By Mackenzie Kegans, Reporter
Keep your eyes peeled! Massachusetts has a lot to boast about when it comes to supernatural history, and some of the most overlooked paranormal history in the state can be found right here in Sterling, and for some of us, right in our backyard.
In the 80s and 90s, Monsterland was a top spot for bigfoot hunters, reports of UFO sightings, and other unexplainable phenomena that inspired tons of literature about the area. What’s even more shocking is that Monsterland remains relatively unknown to the people of Sterling, along with the mysteries that encase the place.
The spot known as Monsterland lies in the large Leominster State Park which stretches through the towns of Sterling, Princeton, Westminster, and Leominster. The wide stretch of land containing vast wildlife and sand pits popular for dirt biking is now privately owned; it was previously open to the public on the trails of the state park. The exact location can be found with lots of research, but the current owner of the property prefers that the area remain fairly secretive.
In the 1950s Monsterland was given its name by the locals who lived around the area due to the sheer number of reported Bigfoot sightings, glowing orange orbs, and strange tracks people found there. Even though the name was given in the 1950s, the stories date back to almost 100 years earlier.
One of the most rumored and popular tales of Monsterland comes from the year 1884, when a farmer told of a creature who tore into his field and brutally ate some of his cattle before his eyes. The strangest part? The farmer says that the monster ran back to the forest on two legs.
That’s only one recorded account of Bigfoot in Sterling, but since then they haven’t stopped. One of the most recent accounts occurred in 2010, when six large human-like footprints were found in the sand pits. The people who claim to have seen the big footprints made casts of the prints, and the sighting is ranked a “class b sighting” by the Massachusetts Bigfoot Researchers Field Organization. All sightings near Sterling and in the state can be found on the official bigfoot research website www.brfo.net.
These are only a few accounts of the strange things that have been happening in Monsterland. In 2019, author Ronny LeBlanc did a book signing at the Leominster Barnes and Noble featuring his book entitled “Monsterland” which outlines a lot of specific sightings of bigfoot, large orange orbs, and other unexplainable phenomena. In a quote, he claims to have seen at least nine orange glowing orbs in the area to date. His book can be found in many local bookstores as well as online.
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