A small town in Napa Valley was once home to the Patrick family. Patrick Road, which is named for them, is supposedly the home of the mysterious Rebobs.
Rumors of the Rebobs have been spread for decades, though there is no real consensus on the characteristics of the creatures.
VARYING DESCRIPTION:
The one feature of the Rebobs most people appear to agree on - though not everyone agrees on - is that they are monkey-like in appearance. But from there, accounts can vary wildly.
One legend says that they are half-monkey, half-robot, and have wings. Another tells of a scientist combining monkeys and humans, which resulted in the Rebobs. Yet another version says they are a part bat. And still, another adds that the Rebobs have long fangs and claws in addition to wings.
One account described the Rebobs as being covered in branches and looking like walking plants, which is, of course, a complete departure from most other descriptions.
Many sources also describe them as basically being the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.
THE SCIENTIST:
To me personally, the more interesting part of the Rebob myth is that the origin story has just as many variations, if not more, and seems to be more important to the myth than the Rebobs themselves. Pretty much every version attributes the origin of the Rebobs to a mad scientist.
One version claims the scientist was attempting to combine monkeys and humans for combat purposes when one of his experiments escaped and killed him.
Another tells of the scientist merely attempting to sew wings to the backs of monkeys. In this version, things went well until his death, after which the Rebobs continued to breed and grow their population, somehow passing on the sewed-on wings to their offspring.
There is another version which tells of the scientist experimenting for military purposes, but in this version, he was fusing bats and monkeys together.
And yet still another version claims the scientist was working for the military to create a better soldier during World War II and would use Patrick Cemetery to obtain new bodies for his research. I'm not sure how the flying monkeys came into play to relate this particular story to the Rebob legend.
BEWARE OF REBOBS:
As with every aspect of the Rebob myth, what the creatures actually do should someone come across them varies from story to story. The Napa Valley Marketplace website claims that there are two most popular versions of the story. The first is that if you wait in your car at the end of Patrick Road, they will eventually come out of the trees to attack and jump on it. The second is that they will hide in the trees on the same road and they must be searched for in order to see them.
Other variations suggest they like couples specifically, lying in wait at the Patrick Cemetery - where some versions claim they live - for young lovers, then attacking them to satisfy "their craving for young, passion-filled flesh and blood," according to the Napa Valley Register.
Yet another variation states that Rebobs will come through windows at night and snatch sleeping children from their beds. They would then eat and dismember the children or force them into slavery. This variation also blames them for stealing and skinning cats. It is by far the most violent portrayal of the Rebobs.
The Rebob legend is thought to have started in the 50s and 60s, coinciding with the rise of B-movies. One of the relatively early versions of the myth claims that a motorist saw a nine-foot-tall half-man, half-monkey, and word of it continued to spread, helped along by other supposed sightings.
In the modern-day, the legend is prominent enough to be featured on shows like Monsters and Mysteries in America and inspire videos on YouTube.
Whether you believe in the Rebobs or not, if you ever find yourself driving down Partrick Road in Napa Valley, be careful, and keep an eye on the trees.
Darcie Nadel
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