07/30/2026
Gowrow was a Selfie monster
By David Holsted, Dennis McCaslin, with additional information by Jeff Middleton
Note: The parts of this story by David Holsted appeared in the Times previously.
Sometime around 1935, a group of men in the small Boone County community of Self set about to explore a deep cave known locally as Devil’s Hole. E. J. Rhodes, the owner of the farm on which the cave was located, had himself earlier descended by rope some 200 feet before landing on a ledge.
The men had 1,000 feet of rope, on the end of which was attached a flatiron. Lowering the flatiron soon resulted in it landing on the ledge previously discovered by Rhodes.
“It was at this point,” according to an account written by Ozark folklorist Otto Ernest Rayburn, “that things began to happen. The men heard a vicious hissing sound, as if it were some animal whose den had been rudely intruded. The rope was pulled up and it was found that the handle of the iron was bent. Jim, the guide, swore he could see the marks of teeth upon it. A large stone was then attached as a weight and thrown in. Again the sibilant sound when it struck the ledge, and when the rope was pulled up the stone was gone. The rope had been bitten in two as clean as though it had been cut with a knife. Fastening another stone to the line, we cast again. Again it ran out to the 200-foot ledge, again the hissing sound was heard, and when the rope was drawn up the stone was gone and the rope bitten in two. The marks of sharp teeth were clearly discernable.”
What was the creature that the men roused in the Devil’s Hole? Could it have been the infamous gowrow? (rhymes with bowwow)
Vance Randolph, the noted chronicler of Ozark folklore and culture, wrote about the gowrow in his “Fabulous Monsters of the Ozarks.” Many of the stories have very old European origins, while others owe their existence to tales from the Osage, Caddo and Cherokee tribes. One of those fabulous monsters was the gowrow. According to Randolph, gowrow sightings were reported as early as the 1880s.
According to the legends, the gowrow was a gigantic (some said up to 20 feet long) lizard, with enormous tusks. There are reports that gowrows hatched from soft-shelled eggs said to be as big as beer kegs. Some accounts said the female carried its newly hatched young in a pouch like that of a possum. The gowrow spent much of its time in caves and under rock ledges. It was carnivorous, devouring great numbers of deer, calves, sheep, goats and perhaps even human beings.
Rayburn told of an unidentified newspaper account of an incident that happened in Searcy County in 1897. It seemed that a “gowrow of the goofus family” had been terrorizing families around Marshall. According to an account by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, the creature had slaughtered livestock and pets in Calf Creek Township.
Rayburn’s story went on to say that a Little Rock traveling salesman named William Miller organized a posse to track down the monster.
Miller and others had been unable to overtake the creature in the fields, so they lay in wait for it at the entrance of a cavern.
“This cave was evidently the home of the animal,” the newspaper story continues, “as here were found many skeletons, skulls and bones, as well as parts of human flesh of recent victims. Miller and his posse laid in wait, trembling in their shoes. Presently the earth swayed as if another earthquake were taking place, and they realized that the monster was approaching. As it came within range all hands fired, and after several volleys were discharged, succeeded in killing it. But it died hard. A couple of huge trees were lashed down, and one of the assailants was killed. (Another account said the gowrow tore off the leg of one of the men.) The gowrow was twenty feet in length, and had a ponderous head with two enormous tusks. Its legs were short, terminating in webbed feet similar to but much larger than those of a duck, and each toe had a vicious claw. The body was covered with green scales, and its back bristled with short horns. The tail was thin and long, provided with sharp blade-like formations at the end, which it used as a sickle. The animal was a pachyderm, with long incisors and canine teeth, which apparently showed its relationship with the ceratorhinus, supposed long since to have disappeared from the earth.”
Miller later claimed to have sent the gowrow’s skin and skeleton to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., but officials there, when questioned, could not confirm the claim.
Meanwhile, back at Devil’s Hole, at least one member of the party, according to Rayburn’s account, contended that a gowrow must be responsible. It might well be, he argued, that Miller’s posse had not killed the gowrow. Maybe the great beast had “played possum” and fooled ‘em. Perhaps, after Miller’s departure, the gowrow migrated to Boone County and settled down in the Devil’s Hole, where it may be living to this day.
Randolph, in his work, identified other legendary Ozark monsters, including the snawfus, the willipus or wallipus, the galliwampus (a gigantic mountain lion) and the bird-like giasticutus. Randolph reported that another lizard-like creature known as the jimplicute terrorized the North Little Rock area in the 1880s. He speculated, however, that it was the invention of ex-Confederates during Reconstruction to frighten ex-slaves who had been elected to public office. And don’t forget the “Ozark Howler”!
According to McCaslin, “What makes the Gowrow endure in Boone County isn't just its monstrous form-part alligator, part rhinoceros, part razorback hog-but its ties to the land itself. The Ozarks, with their labyrinthine caves and dense forests, are a breeding ground for cryptids: the shadowy Ozark Howler, with its horned, cat-like silhouette and mournful cry; fleeting Bigfoot glimpses; even rumors of UFOs dancing over the hills. Today, in an age of drones and DNA testing, the legend persists. Treasure hunters and paranormal enthusiasts occasionally trek the dirt roads off Highway 65 or 7, past Bergman and Wooded Hills, to Self's coordinates around 36.3981 N, -93.1166 W. But the cave remains on private land, its depths unexplored and off-limits, a guardian of secrets.
Of course, seemingly every community, county, region, and state has its own legends, enduring tales, and “scary stories”. Who remembers the infamous Fouke Monster from south Arkansas, which was featured in the hilariously scary movie “The Legend of Boggy Creek”? This writer remembers watching it on the big screen as a college student and laughing until I nearly passed out. Many of these creatures have not only been featured in story and movie, but in song. In Kentucky, there is the Gobsow. By searching on Youtube, or one of the many music apps such as Spotify or Amazon Music, look for the song “Gobsows” by the Goose Creek Symphony, a hillbilly/rock fusion band from the 70’s, and 80’s. If you listen to the live performance, the band leader and singer Charlie Gearheart even tells a little about the gobsow! Prepare to be tickled!
Vance Randolph also wrote about the gowrow, and its tall tale origins, in his work “We Always Lie to Strangers.”
So whatever your beliefs are concerning these mysterious, elusive, and seemingly enduring creatures; do they exist, are they just wild tales spun by bored folks, or are you one that thinks there might by some grain of truth that originally led to the birth of these wild tellings and re-tellings?
McCaslin again: “As the sun sets over Boone County's rolling hills, one can't help but listen for that distant roar. Is it the wind, or something stirring in Devil's Hole? The Gowrow, after all, has always been more than a beast-it's a mirror to our fears, our wonders, and the untamed spirit of the Ozarks.
This is article is part of a series about Boone County history and provided by the Boone County Historical Museum. The museum is located at 124 South Cherry in Harrison. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and the 1st Saturday of the month. For more information on the museum, call 741-3312 or email [email protected].
Come see us! Disclaimer: We do NOT have any artifacts dealing with the Gowrow, the Ozark Howler, the Boggy Creek Monster, or any of the rest. The do not reveal their secrets that easily!
