BIGFOOT'S BLOG,
MID-LATE JUNE 2010 EDITION
Pursuant to our previous...
...blog post (click the text to read it), please find in this post the resultant I-Search school project on Bigfoot by one ANDREI GALIC, from Southern California. He is our GUEST BLOGGER for this edition of the blog.
We present the project unedited save for formatting and some additional images to enrich the text. There may be small errors, but we hope you will acknowledge the profound amount of dedicaton and work that went into making this project a reality, not to mention the quality of writing and research for one at an eighth grade level. Also, you will certainly appreciate the courage it took for him to pursue this topic, in the face of mockery and ridicule from his fellow classmates. We hope to see Andrei out there in the Bigfooting world someday as an adult researcher... and we WISH HIM THE BEST! We're sure he'll do well, whatever career or pursuit he chooses to follow.
Look for links within the text. Using these you can either get more information or else read some classic BIGFOOT texts like, "I Fought the Apemen of Mt. St. Helens," The Creature" by Jan Klement, and more. THANKS to the Bigfoot: Fact or Fantasy? site for posting these!
Look for links within the text. Using these you can either get more information or else read some classic BIGFOOT texts like, "I Fought the Apemen of Mt. St. Helens," The Creature" by Jan Klement, and more. THANKS to the Bigfoot: Fact or Fantasy? site for posting these!
Image Above: Denali Brown, another kid-Squatcher, looking northward up the Bluff Creek basin, near Onion Mountain, 2009. By Steven Streufert. OTHER IMAGES BELOW ARE HISTORICAL AND USED FOR RESEARCH ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED.
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First, Briefly, SOME NEWS! LINKS!
First, Briefly, SOME NEWS! LINKS!
THE BIGFOOT SHOW, in all its skeptical and absurd glory, has a new episode out, believe it, or not! This amusing and informative show has not been on the air since their report on the Yakima Bigfoot Round-Up, over a year ago.Listen to Scott Herriott and others round up the evidence and the jokes. We quote:
"Episode 12 of The Bigfoot Show has just been published! On it, Scott and I chat with Chris Bader and Carson Mencken regarding their forthcoming book. Really interesting stuff. Then, Jerry Riedel gives us his thoughts on Autumn Williams' new book. While we're on the subject, The Bigfoot Show now has [a FaceBook Page]. Want more Bigfoot Shows? Let us know by going there and "liking" it today!"
The show is available HERE as a downloadable mp3. It is apparently up on iTunes now, too.
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CLIFF BARACKMAN: FRIDAY and SATURDAY and SUNDAY (this was the day he ran off to Washington to investigate a fresh footprint find, so it isn't really about the Symposium). Great blog! Great guy. Read it Now.
HENRY MAY, on his BLOG (browse around for a good collection of stuff including videos), or here at his Synopsis and Photos from the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium.
Also, listen to his BlogTalk Radio show, HBM's Crypto-Corner, dealing with the Symposium.
Here's a good summary article from EUGENE WEEKLY: Desperately Seeking Sasquatch: Stalking Eugene’s Bigfoot Bash
Image: Karaoke night, taken from a YouTube video by Henry May at the Red Lion Inn in Eugene, right after the OSS Meet-and-Greet. It was quite a wild and crazy night!
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We've just now finished AUTUMN WILLIAMS' fine new book, ENOCH: A BIGFOOT STORY. Get it now! It will blow you away if you have an ounce of trust left in you. If you want to analyze scat and hair DNA remnants this may not be the book for you. Watch for our BOOK REVIEW coming up soon on this blog!Learn the ENOCH-AUTUMN backstory and get an update on Autumn's Oregon Bigfoot Blog through these links:
* “Professional suicide” (with videos)
* Feedback
* “Calling it quits”?
* I wish I could explain…
* Anecdotal evidence… and a thank you
* The Isolation Factor (this is the latest one)
A mad furor of foul trollishness has arisen and started to raise a stink on the BIGFOOT FORUMS regarding Autumn's revelations and ideas (click the linked text to view the topic thread). We read some of it, and had to stop in disgust. You may want to look, too; but be forewarned--this is "discussion" at its worst and most unproductive. Ironically, many of the same "hounds" that madly circled around us over one of our last postings there has now gone after her and her book.
Let us simply say this: after a good number of very lengthy phone conversations with her over the last month, meeting her personally and observing her in action at the OSS, having a couple of beers and a good, long conversation with her, we can say that this lady is for REAL. Don't like it? Damn, go suck eggs or something. Or get a life for yourself already. Personally, we think she is onto something, something that goes way beyond "Bigfooting."
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Let us simply say this: after a good number of very lengthy phone conversations with her over the last month, meeting her personally and observing her in action at the OSS, having a couple of beers and a good, long conversation with her, we can say that this lady is for REAL. Don't like it? Damn, go suck eggs or something. Or get a life for yourself already. Personally, we think she is onto something, something that goes way beyond "Bigfooting."
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NORTH CAROLINA BLONDE BIGFOOT?
Why, when there are SO MANY Bigfoot reports all around the country, do the media latch onto one particular sighting report? In this case it is a classic rural mountain dweller who claims to have seen a blonde Bigfoot coming after his dogs after he utilized an odd-sounding coyote calling horn. Sure, he is missing a few teeth, is kind of overweight, and talks funny to the non-Southern ear. But what is the big deal? This kind of report is pretty darn ordinary. What, because he "rough-talked" it and chased it off with a stick? Obviously, Bigfoot doesn't matter to the media and the general public unless there is some sensationalism attached to it. It's all a good laugh, right? But little do they know! The non-Bigfooting public obviously is unaware of how pervasive and common Bigfoot sightings are. We ourselves received a bunch of emails from people notifying us of this new and fascinating sighting. Oh, really, we say, what else is new? That's every day in Willow Creek, practically. For all the people out there know, this could have been a real sighting. We wonder, though, at reports that that old carnival barker, TOM BISCARDI, was sighted around the same time, in the same state. Ah-hum!
Start reading, if you care, HERE:
Man Claims Close Encounter With Blond Bigfoot on AOL News. Be sure to listen to the 911 call recording.
On Cryptomundo, you can even get some context, too:
Blond Bigfoot Blooms and Knobby Video.
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A report on COAST-TO-COAST AM (the ART BELL SHOW), ostensibly about the North Carolina Bigfoot, turned into a crazed romp through ancient pseudo-history with guest Steve Quayle, "Giants Expert." We quote:
"Quayle offered analysis of a recent Bigfoot sighting in North Carolina, in which a witness saw a 10 ft. tall creature with blond hair and six fingers on each hand. Bigfoot have individual harmonic frequencies and use specific sounds as dimensional portals to phase in and out of our world, he suggested. He referred to them as "transmorphic demonic entities" that can take on physicality and eat chickens, dogs, and even humans. In the year 986, explorer Leif Ericson made the earliest account of Bigfoot in America, describing them as "the horrible, ugly, swarthy and big black-eyed men," he continued.
Quayle also spoke about the biblical history of giants, and how some could be considered the fallen angels who mated with Earth women. For more on giants, see this special page he set up."
We don't know what to say besides "give us a break!" Did you know that there were once 36-foot tall giants, that they had six fingers, and copulated with human women, and that they are somehow--um--related to Bigfoot? You can listen to the archived version of this show if you are a Streamlink subscriber. But, would you really want to? Or, maybe just find it on YouTube. Truly hilarious, or horrendous. We had to tune it out so we could read ENOCH instead.
"Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Interview with David Paulides of NABS.":
Absolutely amazing. All this from a guy that insisted the moon landing was faked
I must agree tho. I did have a experience that was both frightening and weird while David and I were fishing up in Lassen Nat. Park.
Start reading, if you care, HERE:
Man Claims Close Encounter With Blond Bigfoot on AOL News. Be sure to listen to the 911 call recording.
On Cryptomundo, you can even get some context, too:
Blond Bigfoot Blooms and Knobby Video.
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"Quayle offered analysis of a recent Bigfoot sighting in North Carolina, in which a witness saw a 10 ft. tall creature with blond hair and six fingers on each hand. Bigfoot have individual harmonic frequencies and use specific sounds as dimensional portals to phase in and out of our world, he suggested. He referred to them as "transmorphic demonic entities" that can take on physicality and eat chickens, dogs, and even humans. In the year 986, explorer Leif Ericson made the earliest account of Bigfoot in America, describing them as "the horrible, ugly, swarthy and big black-eyed men," he continued.
Quayle also spoke about the biblical history of giants, and how some could be considered the fallen angels who mated with Earth women. For more on giants, see this special page he set up."We don't know what to say besides "give us a break!" Did you know that there were once 36-foot tall giants, that they had six fingers, and copulated with human women, and that they are somehow--um--related to Bigfoot? You can listen to the archived version of this show if you are a Streamlink subscriber. But, would you really want to? Or, maybe just find it on YouTube. Truly hilarious, or horrendous. We had to tune it out so we could read ENOCH instead.
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This just in via a posting to our blog's comments section...."Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Interview with David Paulides of NABS.":
Absolutely amazing. All this from a guy that insisted the moon landing was faked
I must agree tho. I did have a experience that was both frightening and weird while David and I were fishing up in Lassen Nat. Park.
Apparently, according to this source, David Paulides of NABS is apparently more of a CONSPIRACY THEORY NUT than we thought. You'd have to be crazy (not that we are saying Dave is) to believe that we never landed on the moon. Did Paulides really believe this? We will try to find out more. Not surprising, but quite telling....Another source, an investigative reporter, told us recently that old Dave was also heavily into UFO RESEARCH before getting into Bigfoot. Was Paulides a member of MUFON? Anyone know?
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LETTER TO A YOUNG BIGFOOTER, PART TWO:
THE I-SEARCH PROJECT,
by ANDREI GALIC
Hello Everyone. My name is Andrei Galic and I am currently attending Palms Middle School in Los Angeles, California as an eighth grader. I just finished working on a yearlong project called the I-Search. I was able to choose any topic I wanted, so I chose Bigfoot (Yeti and Skunk Ape included). If you chose to read my paper, you will find out why I chose Bigfoot, learn information from a nonfiction book and many more sources that I used, and what I plan to do in the future. Thank you.
When I was younger, maybe four or five, I was fascinated by animals. I loved to watch shows about them (usually anything on Animal Planet), I enjoyed trips to the Los Angeles Zoo, and I always looked forward to playing with my friends' pets. I could classify most animals (i.e. bears are mammals, lizards are reptiles etc.) and I knew in which habitat they lived, and on which continent they lived. I was especially interested in mammals; I always loved to observe them at the zoo. Sometime later, maybe five years, I was sitting at home watching television. Nothing was really on, so I started to flip through the channels to find something to watch. As I was changing the channels, I saw something that caught me by surprise. I had just gotten a glimpse of an ape human. Little did I know at the time that that creature was called Bigfoot. As I watched, I heard the mysterious accounts that witnesses retold. “It was big, maybe 8 feet tall”. “It was at least 500 pounds and reeked of dead animals.” “It gave a bone chilling yell and then I knew things weren't alright.” All these eye witness stories meant nothing to me until I saw proof. And proof there was; the Patterson footage. The most famous footage of Bigfoot ever recorded. It showed exactly what they described; a tall, heavy, ape being. It did send chills down my back. I had just started to really get interested in it when the show ended. At the time, I hadn't realized something good came out of it: an I-Search topic. From then on I became interested in a lot of paranormal sightings and activities. But the ones that were most interesting to me were the mammals: Bigfoot, Skunk Ape, Yeti, Etc. Hence, that will be my topic; Bigfoot and other Hairy Hominoids. This topic is important to me because I love exploring the unexplored. Bigfoot hasn't scientifically been proven to exist, yet. And that is a BIG “yet.” Since the information is not readily available, I am intrigued by this topic. I love mysteries, and Bigfoot is definitely a mystery. As I stated before, I love animals, and Bigfoot can be considered an animal in its own way. It is a unique topic, and since I haven't had any personal connections with this subject, I really want to learn more about it. It may make an impact in my life because I may be looking at my future occupation. Regardless of me having a job involved with Bigfoot, at least I am getting to know the researching skills that will be essential in me being successful in the not so distant future.
Image below: Andrei at the Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton, CA. Courtesy of Andrei Galic
Part II -- What I Know:
Weekly Update #1
Last week I had completed eight required note cards. I had used only information from my non-fiction book (Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America
) for the note cards. I have pretty much just been reading my book. My mom actually sent me link to a website where they talked about a Bigfoot photograph snapped in Minnesota. It looked real to me and the story didn't have any flaws in it. Bigfoot hasn't been in the media lately besides this story.
) for the note cards. I have pretty much just been reading my book. My mom actually sent me link to a website where they talked about a Bigfoot photograph snapped in Minnesota. It looked real to me and the story didn't have any flaws in it. Bigfoot hasn't been in the media lately besides this story.Weekly Update #2
Weekly Update #3There hasn't been any major news on Bigfoot these days. It frustrates me that other kids make fun of my topic. Even if I think their topic is dumb or primitive, I'll respect them, which is exactly opposite of what those kids do to me. I'll live with and keep pushing. I've thought about people for my business letters and I already know that I will send it to the author of my book, Loren Coleman.
Bigfoot hasn't been in the news, again. This week I typed my business letters and I think I did a good job. I just need to find some actual contacts and that will be that. I am still suffering from the onslaught of insults but its okay. I could have picked a topic like basketball and they wouldn‟t have made fun of me but I wouldn't be gaining anything because I already know all that there is to basketball.
Weekly Update #5
This week I finally finished my business letters. I have sent all of them and have yet to receive a reply. I really want to see how they answer to my questions. There really hasn't been much going besides me finishing my nonfiction book. I sure am glad that I won‟t be writing note cards anymore.
Weekly Update #6
This week I received one business letter from the North America Bigfoot Search. It didn't have much written, but I got a sticker from them which I will include in this weekly update. I also did a write-up for it and a newspaper article write-up. I've also been thinking about possible observations that I can conduct.
Weekly Update #7This week I received a business letter from Steven Streufert, an owner of a store called Bigfoot Books. The letter was very long and descriptive as opposed to the last one; four and a half pages long. Steven also included my letter on his blog which I am very thankful for. He also asked if I could send him a copy of my project when I finish and I agreed.
This week I also watched the movie Bigfoot
for my creative source. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, that's for sure, and it was a bit childish, but I couldn‟t find anything else on Now Streaming on Netflix. Ive also been worried about my interviews, observations, and the oral presentation.
Weekly Update #8This week I conducted two interviews: one with Jay Cosic, a climber of Mt. Everest, and Daniel Perez, a Bigfoot researcher. I conducted a face-to-face interview with Jay Cosic. I also found a place to conduct my observation, a museum in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Unfortunately, it takes around 6 hours from L.A. to get there so my dad and I will leave for there on Saturday (probably) and come back Sunday. I also found a poem that I will use for my final creative source. Other than that, it is finally seeping in that there are only seven more days left for the I-Search.
NON-FICTION BOOK #1: BIGFOOT! THE TRUE STORY OF APES IN AMERICA
The Skookum CastIn the fall of 2000, the BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization) set out to find Bigfoot at Skookum Meadows. There were reports of Bigfoot the previous spring so they thought that this was a perfect location. They set a series of traps including mud traps with fruits around them, scented traps, and sexual attractant. The specialists were also geared up with infrared cameras and night vision goggles. On September 22, 2000 the researchers couldn't believe their eyes: the fruits around the mud trap had disappeared and in the trap was something unusual, an imprint of a huge animal's butt. “Fish and Randles came over to view what Noll had found, and they all quickly agreed that it seemed to show an animal, indeed an animal they were pursuing” (Coleman 21).
I think that this was a huge step in proving Bigfoot real. This cast was really important because it not only left an imprint of its foot, but also of its butt. Bigfoot probably fell down in the mud and then ate the fruits. It was all filmed on Animal X, a television show, so whoever is in charge of it got really lucky.
Not many newspaper articles of long ago mentioned Bigfoot. “But one news article took on an almost legendary status. The story of Jacko--that of a small ape like, young Sasquatch said to have been captured alive in the 1800s--is a piece of folklore that refuses to die, despite a superb investigative article published in 1975, coauthored by John Green and Sabina” (41). Supposedly, in the 1800s a live Bigfoot was caught near Yale, British Columbia. This Bigfoot was housed in a local jail. People had been interviewed, but none of them said that they had seen the beast. One man said his parents didn't let him visit the jail even though he wanted to see Jacko.
Images: To left, the original newspaper article featuring Jacko. Above, the site where Jacko was found--courtesy of Thomas Steenburg.
The Summer of the Sasquatch
The summer of 2000 was known as the summer of the Sasquatch. It was given this name because of the amount of Bigfoot sightings that summer. Report after report, the sightings just kept coming. One sighting occurred when a newspaper deliverer saw a Bigfoot carrying a dead goat to a ditch. Most people saw footprints, but one incident got a lot of media attention. "Grants Pass psychologist Matthew Johnson was squatting in the woods, near one of the monument's back woods trails, hiding behind a tree, taking a bathroom break, and keeping his family in sight. Then he heard grunting and smelled something strong and unpleasant” (13-14.) “I turned head quickly and I saw this very tall, dark, hairy animal walk from behind one tree and over to another tree” (qtd. in Coleman 13-14).
I think these sightings occurred in the summer because that's when more people are outside in the woods camping with their families. I don't know why it was that summer and not any of the other summers. There were a lot of sightings, but there wasn't a lot of legitimate evidence that could have proved Bigfoot existent, but researches are still hopeful.Ape Canyon
In 1918, Fred Beck and some partners began to look for gold along Mt. Saint Helens. They settled near a creek, and that creek had a sand bar where they washed their dishes. Well, one morning in 1922 one of the gold prospectors rushed to the cabin and convinced his partners that something was very wrong. Along the moist sandbar was a pair of humongous footprints that couldn't have been those of a human. “Early one morning in about 1922, one of them came running to the camp and urged his fellows to follow him back to the creek, where he showed them two huge, somewhat humanlike tracks sunk four inches deep in the center of the sandbar” (47). As time passed, they kept spotting these tracks, the biggest being 19 inches long. But this wasn't the last of the events to occur in Ape Canyon. From here, it only got worse.
I think, for them, finding those tracks gave a greater thrill then finding gold. For gold, you know it's there, so when you find it you are happy, but you expected it anyway. On the contrary, these tracks were unexpected and mysterious.The gold prospectors kept finding hints of Bigfoot. They'd hear thudding noises, but they thought their partners were playing tricks on them. The thudding continued even when everyone was together. They heard screeching and yelling, but nothing could have prepared them for their next encounter. “Now thoroughly unnerved, the men had taken to carrying their rifles with them when they went to the spring about a hundred yards from the cabin. Beck and a man identified only in his booklet as “Hank” to avoid embarrassment to his family (but who was noted in 1920s press accounts as Marion Smith) were drawing water from the spring when suddenly Hank yelled and raised his gun. Beck looked up and saw, on the other side of a little canyon, a seven-foot apelike creature standing next to a pine tree” (47-48). They tried to shoot at it but it escaped. The terrified prospectors hoped that that was the last of the ape, but they were wrong. During the night, more than three Sasquatches surrounded and attacked their cabin. They shot at them but the apes escaped once again.
[Ed. Note: read Fred Beck's booklet through this link: I FOUGHT THE APE MEN OF MT. ST. HELENS]Fruit Crate Label Art
One day Loren Coleman was browsing eBay to see if there were any items he was interested in. What he found was quite unusual. He had found a fruit crate label called California Giant. Fruit and vegetable crates had label art on them to differentiate one grower's crops from another's. Well, California Giant was represented by none other than Bigfoot. “The label shows a large, hairy, humanlike form not unlike what we have grown to know the descriptions of Bigfoot” (54).
I think it is unusual that a grower might put a drawing of Bigfoot on there because some customers might not want to eat fruits named after a hairy beast. On the other hand, I see why someone would make a label like that: for it to stand out.
Ruby Creek Incident
After she saw the beast, she told her son to get a blanket. “I asked her a leading question about the blanket. Had her purpose in using it been to prevent her kids seeing the creature, in accord with alleged Amerindian belief that to do so brings bad luck and often death?”(qtd. in 60) The blanket's purpose was to hide the young from the Sasquatch. The ape found its way into the house and emptied out a 55 gallon barrel of salt fish all over the ground. The whole family ended up dying only a few years after their spooky encounter with Bigfoot: one of the girls died from illness and everyone else drowned.
Image above: The Ruby Creek site in the current day, with the long-gone cabin superimposed from an old photograph. Courtesy of Thomas Steenburg.
[Ed. Note--read Ivan Sanderson's Ruby Creek account HERE.]
Roger Patterson had been intrigued by Bigfoot ever since he picked up the December 1959 issue of Ivan T. Sanderson article “The Strange Story of Americas Abominable Snowman”. He was inspired and wrote a book and also planned on making a documentary movie. “And to do that, he decided, in October of 1967, to follow up on reports he was hearing of new tracks being found back in the Eden of Bigfoot, Bluff Creek” (82).
The Patterson Footage, Part 2On this expedition Roger Patterson decided to take Robert (Bob) Gimlin who was an outdoorsman. Patterson needed a camera to film so he decided to rent one from a camera shop. The two partners were filming a lot; just trees and the scenery. On the 20th of October as Patterson and Gimlin were riding their horses they noticed what seemed to be a Bigfoot. Roger's horse smelled the creature and reared; the horse and Patterson fell. But Patterson got up and cameras in hand ran toward the Sasquatch to get some footage. In the film, this Sasquatch walks into the forest turning its head towards the camera only once. “The Bigfoot quickly disappeared into the woods. The men tracked it for three miles, but eventually lost it in the heavy undergrowth.”(83). This seemed like a picture-perfect scenario. Right when he has the camera, the Bigfoot appears. I've seen the footage myself, and I have to say that it is legitimate. There are no doubts that that was a Bigfoot.
In the year of 1967 a millionaire was in possession of a frozen hairy hominoid and debated on what to do with it. He decided that he wanted to show it to the public in the Midwest. The Minnesota Iceman, as it was known, was viewable by the public for a quarter a person. A college zoology major Terry Cullen saw this and was amazed. He contacted Ivan T. Sanderson and his houseguest Bernard Heuvelmans to see the frozen body. After three days of observing, they deemed it authentic. “The specimen was an adult male with large hands and feet. Its skin was covered with dark brown hair three to four inches long. The creature had apparently been shot through one eye, which dangled on its face, but it also had a gaping wound and open fracture on its left arm”(112).
I think Sanderson and company were pretty lucky that they found out about this specimen. Just wonder how long it lived, what time period it lived in. So many questions arise about this ape.
Frozen Man ContinuedThe millionaire mentioned before, Hansen, wanted the primate to be kept quiet; Heuvelmans and Sanderson had other plans. Within the year's passing, they both wrote papers on the mysterious ape. Sanderson called him Bozo, while Heuvelmans named him Homo pongoides. Soon, a lot more people knew about Bozo. “Sanderson, who was well-known nature personality on T.V., mentioned the Iceman on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson during Christmas week of 1968” (114). Then out of the blue, the body disappeared into Canada when Hansen replaced Bozo with a fake model made in Hollywood.
I think Ivan Sanderson and Bernard Heuvelmans should have listened to Hansen because Bozo is now gone. With modern day technology, we could have found out a lot more about him.
Bossburg
Bossburg is a northeastern city located Washington state. A butcher noticed “crippled” Bigfoot tracks in Bossburg on November 24, 1969. Rene Dahinden, a Bigfoot researcher, was informed by John Green about a crippled Bigfoot and was off to Bossburg. When he arrived he looked around and surely enough, found some tracks. He found a good track showing the deformity. “One clearly showed that the right foot that had made the track was deformed: it looked as if it had two bumps out to the side and only four toes showing”(122). He preserved what is considered by many one of the best pieces of Bigfoot evidence ever found.Bossburg, Continued
More Bigfoot researchers came to Bossburg including Bob Titmus. Titmus bought an 8 pound slab of beef and hung it from a tree in hopes of the Sasquatch coming to them. Ivan Marx, the first researcher to Bossburg, paired up with Rene and a new researcher, Norm Davis. On Saturday December 13, 1969 a snowstorm had past and with that they found tracks. 1,089 Bigfoot tracks to be precise! They measured some prints and got results. The left foot print measured 17 ½ inches long, 6 ½ inches across the ball of the foot, and 5 ½ inches across the heel. The noticeably shorter right footprint measured 16 ½ inches long, 7 inches across the ball of the foot, and 5 ½ inches across the heel. “The right foot was deformed: the third toe was either badly twisted over or was missing there being only a slight impression in the snow at its base: the little toe stuck out at a sharp angle; and the whole foot curved outwards and showed two distinct lumps on the outer edge”(123).
They hit the Bigfoot lottery. To find that many tracks must have been the best feeling ever. But finding an actual Bigfoot would feel better.
Momo
Momo, which stands for MO Monster, first arose in 1971 when a couple was on a road just north of Louisiana, Missouri and spotted what looked like a mix between a man and an ape. They said that the creature made a gargling sound. A year later is when the interesting stuff occurred. On July 11, 1972, two brothers were playing in their back yard and their sister was inside their house. Then the sister heard them scream. She saw a six to seven foot tall black and hairy creature. “It stood like a man but it didn't look like one to me” (qtd. in Coleman 130). Their dog got sick; its eyes went red and it barfed for hours but it would be okay. The sister talked with a farmer and apparently his dog had disappeared; maybe the ape creature had something to do with it.Momo, Continued
Edgar Harrison also had an unusual story with Momo. As he was driving, he heard loud growling sound from the near water reservoir at the top of a hill. He wanted to see what it was, but his family insisted that they drive away. He later came back and investigated the hill and found a smelly building. “Harrison subsequently described it as 'a moldy, horse smell or strong garbage smell'” (qtd. in Coleman 131). He'd smell the same odor whenever he passed by that area. The next morning, a man saw a dark object move across the street on two legs. Richard Crowe, a reporter, and Loren Smith went up that very hill and found some things. There was a brush which had branches torn off, evidence of something digging at a dump, and a lot of dog bones scattered across the ground.
Loren Coleman’s FindingsLoren Coleman, the author of my book, grew up in Illinois. Throughout his forty year career he has had a lot of Bigfoot related experiences. He has seen tracks, he has heard a Bigfoot's cry, but he has never seen a Bigfoot face to face. He also interviewed people who had seen the beast. He found foot prints of what seemed to be the southern version of Bigfoot with his brothers. He has looked into many sightings including one where forty-four hogs disappeared. Four young men went camping in the area of the thieving when something scared them away. “The thing, with widely separated eyes was squatting by the tent” (139).
Loren Coleman is tough. After a year or two of searching I'd give up and get frustrated. But it takes a man to search for forty plus years and to still be going hard.
Orangutan EncounterIn Florida, an elderly couple had been having an unexpected guest. To them it was an orangutan, but they weren't sure. The orangutan visited them and took apples that the daughter had brought from up north. Then the wife snapped two photographs of the so called orangutan. “She judged that the animal was 'about six and a half to seven feet tall in a kneeling position' (qtd. in Coleman 151) and noticed that its 'awful smell' (qtd. in Coleman 151) lasted long after it had left her yard” (151). Prior to taking the photos, she had put four apples there; two full and two cut in half. The ape only ate the full ones. The orangutan stopped visiting when the family bought a dog.
If I was in her position I'd be scared, but at the same time I would be eager to take a lot of photographs.
Bad Luck Bigfoot
“To encounter a Bigfoot is to die” (qtd. in Coleman 168). John Green said these words because in Native American folklore it was believed that to see a Bigfoot was very bad luck.
I really don't believe in those kinds of superstitions. The only way that I would believe in it is if it actually happened to me. I'm on Loren's side on this one.
Loren Coleman doubts it because he seen that the “sighters” didn't die right after their incident. Roger Patterson died approximately five years after his sighting. Fisher and Krantz, the finders of the Skookum Cast died two years after their experience. The Chapmans, the Native American family that had a Bigfoot rummage through their house, died eighteen years after their experience.
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UFO-Bigfoot CasesIn UFO literature, there have been many UFO-Bigfoot cases. An Australian ufologist named Marc Moravee wrote a book on UFO-Bigfoot incidents. One sighting in his book took place at Presque Isle Pennsylvania Park. Families enjoying a picnic noticed an unusual light. One witness described what the light was coming from: a mushroom-shaped object with three lights. Two other witnesses had seen a “six-foot tall, apparently neckless, armless, dark nonhuman animal, moving sluggishly in the underbrush” (173). The next day the police went to where the UFO had landed and they saw markings.
UFO-Bigfoot Cases, Continued
On December 4, 1970 a resident of Vader, Washington named Mrs. Wallace Bowers, heard her children's screams from outside. She went out and the kids showed her very large foot prints in the snow. The tracks were sixteen inches long and about six inches wide. The family dog had acted weirdly the night before the tracks had been discovered. Three days later the children had again called for their mother to come outside. This time, it wasn't a hairy creature but instead it was a hovering metal creature. “Its center appeared to be a dome around which a larger circle seemed to be revolving. It was deep orange in the center with the light diffusing toward the outer edge, but with a definite bright rim.” (174)
The Case of Starkweather
Charles Starkweather, known from the movie Badlands, went on a killing spree throughout the Midwest with his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, in 1958. He killed Fugate's family: her mother, step-father, and sister. At the end of the spree, his kill count was eleven. Right before his death penalty, he kept a journal in prison. This journal contained some unexpected things. He told of seeing a mysterious creature when he was a boy. “He described it as a female whose hairy body “tapered off from a big chest to a small pointed head." The visitations were accompanied by strange whistling sounds. Starkweather thought it was Death visiting him and said of the sounds, "It was close and loud at first, but it got further and further away and the sound became mournful and sad until I couldn't hear it no more." (qtd. in Coleman 177).
Bigfoot’s Sexuality
In most of the books written about Bigfoot, the authors barely touch on Bigfoot's sexuality and sex life. Well, when Loren Coleman was having a discussion at a conference in Ohio he touched on an eyewitness witnessing a Sasquatch having sex with a cow. “I light heartedly wondered aloud if ten percent of the Bigfoot population matching the figures we have for Homo sapiens, might be gay” (185). In the next days he was astonished to find criticism towards what he had said on Bigfoot's sexuality. “One person wrote, 'Did you really say that Bigfoot is homo sexual and likes cows?'" (qtd. in Coleman 186)
I really don't see why people complain about Loren's comments. All he said that a Bigfoot had sex with a cow and it might be homosexual.
KongJan Klement wrote a book called The Creature: Personal Experiences with Bigfoot.
Jan Klement was a small-town earth-science professor. His book is about a series of encounters he had with a Sasquatch. It started with some simple sightings he had. He then started to lure the creature with apples. For four months this creature tolerated Klement observing it. Jan called this beast Kong, which neither looked like a human nor an ape. “It stood seven feet tall and was covered in short brown hair with slightly longer hair on the head, under the arms and in the pubic area. Its large eyes, and expressive mouth set in a face that was not primitive or too animal-like, but the short hair that grew from the eyes down gave the appearance of a mask” (187).Kong, Continued
According to Klement, Kong also had an obviously big stomach. He observed Kong killing and then eating a deer and other small forest animals. In 1973, Kong had died. Klement took the body and he buried it in the woods. He later visited the burial spot, but the creature had been dug out. While he was alive, Kong did some interesting things. One day after defecating and covering his feces up, Jan Klement noted that Kong had a hard-not-to-notice erection. Klement yelled at the beast to scam because he wasn't very comfortable around it. He went over to the stream to get some water when something caught his eye. “As I approached the bottom of the hill I could see the cows on the pasture on the other hillside. There was a commotion among the cows and I when I put the water jug down and walked over I could see Kong. He was mounted on a large Holstein cow and was shoving away”(qtd. in Coleman 188).
I don't know why Klement didn't take any pictures of Kong. Some people doubt the whole story so maybe there weren‟t any pictures because it might have been fake.
I don't know why Klement didn't take any pictures of Kong. Some people doubt the whole story so maybe there weren‟t any pictures because it might have been fake.
Albert Osman came out with his secret thirty-three years after it happened. The story was that when he was camping in British Columbia a Bigfoot had kidnapped him. The creature then took him back to its dwelling as a prisoner. “Osman found himself as a prisoner of four Sasquatch, an 'old man', an 'old woman' and two younger thinner Sasquatch” (190). He noted that the creatures were vegetarian and ate grass and roots. He was held for about a week and he escaped by distracting the Bigfoot. “Bigfoot chroniclers such as John Green and Ivan T. Sanderson who actually interviewed Osman noted Osman's belief that he had been snatched as a mate for the young female Sasquatch” (190).
Some parts of this make it hard to believe so I really don't know if it's true or not. I'd like to believe it, though.
[Ed. Note: Read the Ostman story HERE, taken from John Green's Sasquatch: Apes Among Us
.]Muchalat Harry
A native Nootka named Muchalat Harry has also been kidnapped. In the autumn of 1928 when the kidnapping happened, the Bigfoot carried him for a few miles and then he fell to the ground. “When he looked around, he found twenty (yes, twenty!) Sasquatch of different genders, ages, and sizes surrounding him”(192). The herd of beasts observed the man and they pulled at his underwear. One theory says that the Sasquatches thought that the underwear was loose skin. The apes wandered off to fetch some food. While this may have been a lunch break for the creatures, Muchalat ran back out of the hills to his boat and then he rowed back to his village.
This story is very easy to tell it's fake (in my opinion). The part where he saw twenty Sasquatch really gave him away.
, 1975.
Bill ColeBill Cole and his friend O. R. Edwards retold their strange encounter that occurred on a hunting trip in California's Siskiyou Mountains. They were walking along a trail when Edwards saw an apelike head. He tried to spot it again, but he couldn't spot it in time. “I heard the pad-pad-pad of running feet and the whump and grunt as their bodies came together. Dashing back to the end of the bush I saw a large manlike creature covered with brown hair. It was seven feet tall and it was carrying in its arms what seemed like a man. I could only see legs and shoes” (qtd. in Coleman, 192). And a man it was. In fact, it was his friend Cole. Edwards also said that he saw two more of the same type of creature. In the end, Coles said he wasn't harmed by the creature at all.
For some reason that I can't figure out, this encounter is a bit more believable than the previous two. If it was a fake, they did a great job of making up the story.
Bigfoot’s ImageWhen people think of Bigfoot, what probably comes to their mind is an ape. Well. Some Native American tribes thought that Sasquatch was merely another tribe. Loren Coleman discovered a Sasquatch figurine on eBay, but it looked like a furry, human-like female. This figurine represents how some people thought Bigfoot looked like. “The 'Sasquatch as hairy Indian' closely mirrors the view in early newspaper stories of Sasquatch as 'wildmen' that were naked and hairy. These representations were an attempt to fit the notion of a supposedly human-looking but hairy creature into human cosmos” (Coleman 202).
Bigfoot in the MoviesIn the 1950s, the media was all over the parties' (climbing Mt. Everest) sightings of the Yeti, otherwise known as the Abominable Snowman. In 1954, a newspaper in London named The Daily Mail went on an expedition to find the Yeti. This news was heard around the world and what followed was movies; lots of movies. The first major movie on the Abominable Snowman was called The Snow Creature. “The Snow Creature was followed by Man Beast (1955), Half-Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman (1995 in Japan, 1957 in the USA), and Hammer Studios' classic The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas (1957)." (203)
I had no clue that there were so many movies about Bigfoot. I hope to watch one for my creative source, but I would prefer watching the newest one.
Naming BigfootThe name Bigfoot was given by Humboldt Times' editor Andrew Genzoli on October 2, 1958. This marked a “significant cultural event." Once this name was out, it was really beneficial in Bigfoot sightings. If a Sasquatch was sighted before the name was given, people might disregard it. But if it was sighted after its naming, authorities would recognize and look into it. “On the downside, the enormous popularity and humorous connotation of the term Bigfoot has been a tremendous drawback to funding research on these primates. Bigfoot tends to get the tabloid treatment whenever the topic arises in mainstream publication”(204).
I think the name “Bigfoot” suits this creature perfectly. I would never have thought of that name, but I like it.
The Legend of Boggy Creek
The Legend of Boggy Creek was a drive-in movie about Bigfoot that unexpectedly was a moneymaker. It was a movie based on the “Fouke Monster,” a hairy creature located in Fouke, Arkansas that had a habit of killing chickens and other livestock. The director decided to re-create the experiences neighbors had with it. During the movie, spooky lyrics by Earl E. Smith are recited.
“Here the sulfur river flows,Rising when the storm cloud blows,
This is where the creature goes,
Lurking in the land he knows.
Perhaps, he wonders why,
Is there no other such as I?
To love, to touch before I die,
To listen to my lonely cry” (qtd. in Coleman 207).
I really want to watch a movie on Bigfoot because I've only seen documentaries. The poem at the end was really good and deep. It really made me think about what it is like to be in a Bigfoot's position.
Harry and the HendersonsHarry and the Hendersons was the most popular Bigfoot movie of all time. It was released twenty years after the Patterson footage was shot, and it was a family movie. The movie starts when the Hendersons are heading home from a camping trip when they suddenly hit a large object on a road. They get out and discover a dead Bigfoot in front of them. The Hendersons strap him to the top of their car but when they arrive home they find out that he isn't dead after all. “He revives and the Hendersons adopt him with a predictable resulting laughs. They have to hide him from the authorities, the press, and a Bigfoot hunter” (212).
I might consider watching this movie for my creative source. It doesn't seem too old: the Patterson footage was shot in 1967 so twenty years after is 1987. Its not the newest title, but since it is the most popular, I might give it a try.
Unsolved MysteriesGeraldo Rivera became a reality star on April 27, 1986 for opening Al Capone's tomb: he found [nothing] in it. But he did “find” the highest-rated syndicated television program of all time. With his discovery came a show called Unsolved Mysteries. It was about Earth's many mysteries that haven't been answered. This show also mentioned Bigfoot sightings and reports. “In the 1990s, Unsolved Mysteries ran reports, for example, on the expeditions of Tom Slick, the Minnesota Iceman, and Peter Byrne's search for Bigfoot. Other series, from Sightings to Evening Magazine, carried regular reports on Bigfoot” (214).
I wonder if Unsolved Mysteries is still airing on TV. I was a real fan of a show called MonsterQuest and I might use an episode for my second creative source.
The TrackerRobert Titmus could best be classified as a tracker of Bigfoot. He could locate tracks, classify individual Bigfoot by their prints, and he showed his collection of casts to any Bigfoot enthusiasts that were interested. He tracked a Sasquatch from Alaska to northern California, and took casts of the creature's footprints. Unfortunately, the casts were lost when his houseboat was burned. “Nine days after Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin took their film of an alleged Bigfoot in 1967, Titmus was there, tracking and examining the distance the creature had reportedly covered during the encounter. He told of having seen Sasquatch two times and having tracked Sasquatch dozens of times during those years” (219). Titmus died at the age of seventy-eight on July 1, 1997.
It must be exciting being a tracker as opposed to someone who is just a researcher because trackers are always finding evidence and have sightings of Bigfoot.
The HunterIf someone would be considered the first hunter of Bigfoot it would be Rene Dahinden. Dahinden was born in Switzerland and within three years of his arrival in Canada, he was researching Sasquatch. He investigated in California, but he had little patience. When things weren't working out, he would search by himself. He went on many searching expeditions and interviewed witnesses of Bigfoot. “Dahinden was the first to show the Patterson-Gimlin film in the former Soviet Union, and he worked hard to see it that the film got the scientific attention he felt it deserved” (220). Rene died on April18, 2001.
I think it's amazing that within three months arrival in a foreign country that a man could get himself involved in something he hadn't heard about his whole life in Switzerland.
The ChroniclersJohn Green was a newspaper publisher who started publishing Bigfoot articles in 1955. He interviewed William Roe about an incident that occurred in 1955. John Green also interviewed Albert Osman about how he got kidnapped in 1924. Green was also at Bluff Creek just days after footprints were found. When he got there, a man told him that the whole site needed to be plowed.
The man told Green to go up and look for himself.“His wife opened her door, and to their mutual surprise she found a footprint right there. In freshly graded dirt” (221).
Other famous Bigfoot “chroniclers” included Ivan T. Sanderson, Betty Allen, and Marian T. Place.
The DoctorGrover S. Krantz wasn't a real doctor; he was more of a professor. He studied at three universities (Utah, California, and Minnesota) and started his Bigfoot researching 1963. In 1967, he fully believed in the Patterson Gimlin footage. “He found the Bigfoot's loping gait 'consistent with a five-hundred-pound biped'. He said, 'I've attempted to imitate it. And I really can't do it worth a damn”(qtd. in Coleman 226). He believed that Gigantopithecus, the giant ape, is the source for modern day sightings. He also believed that a Bigfoot should be killed in order to prove that it exists. Krantz died on February 14, 2002.
Bigfoot StatueA life-size Bigfoot statue was made and put on display in the late 1960s. This statue was located in Willow Creek, California. During the late 1970s, it was a “must” to show this statue in any documentary on Bigfoot. Jim McClarin sculpted this statue and even though he hasn't been searching since 1974, his name keeps getting mentioned in books. He was friends with Loren Coleman, and Loren asked him about his statue. “I was full of confidence, though, and wanted to produce something that resembled what people were reporting seeing” (qtd. in Coleman 229).
American Yeti InvestigatorsIn the 1970s Robert W. Morgan and his friend William Ernst began American Yeti Investigators where they funded searches for Florida's Skunk Ape. In 1969, they contacted the county commissioner of Skamania County, Washington to pass an ordinance in order for Bigfoot to be protected. “Violators of this ordinance would be fined $10,000 for shooting a Bigfoot”(230). In 1974, Morgan and Ernst founded the American Anthropological Research Foundation which sponsored four searches and many field studies.
Their views on Bigfoot not being shot is very morally correct; however, if one was shot there would be undeniable proof that Bigfoot exists.
American Yeti Investigators, Cont.
Morgan and Ernst's efforts in their search for Bigfoot resulted in The Search for Bigfoot, a documentary film. They also appeared on a Smithsonian series called Monsters: Myth or Mystery. Both Morgan and Ernst weren't heard of in Bigfoot news until 1996 when they record Bigfoot: The Ultimate Adventure. “The audiotape claimed that it could 'teach you how to come face-to-face with Bigfoot'” (230). Two years after releasing the audiotape, Morgan's partner Ernst died mysteriously in a Florida swimming pool. Morgan's theory of not killing Bigfoot had sparked ongoing support.
HominologistsAn “emphasis” of Bigfoot in science was seen in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many cryptoozoological researchers including Grover Krantz (the Doctor) founded the International Society of Cryptozoology. They published books, but they weren't very active in actually trying to find Bigfoot. But in 1982, Grover Krantz found some evidence in Walla Walla, Washington. “Wes Sumerlin, Paul Freeman, and Vance Orchard showed Krantz prints in which Krantz found unique markings, dermal ridges, he compared to fingerprints” (231).
More GroupsIn the mid 1990s, Bigfoot groups had migrated to the internet. Henry Franzoni decided to create a group on the internet called the Internet Virtual Bigfoot Conference (IVBC). There are thirty to forty groups on the internet today and the biggest one is the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, BFRO. “Founded in 1995 by Matt Moneymaker, a thirty-six-year-old, Orange County, California, information technology consultant and lifelong Sasquatch enthusiast, the Bigfoot Field Researchers organization claims thirty top 'curators' (experienced Bigfooters who interview witnesses, examine fresh evidence and debate finer points of Sasquatch theory) and more than three hundred 'investigators' (junior associates who help with the fieldwork)”(qtd. in Coleman 233).
I don't understand why there are so many groups on Bigfoot. There should be just one called The Bigfoot Group and it would be more effective having all the top researchers in one group.
Bigfooters EverywhereThe Bigfoot Museum opened in May 2000 in a very unlikely place. It didn't open in a major city like Los Angeles or Chicago, instead it opened in Willow Creek-China Flats, California. Other Bigfoot related experiences had popped up: Bigfoot Safari in Vancouver and Bigfoot Outfitters Inc. In July 2000, a five day Sasquatch tracking camp was held for youths by the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon. The goal was to teach the kids wilderness skills and have Bigfoot as somewhat of a decoy. “But then the most important lesson that the Audubon Society has to teach these teens is not how to pour the plaster of paris or to make certain the lens cap is off the video cam when the Bigfoot comes into view. The most significant lesson that comes out of Bigfoot hunting is learning how to wait. Being patient” (235).
I wonder what it would be like going on a camping trip like that. I hate hiking but a “decoy” such as Bigfoot could definitely make young ones want to go outdoors.
Dead BigfootOne question that is asked a lot is, that if Bigfoot exists, why haven't its bones been found yet? Grover Krantz explained the answer. “Well, if bears are real, then why don't we find their bones?....Over twenty years of inquiry my grand total of naturally dead bear bones found is zero” (qtd. in Coleman 236)! Think of it this way; there is an estimated one Bigfoot for every one hundred bears, so if there aren't any bear bones found, what is the possibility of a Sasquatch's bones being found? There is, however, physical proof of Bigfoot's existence: footprints.
I think it is interesting that no one that Grover Krantz has talked to has found naturally dead bear bones. That's just another hurdle in proving Bigfoot real.
Bigfoot: Human or Ape?
An argument has arisen in the last few years: is Bigfoot human or ape? In 1985, John Napier, primatologist, suggested that apes and humans actually weren't closely related. Later in time, it was proven that humans are somewhat related to apes. People claimed that humans were naked chimpanzees. So what is Bigfoot? “They are apes, as surely as we are. Whether Bigfoot ultimately turns out to be more of a hominid (humanlike) than a hominoid (ape manlike) being remains to be seen, based upon a closer physical examination of the animal”(244).
Killing Bigfoot To kill or not to kill, that is the question. Many Bigfooters of the world have asked this question and many have different opinions on it. Grover Krantz and John Green think that it should be killed, and Dmitri Bayanov and George Haas disagree. But killing a Sasquatch may not even be necessary. “Today's arguments make such arguments a thing of the past, however. In the twenty-first century, Bigfoot will hopefully be captured, studied, given some rights, and released. Biological sampling, videotaping, electronic tracking will accomplish what killing the animal once did” (245).
Usually, I hate seeing animals die. But I feel that it is necessary because they will die eventually so might as well kill it for a good cause.
Best Place to See BigfootThe best place to see Bigfoot is Bluff Creek, California. It is referred to as the Mecca of Bigfoot because that‟s where the first Bigfoot prints were found. The Patterson-Gimilin footage was also shot there. The Willow Creek-China Flat Museum is also located near Bluff Creek. A twenty-three foot statue “guards” the museum and nearby is the eight-foot-tall, life-size statue carved by Jim McClarin. There is a third statue located near yet another museum called The Legend of Bigfoot Museum. “It houses Bob Titmuss entire Bigfoot cast collection and other great Bigfoot exhibits”(246).
I wonder how far away Bluff Creek is. If it is close enough to Los Angeles, I may consider visiting the museum. I wonder if it could be an observation to observe the exhibits because I am clueless about what I will observe.
Second and Sixth Best Place to See BigfootThe second best place to see Bigfoot is Fouke, Arkansas. Fouke has a rich history of Bigfoot encounters, which resulted in the Boggy Creek movie series. “Shop for Bigfoot souvenirs at the local Monster Mart. An annual Boggy Creek Festival is held every April, complete with books to buy, casts to view, Bigfooters to meet” (247). The sixth best place to see Bigfoot is Harrison River area, Klemetu, and nearby Islands off British Columbia. There is also an International Sasquatch Symposium that is held every year and there are Sasquatch totem poles.
Note: The reason I will be skipping around with the order of “The Best Places” is because some didn't have a substantial amount of info to write a note card about them.Third Best Place to See Bigfoot
The third best place to see a Sasquatch is in a vast region of Washington consisting of Ape Canyon, Ape Caves, Mt. Saint Helens, and Skamania County. An ape attack occurred in Ape Canyon and Ape Caves is a gateway into Gifford Pinchot National Forest; the location of the famous Skookum Cast. In Skamania County, there is a law that says you can't kill Bigfoot. “The annual Carson Bigfoot Daze is usually held in August with Bigfoot lectures, statues, exhibits, and family fun. To the east, along the Spirit Lake Highway, in Kid Valley, there's a Bigfoot statue near a tourist shop. Drive farther north, and find a Bigfoot Crossing sign on the Mt. Baker Highway” (247).
Multiple Sasquatch attacked people who were camping in Ape Canyon, so I can see why this is the third best place to see a Bigfoot in North America.
Fourth Best Place to See BigfootOregon Caves National Monument, Grants Pass, Oregon is the fourth best place to encounter a Bigfoot because it has a good history of sightings. In 1922, a local service group was created named Oregon Ca. They later constructed a humongous “prehistoric caveman” at the interstate 5 exit to Grants Pass. “Since the Bigfoot sighting in 200 at Oregon Caves, local shops have been selling Bigfoot memorabilia. Hillsboro, Oregon holds an annual International Bigfoot Society Conference” (247).
I wonder what the “prehistoric caveman” looked like. Did it look like Bigfoot? Probably so, because it wouldn‟t have been mentioned unless it did look like Bigfoot.
[Ed. Note: the Caveman statue looks like a cave man, with club and fur clothes draped upon its slouching form.]
The 17th and 18th Best Places to See Bigfoot
The seventeenth best place to see Bigfoot is in Lake Louise-Jasper, Alberta. The earliest sightings of Bigfoot date back the 1800s. There are more reports every year. There is a life-size exhibit of Bigfoot in the Natural History Museum of Clock Tower Village in Bariff. The eighteenth best place to see Bigfoot is in Antelope Valley. Many unusual sightings occur in Antelope Valley: however, it doesn't get much publicity even though it is near Los Angeles. “South of the city, in Orange County, there is a little Bigfoot museum(with Gigantopithicus skull replica, Bigfoot casts, Bigfoot books) at Knott‟s Berry Farm, near their Bigfoot Rapids water-rafting ride”(249).
I've been to Knott's Berry Farm and I have been on Bigfoot Rapids, but I was never aware of a museum being located there. I might check it out next time I'm there.
BUSINESS LETTER RESPONSE #1: North America Bigfoot Search [NABS]The person that I wrote to (I don't know their name because I wrote “To Whom It May Concern” and I can't read their signature) says that his favorite book based on Bigfoot is a book called Tribal Bigfoot
.
[Ed. Note: It must have been David Paulides, author of said book, the only known member of NABS besides Harvey Pratt. Also, Dave has been involved in youth hockey coaching before.]No movie was recommended to me when I asked what his favorite movie about Bigfoot was. He said that his dream job was not to be a Bigfooter, but instead an ice hockey coach. He also related to being made fun of at school because of Bigfoot. He says that most people that don't know about it are quick to make foolish statements about it. He hasn't always wanted to be a Bigfooter and he hasn't actually seen a Sasquatch. No one person inspired him to research Bigfoot; instead he did it out of fascination. He is intrigued by the forest and says that he would be bummed out if all was already discovered. He also left a note for me: “Andrei--Knowledge is power! Read as much as you can on a topic of interest. To become a master at anything, do a few things 10,000 times not 10,000 things a few times. I believe I know more about this topic then many because I've focused and read everything in print. Good luck!” (letter no date).
I am very happy that I received a response even though it wasn't very professional or descriptive; that is the reason why it only takes up less than half the page. Never the less, a short response is better than none at all. I am interested in where he is from because he says that he wanted to be an ice hockey coach and since hockey is big in Canada, he might be from there. I am glad that he wrote a note to me and I agree with everything that he said.
BUSINESS LETTER RESPONSE #2: Steven StreufertI wrote to Steven Streufert and I received a very thorough response. When asked if any one person inspired him, Steven said that many people had an impact on his passion, but what first intrigued him as a kid was the Patterson-Gimlin footage. Old school researchers like Rene Dahinden and Bob Gimilin get mentioned, but for current researchers, Steven was inspired by Daniel Perez, a writer for the BIGFOOT TIMES. Others like Matt Moneymaker, James Bobo Fay, and Cliff Barackman also interest Streufert. He said that he had in fact bought Bigfoot memorabilia other than books when I asked him that question He said that he'd buy anything Bigfoot related ranging from posters and stickers to Bigfoot casts and little statues. Other things he's bought are mugs, patches, and buttons. But his real passion is collecting Bigfoot Books, hence the name of his store being Bigfoot Books which is located in Willow Creek, California. When asked if there are any types of requirements or training for a job related to Bigfoot, Steven said something that makes sense, but never occurred to me.
“I have to tell you that there really isn't any 'job' that officially involves Bigfoot hunting. In fact, most of the bigfooters seem to spend all of their own time and money financing this hobby and obsession. It sometimes comes to dominate people's lives over everything else, as it did with Rene Dahinden, and often results in divorce and poverty” (letter March 15, 2010).
He also mentioned that if your belief of Bigfoot is shown too much, it can hurt your employability. He says the best job there is to search for Bigfoot is any job that involves yourself being in nature, specifically the forests. Another possibility, he says, is to study in an academic field that somehow relates to Sasquatch. I told Mr. Streufert that kids make fun of me because of my research subject, and I asked if that had ever happened to him. I got a really good answer which I will use to open my presentation with.
He also says that there isn't anything strange about researching Bigfoot. All it is the study and research of an animal that hasn't been proven to exist, yet. People who aren't really into the subject think its funny only because of the way modern day T.V. and magazine portray Bigfoot. When asked if he had been on any documentary shows involving Sasquatch, he said that he hadn't, but had been on a radio broadcast. But he did say that he knew many of the people that were on such shows like MonsterQuest. He says that once you get into the Bigfoot world, you get to know a lot of people that share your passion. He responded that the women generally don't like the fact that he's a Bigfoot researcher, when asked if his job had ever backfired on him. His friends think it is kind of weird, but not as weird as they think he is. He is fine with that because he says that he likes weird and strange things.
Steven didn't really give a definite answer when asked about his favorite Bigfoot movie but said that he generally preferred the docudramas. He says he watches all the Bigfoot movies, even the horror ones and kiddy ones.
I am really pleased with the response and as I mentioned, I will include that one quote at the beginning of my oral presentation. He also asked me to send him a copy of the final product which I will gladly do.
INTERVIEW #1: Jay CosicFor this interview, I interviewed Jay Cosic, a good friend of my father that climbed Mt. Everest. He is self-employed and decided to go to Mt. Everest because of the adventure and his friends also went with him. When he was there, he climbed 19,000 feet and started his climb at Lukla. They would set up camp at different locations as they hiked up. After Lukla, it was Phading, then Namcha Bazar, followed by Pengboche, then Dingboche, after that was Gorak Shep, and finally Cala Patar. Cala Patar is located on a peak at 19,000 feet, and he said that it was their base camp. When asked what he had experienced concerning the Yeti, he said that there were two monasteries. The first one was located in Khung Jung Valley. It had many artifacts including what is believed to be a Yeti's head. Unfortunately, he said that Edmund Hillary had brought the head to London to do research on it, but it turned out to be a mountain goat's head. The second monastery is located in Pengboche. They also have a supposed Yeti's head, but they don't want any exposure of it because they don't want it to be proved wrong.
INTERVIEW #2: Dan PerezFor this interview, I asked Daniel Perez, a Bigfoot researcher that writes a Bigfoot newsletter called the BIGFOOT TIMES, a couple of questions. He said that there wasn't an exact time in his life when he knew that he would research Bigfoot and that it came gradually. But he said that he really got into it in his early 20s. He said that researching Bigfoot wasn't his ideal job and that he had wanted to do something involved with biological sciences. When asked if he had ever been interested in any other cryptozoological creature with the same intensity that he'd been interested in Bigfoot, he said that he had been interested in the Loch Ness monster early on, but his fascination for Sasquatch just was greater. He said that he has been made fun of, but that thick skin is needed in order to pursue Bigfoot. He has never doubted the existence of Bigfoot because he says that it was more readily apparent, as opposed to a unicorn. Rene Dahinden and John Green were his main inspirations. When asked what his favorite Bigfoot movie was he said The Legend of Boggy Creek by far. He also said that Meet the Sasquatch
by Chris Murphy was his favorite Sasquatch book. He hasn't ever seen a Bigfoot, but has bought plenty memorabilia including Bigfoot soap.
He also does BIGFOOT TIMES as a break even job. He also said that BIGFOOT TIMES was started in 1998 because he disapproved of others' newsletters. He doesn't despise anybody in the Bigfoot community, but he isn't fond of frauds and fakers (Personal Interview 4/21/10).
MAGAZINE ARTICLE #1: “Scientists to Test 'Yeti Hairs'"Strands of hair of a supposed Yeti have been found in Meghalaya, India. These strands will be tested by scientists at Oxford Brookes University. “They will see if the strands match a known animal. To date there has been no conclusive proof yetis exist. The hair was found and handed to BBC reporter Alastair Lawson during an expedition to try and find the animal after a number of reported sightings” (BBC 7/24/08). You wouldn't expect to find a Yeti in a region like India that is very hot and “jungly.” The natives of Meghalaya say that they've seen fossilized Bigfoot prints which suggests a prehistoric Yeti. Even a local said that he had once collected a Yeti's hair after seeing it. Because of the bureaucracy in India, the location of the tests will occur in England. Microscopic tests will be performed in Oxford, while DNA testing will happen in Bristol. “The little known Indian version of the legendary ape-like creature is called mande barung - or forest man - and is reputed to live in the remote West Garo hills of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya. Lawson was invited to the region to hear evidence of the existence of a black and grey ape-like animal, which stands about 3m (nearly 10ft) tall” (BBC 7/24/08). Lawson would be really bummed if the tests show that the strand of hair came from goat or an animal similar to it.
Wow. I never imagined there being any type of Yeti creature located anywhere near India because it's climate is so much different than that of the traditional Bigfoot and Yeti. There is the Skunk Ape of Florida, but even Florida's climate isn't as hot as India's.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE #1: “Two Georgians Say They Have Bigfoot’s Body”In August of 2008, two Bigfoot hunters said that they had legitimate evidence that Bigfoot exists: they say they have photos of a dead specimen and DNA evidence that they found in Georgia. They were to present it in Palo Alto, California. The Bigfoot hunters, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, were really scared when they first saw the creature. Dyer, who also runs a business Bigfoot Tours, said that there was more than one Sasquatch. They said that they had seen three more beasts as they were dragging the dead Bigfoot through the woods. “Moreover, Mr. Dyer says he has video clips and photographs to prove it. One photograph provided to the news media showed what resembled a gorilla — or maybe an old sheepskin rug — lying twisted in a freezer, with a dollop of intestines protruding from its belly” (McKinley A12). Tom Biscardi is a Bigfoot booster and also has a Bigfoot website, sells Bigfoot merchandise, and runs a radio station on Bigfoot says that he believes it is real. In fact, he says that it is 150 percent sure that it is real. “Both Mr. Biscardi and Mr. Dyer said they expected skeptics to discount the find, which is being kept in a freezer in an undisclosed location outside Atlanta. But they promised even more proof, including video, a DNA test and, of course, a mission to capture one of the big guys. 'I'm not asking anyone to believe us,' Mr. Dyer said. 'I'm just asking them to sit and watch, because you're going to eat your words” (qtd. in McKinley A12)(A12).
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE #2: “Bigfoot on Display! Museums, Collections Salute Sasquatch”The Biscardi case of 2008 had been proven a hoax; all it was a gorilla suit filled with animal guts. But Bigfoot believers shouldn't get their hopes down because there are many museums that share their passion. One of those museums is located in Felton, California and called the Bigfoot Discovery Museum. This museum has many casts of Bigfoot prints, books, and two life size models. It also has many memorabilia such as Bigfoot comics, stuffed animals, and toys.
The Willow Creek-China Flat Museum is located in Willow Creek, California. “A specially built house holds this collection of Bigfoot print casts, photographs, maps, newspaper clips and other documents. A 25-foot-tall Bigfoot statue guards the entrance to the museum, and there's a research center adjacent to the museum. While heading to this site, take in the stunning scenery along California 299, also called the Bigfoot Scenic Byway” (Martin LA Times).
Now we head up north in Seattle, where The Seattle Museum of the Mysteries is located. This museum is deemed as the only paranormal scientific museum in Seattle. This museum has photos of Sasquatch, casts of prints, and has a map of Bigfoot sightings. This museum also has exhibits of other paranormal topics such as UFOs and ghosts. “The museum also boasts an oxygen bar, in case you get lightheaded from all the displays” (Martin LA Times).The final Bigfoot museum listed is the International Cryptozoology Museum, which was founded by one of the world's leading cryptozoologists Loren Coleman. Over the years, Loren has wrote over 30 cryptozoological books. His museum is in his hometown of Portland, Maine has “plaster casts, hair samples and other evidence that he claims prove that the creature exists” (Martin LA Times). He holds tours at his museum.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE #3: “Policeman, Workers Track Roaming, 12-Foot Creature. It Got Away before They Could Tell if It Was Bear or Something Else.”
In August of 2000, a large creature deemed to be twelve foot tall was reported to Anne Arundel County Police in Baltimore, Maryland. “A Police Department spokesman confirmed a report of a 'strange sighting' in Hanover just after midnight yesterday near the Arundel Mills mall construction site. But witnesses said the 12-foot-tall, upright, black 'thing' ran past them so fast they weren't sure what it was. Construction workers who were napping in a van called police, who dispatched an off-duty officer working security at the mall site to investigate. The workers, who had fled to a nearby fast-food restaurant for safety, were reluctant to return to the construction site with the officer, said Sgt. Joseph Jordan. But the workers finally agreed to show the officer where they had seen the creature” (Barnhardt Baltimore Sun). After a search around the area of the sighting was conducted, a footprint that measured 15-20 inches was found. After contacting the state Department of Natural Resources, they found out that there had been recent sightings of bears near that area. Workers ran out of fear when they saw the animal again, but the police stayed put. The policeman said he saw two animal-like eyes in the dark. At around 3a.m. that night the police spotted an animal near a pond, although it wasn't certain that it was the same creature sighted before. They blew an air horn enough that if it was alive it'd get up, but it didn't budge at all. Police believed that it couldn't have been a person because it had fur.
The Bigfoot Discovery Museum is a museum located in Felton, California near Santa Cruz, which is six hours away from Los Angeles. You are greeted with a group of statues: two Bigfoot statues and two bear statues. There is a juvenile Bigfoot statue and the other is an adult holding a juvenile on its back. Then you enter the actual museum where there are some footprint casts and a lot of Sasquatch memorabilia; LEGOs, dolls, and comic books. There is the owner‟s work area, which I will get to, and then you go out of the back door. Against the back wall there are more relics and pieces of information. Near that, there is a shed with a life size Bigfoot inside starring with glowing eyes. The owner of the place is Mike. His work area is pretty big. He has a computer, and in front of that is a library filled with at least two hundred books about Bigfoot and other paranormal subjects such as UFOs, ghosts, and the Loch Ness Monster. There is also a map near his library that shows recorded Bigfoot sightings. He marks the sightings with tacks that have either small or big dots on top of them. A tack with a small dot on top of it signifies either noises or tracks. A tack with a large dot on top of it shows that it was an actual sighting. The tacks are also color coated: cold to hot. The darker the tack, the older the sighting, and the brighter the tack, the more recent it is. The owner Mike says that he saw a Bigfoot when he was four, back in 1950. He said that he was in the forest with his family and he decided to wander off. He was going through a brush, trying to navigate his way out of it. He came out of the brush, and ended up looking at a sandbar where a giant, hairy man was standing. He didn't know what it was so he told his parents about it but they just told him that it was a hobo. The next year, there was an expedition on Mt. Everest to find the Yeti, and tracks were found and the whole world saw them whether it was by newspaper or TV. Well, Mike saw them in a newspaper and decided to cut the newspaper article and to paste it into a scrapbook. That is when his love for Bigfoot first started and this is where it has taken him. He says that people always come to the museum and report sightings and odd and suspicious behavior. Someone told him that they heard their chickens causing a commotion in the middle of the night. The family went out to see what was going on and they saw that something had taken their chickens. They turned on the spotlight and it directly landed on the creature and the thief ran. The next day they found a dead chicken: its feathers were plucked and the breast was eaten on one side. There was another incident with a similar result. A man's chicken had been stolen: eight of ten were missing. Out of the eight, he only found one's remains. And wouldn't you know, it was plucked and its breast was eaten. That means an animal wasn't the culprit because animals cannot pluck feathers. It was either a human or Bigfoot.
Image: Map to Felton, CA, location of the BF Discovery Museum, on Highway 9.
CREATIVE SOURCE #1: BIGFOOT [Film]The exposition begins with Percy and Lenard, two teenage friends, hanging out at a park located in a mountain area where they are looking at Madison, soon-to-be Percy's girlfriend. Percy will eventually meet Bigfoot and have the time of his life with his friends.
A complication occurs when Madison is being picked on by some redneck thugs. Percy decides that he wants to help Madison out because he really likes her so he throws his drink at the two men. This really infuriates the men and Percy is riding his bike to escape the scene, but the thugs won't go down without a fight. They get into their truck and follow Percy with hopes that they will teach him a lesson. But Percy got away but fell off his bike in a deserted area of a forest. He finds that his phone is broken and he also finds something he wasn't expecting. A Bigfoot was standing right over him! After a couple of awkward silences between Percy and Bigfoot, Percy leaves. The next day, Madison surprises him by asking him out which he says yes to. Then the next day, Percy calls Madison and Lenard to show them Bigfoot. Madison thinks that Percy is geek and that he is living in a fantasy world, and she says that they are done. Great, another “complication.”
A conflict is between Percy and the redneck thugs. The thugs are still on the lookout for Percy after the way he embarrassed them at the park. Another conflict is between Percy and Madison. Percy hopes that Madison didn't leave for sure because he really likes her.
The turning point in the conflict is when the thugs see Percy with Bigfoot. They want to capture it to make a lot of money, so they are on the hunt. They are always looking for Bigfoot, and they finally capture him when Percy and Lenard try to save him. Luckily, Lenard took a picture of the beast. They showed a picture of the beast to Madison and asked her if she knew where the thugs lived so that they can rescue Bigfoot. She tells them the location and decides to join them.
In the denouement, Percy and the gang find the thugs' house and locate where they are hiding Bigfoot. They free him but it is almost too late: the thugs find them and are about to shoot them, but the thugs are no match for Bigfoot. Bigfoot temporarily knocks them out and Percy and his friends climb into the rednecks' truck. While they are escaping, one thug shoots at Bigfoot and hits him. Percy only realizes this when he gets home.
In the resolution, there is no longer a conflict and everything works out the way that they wanted it to. Percy's dad is a surgeon so he removed the bullet and said that Bigfoot's thick hair and skin saved him from potentially dying. Madison and Percy are back “together,” so that conflict is resolved, but one still remains. Percy, his family, and friends put Bigfoot in their RV and hope to get him back to his habitat. On the way to the mountain, they encounter the thugs. The thugs shoot some shots at the RV and miss, but they take another shot and hit the tire. But Bigfoot isn't happy with this. He goes to the front of their vehicle, and starts to push the bad guys' vehicle around until they lose control and crash. That's the end of the final conflict therefore, there are none present. The movie ends with a picture perfect ending when they take Bigfoot to his home. He finds his friend, another Bigfoot and they all live happily ever after.
I think the theme in this movie is that no matter the risk, it is always worth it to help a loved one. It is reflected well in Bigfoot because a 15 year old risks his life for an animal he just met. Of course in this movie the thugs were dumb and acted unrealistically, but it takes courage to go up against adults with guns.
This movie relates to my I-Search topic because it is about my I-Search project, Bigfoot. It showed, at times, Bigfoot living in its natural habitat so I thought a movie like this would appropriately represent my I-Search subject. I chose this movie as a creative source because it was easily accessible (it was on Netflix on my Xbox) and I was in the mood to watch a movie.
CREATIVE SOURCE #2: “Bigfoot” By David Ronald and Bruce Pekrul
I found this poem online and I chose it because it was decent length and was related to my I-Search topic.He's ten feet tall with grizzled hair, But he is very shy, He roams the woods, the hills and vales, His presence, they deny. He walks at night among the hills, And sleeps throughout the day, For that is how he can survive, And keep them all at bay. But that is not what he would choose, If he could do it right, But that is how they've treated him, So now he roams at night. He knows that if they captured him, They'd tear him all apart, To find out how he came to be, And mark it on their chart. A lonesome being made by God, But this is where he's put, A creature sometimes called 'Sasquatch', But most times called 'Bigfoot'. Now, is this fantasy or real? Well, only time will tell, But until then he holds our gaze, And keeps us in his spell.
This is my interpretation of the poem:
He is very big and furry,
But he is hard to find,
The forests are his home,
People think he's fake.
He roams the night in his habitat,
And rests during the day,
Because that is how he lives,
And keeps the people away.
If he could pick,
It wouldn't be thus way,
But he is treated badly,
So that is how he must live.
He knows that if he's caught,
They'd take away his freedom,
To find out where he came from,
And record it on a graph.
A lonely creation of god,
But this is his situation,
He is sometimes referred to as Sasquatch,
But is mainly called Bigfoot.
Now, is this legit or bogus?
Well, time will only tell,
But until then he holds our gaze,
And we remain in his spell.
The poem's topic is Bigfoot and I don't really think there is a theme. It is just about Bigfoot, and that is why I chose it.
Part IV: What I Learned and Plan to Do in the Future:
Throughout my readings of my nonfiction book, I have learned a lot of information and still have a lot to learn. I learned that the Patterson footage was shot in 1967 (this was one of my original questions in my letter of intent). I learned that the author of my book got inspired the same way I did, from a show. I've learned that Bigfoot has had a long history, longer than I ever imagined. Also, I've learned about the great people involved with this phenomenon. Furthermore, I've learned about the great stories and sightings of Bigfoot, some of them hoaxes and some of them real.I've learned that the researching process is really rigorous and I can't imagine how difficult it will be in high school and college. I've learned that researching has its highs and lows; sometimes I am hitting on all cylinders and everything is coming easy to me, but it's really hard to do it when the going gets tough. It just shows me that this will be useful in the long run even if I am not a big fan of it right now. I am also appreciating my parents because they have to research even more that this every single day.
I've learned a lot about myself. I've noticed that I am a hard worker only when I work towards something that matters to me. This research paper is forcing me to work hard because of all the high standards. I usually understand everything (academically) right away, but this is a little test for me but I fell that I am definitely passing it. I've also found out that I am mentally tough because I am always being made fun of but never once did I think about giving up. I hope I maintain that toughness for everything in life although math word problems are getting the better of me.
I will continue to be interested in my topic, but it won't turn into an obsession. I will continue to keep a wide eye of anything Bigfoot related, but I won't be typing newspaper articles for fun, that's for sure. I'm definitely not considering this as a job option, but more of a hobby. It is very interesting, but I don't plan on basing my life around Bigfoot. Only time will tell if this project at all influences my job choice at all. I don't know when or where, but I have a feeling that researching Bigfoot will come in handy somewhere down the road.
Part 5, Works Cited:
* Coleman, Loren. Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America
. New York: Paraview and Pocket Books 2003.* Streufert, Steven. Letter to the author. 15 March 2010.
North America Bigfoot Search. Letter to author.
* Cosic, Jay. Personal Interview. 17 April 2010.
* Perez, Daniel. E-mail Interview. 21 April 2010.
* McKinely, Jesse. “Two Georgians Say They Have Bigfoot‟s Body” New York Times. 14 August 2008, A12.
* Martin, Hugo. “Bigfoot on display! Museums, collections salute sasquatch” Los Angeles Times. 20 August 2008.
* Barnhardt, Laura. “Policeman, workers track roaming, 12-foot creature. It got away before they could tell if it was bear or something else.” Baltimore Sun. 1 August 2000.
* Ronald, David. Pekrul, Bruce. “Bigfoot”, www.myhiddenvoice.com
* Tenney, Kevin, dir. "Bigfoot." With Adam Raque and Angie Everhart. Sasquatch Productions, 2008.
* Bigfoot Discovery Museum. Observation. 24 April 2010
* “Scientists to test 'yeti hairs'”. BBC Magazine, 24 July 2008.
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ANGRY BIGFOOT SPEAKS!Me no have no "guest blogger." Me no have telephone to call one. Me could not find other Bigfoot out in woods who can write on computer. Me in Oregon anyway, sneak up on catering when all hu-man in conference room, me score big load of pizza and lasagna each day. YUM! NOM NOM. Good! To hell with blog write.
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Nicely done project! Also, it tickles me to see evidence of my obscure old 'hood in LA... I lived on the same block as Palms Middle School.
ReplyDeleteHi nice to see this site , I was trying to find a photo of the Bigfoot I saw when I was young in Michigan using Google and found this site !
ReplyDeleteI have not found a photo yet though .
I really enjoyed Harry and the Hendersons !
Chuck