The Intrepid Dr. Grover Krantz

Dr. Grover S. Krantz (d. 2002) was a physical anthropologist with Washington State University. He became involved in the Sasquatch issue in 1963 and spent the next thirty-nine years relentlessly investigating the evidence provided to him. He found what he considered indisputable evidence in dermal ridges (i.e., like finger prints) that he discovered on some footprint casts. In his own words: "When I first realized the potential significance of dermal ridges showing in Sasquatch footprints, it seemed to me that scientific acceptance of the existence of the species might be achieved without having to bring in a specimen of the animal itself. It was this hope that drove me to expend so much of my resources on it, and of my scientific reputations as well." Unfortunately, Dr. Krantz was not able to bring about the scientific acceptance he envisioned. Nevertheless, it was confirmed by Jimmy Chilcutt, a finger print expert who has made a special study of the dermatoglyphics on the hands and feet of nonhuman primates, that dermal ridges discovered by Krantz indicate they are definitely those of a nonhuman primate. Dr. Krantz's most notable Sasquatch related accomplishment was his reconstruction of the skull of Gigantopithecus blacki, an extinct primate that lived in southern China somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 years ago. Krantz theorized that the Sasquatch may have descended from this primate. His model is based on a lower jaw fossil of the creature. Dr. Krantz was also the major supporter for the authenticity of the Bossburg (Washington) "cripple foot" casts. He studied these casts intently and provided a proposed bone structure for each cast. Despite skepticism, these casts are very intriguing. Although highly regarded as an anthro-pologist, Dr. Krantz's reputation was greatly diminished because of his belief in the reality of the Sasquatch. While certianly bothered by this eventuality, he did not let it stop him in any way. He spoke at Sasquatch symposiums, appeared in many television documentaries and was continually quoted in newspaper articles. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Krantz on two occasions. He was a very gentle man, very approachable and friendly. While he was supportive of action to intentionally kill a Sasquatch to definitely establish the creature's existence, I really wonder if he personally would have been able to "pull the trigger." As with Roger Patterson, I think the day will come when Dr. Krantz will be officially and properly recognized by the scientific community for his research on the Sasquatch.