Welcome to The Lycaeus Frequency’s Cryptid of the Day, a month-long series detailing a cryptid one day at a time for the month of October—by Redwood Voice’s Sebastian Monroe.
Today’s cryptid is the one and only, Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a familiar phenomenon to us here in Del Norte County, but where did he come from? Reports of the massive hairy gentleman have been traced back to the time before the Europeans arrived on the continent, with many Native American tribes having cave paintings of the big hairy fella. The earliest recorded report of him was in 1811 made by one David Thompson. Thompson spoke to The Spokane, a local Native American tribe in Washington State.
The infamous original sighting of Bigfoot, frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin Film. This was shot along Bluff Creek, in Del Norte County on the Six Rivers National Forest. Because the ape appears to have a sagittal crest, a feature found in Female chimpanzees, it’s believed this may be an alleged Female Bigfoot.
According to Thompson, The Spokane told him of a race of hairy giants that lived in one of the nearby mountains (Possibly Mt. Saint Helens or the Cascade Mountains) that would steal salmon and people while they were asleep. This was also the first time a foot-print was mentioned for a Bigfoot. Thompson said that the “giants” left footprints one and a half feet long.
In 1957 a report came from someone supposedly abducted by the giant hairy men. A man named Albert Ostman reported being “stolen” in his sleep by a Sasquatch, similar to the stories of giants told by the Spokanes. He claimed that in 1924, when he was searching for gold, he felt that someone was carrying him while he was sleeping. Ostman claimed when he woke up he could see eight feet tall Sasquatches with long arms and hairy bodies except for the padded feet, which lacked hair. Ostman also stated that the Sasquatches appeared to live as a family, like modern apes.
The alleged people-snatching, salmon-stealing giant ape may be feared by some, but Bigfoot has become a beloved symbol all over. Take this logo from the local DNATL Food Council for instance (which humorously references Bigfoot’s fish-theft days—at least he’s keeping it local.)
This situation is similar to modern accounts where baboons have reportedly stolen infants while they were sleeping. It is unknown why primates perform such behavior, however it may be related to the Ostman account. I’m sure you brave listeners all have heard a story or two about Bigfoot here in these parts, but it sure is interesting to hear where he came from.
This has been the Lycaeus Frequency Cryptid of the Day.
Edited with Pictures & Context by Persephone Rose. Thumbnail by Sebastian Monroe.
