Category: paranormal and cryptozoology

Bigfoot in the News…Extraordinary Tales

Art by Steve Baxter

THE SASQUATCH…
A Collection of Extraordinary and Weird Tales
About the Hairy Giants of Chehalis Hinterlands
As told in MacLean’s Magazine by J. W. Burns.
January 6th, 1937…

The vast mountain solitudes of British Columbia, of which but very little of it has been explored, is populated by a hairy race of giants-not ape-like men. Reports from time to time, covering a period of many years, have come from the province that hairy giants had been occasionally seen by Indians and white trappers in the mountains vastness, far from the pathway of civilization. These reports, however, were always vague and for that reason no person could be found, or, at least, nobody came forward with the information that they had obtained a close-up view of these strange creatures.

Persistent rumors led the writer to make diligent enquiries among older Indians.

The question relating to the subject was always, or nearly always, evaded with the trite excuse: “The white man don’t believe, he make joke of the Indian.” But after three years of plodding, we have come into possession of information more definite and authentic than has come to light at any

other previous time. Disregarding rumor and hearsay, we have prevailed upon men who claim they had actual close contact with these hairy giants and are willing to tell

what they know about them. Their story is set down here in good faith….here is the first witnesses account. He wishes to remain anonymous and will be referred as XY.

X Y lives on the Chehalis Reserve. I believe that he is a reliable as well as an intelligent Indian. He gave me the following thrilling

account of his experience with these people.

Encountering the Giant…

“One evening in the month of May some years ago,”

said the hero, “I was walking along the foot of the mountain about a mile from the Chehalls reserve. I thought I heard a noise something like that of a grunt nearby. Looking in the direction in which it came,

I was startled to see what I took at first sight to be a huge bear crouched upon a

boulder twenty or thirty feet away. I raised my ritle to shoot it, but, as I did the creature stood up and let out a piercing yell. It was a man-giant, no less than six feet and one-half in height, and covered with hair. He was in a rage and jumped from the boulder to the ground. I fled. but not before I felt his breath upon my cheek. I never ran so fast before or since through brush and under.

I ran toward the Statloo or Chehalis river. Toward where my dugout was. From time to time I looked over my shoulder. The giant was quickly overtaking me, only a few feet separated us; another look and the distance measured to be less than fifty-

then the Chehalis river was there and in a moment it shot across the stream to the opposite bank. The swift river. however.

did not in the least daunt the giant for he began to wade it immediately. “I arrived home almost worn out from running and

felt sick. Taking an anxious look around the

house, I was relieved to find the wife and children inside. I bolted the door and barricaded it with everything at hand. Then with my rifle ready I stood near the door

and awaited his coming.”

X added that if he had not been so much excited he could easily have shot the giant when he began to wade the river.

“After an anxious waiting of twenty minutes.” resumed the Indian. “I heard a noise approaching like the trampling

of a horse. I looked through a crack in the old wall. It was the giant. Darkness’

had not yet set in and I had a good look at him. Except that he was covered with hair and twice the bulk of the average man, there was nothing to distinguish him from

the rest of us. He pushed, against the wall of the old house with such force it shook back and forth. The old cedar shook and timber creaked and groaned so much under the strain that I was afraid that it

would fall down and kill us. I whispered to the old woman to take the children under the bed.” The Indian pointed out what remained of the old house in which he lived at the time, explaining that the giant treated it so roughly that it had to be abandoned the following winter. “After

prowling and grunting like an animal around the house continued the Indian. “he went

away. We were glad, for the children and the wife were uncomfortable under the old bedstead.

Next morning I found his tracks in the mud around the house, the biggest of either man or beast I had ever seen. The tracks measured twenty two Inches in length, but narrow in proportion to their length.”

To be continued….

There are a few things I loved about this article over others. I liked that the witness called it a man giant and specifically mentioned it wasn’t an ape.

I was happy to read that the author of original article was looking for someone he found credible. Followed up by going to see the cabin and the area for himself. This was 1937, this was BBF, my new new term for anytime before he was named bigfoot officially.

This man wanted to remain nameless so he was t looking for any fame or fortune. This is a long article with a few encounters, so I’ll post another part tomorrow morning.

Have a great Saturday morning!

Opinion: Another Species of Hominin May Still Be Alive | TS Digest | The Scientist

Do members of Homo floresiensis still inhabit the Indonesian island where their fossils helped identify a new human species fewer than 20 years ago?
— Read on www.the-scientist.com/magazine-issue/opinion-another-species-of-hominin-may-still-be-alive-69869

Sasquatch in the News…The Great Struggle

Although I have a lovely picture above of theee two strong marvelous creatures fishing together, this encounter is not a friendly one…

HARRISON MILLS, Feb. 23 A terrific battle a fight for life of prodigious strength matched against savage ferocity between a hairy giant of the Sasquatch and a huge bear, which after ten minutes of wild struggle, fury and rage, ended in the strangling of bruin when the wild man of the Chehalis hinterlands crushed the life out of him. The story of this unusual drama of the wilderness was told by three Harrison River Indians who were spectators of the singular incident one evening last week as they were walking along the Chehalis river close to the canyon

. “It was a skookum (strong) fight, ugh’, ugh’,” said Jimmy Craneback, one of the. trio of spectators, “and as no one of our little party had ever seen a hairy giant of the Sasquatch in a fight before, I’m telling you we got the biggest kick of our life. It was a hair – raising fight between savage and brute.” Asked how they came to witness the unusual battle, Jimmy said, “We were on our way home after an all – day unsuccessful hunt in the Chehalis mountains. We had just crossed the government road at the Chehalis river a mile or so north of the Indian village, when all at once we heard a roar in the forest ahead of us that shook the firs and cedars around and startled the crows and bluejays from their roost. We stopped to listen. Down the old trail ahead of us we could hear groans, growls, thuds and the snap and crack of rotten branches as If old Nick himself had gone off his noodle and was running amuck through the dark forest,” The hunter said that they were not afraid for their own safety as each of them carried a rifle. “But we were worried,” went on Jimmy, “that some old woman of the Chehalis might be in the forest digging roots for baskets and was being mauled by a bear, for bear at this time of the year are lean, vicious and hungry. “In silence we loaded our rifles hurriedly. “Fifty yards or so down the wooded trail we came upon a sight that made our eyes pop. In awe we stopped dead in our tracks. In the fading twilight and shadowy forest we first thought we were looking on two bears fighting each other to the death.

As we stood beside a log twenty yards away we could see the great struggle of strength. There was a crunching of bones as the monsters in their rage came to grips with each other – and tumbled and tossed about in their fury on the forest floor within a few feet of the Chehalis. But there was something about one of the monsters that puzzled us.” The hunters were now so excited with this hitherto unwitnessed drama of the wilderness that they wished to see the victor of the contest before they raised their rifles. “We wouldn’t have raised our rifles when we did,” explained Jimmy, “but it looked as if they were about to roll over the bank into the river any moment and we didn’t want to lose such big game. But then we never shot, for as we raised our rifles we were startled by a yell it had in it something human and came from one of. the combatants, which to our astonished ears sounded like “poo – woo – uoo.’ ” ‘Good, gosh,’ said Ike Joe as we lowered our rifles, ‘boys its a Sasquatch and a bear we’ll take the side of the giant, its well to be on their side. He’s put up a great fight let’s step in and help him.’ ” The boys were In a sweat, but happy the Sasquatch gave a “pooh – woo,” which timely utterance had no doubt saved his life.

“Finally,” said Jimmy, “the giant got his powerful hairy arms around the bear’s neck. It must have been a hu’m – dinger of a hold for the bear began to gasp for breath, and gasping pawed the air as his tongue was hanging out. The wild man had won the fight. With a grunt he flung the carcass of the bear into the river.” Asked was the Sasquatch a big fellow, Jimmy looked surprised. “You should know,” he grinned, “that it takes more than an infant to choke the daylights out of a big bear.” It does.

The Chilliwack Progress
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
Wed, Mar 02, 1938

Bigfoot in the News…Vancouver Island

A hair raising encounter with A hairy

giant, A first hand account from

an Indian, a chief’s grandson, who once came face to face with a hairy Sasquatch and barely escaped with his life, the witness is a highly respected resident of the Songhees Reserve, here is how he described the creature, “His eyes glowed like the noonday sun, and the hair on his body was like moss on the rocks. His voice sounded like the roar of a surf from a heavy sea.”

The old Indian related that in his youth he was searching for a young deer up a mountain slope. When he reached the summit there was no deer. He was about to retrace his steps when he heard a loud roar. “At first I was like a frozen man, even the rocks were trembling. I looked up and there, not far away from me was a hairy man maybe 18 feet tall. As tall as a mountain tree. He was holding the deer. I remember that my spirit animal guide was a wolf, that it made me fast, so I turned and ran like the wind, he was throwing trees at me. You can still see the trees up there on the mountain rotting.”

From the description of the mountain he gave, it is Mount Matheson, near Rocky Point. He said they have always lived on Vancouver Island, but now that it’s settled they have moved to the interior…

Excerpt from the Times Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 26 Apr 1957,

Bigfoot in the News…Selbyville Swamp Monster…

Over 40 years ago Ralph Grapperhaus, editor of the Delmarva News admitted to creating the hoax, he fakes a story of a monster that was seen Great Cypress Swamp. He had a friend dress up and play the role of the creature. The costume was made by the actor, Fred Stevens, using his Aunt Dorothy’s old raccoon hat, a scary mask, and club. Stevens would hide in the shallows of the woods then jump out at passing cars on Route 54. A local legend soon unfolded. Here’s the original story run…


“Does Selbyville have its Swamp Creature? Stories are running rampant in this area to the effect that there is a large, hairy thing back in the swamp which resembles a man. Listening to the story one is apt to think that it is an apparition with no physical essence. However, there are those who will swear that they saw the Swamp Creature, and they are not all teenagers. Some include adults and housewives. The Swamp Creature was supposed to have first been seen last week. The magnitude and description of the Swamp Creature varies with each story teller. Nevertheless, they all look and speak seriously, some even telling of bumping it with their car, another even going so far as to say the Swamp Creature tried to grab the flashlight from his hand, as he was riding with friends In a car and spotted the “thing.” Monday night, from all reports, the Cedar Swamp, or the Burnt Swamp off the Gumbo ro-Selby-ville Road, must have looked like a Friday night at a metropolitan shopping center. It seems everybody and their cats and dogs were riding out thru the swamp in cars hoping to catch a glimpse of the Swamp Creature.

This newspaper cannot attest to the authenticity of the existence of the Swamp Creature, but is hoping that someone who has seen it, and knows which dirt roads to travel in order to see it, either takes along a camera with a flash attachment, or asks this newspaper to make the trip with its camera and flash. A picture of the “thing would definitely establish Its entity. Until such time as an authentic picture is In evidence, this newspaper would suggest to the curious of this area that they place a report with Delaware State Police and see if the police can authenticate Selbyville’s Swamp Creature.”

Selbyville’s Swamp Creature.
Delmarva News 1964…

Wandering Trees…

“After death some believe their soul goes to heaven
Some think they’ll go below
But are we sure we’re the only life on earth that has soul?
Some think we’ll haunt our family
Or be stuck in limbo, or purgatory
But what about the dying trees,
Where do they go.?
They have roots to the heart of the planet
Much stronger then our own
They lay the seeds
They have wisdom from their years
They’ve been here since the beginning
They’ll be here at the end
Their roots will continue to grow new life
Will it’s soul move into these
They communicate warnings to us through their bark, branches, rings and leaves
But even when they are dying before our eyes we still don’t believe
Will they haunt these forests that get mowed down?
Do they grieve at what we’ve done
Will they visit younger trees as a spector
And share all their knowledge
Speak of the importance of their role in the circle of life
And their role in the forest
With all those roots stil remaining underneath our feet
It will forever tie them to the earth
How could they not leave some kind of an echo
Of their dying and of their rebirth
Maybe there are wandering ghostly trees
That we just can’t see
Searching for their roots
We should respect their magic and power as the sustainer of all the life
Instead of caring nothing about cutting them all down and carving them with a knife
I always say the forest is my church
But to me there is no better house to pray
Then the land that god made
There quiet amongst the sheltering trees
As I stand in the forest
I pray forever this will be
A place of zen and sanctuary
A reminder of what the planet once looked like when it was green
Because as I drive around now, there is barely any trees as a reminder that I can see
If you can understand me trees
I thank you for my air to breathe
And you’re always free to come share your wisdom and to haunt me…”

A poem from the heart…I get so upset and angry every time I see more forests get mowed down. When I drive though my hometown and think of the woods I wandered and the forts I made stealing my dads lumber and tools (sorry dad) and how it’s all gone now it just maddens me. We should be farming the lands not paving them. I pray we change out ways as a species, and turn the planet around for the better. Let’s all pray it happens…

You Are Wild..

“It’s time to break away from the myth that the wild is something exotic that exists somewhere else. It isn’t. We are all wild things…”

~Rewild.org

And here are some of their tips for you to start rewilding yourself…

learn the names of the trees you’re walking through.

Learn the types of bugs you’re walking on

Learn what is edible out in the forest.

Learn the wildlife in your area.

And finally my advice for wilders and squatchers… just sit quietly in a spot of the woods you enjoy and just listen…learn the noises of your favorite forest. The birds, the critters, the wind. If you want to find out if the noises you hear could be a bigfoot you should learn to rule out what the natural sounds are out there so you can debunk.

All of these tips are good for anyone that spends time out there. Bushcrafters, bigfoot researchers, hikers, birders and just nature enthusiasts alike.

Art by Jirka Houska-malby

Have an awesome rewilding Wednesday’

Go wild…

Bigfoot Movie Review…Elusive

The premise of the movie follows a camera man-documentarian who’s following a self proclaimed “cryptozoologist”around as he searches for bigfoot. He wants to make this movie for his son who loves monsters, to make his son think he’s a cool dad again after an embarrassing moment he had that has gone viral.

If you love bigfoot movies as much as myself, then this has been your decade for movies. There have been back to back scary bigfoot movies released like it’s the 70s again. Movies such as Primal Rage, Exists, etc. All good, serious, and scary movies with decent budges and great suits. But this movie, Elusive, is none of those things, but then again,it doesn’t want to be. This movie is a comedy, with a little budget and a cheap ridiculous suit. And I love it.

But his camera man decides that he is going to do a documentary within a documentary of the main character because he wants no more lies. This character was one of my favorite parts of the film. The sarcastic mumbled comments, and video diary of Jimmy (Alex Sanchez) were just to funny as was the ridiculous hopeless cryptozoologist Wayne. (Bradchad Porter). They make the perfect comedy duo here. The secondary characters who are the witnesses of “bigfoot” also add to the laughs here.And you won’t believe where Wayne gets his bigfoot hair sample!

I was able to interview writer, director Nick Sanford so check that out below.

What is life like growing up in Oklahoma?

Weather-wise, there’s a reason everyone moved to California in the 1920s. But the gravel roads here are fun to fish-tail on, the sunsets can’t be beat, and the occasional tornado warning-induced anxiety attack keeps you on your toes.

What about Oklahoma inspires you to film your movies there? 

Oklahoma is incredibly cinematic to me, and there’s just an atmosphere to the whole state that’s exciting if you can capture it cinematically. No matter what I do, how arty or weird I get, I’ll always be chasing that “it” thing that Twister has that makes you feel like you’re in this very specific place. You can smell the air, feel the humidity. It’s crazy that a Hollywood movie captured that so well.

You’ve acted as well, which do you prefer and why so? 

Directing. Acting’s fun if it’s for the right person, but that’s just not my bag, and I’m not great at it. Directing’s way more work per film, but it’s incredibly rewarding when it pays off.

What is the writing process like for you? 

It’s different with each project. For this one in particular, I wrote the first half of the screenplay and sent it off to Andrew McDonald, my co-writer, and he tightened up what I had and then got the thing to the finish line. We sent it back and forth to each other over the summer of 2020 to really nail it down and get it as good as we could, then it was ready for pre-production.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a film maker? Writer?

I first started making movies when I was six, but it was mainly because I thought I was going to be an actor. I’d basically just record myself doing silly things, as a young only-child is inclined to do. Then M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs came out the summer I turned thirteen, and that changed everything for me, because suddenly I realized a filmmaker could have a specific point of view, show restraint, and do something different. Then I started being more deliberate in the things I’d film.

Who are some of your influences? 

M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, and Stanley Kubrick were three of the big ones during my formative years. I still rip them off a lot. When the pandemic hit, I found myself at home alone a lot, and the half of the week that I didn’t have my son I started diving into old foreign films that I needed to check off my list, and found myself really drawn to Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, and now I’m really getting into Ingmar Bergman as well, and those three are going to have an influence on me in the future, I think.

What is the very first thing you remember writing?

I think the first screenplay I wrote that I actually filmed was something called Roswell, which was just a Signs rip off. And it’s something I remade a lot in junior high and high school. And ironically, one of the first features I attempted to write was a Bigfoot movie, only then it was a “serious horror film.” So Bigfoot’s been a part of me for a long time.

Your earlier films were in the horror genre, Would you consider it to be your favorite?

I couldn’t really nail down any genre as a “favorite.” I love all types of films. But it’s one I get drawn to when making them a lot, for some reason. Even with a comedy like Elusive, there’s still a spooky, horror-based vibe way below the surface.

What’s your favorite horror movie of all time? 

I’d probably have to go with The Exorcist. It’s a perfect film to me. But I’m also big on The Shining, Halloween, The Ring, and a number of others. Devil Times Five is one of the worst movies ever made, but there’s something about it that’s genuinely disturbing as well. I love all sorts of horror films, “good” and “bad.”

You made a comedy this time around, what was the difference like for you filming a comedy? 

Comedy isn’t that much different than horror. It’s all about tension and release. They’re the two types of films you get an audible reaction out of the audience from the most. They’ve got a lot in common.

What made you decide to make a bigfoot movie? 

After I saw Signs in theaters at the age of thirteen, I got into cryptozoology and ufology and all that, and so I always wanted to make a movie like this. We actually did a short of Elusive several years back, and when it didn’t turn out as coherent as we’d hoped for a variety of reasons, we knew we’d want to give it another shot in the future.

Are you a believer or enthusiast of bigfoot?

I’m more drawn to this collective mythology we all have for Bigfoot rather than trying to decide if it’s actually real or not. There’s something very fascinating to me about why we keep propagating this myth, and in a weird meta way, Elusive really dives into that.

What was it like making a movie during the pandemic?

It was incredibly challenging, but I personally just felt grateful we got to do it at all, much less turn out as good as we’d hoped.

How have the reviews been so far for Elusive? 

There’s only one user review on IMDb currently, but it’s very positive. Hopefully we’ll have a lot more of that in the future.

Will it be streaming on other platforms soon?

We’re working to get it on more than just Vimeo, but that’s where it lives for the time being.

Where can people see it? 

The front page of StupidBigfootMovie.com is the easiest way to get to the movie.

What’s coming up next for you? 

For me personally, my next project will be a straight up horror film, but that’s all I can say about it for now.

I really enjoyed this movie and had a lot of laughs, I recommend checking it out, so I’m not going to give away any spoilers here. Check it out and let me know what you think. You can find this movie on Vimeo or through the website listed above.

Trailer of Elusive…

https://youtu.be/GbYNC2xpfio