links apart.
Reporters came from everywhere for a story. After the passing of days and in some cases, months, the reporters and prospectors left with nothing but, as one newspaper put it, “sunburn and hangovers from the local beer.” There was one account where a hunting party went in search of the wildman in hopes of bringing the monster back, but after following strange prints in the ground, came across a local farmer’s lost donkey. A posse was formed to locate and capture the beast, but after days of searching, they too came home empty handed and hungry.
As suddenly as the Winsted Wildman surfaced, he was gone, vanishing into thin air never to be seen or heard from again. To this day the Winsted Wildman remains a ghost of sorts. He came and then
vanished into legend only to haunt the minds and pages of those who seek to know the real truth of who or what, for a short time, terrorized a region of Litchfield County.