TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
A s a child, Lyle Blackburn was fascinated by creatures such as Bigfoot, Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster. His interest in them grew even more after watching The Legend of Boggy Creek . “I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, so it wasn’t until I saw The Legend of Boggy Creek that I thought something like that might be in our own area.” Over the course of writing about the monster, Blackburn acquainted himself with Fouke and its community. He is considered a reputable source of information regarding the legend because of his extensive research and interviews. Through his work, Blackburn can relay the story to others who have not grown up hearing the legend. This depiction gives the town a mythical status to outsiders. “I probably romanticize the whole thing more because, when I first saw it, Fouke was a mystical place. It was a real place, but it was something shown on a movie screen,” Blackburn said. “That’s what captured people’s imaginations. It was painted in such a cool picture as this is a mysterious place, and [it told people to] beware when the sun goes down. To outsiders, it’s something larger than life. They have that sort of outsider view of ‘maybe the woods here are just a little bit different, they’re just a little bit more creepy, or there’s something about this place.’”
Lyle Blackburn
32
COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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