10/28/2026
Just in time for spooky season, writer Priya Subberwal gives us the "Mystery of the Wampus" in our latest Field Note!
Priya writes:
..The headline from the Daily Missoulian in 1914 reads “FEROCIOUS WAMPUS ALMOST VISITS MISSOULA,” and describes an encounter between railroad workers and a large, mysterious creature descending from the North Hills. According to the article, H.T. Lindsey, a railroad dispatcher, “had just arrived for his shift when he saw Mr. Wampus making tremendous leaps down the hill.” Another dispatcher “watched and listened without saying a word." As the animal dropped from sight, he asked: “What the hell is a wampus, anyway?” There have been several stories over the years of a strange creature being sighted, however, reporting is scarce. The mountains like to keep their secrets.
The wampus cat is a cryptid creature of American folklore that has origins in Cherokee cosmology and Appalachian legend, though its descriptions vary. Some accounts of the creature claim it has six legs, while others say four. In almost every account, it is described as spiritual, with occult-like powers. In 1936, The Knoxville News-Sentinel described the cat as having “a body of 15 or 20 feet long, and eyes like small moons…”
I can almost imagine it, that railyard late at night. Sleepy eyes unfocused on the hills, blinked, rubbed, widened awake. The prickling feeling across the skin that comes from the realization that you are less alone than you thought. The eyes that blink back, glowing.
CONTINUED….
Listen and learn more in Priya's full Field Note (see LINK below).
Every week since 1991, Field Notes has inquired about Montana’s natural history. Field Notes are written by naturalists, students, and listeners about the puzzle-tree bark, eagle talons, woolly aphids, and giant puffballs of Western, Central and Southwestern Montana and aired on Montana Public Radio.
Our next online Field Notes Writing Workshop begins November 3rd. See our website for more details.
