Wild Man of the Navidad

Lore & Background

According to a historical marker in Lavaca County, a mysterious runaway Negro slave alternately terrified and aroused pity among settlers for about 15 years. Appearing along the Navidad bottoms around 1836, he hid in trees during the day and stole into kitchens at night for food, always leaving half. He also took tools, returning them later brightly polished. Slaves called him 'The thing that comes,' fearing a ghost. Captured in 1851, the wild man proved to be an African chief's son. He was resold into slavery and died peacefully as 'Old Jimbo' in 1884.

In 1836, residents near the Navidad River in what is now Sublime reported missing food and items. Tools disappeared and reappeared polished; torn clothing was returned stitched. Writer Murray Montgomery noted accounts of stealthy, hair-covered wild people, including a male and female pair. Local slaves referred to the alleged female as 'The Thing that Comes.' Attempts to capture them were unsuccessful. Historian Myra Hargrave McIlvain reported that in 1851 residents captured a nude African man who did not speak English. A sailor who spoke his language claimed the man was an African prince sold into slavery as a child; he and another slave escaped, but the other died from exposure.

Reader's Guide

The Wild Man of the Navidad represents a blend of escaped-slave narratives and frontier folklore, reflecting 19th-century fears and racial attitudes in Texas. The tale's persistence, including its connection to Bigfoot, shows how local legends evolve over time. The story was preserved in J. Frank Dobie's 1928 book Tales of Old-Time Texas, and a 2008 horror film loosely based on the folklore used journals from the 1970s claiming Bigfoot-like encounters. The figure's significance lies in its illustration of how historical events—such as slavery and escape—can become mythologized, and how oral traditions merge with later cryptozoological beliefs.

Did You Know?

• The wild man was captured in 1851 and proved to be an African chief's son.
• Slaves called the wild person 'The thing that comes,' fearing a ghost.
• A runaway slave notice for 'the Wild Woman of the Navidad' ran in the Texas State Gazette from June 24 to August 12, 1854.
• The tale was published in J. Frank Dobie's 1955 book Tales of Old-Time Texas.