Page 80 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

60 Mysterious Creatures

Russia, China, Australia, or Africa—is believed Bigfoot
by some anthropologists to be a two-footed Reports of a large apelike creature in the Unit-
mammal that constitutes a kind of missing link ed States and the Canadian provinces are to be
between humankind and the great apes, for its found in the oral traditions of native tribes, the
appearance is more primitive than that of journals of early settlers, and accounts in
Neanderthal. The descriptions given by wit- regional frontier newspapers, but wide public
nesses around the world are amazingly similar. attention was not called to the mysterious
Height: six to nine feet. Weight: 400 to 1,000 beast until the late 1950s when roadbuilding
pounds. Eyes: black. Dark fur or body hair from crews in the unmapped wilderness of the Bluff
one to four inches in length is said to cover the Creek area north of Eurka, California, began
creature’s entire body with the exception of the to report a large number of sightings of North
palms of its hands, the soles of its feet, and its America’s own “abominable snowman.” Once
upper facial area, nose, and eyelids. stories of giant humanlike monsters tossing
Some question the existence of giant ape- around construction crews’ small machinery
like creatures because there is so little physical and oil drums began hitting the wire services,
evidence besides casts of huge humanlike foot- hunters, hikers, and campers came forward
prints. Some researchers respond by pointing with a seemingly endless number of stories
out that Mother Nature keeps a clean house. about the shrill-squealing, seven-foot forest
Scavengers soon eat the carcasses of the largest giant that they had for years been calling by
forest creatures and the bones are scattered. such names as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Wauk-
Zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson suggested that if Wauk, Oh-Mah, or Saskehavis.
these beings are members of a subhuman race, In North America, the greatest number of
they may gather up their dead for burial in spe- sightings of Bigfoot have come from the Fraser
cial caves. Dr. Jeanne-Marie-Therese Koffman River Valley, the Strait of Georgia, and Van-
agreed that the creatures might bury their dead couver Island, British Columbia; the “Ape
in secret places. It may be, she theorized, that Canyon” region near Mt. St. Helens in south-
they may throw the corpses of the deceased western Washington; the Three Sisters Wil-
into the rushing waters of mountain rivers or derness west of Bend, Oregon; and the area
into the abysses of rocky caverns. Others around the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation,
remind the skeptical that it is not unusual for especially the Bluff Creek watershed, northeast
certain of the higher animals to hide the bod- of Eureka, California. In recent years, extreme-
ies of their dead. Accounts of the legendary ly convincing sightings of Bigfoot-type crea-
“elephants’ graveyard” are well-known; and in tures have also been made in areas of New
Ceylon, the phrase “to find a dead monkey” is York, New Jersey, Minnesota, South Carolina,
used to indicate an impossible task. Tennessee, and Florida.
Proving the existence of such creatures Reports of Bigfoot-type creatures in Cali-
may seem to many scientists to be an impossi- fornia go back to at least the 1840s when min-
ble task, but persistent searchers for undeni- ers reported encountering giant two-legged
able evidence of the apelike beings feel that beastlike monsters during the gold rush days.
proof is right around the next corner in some Sightings of the Oh-Mah, as the native tribes
darkened forest. called them, continued sporadically until
August 1958, when a construction crew was
M Delving Deeper building a road through the rugged wilderness
Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Unexplained Mysteries of near Bluff Creek, Humboldt County, and dis-
the 20th Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books, covered giant humanlike footprints in the
1989. ground around their equipment. For several
Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America. Boston: Faber mornings running, the men discovered that
& Faber, 1985. something had been disturbing their small
Dash, Mike. Borderlands. New York: Dell Books, 2000. equipment during the night. In one instance,
Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend an 800-pound tire and wheel from an earth-
Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961. moving machine had been picked up and car-

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