Catskill Family Claims 40 Years of Terror by ‘Kinderhook Creature’

Upstate New York Urban Legends

There are many urban legends from area residents, with claims about monsters terrorizing small towns and communities throughout Upstate NY.

With endless acres of dark woods, lakes, and streams, the Capital Region has had its fair share of paranormal, alien, Lochness Monster, and bigfoot sightings. Still, an urban legend emanating from the Catskill area of New York State is one legend that haunts locals to this day.

The Kinderhook Creature

I hadn't either - but I went down the rabbit hole, and now you don't have to!

Legend has it that in the 1980s, a large, bigfoot-like creature stalked and terrorized families in Upstate NY and beyond. To this day, residents in the Catskills stand by claims made decades ago of the terror caused by the "Kinderhook Creature."

A book called The Kinderhook Creature and Beyond, released last year, details the strange occurrences decades ago. Author Bruce Hallenbeck chronicled the events that unfolded near the foothills of the Catskill Mountains.

"Kinderhook residents should be familiar with spooky tales of headless horsemen, ghosts, and fairies. But in the 1980s, the town became home to a new type of fright – the Kinderhook Creature, a bigfoot-type hominid that terrorized families and was reported all over the county and beyond."  -Bruce Hallenbeck

40 Years Ago

An independent film crew called Small Town Monsters has been exploring these urban legends since 2015. The video below takes a deeper dive into the Kinderhook Creature, including visiting some folks still in the area who claim to have audio proof of their harrowing experience some 40 years ago.

The video shows Mark Mulholland from Newschannel 13 visiting Kinderhook to learn more. Most of the eyewitness accounts date back to the mid-to-late 1980s, and to this day, residents stand by their claims that an aggressive beast stalked them.

Decades of Torment

Book author Bruce Hallenbeck went back to his hometown and spoke with family members about the day they heard noises from the alleged creature, who they say tormented them for years.

Sometimes, the noises sounded like a squealing pig and other times; they said they sounded more like a pterodactyl—even playing an old audio tape from 40 years ago. Oh, and one more thing about the Kinderhook Creature: a witness, Hallenbeck's cousin, says it had red eyes.

Watch the Entire Video of the Kinderhook Creature Below