Back in the 1920s, children began to vanish in the Point Defiance area near Tacoma. Sometimes, their bodies were found along the beach in Point Defiance and the Tacoma Narrows. In other cases, they just vanished. But one thing was clear: A monster may have taken them. Get the scoop after the jump.

An Urban Legend From Point Defiance

I learned about this local legend during a Fort Nisqually tour just a week ago. Chris, our guide from Pretty Gritty Tours, mentioned the tale when we were over by the chickens. He said that little kids would see a monster when they went inside one of the buildings. It would stalk them, and when the kids would turn to face it, the monster would vanish.

Now, this seems more like a ghostly animal, but the legend allegedly dates back to the early 1920s.

As the story goes, Tacoma suffered from a rash of child abductions and murders. People would find kids’ bodies along the beaches in the Point Defiance area. In other cases, a kid would escape. They’d say a monster chased them, and they’d show their damaged kayaks. Each kayak had a series of deep gashes in the wood. Hence, the locals named it, The Great Tear, for the shredded canoes and kayaks it left behind.

Other witnesses would mention seeing a strange looking brown bear (or grizzly bear) in the woods or swimming in the Tacoma Narrows. You may know that area for ‘Galloping Gertie,’ a suspension bridge that collapsed in 1940.

Side note: There’s a giant freakin’ octopus in the ruins of that bridge in the Narrows!

Now, back to the monster …

A Plausible Explanation

First off, there are no records to indicate that any of the child abductions and murders even happened. This part of the legend probably has origins in the famous 1920s & 1930s child kidnappings of Gloria Vanderbilt, Marion Parker, and Frank Sinatra, Jr. to name a few.

However, the South Cascades did have grizzly bears (or brown bears) in the 1920s. At the time, the bears would have been migrating away, looking for deeper forests and less human interaction. It’s plausible that a bear was sighted around the Narrows. Although, it’s more likely to have been a black bear.

The sighting area (red stars in Tacoma map) would not have been developed. No bridge or suburbs like we have today. It would have been forest. An ideal area for a bear looking for food.

And I bet the legend may have used this bit of grizzly bear trivia from 1937 as it developed over the years.

The Great Tear Monster Description

Today, the legend tells of an animal that looks like a brown bear-black dog hybrid. It has long, sharp claws, glowing red eyes, black fur, and medium length snout with razor-sharp teeth. However, you only see it from the corner of your eyes. I’m not exactly sure how you can have an accurate description when people just get glimpses of the beast … I digress …

This monster will only manifest to pounce on you, but then it vanishes when you turn to face it. Children (I’m assuming kids under 13) have reported seeing it along the fort’s fence line (red line in map above), and especially within the red-starred building. In fact, kids just won’t go in that building because they can sense the beast.

Fort Nisqually staff have also reported the monster, but the adults don’t necessarily see it. They hear its screech at night. The sound comes from just over the fence (red line above). That may just be an owl or coyote, both common animals in Point Defiance park. A bear-dog hybrid would have more of a roar.

Anyway, there are no pictures available of the beast, which tells me I have to go on a monster hunt!

Again, this is all a local legend, but it’s one I’d like to explore.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated. Take care!

Last Updated on November 30, 2024 by Jacob Rice