One of the earliest sightings of the Blue Man occurred in 1865 when a hunter and trapper, “Blue Sol” Collins, spotted large footprints in the snow. Excited, the hunter thought that he was about to track and kill the largest bear in all of Missouri.
The hunter noted that the footprints, besides being large, were strangely elongated and broader than those of a small bear. However, curiosity had the best of him and Blue Sol continued to follow the tracks. He reached a steep hill and as he began to walk up it, a large boulder came rolling down. He dodged it, but then more came down on him. The hunter kept from one side to the next, and when he finally looked up, he could scarcely believe his own eyes.
High above him was a large creature. It appeared to be a large man, its body covered in thick black hair like an animal, and it carried a large club. Rightfully frightened, the experienced hunter realized that he had better run, which he did, and lived to tell his story.
Even though the Ozarks were scarcely populated during that time, there were numerous sightings of the Blue Man, who had been named after the hunter “Blue Sol.” It was reported that the creature had a habit of stealing livestock from the scattered families of the region, but search parties who went out to hunt it always came back empty handed. [source]
