A Look Back in Time...
Bigfoot Stories from the
Historical Archives
By Tom Yamarone
As the year comes to an end and the
field research I participate in is on the
back-burner due to the holidays, family
time and conditions that make the
mountains inaccessible, itʼs a good time
to just relax, recharge your batteries and
enjoy a good story. Iʼm fortunate to have
a copy of “Big News Prints” by Scott
McClean. Scott has found newspaper
articles in an on-line archive that include
references to hairy, man-like creatures. He
has shared these fascinating accounts for
over a year on the internet at bigfootforums.
com in a thread entitled, “Historical
Archives” (in the Media section and the
subsection of “Newspaper Articles” for
those familiar with this website.) Earlier
this year, he assembled these stories into
a hard-copy volume in which they are
presented chronologically and sorted by
the state (in the U.S.) and nation in
which they occur.
Scott has invested hours of research into
this project and continues to collect stories
as the archives are updated. He has placed
“Big News Prints” onto a CD in the PDF
format and is offering it to the public for
the modest sum of $20. To obtain a copy,
go to McClean.org – itʼs a “must-have”
for anyone interested in this topic.
I want to share with you a few of the
stories from California. There are the
“classics” that we know about from
John Greenʼs books. The 1870 Antioch
Ledger article details a man hunting in
the region between the Pacheco Pass and
Mt. Hamilton and having his campfire
disturbed while away from camp. He
eventually hides and observes two bigfoot
creatures that enter his camp “play” with
the logs of his campfire. Itʼs a fascinating
account. The other two classics from our
state are the Jerry Crew front page article
from 1958 and the October 21, 1967
article about the famous Patterson-Gimlin
film event entitled “They Filmed Mrs.
Bigfoot.” These wonʼt be reprinted in
this issue.
Upon conferring with Scott, he suggested
the following articles. The first is
an 1891 account from the Woodland Daily
Democrat. Woodland lies in the western
Sacramento Valley. Scott expressed the
following observations about this piece:
“I think that one is important because it
mentions the men actually witnessing
really interesting behavior first hand!
He says they watched the thing rip up
and break trees-brandishing a 5 inch
sapling like a club (confirms tree twists
and crude tool use), actually make screaming
noises (confirms that Sasquatch makes
the noises), seeing it standing up in a
tree, eating game, running on all fours,
and beating itʼs chest with itʼs fists! He
then describes it standing slightly bent
over (matches most descriptions), itʼs
general features and muscle structure. All
in all a very detailed account. Anyway, I
think itʼs important and unknown for the
most part.”
Wo o d l an d D aily D e mo c r at
Thursday Evening, April 9, 1891
“What Is It?
- An Unheard of Monstrosity Seen in
the Woods Above Rumsey”
Mr. Smith, a well known citizen of
Northern Capay Valley, called upon us
today and tells us the following strange
story which we would be loth (sic) to
believe if it were not for the fact that he is
an old acquaintance of this office, and has
always borne a spotless reputation. Several
days ago, Mr. Smith together with a party
of hunters, were above Rumsey huntlog
(sic). One morning Mr. Smith started out
early in quest of game, he had not gone far
when his attention was attracted by a
peculiar noise that seemed to come from an
oak tree that stood near by. Looking up Mr.
Smith was startled to see gazing at him
what was apparently a man clothed in a
suit of shaggy fur. Having heard of wild
men, Mr. (sic) he naturally placed upon his
guard, but thinking that he would see
“what virture (sic) there was in kindness,”
he called to the supposed man to come
down, as he was filled with nothing but the
kindest motives. This speech did not have
the desired effect, rather the opposite, for
the strange thing gave grunts of
unmistakable anger. Believing that
discretion was the better part of valor, our
informant stood not upon the order of his
going, but went at once in a bee-line for the
camp. After placing some distance between
himself and the strange creature, the hunter
turned around just in time to see it descent
the tree. Upon reaching the ground, instead
of standing upright as a man would, it
commenced to trot along the ground as a
dog or any other animal would do.
Smith then realized that it was no
hermit he had see, but some kind of
monstrosity, such as he had never heard of,
much less seen before. The hunter stood
amazed and spell-bound for a moment, but
soon gathered his scattered senses again
and was soon making his best speed to
camp, where in a few breathless words,
was telling his companions of what he had
seen.
They were disposed to laugh at him at
first, but his sincereness (sic) of manner and
his blanched cheeks soon proved to them
that he had seen something out of the usual
order of things.
A hasty council was held, and the party
decided to go in search of the monster, so
taking their guns and dogs they were
piloted by Mr. Smith to whom they soon
2
came in sight of the unnamed animal. In the
meantime it had commenced to devour the
contents of Mr. Smith’s game bag that he
had dropped in his hasty retreat. The
creature would plunge its long arms or legs
into the bag and pulling forth the small
game that was in it, transferred it to its
mouth in a most disgusting manner. An
effort was made to set the dogs upon it, but
they crouched at their masters heels and
gave vent to the most piteous whine.
The whines attracted the attention of the
nondescript, and it commenced to make the
most unearthly yells and screams, at the
same time fleeing to the undergrowth, some
half a mile distant, upon which the whole
party immediately gave chase. They soon
gained upon the strange beast, and it, seeing
that such was the case, suddenly turned ,
and sitting upon its haunchs (sic),
commenced to beat its breast with its hairy
fists. It would break off great branches of
trees that were around it, and snap them as
easily as if they had been so many
toothpicks. Once it pulled up a sapling five
inches through at the base, and snapping it
in twain, brandished the lower part over its
head, much after the same manner a man
would sling a club. The hunters seeing that
they had a creature with the strength of a
gorilla to contend with, beat a hasty retreat
to camp which soon broke up, fearing a visit
from their chance acquaintance.
Mr. Smith describes the animal as being
about six feet high when standing, which it
did not do perfectly but bent over, after the
manner of a bear. Its head was very much
like that of a human being. The trapezie (sic)
muscles were very thick and aided much in
giving the animal its brutal look. The brow
was low and contracted, while the eyes
were deep set, giving it a wicked look. It
was covered with long shaggy hair, except
the head, where the hair was black and
curly.
Mr. Smith says that of late sheep and
hogs to a considerable extent have
disappeared in his vicinity and their
disappearance can be traced to the hiding
place of the “What Is It.” Among those who
have suffered are Henry Sharp, Jordan
Sumner, Herman Laird and J.C. Trendle.
Here is a chance for some energetic
young man to start a dime museum and
acquire a fortune within a very few years.
Anyone wishing to learn more about this
peculiar monstrosity can do so by calling on
our informant who will no doubt take a
delight in piloting them to the dangerous
vicinity of the late scene of action.
The second article suggested is one of a
strange scream heard in Yosemite National
Park two years prior to the Jerry Crew
incident.
The scream followed by the moan and then
the crashing of the brush…unusual indeed!
It kept them up by the fire and Iʼm sure it
would have the same effect today on any of
us. Hopefully, someone in camp would
have recorded the sounds.
Yes, these stories from the past show us
that mysterious, hair-covered entities have
been written about since the pioneer days.
Native tribes have their own stories and
names for these creatures. The stories
contained in “Big News Prints” by Scott
McClean are interesting and thought
provoking. I hope you enjoyed them. Keep
on the track and weʼll see you next year!
M E D I A / P O P C U L T U R E
Look! In Mentor! Bigfoot!
by Curt W. Olson
COlson@News-Herald.com
July 2005, Mentor, OH-- Area native Bob Gray
set to debut low-budget film starring many local
residents at Mentor Lagoons Marina.
Bigfoot is known to have a home in the
Mentor Marsh.It will soon be seen in the
Mentor Lagoons. The world premiere of Gray's
new "Bigfoot" movie will be shown outdoors
beginning at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Mentor
Lagoons Marina."It's our gift to the city," Gray
said of the first showing of the movie that was
made on a low budget and has a cast of many
area residents. (We have the movie in the museum)
The fun for area residents and fans of "Bigfoot"
will begin much earlier Friday when actors and
actresses attend the movie's premiere and take
time to sign autographs. Additionally, the city
of Mentor reports the Flagship building in the
Mentor Lagoons will be turned into a miniature
"Bigfoot" museum. The items will be on display
from Friday through the Mentor Lagoons
Festival, which will take place 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
July 9. The featured item will be the stuffed
7-foot-tall Bigfoot costume Gray used to shoot
the film.
Gray soon left Mentor after graduating in 1984,
spending most of his time in Hollywood, Calif.
Gray said he returned to Mentor in 1992 for his
mother's funeral. While driving in the Mentor
Headlands area, Gray said a herd of 12 deer
came straight at him as he drove down the
road."Maybe a Bigfoot was chasing them," he
recalled saying at the time.From that moment,
two or three times a year he would think of a
scene for the movie and wrote it down on a
card.
"As a kid I was fascinated with Bigfoot," Gray
said. He said he was glued to the television
when the program "In Search Of..." was being
shown. While he is captivated by Sasquatch,
especially those images on TV tabloid news
shows that are barely noticeable, he wanted to
create his own Bigfoot. Bigfoot fans from the
Northwest, South and even Ohio say Sasquatch
would never hurt a human being, according the
several Web sites. But, being a "huge 'Predator'
fan," Gray wanted to make a mean Bigfoot - so
much for "Harry and the Hendersons."
Gray said he was pleased with cooperation he
received from Mentor leaders.He is hopeful his
"Bigfoot" debut will get wide distribution in the
foreign film industry as a sci-fi thriller. He also
hopes purchases of DVDs will prove profitable.
That is because Gray, who does a lot of work
for the Cleveland Cavaliers and ESPN, will
shoot "the deuce" - Bigfoot 2 - with much of the
same cast.Gray said he only wishes he could
have had more money for Bigfoot.
He also wishes he could have "killed" more
than seven people and two animals in his first
movie on the yeti legend. He guarantees things
will be much different with a planned eight
Sasquatches for "Bigfoot 2."
M E D I A / P O P C U L T U R E
HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/
Kleeberg Entertainment is bringing to the big
screen a family's personal story about a man who
had a secret obsession with Bigfoot that no one
in his family knew about until he died."Bigfoot:
A Family Adventure" (http://www.themovie
bigfoot.com ), is scheduled for release in late
2006 and will also incorporate a montage of
stories and images from other individuals willing
to share their tales of Bigfoot encounters. After
his wife passed away, a grandfather became
obsessed with Bigfoot.The family found over
1,000 Bigfoot-related items in their grandfather's
out-of-the-way cabin ranging from newspaper
clippings to plaster castings of big feet.
"The most remarkable thing we learned is how
the grandfather's obsession indirectly affected the
entire family," said Daniel Kleeberg. "For
example, the family realized that some of their
most memorable vacations were actually a way
for the grandfather to visit Bigfoot attractions
like the Bigfoot parade in Willow Creek, CA.
and Happy Camp, CA., which holds an annual
Bigfoot Jamboree. This movie is not just about
the grandfather's paraphernalia, it's about the
family's adventure learning about a man they
thought they knew."
"The man saved hundreds of newspaper articles
about Bigfoot encounters along with stories,
letters and correspondence from others who had
Bigfoot encounters," said Zack Kleeberg. "The
family found 100 journals in which he recorded
his observations and sketches of his and other
people's Bigfoot sightings. In his comments, he
frequently offered opinion about which stories he
believed to be real and/or hoaxes. It was wild.
"The Kleebergs are seeking input from citizens
worldwide who may have stories, photographs or
film footage detailing their Bigfoot encounters.
They will pay $1000.00 for footage of Bigfoot or
a re-creation of a Bigfoot encounter, $500 for a
photograph of Bigfoot, $250 for a video taped
testimonial and $100 for a written story or
drawing of Bigfoot. The producers will be
accepting items until January 31, 2006. For
details on where to send the information, please
visit: http://www.themoviebigfoot.com. "Bigfoot:
A Family Adventure," will be 90 minutes long
and feature 15 minutes of montage using the
elements contributed from the general public.
Contact: Daniel Kleeberg or Zack Kleeberg,
336-688-1106
This release was issued through The Xpress
Press News Service, merging e-mail and satellite
distribution technologies to reach business
analysts and media outlets worldwide. For more
information, visit http://www.XpressPress.com .
SOURCE: Kleeberg Entertainment LLC
Web Site: http://www.themoviebigfoot.com