“Did you ever have to make up your mind…it’s not often easy and not often kind, did you ever have to make up your mind?” – Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind, The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)

I take a crack at the Bigfoot possibilities as we end our trek with nine final, alliterative and descriptive words, followed by my personal vision of how I’d like to see the mystery play out.

Myth – Folklore is fun and fascinating but science rules the day in my book. There is enough wonder in the workings of nature without having to invoke fairies, nymphs or various deities to explain the spectacle. And while it is attention getting to find a fictional guardian of the great outdoors (Bigfoot as Smokey Bear) it’s still up to us to get our act together in the end when managing our natural resources. This in turn will help to preserve those places off the beaten path where at least the possibility of legend can live on.

Monster – Mankind seems to need a bogeyman. But just as there’s nothing hiding under the bed or behind the closet door, perhaps there’s no furry giant lurking in the woods. Such tales simply continue to keep kids in their beds, a modern equivalent of preventing adventurous youngsters from wandering too far from the campfire in the old days (certainly would’ve worked on me). Besides, pick up the paper, turn on the tube, dial in your radio or check the internet and you’ll find that there is more “monster” in our own kind than ever reported about those mysterious hairy beasts. Sadly, the “-kind” portion of “mankind” or “humankind” doesn’t universally apply to our species.

Misidentification – Rene Dahinden once said, “I wouldn’t believe my own eyes” in regards to having a Bigfoot sighting. Ask yourself how many times you’ve seen or heard something in the woods or elsewhere only to later find that your mind and senses deceived. I guess the figments of some people’s imaginations are just more entrenched than others. I’ve spotted many muskies that turned out to be logs, morels that were corn cobs, turkeys that were clumps of debris and fur in a trap set that was a patch of dead grass. Why once I even saw a squirrel sitting on an opossum’s head in a willow tree. Turns out the opossum is still a knot on the trunk and the squirrels come and go.

Monkey Suit – You’d have to be nuts or bulletproof in some locations but it is entirely within the realm of possibility that some fool would don a fur suit and run around the woods. Coupled with today’s special effects and computer graphics one could certainly conjure up a credible sighting. To me, one of the major drawbacks of such a scenario is the inability of people to keep a secret. If it involves more than a couple individuals, somebody’s got a big mouth.

Manifestation – Cultures differ in their realities based on tradition and experience. Some Pacific Northwest Native American tribes view Sasquatch as an entity just as real as the bear, cougar or deer that inhabit their environment. Others incorporate various spiritual beings into their world view as well. Perhaps the rest of us have just lost touch with the ability to open our mind to such concepts as our magic resides in computers, cell phones and microwave ovens.

Mystery – We humans are a curious lot and are taken in by the unknown resulting in adherence to religion, science, the supernatural or some combination of each. But our curiosity and insecurity can lead us to fall prey to the power of suggestion and cloud our judgment. Dr. Grover Krantz offered up an apt tongue in cheek quote regarding such an affliction in stating, “I’ll see it when I believe it.”

Monkey – Large, possibly bipedal primates appear in the fossil record so it is not entirely out of the question that such species could still exist. Evolution and population dynamics, however, would make the likelihood of such animals residing in the diverse locations where sightings have been reported over the years rather slim. Small, remote pockets would stand a chance but it’s still somewhat hard to fathom.

Man – Similar to the above, perhaps a relict group of hominids has continued to survive undetected by modern man. Speaking of “modern man”, at some point we accepted the designation Homo sapiens meaning “wise man” in light of our highly developed brains and willingness to put ourselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder. If old Bigfoot is out there and stakes a claim to a nearby branch on the family tree, he might offer up a petition to change the “wise” half of our self imposed scientific name. Especially in light of some of the injustices perpetrated by “superior wise men” on “inferior wise men.”

Misnomer – Let’s say Bigfoot turns out to be “man.” How would you judge the “superior” hominid? What would the criteria be? For in my opinion, Bigfoot possesses a set of physical and mental qualities that would certainly insure his survival over ours should we ever have to revert to the wild. Most humans have long lost the ability to cut it in the absence of grocery stores, controlled climates and fancy attire. When push comes to shove, I’m betting on Bigfoot as the “superior” primate/hominid. And don’t forget that while many amongst our kind are loathe admitting it, that face staring back at you from the mirror is also an “animal.” I, for one, have no qualms with that.

In the end, I continue to waver on the question of Bigfoot’s existence. Every time I give up, something pulls me back in. I suddenly find myself transported back to 1977, staring up at that movie screen and seeing Bigfoot turn with a look over the shoulder at a ten year old kid full of wonder and perhaps a bit too charged up with gullibility. It’s a comforting place to visit, an occasional return to where anything is possible.

A place where my quest can reach a conclusion as I reach down to harvest the clump of ten morels that are just what I’d hoped to find during my previous hour of searching. One of the area’s worst mushroom hunters has finally scored, I think to myself. But I’m also reminded that the true reward is always the walk through the woods as the world welcomes spring and a palette of green about the forest canopy and floor.

Bending down for my bounty, the sound of a breaking branch snaps me out of yet another daydream. Glancing instinctively to my left, my eyes meet another set of eerily familiar, knowing eyes studying me through a nasty tangle of deadfalls and briars. Still kneeling over my initial find I slowly raise both hands, palms up in some sort of half hearted greeting. The eyes begin to climb as the figure rises from a squatting position behind its effective screen of natural camouflage. On a gut level there’s no doubt what I’m seeing yet my mind has trouble believing. Our eyes remain locked as time pauses and the sights and sounds of my surroundings fade away. When time resumes its normal course, the figure turns and gradually disappears from view leaving me to briefly wonder if it was ever really there.

Coming out of my surreal haze I realize that I’ve completely forgotten the camera in my fanny pack but it doesn’t matter and I feel no urge to pursue. Instead, I’m struck by the feeling that simply knowing is enough. Besides, my dawning senses have just informed me that I’m in dire need of a change of clothes.

Okay, a bit cheesy, perhaps. But, hey, I’ve never claimed to be a writer, I just write, a lot.

Happy Halloween and talk to you later (back to the fish and a few tunes in the upcoming days). Troy

“Forward troubles Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy! Look at all the happy creatures dancin’ on the lawn…doo, doo, doo lookin’ out my back door.” – Credence Clearwater Revival, Lookin’ Out My Back Door (1970)

Although we are no closer to solving our mystery than when I was a kid, the reports just seem to keep on piling up. As we’ve explored previously, the world is home to a variety of purported hairy monsters with a number of variations occurring in Alaska and the lower 48. But what about the possibility of having an encounter close to home?

Now, I realize that my blog can wind up anywhere but since I reside in West Central Illinois, I’m going to explore some lore from my region of The Land of Lincoln. Should you wish to research reports from other locales I would suggest consulting The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization’s (BFRO) sightings database.

According to the BFRO, 83 of Illinois’ 102 counties have an entry in the database and Illinois ranks fourth in the U.S. with 284 submitted reports trailing only Washington (635), California (436) and Florida (312). Keep in mind, however, that these are only the reports that eyewitnesses have gotten around to submitting. It stands to reason that there are countless others that remain unreported for various reasons. People may not be aware that such a forum exists, maybe they are too embarrassed to pass along their encounter (despite relative anonymity) or perhaps they don’t want to create a stir near home due to a potential wave of curiosity seekers. Then again, they may not believe the experience themselves or are simply content to keep their sighting private.

To each their own, but I enjoy regularly poring over the reports to see what’s new in Illinois or to explore reports from neighboring states. For me, it’s akin to reading a ghost story that I can actually relate to after having spent many a night around a campfire pondering things weird and wild. And the closer the report to home, the more it falls under the “must read” category.

As good as my family can report while Messin’ with Bigfoot – McDonough County, IL 7-4-17

In addition to the BFRO database, the book entitled I-Files: True Reports of Unexplained Phenomena in Illinois details a number of sightings within a couple hours’ drive from Knox County, where I spent 47 of my 50 years. Among the counties included are Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, McDonough and Tazewell. The list of communities near which these encounters took place consists of Canton, East Peoria, Gulfport, Hamilton, Kewanee, Lewistown, Pekin, Vermont and Warsaw. Well now, there has to be something to those reports because I’ve been to those places and some of those people seem pretty familiar. They wouldn’t make this stuff up, would they?

Even much closer to home back in the mid 90’s was a report out of East Galesburg involving a woman who was frightened by an “ape” that approached her vehicle late one night. I can’t recall whether I heard this report on the radio or saw it posted in the newspaper but I’ve failed to turn up anything in the archives at the local library. I suppose it doesn’t really matter anyway as it disappointingly turned out to be a case of significant drunkenness upon further investigation. Imagination and inebriation are quite the combination.
More recently, in June of 2011, a footprint and later a headless rabbit were discovered amidst some apple trees south of Springfield. Further information on “The Chatham Bigfoot” can be found here and an internet search will turn up more than a few additional articles to keep you busy.

And while you’re searching, why not go looking for something called “The Cole Hollow Road Monster?” This hairy creature, nicknamed Cohomo, prompted several hundred calls to various Tazewell County law enforcement bodies during the spring and summer of 1972. Both the I-Files book and the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization website provide interesting tales and details on those wild few months. Among the fun was the prospect of administering lie detector tests to witnesses, an accidental shooting amongst a posse of searchers, Cohomo spotted swimming in the Illinois River and a report of strange lights descending in the vicinity on a night in late July.

Area of Henderson, County IL in the vicinity of the sighting described below.

However, my all time favorite local report comes from a Henderson County turkey hunter in May of 2008 and can be found on the BFRO website as Report #23949. The encounter occurred near Rozetta which I’m sure is “parts unknown” (to borrow an old professional wrestling term) to nearly everyone. But for around forty years, my dad and uncle had free reign on several parcels of land right where this sighting took place. Although we’ve now lost access to the largest portion of the ground we collectively called “Wilson’s”, for many years it was an outstanding outdoor classroom for hunting, fishing, trapping, camping and hiking. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends featured annual camping visits and each November found us making the daily trek of several miles along the creek bed running through an area known as “The Big Timber” for the first week of trapping season. Throughout the years we never saw, heard or smelled any clues, but then again, we were more focused on fur, navigating the rocky creek bottom and retelling tales of previous wilderness experiences. Yet, I couldn’t help but imagine after finding this report that while we didn’t see him, I’d sure like to think that old Bigfoot had his eyes on us over the years from landmarks along the trapline like Eagle’s Point, The Rose Bowl, The Waterfall or The Big Sycamore.

A favorite Henderson County, IL outdoor spot we call “The Waterfall”, was Bigfoot keeping an eye on us over the years?

Perhaps if we’d only turned around to look back rather than always looking forward in anticipation of what the next trap might hold…
Talk to you tomorrow. Troy

“Let’s go surfin’ now, everybody’s learning how, come on and safari with me.” – Surfin’ Safari, The Beach Boys (1962)

Today, we’re going to hang ten with Bigfoot on the vast sea of potentially useless knowledge.

What did we ever do without the World Wide Web?

I just typed “Bigfoot” into a search engine box and got 28,900,000 results in 0.73 seconds. Nearly all of which are probably useless, totally unrelated to what I’m looking for or defunct.

But that’s not really the point.

It’s simply awesome the amount of information and misinformation that is available these days. Now I can do my research and get my laundry done at the same time as I have a virtual library accessible from my home thanks to a collection of technological magic.
When I’m not doing something important on the internet like looking at baseball boxscores, submitting blog entries, making Facebook posts or watching vloggers fish, sometimes I go searching for Sasquatch. And while you would think that those millions of hits in the search would produce a boatload of insightful and up to date information, I’ve found that such is not the case. My wanderings have found only a handful to be current, many simply borrow from other sites and others just have no visual or informational appeal.

As a result, I’ve really got a rather scant list of recommendations.

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (www.bfro.net) – Plenty of stuff here with photos, video, discussion and you can even sign on for an upcoming Bigfoot expedition. You can also view The Mysterious Monsters, The Legend of Boggy Creek, A& E’s Ancient Mysteries: Bigfoot and In Search of Bigfoot here. My favorite aspect of the site, however, is the sightings database as I get a charge out of reading the creepy encounters (several of which took place right in my neck of the woods).

Animal Planet Finding Bigfoot page: (https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot/) – Fooled around on here checking out the teases and looks kind of fun. The delivery does a good job of pushing the creepy, tales around the campfire vibe as well. Of course, that’s the intent of a tease. Still not paying for television though.

North American Bigfoot Search – (http://www.nabigfootsearch.com/home.html) – A ton of stuff here could keep you busy for a while. Lots of reports as well as some interesting research into the history of disappearances in national parks over the years, never heard about that sort of thing before.

You know, this guy seems to have something going on with his website, too.  And how about finding Bigfoot in the palm of your hand these days?

Beyond these sites, I generally find the news reports on the latest sightings to be the most interesting and also occasionally get lost on YouTube perusing some “entertaining” clips. Despite such a proliferation of easily accessible evidence, we still lack a definitive answer, which I suspect is a winner for “the web.”

In regards to “the web”, I’m sure glad there was no such thing as the internet when I was a kid. Don’t know if I would have ever gone out in the woods after seeing what was truly out there according to all of the video “proof” one can find these days. You no longer need a campfire, ghost stories or conniving adults to get you a little creeped out. Nope, a device with internet access can achieve the same result in broad daylight in the comfort of your own home, all by yourself. That’s a whole other kind of scary.

Of course, this meager offering scarcely scratches the surface of Sasquatch sites and articles out there. In putting this series together I came across many articles from news organizations, online publications, personal blogs and the like that were of interest. It’s just far too much to list so I’ll leave it to you to explore as you see fit and keep me posted. But surfers beware as it’s quite a jungle of information out there in cyberspace and you just can’t blindly accept every nugget of “truth” you dig up along the way.

My research for this posting did turn up the following gem, however, that I felt summed it all up quite nicely.

“The greatest thing about the internet is that you can quote something and just totally make up the source.” – Ben Franklin

Talk to you tomorrow. Troy

“A man is known by the books he reads…” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Oh, great!

When I was a kid, the Weekly Reader book orders and RIF (Reading Is Fundamental, remember that one) book fairs kept me well stocked on a variety of topics that fall under the umbrella of “pseudoscience.” In addition to Bigfoot, there were sea serpents, UFOs, ESP, poltergeists, The Bermuda Triangle, haunted houses and a myriad of other “strange but true” phenomena that tantalized my active imagination.
For better or worse, the grown-up version of me is a bit more skeptical than the 70s version. But it’s still fun to go back there, and with a house full of youngsters I still get ample time to be a kid too. And just like 40 plus years ago, there have been a more than a few Bigfoot books show up in my home via book fairs and library collections.

It’s funny when looking through some of the newer publications with my boys that I find many familiar faces and tales in those pages. My oldest son, Jayce, seems impressed with my knowledge of the people and events as we flip through the pages of a Bigfoot library book. He also finds it hard to believe that many of those tales have been around longer than his dad.

But those old tales are still the best and my “research” collection and wish list below include more than a few that are less than new.

The Mysterious Monsters (1975) by Robert & Frances Guenette – This is the one that started it all for me and is considered a classic by many Bigfoot fans. I’ve got this one stored away somewhere and need to track it down and read it again in order to see if it can amaze at fifty like it did at ten. It was also made into a documentary film and my general opinion is that the books are always better than the movies. If you’ve seen the film…well, that’s for another day.

Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide (1995) by Robert Michael Pyle – This lepidopterist (butterfly guy) with a Ph.D. from Yale University takes a lengthy trek through the Dark Divide region of Washington State’s Cascade Mountains with Bigfoot on his mind. The book reads variously as a field guide to the area’s flora, fauna and geography, as an editorial on the U.S Forestry Service and as a Bigfoot biography. For me it’s at its best when exploring the Bigfoot myths, possibilities and the cast of characters associated with the hunt. It’s cleverly written, insightful, thought provoking and entertaining to the point that I’ve read it three times. Notable quote on finding evidence for Bigfoot via his bathroom habits: “So what does Bigfoot do? When Sasquatch goes apesh**, does it hide the evidence as careful as people do?”

Bigfoot Sasquatch Evidence (1999) by Dr. Grover Krantz – The late Washington State University professor was one of the few academics to explore the topic and admit a belief in the creature’s existence. The book uses detailed analysis of the evidence in presenting some pretty convincing arguments although it can get a bit technical and dry. It took me a while to wade through this one after a number of fits and starts. It comes out of the gate well and finishes strong but some of the analytical portions in between got me bogged down. Notable quote on the legitimacy of an Indiana footprint cast: “It also showed the two sasquatch traits that I have never revealed to anyone.” And from what I can gather he never did, what’s up with that?

The I-Files: True Reports of Unexplained Phenomena in Illinois (1999) by Jay Rath – While quite entertaining, this book only dedicates a small portion to Bigfoot amidst other topics such as UFO’s, ghosts, giant birds, killer kangaroos and The Mad Gasser of Mattoon just to name a few. Notable quote from the cover: “True reports of unexplained phenomena in Illinois” Clever, just because the reports exist doesn’t necessarily make their content true.

Cryptozoology A to Z (1999) by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark – Cryptozoology can be defined as “the search for animals whose existence has not been proven.” Well, this reference book has plenty of cryptids (proposed animals) to offer along with brief bios on some of the major players in the history of this discipline. While I believe that all of the people exist(ed), as far as all of the creatures, not so much. Notable quote from the cover: “The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras and Other Authentic Mysteries.” Similar to the previous publication, an “authentic mystery” doesn’t necessitate the existence of such creatures, but it sure sounds good.

The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide (1999) – Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe – I love field guides and have an extensive collection of Peterson, Audubon Society and Stokes editions. They are invaluable resources for those looking to learn about the great outdoors. This guide, on the other hand, is an incredible source of something, and I’ll keep it clean here by just saying “entertainment” or “legend.” It contains entries for more than fifty different creatures, many of which seem the same, categorized into nine classifications. The introduction and afterword contain some interesting discussion while the rest gets a bit redundant and fanciful. Notable quote – “If there is any truth to the testimony of eyewitnesses worldwide…” begins the second sentence of the book and the authors appear to have discounted very few, if any, reports throughout history.

And now, the Wish List (only 60 shopping days until Christmas)

The Search for Bigfoot: Man, Monster or Myth? (1960) by Peter Byrne – Although nearly sixty years old, the fact that it was penned by a Bigfoot hunting legend would make it worth a look.

Sasquatch/Bigfoot: The Search for North America’s Incredible Creature (1993) by Don Hunter with Rene Dahinden – Same as above for a book co-authored by the colorful Dahinden. If his written prose resembles his dialogue, it could certainly be a hoot.

The Making of Bigfoot: The Inside Story (2004) by Greg Long – The premise here is that the Patterson-Gimlin Film features a man in a monkey suit. It sounds interesting to check out a skeptical investigation of one of the most compelling pieces of evidence.

The Best of Sasquatch Bigfoot (2004) by John Green – This one is actually a combination of two older books written by one of the foremost authorities on the subject. Those titles, “On the Track of Sasquatch” and “Encounters with Bigfoot” are published here in one volume along with some more recent information/updates. Once again, having been written by a legendary researcher I’ll put it on my wish list.

Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science (2006) by Jeffrey Meldrum – A professor at Idaho State University, Meldrum utilizes a scientific approach and experts in various fields to examine the evidence. I have the companion video and it would be interesting to read and compare.

So, there you have it. Your assignment is to select one of these books and submit at least 500 words by Thanksgiving break. Ready, set, read…and don’t forget, nearly a week of Bigfoot left to go.

Talk to you tomorrow. Troy