My Father Was a WPA Surveyor in ’38 — Hollow He Was Paid to Map Left Blank to Hide a Bigfoot Family
My Father Was a WPA Surveyor in ’38 — Hollow He Was Paid to Map Left Blank to Hide a Bigfoot Family
MINGO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA — Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, where winding hollows disappear into dense forests and forgotten ridges, a decades-old mystery has resurfaced through the testimony of a family whose connection to the land dates back nearly a century.
According to local resident Samuel Walker, his father worked as a surveyor for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938 and was assigned to map a remote section of southern West Virginia. Yet when the final government maps were completed, one isolated hollow remained conspicuously blank.
The reason, Walker claims, was not an error.
His father believed the area was intentionally omitted after a series of encounters with what he described as a family of enormous, human-like creatures living deep within the wilderness.
While the story cannot be independently verified, it has become one of the most intriguing legends to emerge from Appalachia’s long tradition of unexplained phenomena.
A Government Survey in the Mountains
The WPA, established during the Great Depression, employed millions of Americans on public works projects ranging from road construction to infrastructure development and land surveys.
In the spring of 1938, Walker’s father, James Walker, joined a team tasked with producing updated topographical maps of remote mountain regions in southern West Virginia.
Much of the terrain had never been accurately documented. Survey crews often spent weeks in isolated camps, navigating steep ridges, dense timber, and valleys accessible only by foot or horseback.
According to family records, James was assigned to a particularly remote hollow located several miles beyond the nearest maintained road.
“He told us it was one of the wildest places he’d ever seen,” Walker recalled. “There were no houses, no farms, and no evidence that anyone had lived there for years.”
At least, that was what they expected to find.
Strange Discoveries in the Forest
Shortly after arriving, surveyors reportedly began noticing unusual signs throughout the hollow.
Massive footprints appeared along creek banks following rainstorms. Trees displayed strange markings several feet above ground level. Campsites occasionally showed evidence that something had approached during the night without leaving conventional animal tracks.
Initially, the crew dismissed the incidents as misidentified bear sign or practical jokes.
That explanation became harder to accept after several workers reported seeing large figures moving through the forest at dusk.
Descriptions varied slightly, but most accounts shared common details: extraordinary height, broad shoulders, dark hair, and a distinctly upright posture.
One crew member allegedly estimated a figure’s height at more than eight feet.
Another reported hearing vocalizations unlike anything he had encountered during years spent hunting in Appalachian forests.
The sightings created unease among the survey team.
The Encounter That Changed Everything
The event that reportedly altered the course of the survey occurred during late summer.
According to notes preserved by Walker’s family, James and another surveyor were following a stream toward the upper reaches of the hollow when they discovered what appeared to be a nesting area beneath a rocky outcrop.
There they allegedly observed multiple creatures together.
James later described seeing two large adults and at least one smaller individual moving through the trees.
Rather than displaying aggression, the creatures appeared focused on gathering food and tending to the younger member of the group.
“It was the small one that convinced my father they weren’t dealing with a lone animal,” Walker said. “He believed he was looking at a family.”
The surveyors reportedly watched from a concealed position for several minutes before quietly retreating.
Neither man attempted to approach.
Neither returned to the location.
An Unusual Decision
Following the encounter, members of the survey team allegedly met with supervisors responsible for compiling the final maps.
Walker claims his father never fully explained what occurred during those discussions. However, he repeatedly stated that several officials were informed about the sightings.
What happened next remains the most controversial aspect of the story.
When final survey documents were completed, the hollow reportedly appeared with remarkably limited detail compared to surrounding areas.
Certain topographical features were generalized, and portions of the interior valley remained largely undocumented.
To modern observers, the omission could easily be explained by difficult terrain, incomplete data collection, or administrative oversight.
Yet James Walker remained convinced that the decision had been deliberate.
“He always said the hollow was left alone on purpose,” his son recalled. “He believed somebody higher up decided that whatever lived there deserved to be left undisturbed.”
Local Legends and Longstanding Stories
Accounts of large, unidentified creatures have circulated throughout Appalachia for generations.
Long before the term “Bigfoot” entered popular culture, mountain communities shared stories about giant wild men inhabiting remote ridges and inaccessible valleys.
Many of these tales were passed down orally and rarely documented in official records.
Local historians note that folklore often reflects a mixture of real experiences, cultural traditions, and storytelling practices developed over centuries.
Nevertheless, reports of unusually large footprints and unexplained sightings continue to emerge from isolated areas across the region.
For believers, James Walker’s account represents another piece of a larger puzzle.
For skeptics, it remains an example of how legends evolve and grow over time.
The Hollow Today
The location described by Walker has never been publicly identified.
He says his father intentionally withheld details that could reveal the hollow’s exact position.
“He was worried people would go looking for it,” Walker explained. “He didn’t want hunters, curiosity seekers, or reporters disturbing whatever might still be there.”
Today, much of southern West Virginia has changed dramatically due to logging, mining, road construction, and development.
Yet vast stretches of forest remain largely untouched.
Wildlife biologists acknowledge that remote habitats still contain species and ecological behaviors not fully understood by science, although no credible evidence has confirmed the existence of Bigfoot.
Even so, the mystery continues to capture public imagination.
A Story That Refuses to Disappear
More than eight decades after the WPA survey, the blank hollow remains part of local folklore.
Whether James Walker truly encountered a family of unknown creatures or simply interpreted unusual events through the lens of mountain legend may never be known.
What remains undeniable is the impact the experience had on him.
For the rest of his life, he reportedly maintained that some places are better left unexplored and some mysteries deserve protection rather than explanation.
“He wasn’t trying to convince anyone,” his son said. “He just believed that whatever he saw belonged there more than we did.”
As interest in Bigfoot sightings continues across North America, stories like this remind us why the legend endures. Hidden among Appalachia’s ridges and forests are countless places where certainty gives way to possibility—and where some questions remain unanswered long after the maps are finished.