Wild Man of the Osage Hills: A Tale from Oklahoma’s Dark Past
Picture this: The late 1800s. The wide-open spaces of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Rolling hills, tall grass, and a sense of untamed wilderness. Now, throw in a dash of mystery, a pinch of terror, and a whole lot of unanswered questions. That’s the setting for our story today – the legend of the Wild Man of the Osage Hills.
The Land of Legends
The Osage Hills are basically an extension of the Flint Hills down in Kansas. These hills were once part of a massive grassland that stretched from Illinois all the way down to Texas. We’re talking about a landscape that once teemed with buffalo, a place where cattle ranches and oil fields would later spring up alongside small towns and limestone cliffs. This was the Wild West, plain and simple.
Historically, this land was the final stronghold of the Osage Indians. Its rugged terrain also made it a great hiding spot for outlaws and all sorts of shady characters well into the 20th century. So, you’ve got a recipe for intrigue, right?
The Disappearances Begin
Our story really kicks off in July 1883. The Fentwick family, fresh from New York, was making their way through Kansas and into Oklahoma, near the edge of the Osage Reservation. They were celebrating young Katie Fentwick’s birthday. She got a beautiful gold locket from her dad and, being a kid, she started running around, playing near the campsite. Tragically, she wandered off too far and never came back.
The family, understandably frantic, organized a search party with experienced Indian trackers. But, despite their best efforts, Katie was never found. Her disappearance was the first in a series of strange events that would haunt the area for years to come.
More Go Missing
Months later, in December, a mail carrier named George Bitters vanished during his regular route from Sedan, Kansas, to Peru, Kansas. He never made it. Searchers found his horse, alive but without its saddle and bridle.
The following spring, Elmer Johnson went hunting in the hills and simply disappeared. All that was found was his rifle with a broken stock and his hat, covered in blood.
In September 1885, a group of hunters stumbled upon a truly eerie scene: the skeletons of two horses and a weather-beaten wagon that had been abandoned for at least a year. The wagon contained the belongings of two men, but there was no sign of the men themselves.
Then, in February 1886, Oscar Beach went hunting near the reservation’s northern border and vanished without a trace. By this point, the white settlers and the Indians were on edge, suspicion was rampant, and even the U.S. Marshals couldn’t figure out what was going on. People were disappearing, and no one knew why.
Enter the Railroad and a Wild Encounter
Amidst all this, ranching was booming in the Osage Reservation, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad wanted in on the action. They planned to build a new line from Caney, Kansas, through the hills, to Elgin, Kansas. A team of Italian laborers was brought in to do the work, led by a tough Irishman named Pat Durfee, who always wore a gold chain around his neck.
Strange things started happening at the work camp. The crew reported hearing weird noises and seeing a prowler lurking around their tents at night. Items went missing. So, the men started taking turns keeping watch.
One night, Pat Durfee decided to stay up alone and catch the intruder. Around midnight, he was jolted awake by something tugging at his chain. He saw a shadowy figure darting away in the moonlight.
Durfee grabbed his rifle and fired, hitting the thief in the leg. The figure fell, thrashing and screaming like a wounded animal. Durfee moved in for another shot, but the thief let out a roar and took off, ignoring the bullet wound. The workers gave chase, but the wildman got away with Durfee’s gold chain.
The Hunt for the Wild Man
Durfee, not one to back down, organized a posse with three Indian guides and set off in pursuit. They followed the blood trail all night and the next day, eventually reaching a ravine in a wild, overgrown area. The trail led them to the mouth of a cave.
Suddenly, the figure attacked, hurling heavy stones with deadly accuracy. The posse took casualties and retreated. Durfee fired until his rifle was empty, but missed. As he reloaded, the figure leaped from the rocks and charged, screaming.
Durfee used his rifle as a club, fighting the creature until some of his Italian workers rushed to his aid with knives. The struggle ended when the "monster" collapsed, shrieking in rage.
The laborers and Durfee stared in disbelief at the wild man’s face. It was burned black, scarred, and distorted. His nose was broken, his upper lip torn away, revealing broken teeth like fangs. He was dressed in animal skins, his hair matted, and around his wrists were heavy steel bands, with a broken chain still dangling from one.
The lifeless body was unceremoniously dumped into a ravine and covered with rocks and dirt.
Inside the Cave of Horrors
The men entered the cave and found a horrifying scene. There was a crude living area with a fireplace, cooking utensils, and a grass bed. But what really stood out was a natural shelf in the rock wall, holding at least 16 grinning skulls. In the center of the cave lay a large pile of bones.
They also found George Bitters’ saddle, bridle, and empty mail pouch, Elmer Johnson’s clothing, Oscar Beach’s gun, and many other items from the missing people. Little Katie Fentwick’s locket and Pat Durfee’s gold chain were stuffed in a crevice with other pieces of jewelry.
The Identity of the Wild Man
After hearing about the wild man’s demise and description, authorities remembered a crazed Delaware Indian who had escaped years earlier. He was Tangdhangtanke (the panther), who had been chained up for tribal crimes. He had been thought to have died from exposure.
The End of the Tale
The story of the Wild Man of the Osage Hills is a chilling one. Was it a feral man driven mad by isolation and trauma? Was it a monster preying on unsuspecting travelers? We may never know for sure. But the legend lives on, a dark reminder of the untamed wilderness and the mysteries that lurk within.