Written By Ken Hulsey
The Yucca Man: Desert Bigfoot of Southern California"Huge," "Scary," "Strong," "Aggressive," "Fast," "Threatening" – these are all terms that have been used to describe several Bigfoot-like creatures that are said to inhabit the desert regions of southern California. These mysterious giant apes go by many different names: The Borrego Sandman, The Speedway Monster, Zoobies, Devils, and the Yucca Man.
The first sightings of the Yucca Man began in the early 1970s as more people populated the remote desert regions east of Los Angeles. As families migrated out of the congested city to the cheaper outlying desert areas, stories of a large hairy monster began to circulate amongst the relocated suburbanites. At first, no one paid much attention to these reported encounters, believing them to be merely the product of bored imaginations. All of that, however, was about to change.
On a cold February night in 1971, a lone guard manned a post outside an armory on the outskirts of the Marine Base near Twenty-Nine Palms. Without warning, the otherwise unearthly quiet was suddenly shattered when a large mass appeared out of the dark desert landscape. The guard raised his rifle and commanded the being to "halt." Much to the young man's surprise, the large figure did not stop but instead charged right at him at an inhuman rate. As the figure grew closer, the Marine realized what was approaching rapidly was not a man at all, but a huge, upright-running, hair-covered creature. Paralyzed by shock, the young guard stood his ground, too frightened to move. The mysterious creature threw the young man to the ground, rendering him unconscious.
When the guard's relief arrived several hours later, they found him almost incoherent with his rifle bent nearly in two – a testament to the creature's incredible strength. The incident was serious enough that both the CIA and FBI were called in to conduct an investigation. Much to their surprise, the locals were eager to share their own encounters with giant man-beasts in the area.
On the very same night as the attack on the guard, two of the creatures were seen roaming through a nearby neighborhood relatively close to the base. When a local couple looked outside their front window to investigate what was upsetting their dog, they spotted two Yucca Men crossing their front lawn. Later that evening, the same creatures were observed near a horse corral some distance away by others in the neighborhood. The federal investigation also revealed that several employees at Joshua Tree National Monument had witnessed Bigfoot-like creatures on numerous occasions, suggesting these sightings were far more common than initially believed.
Eight years later, in May of 1979, a young couple was leaving their condominium complex in Desert Hot Springs, north of Palm Springs, when a large hairy creature emerged from behind a yucca plant in front of their car. According to the driver, the animal, which had "a chest the size of a refrigerator and arms that hung down below its knees," was so enormous that he could only see it from the mid-section down. The beast, reportedly covered in long tan-colored hair, disappeared quickly back into the night, leaving no footprint evidence despite its massive size.
Also in 1979, a twelve-foot-tall Bigfoot made two visits to Hemet, California, some distance south of Palm Springs, within a week. During its initial appearance, the creature left an impressive seventeen tracks in the mud along a rural road. These tracks measured eighteen inches in length and were spaced approximately six feet apart, indicating an enormous stride that no human could replicate. Noted Bigfoot researchers Douglas Trapp and Danny Perez conducted a thorough investigation of this sighting, even performing a "stakeout" of the location where the tracks were found. Despite their diligent efforts, the monster did not return during their surveillance.
In 1988, the legend continued when two servicemen from Twenty-Nine Palms were returning home from Big Bear Lake at about 9:00 p.m. As they approached an old cement factory in Lucerne Valley, they encountered what locals call the "Cement Monster" – named for its purported habitat near the abandoned facility. A large upright-running creature moved across the road in front of their car. Similar to the 1979 Desert Hot Springs sighting, the animal was so large that the men could only see its lower half through their windshield.
In disbelief, the two men exchanged shocked glances before one exclaimed, "What the Hell was that?" The other replied, "That was the Cement Monster, after him!" The driver hit the brakes while his companion reached for a gun stored in the glove box. Despite searching the area thoroughly, the adrenaline-fueled men found no sign of the creature. They ultimately concluded they had encountered some form of prehistoric man before continuing their journey home, forever changed by the experience.
The frequency and consistency of these sightings raise compelling questions: Could there be an undiscovered species of giant, bipedal creatures inhabiting the harsh desert landscape near Palm Springs? What would allow such large mammals to survive in such an inhospitable environment? Some cryptozoologists speculate these creatures might use extensive cave systems for shelter and travel primarily at night to avoid the scorching daytime temperatures.
To the locals who have witnessed these beings firsthand, the legend of the Yucca Man is all too real. Though based on its reported aggressive behavior, particularly the attack on the Marine guard, this may be one cryptid that even the most adventurous researchers might want to observe from a safe distance – if at all.
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