Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Legend of the monster goes back to the early 1970s. More than two years ago, Cecelia Montañez saw the creature for the first time: more than 7 feet tall, with faded dark brown fur, and standing in the desert near Eastlake Boulevard and Darrington Road.

“I saw a big gorilla-like thing walking toward the desert,” Montañez said.

Montañez says she and other Horizon City residents have witnessed a large, Bigfoot-type creature lurking in the desert, usually near Eastlake, and near Lake El Paso. While others, including law-enforcement officials, believe the sightings are part of a hoax, Montañez said what she and other people have witnessed is true.

The legend of the monster goes back to the early 1970s, but no actual evidence has been found, according to many longtime Horizon City residents.

Montañez, a retired secretary, moved from East El Paso to Horizon City three years ago. She said she has seen the creature on two occasions, the last sighting taking place near her home last October.

Three teenagers saw a gorilla-like creature

Montañez said that after the first sighting, she remembered an article that ran in the Sept. 20, 1975, edition of the El Paso Times. The article reported that three teenagers saw a gorilla-like creature near the Horizon City golf course. Bill Rutherford, a former deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, said in the article that he did see a track, but that it “appeared to have been dug.”

“Someone had to have made those tracks,” Rutherford said in a recent phone interview. “There’s a lot of people that were very upset, but it never bothered me. I didn’t think it was for real.”

Rutherford was a deputy until 1979, and in 1988 became Horizon City’s first police chief. He retired after 10 years, and remembers that although he didn’t believe the teens’ stories, he felt obligated to investigate.

“I was a deputy sheriff, so I was regulated to do something,” Rutherford said. “I never saw it. I thought it was a hoax.”

Horizon City police Chief Tony Aguilar has been the town’s chief for about two years, and said he doesn’t recall any reports of Bigfoot sightings.

The Bull writes “Texas may be home to another bigfoot-like creature. How many bigfoot-like creatures need to be seen before we actually believe that something is going on? Is this some type of mass psychosis? Real evidence of these creatures is few and and far between, but the number of sightings sure makes it seem like something is going on. Could it all be part of an orchestrated hoax, or just individuals chipping in to make it seem like something larger is going on?

Texas Cryptids

The Bear King, The Ottine Swamp Monster, and The East Texas Woolybooger are all described as very bigfoot-like. The most common description is something tall and hairy that walks on two legs and emits frightening howls. These Texas cryptids also match up pretty well with tales of bigfoot like creatures from across the country. Sometimes details like glowing eyes or long, sharp nails are included, but for the most part all of these stories are very familiar.

The Monster Of Horizon City, Texas

This is where the Monster Of Horizon City comes in. The town is located near El Paso and was the location of multiple sightings of a creature. This creature basic frame was described much like most bigfoot sightings but was said to be a “gorilla-like” creature with a mouth like a bulldogs. It was also said to have glowing red eyes. The creature was said to be living in caverns around the area, but local experts are quick to point out that “the desert doesn’t have caverns”. Some claim that “the monster” was just a large unshaven homeless person.

Signs Of A Texas Monster

Most signs of the Monster Of Horizon City go back to the early 1970’s, but interest was renewed in 2021 when reports of “unusual howling” came in. Multiple people have claimed to have found tracks to this day, although some original investigations say some of the tracks have appeared to be dug.

Read More: Discover The Mystery Of Texas Bigfoot-Like Creatures