Who is the Goatman? North Texas has four different Goatman legends, including the Old Alton Bridge Goatman. Here’s a look at those stories, as well as other urban legends about goatmen around the world.

As I continue my series on the Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge, I take a little detour to look at different goatmen throughout history. What similarities are there between the Old Alton Bridge and others? Why are there so many Goatman stories?

Highlights include:
• Satyrs
• Pan
• The Pope Lick Monster
• Vanishing hitchhikers

Episode Script for Who is the Goatman? (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

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Death at the Goatman’s Bridge: A look at one legend behind the Goatman’s Bridge, the period of history that inspired it, and a suspicious recent death at the bridge.

Highlights include:

• The Texas Troubles
• Attempts to bury history
• Mass hysteria and bloodthirsty vigilantes
• Some creepypasta-style urban legends

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of racially motivated murders and white supremacist hate groups.

Episode Script for Death at the Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

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One of the most famous urban legends about the Goatman’s Bridge (aka the Old Alton Bridge) has roots in a hidden, unpleasant part of the county’s history. This episode looks at the legend of the Goatman and the history underpinning the story.

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of racially motivated murders and white supremacist hate groups.

Episode Script for This Way to the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

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I went to Goatman’s Bridge: In December 2021, I visited the Old Alton Bridge. Here’s what it’s like to visit the famously haunted bridge, as well as the history of the bridge itself.

Highlights include:
• Lots of mud
• Some bridge trivia
• Some . . . interesting . . . reviews of the bridge that I found

CONTENT NOTE: I talk about gun use in this episode (not about people getting shot, but about people shooting guns near the bridge because they’re bored.) If you don’t want to hear about that, then definitely skip this episode. You should be fine to pick back up on the series in the next episode.

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Episode Script for I went to Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

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Here’re the sources I used in the Goatman’s Bridge series. (The individual episode pages linked below may contain some additional sources.)

Check out the whole series:

• The Trickster and the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)
• I went to Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)
• This Way to the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)
• Death at the Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)
• Who is the Goatman? (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

Sources consulted RE: Goatman’s Bridge Series

Books consulted: 

• The Trickster and the Paranormal by George P. Hansen (2001)
• Legends of Texas Volume II: Pirates’ Gold and Other Tales by J. Frank Dobie (1975)
• Tales of Old-Time Texas by J. Frank Dobie (1955)
• Best Tales of Texas Ghosts by Docia Schultz William (1995)
• The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories by Alan Brown (2012)
• Haunted Texas: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Lone Star State by Alan Brown (2008)
• Haunted Plano, Texas by Mary Jacobs (2018)
• The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand
• Encyclopedia of Monsters by Daniel Cohen
• Where the Footprints End: High Strangeness and the Bigfoot Phenomenon Volume I: Folklore by Joshua Cutchin and Timothy Renner

Websites and articles consulted: 

• http://www.historyofbridges.com/facts-about-bridges/pratt-truss/ 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/pratt-truss 
• https://www.totalsoftwater.com/2015/02/water-table-falls/
• https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542517/m1/1/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542517/m1/5/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abutment
• https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x864dccb9ff3e525b%3A0x427c899463ab2996!3m1!7e115!5sGoogle%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&hl=en&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipPh_cTXSUG69zbAbFGZkRo6XXPER_0mfH1fFFa5&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiT1q-Vwsr2AhU9jokEHXUSD6IQ9fkHKAF6BAgBECY
• https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/a-historic-haunt-old-alton-bridge/
• https://www.yelp.com/biz/old-alton-bridge-denton
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Alton_Bridge 
• https://www.discoverdenton.com/listing/old-alton-bridge/764/
• https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/buzzfeed-supernatural-investigators-visit-denton-bridge-to-see-if-its-really-haunted-by-a-half-goat-half-demon-10051546
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-alton/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170401150304/http://sites.google.com/site/trailsofdentoncounty/Home/the-trails-of-highland-village/elm-fork-trail—old-alton-bridge/old-alton-bridge 
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/gh-lallorona/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-alton/ 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170401150304/http://sites.google.com/site/trailsofdentoncounty/Home/the-trails-of-highland-village/elm-fork-trail—old-alton-bridge/old-alton-bridge 
• https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/a-historic-haunt-old-alton-bridge/ 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Alton_Bridge 
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goatmans-bridge 
• https://www.ghostsofdenton.com/blog/old-alton-bridge 
• https://wedentondoit.com/blog/2013/10/18/back-in-the-day-goatmans-bridge 
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-alton/ 
• https://texashillcountry.com/goatman-bridge-history-hauntings-denton-alton-bridge/   
• Images: https://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q5=%22Goatman%27s%20Bridge%22&t5=dc_subject&searchType=advanced 
• https://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=old+alton+bridge&t=fulltext&sort=&fq= 
• Retrospect, Winter 2009: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542410/m1/2/?q=old%20alton%20bridge 
• A Guide to the Research and Documentation of Local Texas Bridges: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1222743/m1/5/?q=old%20alton%20bridge 
• Retrospect, July, August, September, 2003 : https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542517/m1/5/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22 
• Retrospect, Spring and Summer 2012: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542490/m1/3/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 38, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 28, 2012: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth255897/m1/1/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Retrospect, Spring 2010: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542485/m1/2/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, October 23, 2009: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145732/m1/6/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 28, 2006: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145373/m1/5/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 11, November 2005 Page: 26: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth838481/m1/30/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 11, November 2005 Page: 23: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth838481/m1/27/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 11, November 2005 Page: 25: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth838481/m1/29/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 11, November 2005 Page: 27: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth838481/m1/31/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• On The Record, Vol. 3, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, August 12, 2011 Page: 29 of 44: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth209156/m1/29/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• Goatmansbridge.com (defunct): 
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20100101000000*/goatmansbridge.com   
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20100617152737/http://www.goatmansbridge.com/ 
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20100922141701/http://goatmansbridge.com/Paranormal-activity.html 
• “Paranormal investigators not afraid to scare up some ghosts” 10:49 PM CDT on Saturday, October 28, 2006 By ROY APPLETON / The Dallas Morning News https://web.archive.org/web/20100619005059/http://www.goatmansbridge.com/DallasNewspage.html 
• North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 2015 Page: 1 of 8: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth861503/m1/1/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22 
• North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 2015 Page: 5 of 8: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth861503/m1/5/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Alton-Texas.htm
• https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/alton-tx-denton-county
• https://starlocalmedia.com/lakecitiessun/old-alton-bridge-a-legend-in-denton-county/article_32390a5e-5bb8-11e4-859b-fb074b8b933f.html
• https://cw33.com/news/dfw-ghost-stories-does-the-goatman-haunt-old-alton-bridge/
• Texas Parks & Wildlife, Volume 78, Number 3, April 2020 Page: 8: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1364370/m1/8/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22
• https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2017-10-27/day-trips-old-alton-bridge-denton/ 
• Drone shots of the bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMOttet8pQU 
• https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542490/m1/3/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22 
• The Tall Grass West Of Town: Racial Violence In Denton County During The Rise Of The Second Ku Klux Klan by Micah Carlson Crittenden, which was a University of North Texas masters thesis published in May 2020: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1703339/m2/1/high_res_d/CRITTENDEN-THESIS-2020.pdf 
• “Removing the Danger in a Business Way”: The History and Memory of Quakertown, Denton, Texas, by Chelsea Stallings, masters thesis at the University of North Texas in 2015: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc804840/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf 
• https://omeka.library.unt.edu/s/black-denton/page/kkk

• Hauntology Man, a thesis by UNT student  Adam Michael Wright: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1157557/m1/13/?q=%22old%20alton%20bridge%22

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan_Act
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation
• https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2019/01/10/how-secrets-of-the-old-denton-county-klan-were-discovered-by-four-unt-history-students/ 
• Uncovering St. John’s: https://omeka.library.unt.edu/s/stjohns/page/welcome
• https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2018/02/16/a-lonely-watchdog-in-denton-suddenly-finds-new-allies-as-he-fights-to-update-a-dark-history/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Beautiful_movement
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/777095.White_Lilacs 
• Additional source about Quakertown: http://www.dentonhistory.net/page32/Quaker.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dealey_Plaza
• https://www.texasobserver.org/troubled-times/
• https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-troubles 
• https://web-clear.unt.edu/course_projects/HIST2610/content/CaseStudy/TexasTroubles_old/CS4_texastroubles_list.htm 
• https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/civilwar/trouble.html 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denton,_Texas 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denton_Confederate_Soldier_Monument 
• https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/denton-county-courthouse-confederate-monument-moving-inside-to-town-square-museum/2607739/
• https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/08/16/denton-man-fight-confederate-monument/
• https://wedentondoit.com/blog/2013/10/18/back-in-the-day-goatmans-bridge
• https://factschology.com/mmm-podcast-articles/demon-goatmans-bridge-texas
• https://www.haunts.com/goatman’shauntedfarm 
• https://allcryptid.fandom.com/wiki/Goatman 
• https://livingbluetx.com/2020/11/what-happened-to-lermont-stower-jones/?cn-reloaded=1
• http://www.thedentonite.com/culture/parents-of-drowned-teenager-dissatisfied-with-investigation
• https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/virtual-fundraiser-to-honor-life-of-black-teen-who-died-under-unusual-circumstances-11992063
• https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1703339/m2/1/high_res_d/CRITTENDEN-THESIS-2020.pdf
• https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/virtual-fundraiser-to-honor-life-of-black-teen-who-died-under-unusual-circumstances-11992063 
• http://www.thedentonite.com/culture/parents-of-drowned-teenager-dissatisfied-with-investigation 
• https://livingbluetx.com/2020/11/what-happened-to-lermont-stower-jones/?cn-reloaded=1 
• https://dentonrc.com/news/at-least-one-fled-old-alton-bridge-after-teen-s-disappearance/article_5434fe7b-53ac-502a-b694-68a020988c87.html 
• https://dentonrc.com/news/authorities-release-autopsy-of-teen-found-near-old-alton-bridge/article_de86e69b-5b24-5426-b056-f04aea40fed8.html 
• https://www.fox4news.com/news/officials-denton-teen-died-after-jumping-into-creek 
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195193576/lermont-charmale-stowers-jones 
• https://artandseek.org/calendar/event/106334/below-the-surface-justice-for-lermont-stowers-jones-virtual 
• https://www.crosstimbersgazette.com/2018/11/20/teens-body-recovered-from-hickory-creek/ 
• https://dentonrc.com/news/family-seeking-funds-for-private-investigation-into-a-denton-high-seniors-2018-death/article_0422aa8a-40b3-5b08-b271-13dae80e4cb6.html 
• https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/virtual-fundraiser-to-honor-life-of-black-teen-who-died-under-unusual-circumstances-11992063 
• Defunct: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-lermont-stowersjones 
• Defunct? https://justiceformont.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goatman 
• https://sites.psu.edu/urbanlegends/2019/01/25/the-goatman/ 
• https://allcryptid.fandom.com/wiki/Goatman 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faun
• https://hauntedauckland.com/site/goatman/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/DarknessPrevails/comments/bg7wbh/the_goatman_of_new_zealand/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman 
• https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4486761-What-did-we-see-last-night 
• https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Goatman
• https://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2016/04/supposed-maryland-goatman-observed-by.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goatman_(urban_legend) 
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/maryland/goatman-md/ 
• https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-terrifying-goatman-who-haunts-maryland-4885f3814fca 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Lick_Monster 
• http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/wisconsin.htm
• https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/60089-goatmans-bridge-denton-tx-with-pics/page/2/#comments
• https://newworldexplorerssociety.blogspot.com/2021/09/eerie-erie-sheepman-of-waterford.html 
• https://thepennsylvaniarambler.com/2018/08/05/weirdness-in-waterford/
• https://monsterfuzzpodcast.com/2021/07/07/all-the-sightings-and-history-of-the-goatman/
• https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Waterford_Sheepman
• https://new-cryptozoology.fandom.com/wiki/Waterford_Sheepman
• https://www.eriereader.com/article/eerie-erie- 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Billy_Goats_Gruff 
• https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/the-three-billy-goats-gruff 
• https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Sheepsquatch
• http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/goatman/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Worth_Monster
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Worth_Nature_Center_and_Refuge
• https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/news/beware-of-the-goat-man/article_10f6b97c-613f-11e4-b3ec-27abec9a198f.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rock_Lake 
• https://paranormal-world.fandom.com/wiki/Grinning_Goatman_of_White_Rock_Lake
• https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/11/goat-man-panic-in-the-lone-star-state/ 
• http://weirdus.com/states/texas/bizarre_beasts/goatman_of_white_rock_lake/index.php 
• https://truehorrorstoriesoftexas.com/legend-of-the-lady-in-white-white-rock-lake-texas/ 
• https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/09/strange-paranormal-phenomena-at-white-rock-lake/ 

The Trickster and the Goatman: The Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge, is a famously haunted site in north Texas. It has been featured in Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Adventures, and the urban legends about the bridge are well-known in the paranormal world. But in my research, I’ve discovered that everything may not be as it seems at the Old Alton Bridge . . .

Highlights include:
• a Reddit troll who makes some wild claims about the bridge
• what it was like growing up in north Texas
• a look at trickster elements of the paranormal

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Episode Script for The Trickster and the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

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I found the owls (Randonautica Series): I talk about some of the strangeness and patterns that have emerged during my own randonauting trips. Plus, I tell the story of some freaky fire-related synchronicities that have happened since last week.

Highlights include:
• Three fires I’ve encountered since recording the last episode
• Ominous warnings from Randonautica
• Lots of owl lawn decorations!

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Episode Script for I found the owls (Randonautica Series)

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The Despair Meme and the Hell Gate: A look at memetics and the idea of the despair meme in Randonautica. In particular, I talk about some weird stuff that happened to me at New York City’s Hell Gate, examine its relationship to randonauting, and see whether my experiences could be tied in with the despair meme.

Highlights include:

• An attempt at explaining memetics
• A possible initiation experience
• Ghost-transmitted memes?

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Episode Script for The Despair Meme and the Hell Gate (Randonautica Series)

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Randonautica synchronicity: A look at the connection between strange synchronicities and Randonautica.

Plus, I explore some unusual synchronicities that happened to me while just talking and thinking about randonauting. Can Randonautica cause synchronicities when you aren’t even actively using the app? I’m not sure, but I’m ready to speculate wildly.

Highlights include:
• Stumbling across a piece of art called “Synchronicity”
• Conspiracy thinking
• A higher-than-average number of references to 80s music

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Episode Script for Strange Randonautica Synchronicity (Randonautica Series)

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Escaping the Probability Tunnel Using Randonautica: A deep dive into how to randonaut, or go on mysterious, synchronistic adventures using the Randonautica app.

Highlights include:

• Psychic self-defense
• Ideas behind how the app works
• Weird owl stories
• Probability Tunnels

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