Bigfoot and the Texas Cannibals

On the South Texas Plains, a little less than an hour southwest of San Antonio, Bigfoot sits at the intersection of two Farm-to-Market highways. Far from being a giant hairy cryptid, this Bigfoot is one of the many small communities that dot the Texas map.

Technically only a Census-Designated Place, it did not receive its name from the legendary creature. Instead, the namesake of the unincorporated community is William "Big-Foot" Wallace, one of the more colorful characters in a state known for them.

Wallace, who claimed descent from that other William Wallace (Braveheart), fought every enemy the Republic of Texas had to offer. He gained fame as a Ranger and participated in the disastrous Mier Expedition in 1842 that ended in surrender.

Taken to Mexico City in captivity, the prisoners who survived the infamous Black Bean Lottery arrived in rough shape. A group of expatriate residents gathered shoes for the captives but could not find any large enough to fit the size 12 foot of Wallace. A custom-made pair later, Big-Foot was born.

One day, as their captors moved them from one part of the city to another, a mob descended on the prisoners, chanting “Muere los Gringos!”. The guards struggled to keep the groups apart until the sergeant in charge bellowed to the crowd that he would turn the Texas Cannibals loose if they did not disperse.

In 1843 there was little love lost between many of the people of Mexico and citizens of the newly independent Texas. Tensions ran high and political rhetoric from both sides sought to demonize the other. The Texans had a reputation as inhuman people-eaters among a significant portion of the population.

So, when the sergeant threatened to let loose the Texas Cannibals, it bore weight. To reinforce the soldier’s message, some of the prisoners grabbed people out of the mob and pretended to try and “eat” them.

Big-Foot’s account of the incident to his biographer claimed that he seized a chief agitator in the crowd, an old woman. He recounted, “I took a good bite at her neck, but it was tougher than a ten-year-old buffalo bull’s, and though I bit with a will, and can crack a hickory-nut easily with grinders, I could make no impression on it whatsoever.” The ruse worked, the mob scattered, and nobody got eaten that day.

Wallace eventually made it back to Texas, where he continued his exploits and gained greater fame. He also told stories. And like any good storyteller, he mixed the true and the less-true with great dexterity. As far as we know, Big-Foot never ate anyone.

-High Plains Surfer