4.4 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 19 October 2025
⏱️ 52 minutes
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There is an urban legend surrounding a very old but still used rairoad trestle in Kentucky which involves a mythical half-man, half-goatmonster that lures people onto the 100 foot-high trestle where they are caught in the headlights of a fast-moving train and are left with a run,jump, or die response that usually ends in a quick death.
The story of the non-existent monster, its appeal to youth, and its growing number of victims follows.
Warning: do not chase this legend.
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| 0:00.0 | We are about to begin a journey into the dark history of the Pope Lick Monster, and at the top, |
| 0:08.6 | I want to bring a vital note of caution from our team and the authorities in Louisville, Kentucky. |
| 0:14.0 | The creature we discussed tonight, the goat man, is a piece of terrifying American folklore. |
| 0:20.4 | However, the setting for this story, the |
| 0:22.4 | Poplick trestle, is a real, active, and highly dangerous rail structure currently operated |
| 0:28.5 | by the CSX Transportation Authority. Let us be absolutely clear. Trespassing on this trestle |
| 0:35.8 | or any active railroad property is illegal, extremely dangerous, |
| 0:40.2 | and can lead to immediate death by train. A freight train cannot stop in time, even if a conductor |
| 0:46.4 | sees you. We ask that you listen to the chilling mystery of the legend, but please respect the |
| 0:52.6 | boundary between myth and the brutal reality of the |
| 0:55.4 | Iron Road. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to visit, climb, or approach the |
| 1:02.7 | Populik trestle. The story of the Populik monster is not simply a local legend whispered around the |
| 1:08.9 | dying embers of a bonfire. |
| 1:15.2 | It is a terrifying footnote in the hard-won history of American industry etched into the very iron and limestone of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. |
| 1:20.7 | To understand the horror, we must first understand the history. |
| 2:01.7 | Music understand the history. Welcome to 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories, and Mysteries podcast. |
| 2:08.2 | This is your host, John Haggardorn, and you are listening to our story, The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster. |
| 2:10.4 | This legend carries a warning. |
| 2:12.6 | It can be disturbing to very young listeners. |
| 2:14.0 | And it can be. |
| 2:16.3 | It has been lethal to those who try to experience it. |
| 2:18.0 | I explain this in the show notes, and this episode is marked explicit. And for those of you wondering where the name |
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