Caddo Lake is a beautiful and fun place to spend the weekend. However, the small community of Caddo is also known for the myth and legend of the Caddo Critter.
The Caddo Critter is said to be an ape-like creature, initially thought to have been first sighting by Charlie Gantt.
The Story Of The Caddo Critter:
On July 18th, 1964, the 72-year-old local rancher, Charlie Gantt, claimed to shoot an ape 9-10 times. He said he used his .22 revolver but was unable to kill the ape, stating that the ape left the area after being shot.
By itself, the story of Gantt sounds like a common story of an animal wandering too close to someone’s house. However, there’s more than one account of the creature.
9-year-old Gene Couch was also reported to see an ape-like creature on the very same day of Gantt’s encounter. Little Gene stated that it was walking towards a fishing spot.
Mrs. Couch, Gene’s mother, also stated that she heard ‘something’ fighting with the dogs that night.
While these three accounts seem unclear, it may be linked with the same ape or creature.
The Creature’s Description:
According to the news clippings, the community of Caddo took this sighting seriously. Soon, there were several more sightings and people started arming themselves against the creature.
One news column stated that the witnesses claimed the creature looked to be seven feet tall and four feet wide. The creature also seemed to be covered with hair.
Another news article stated that the people of East Stephens County started seeing the create two weeks before encountering Gantt. The critter was also noted as early as 2:30 pm and as late as 2:00 am.
The Theory Behind Caddo Critter:
The commonly believed theory is that the critter was an escaped ape from a Possum Kingdom Lake game preserve. Some say this may be an ape while others believe it to be a bear.
This preserve was discontinued by the game caretaker before these incidents started occurring. However, when the caretaker was interviewed by the police, he claimed that no such animal was ever-present at the reserve.
Recently, some people interested in the Caddo Critter went to take a look in the Caddo area. What they found was the area that Jimmie Couch claimed to have spotted the critter. Unfortunately, they were not able to pinpoint the Gant home, where the shooting took place.
It looks like while a few pieces are missing. But there might just be something to the legend of the Caddo Critter after all.