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Copyright February, 1995 #44 Ray Crowe, editor
Reports should be consumed between two thick slices of doubt.
ôIf you wannaÆ catch Sasquatch...you gottaÆ become a Sasquatch.ö
Scott White
FEBRUARY MEETING NOTES
* The keynote speaker at the February 23rd meeting was Jack Grauer, executive council member of the Mazamas (a mountain climbing club). He told us much of the early history of the climbing group, founded in 1894, the first president being W.G. Steel. Mr. Grauer has written two books; ôColumbia River Gorge - An Enjoyment Guide,ö 1977; and ôMt. Hood - A Complete History,ö 1975. The first, long out of print, concerns what to do and where to go in the gorge, along with colored topographical maps of the trails at that time. One of the interesting sights-to-see was; Bigfoot Center, on W. 6th at Hostetler Way, in The Dalles. Which was, of course, Peter ByrneÆs, Bigfoot Information Center.
The Mt. Hood book has several interesting chapters on various aspects of the mountain. It was first named by Lt. Wm. E. Broughton, Oct. 29th, 1792, after British naval Officer Alexander Arthur Hood. Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to view the mountain in 1805. Other interesting chapters concern a listing of climbing type accidents - the earliest recorded, a F. Kirn in 1896; a grocer who fell onto Newton Clark Glacier. Early volcanic eruptions were mentioned; in 1825 (date from tree rings) and the first witnessed eruption was in 1859.
A couple of tales of Bigfoot that Mr. Grauer had heard concerned the Beck rock throwing incident and the naming of Ape Canyon. The story was retold to people at Mt. St. Helens YMCA Camp at Spirit Lake before the eruption. Another tale told of a climb that the Mazama group had done, Sept. 11th, 1977, on the south slope of White Chuck Mountain (6989 ft.) SE of Darrington, WA. Eleven people ascended the mountain, including Jack Grauer. Halfway up, at the tree line, Mildrid Quinn decided to stay behind. Dave Westerfield had a Siberian husky that he always climbed with, that stayed to keep Mildrid company. When the other climbers descended, they met Mildrid, wide eyed. She had apparently seen a huge animal, only ten feet away. It just stood and watched her, and the dog froze - didnÆt move. Eventually the creature turned and walked away. As the group descended into a steep creek bed below, Dick Pew, Assistant Climbing Leader, found numerous bear droppings, blue with huckleberries. They determined that she had seen a grizzly bear supposedly not extinct there). Jack said the Oregon Journal newspaper had written an account of the incident.
* Larry Lund was the first with the numerous field reports; he brought in a video tape of the Ch. 6 news report on the Kaneaster investigation, aired Feb. 15th. Also a taped field interview was viewed concerning the recent Larch Mountain investigation of Lund and Neiss (Tapes available from Larry Lund, including this meeting).
Fred Bradshaw report. Peter Byrne alerted Fred to a report of tracks in the snow off Hy. 6 near Dryad, WA. On Feb. 16th at 12:45 Ken Taylor reported 300 feet of tracks in the snow, witnessed also by Bruce Miller, and Jim Padgett, co- workers of his. They had been checking traps for mountain beaver, which Ken did for Weyerhaeuser Company (logs, paper products, etc.). The tracks, perhaps two days old, were off a spur road, from Wyerhaeuser #550, T14N R5W, Sec. 25. The tracks measured 18 inches long, 7 1/2 ô wide, and 4 ô at the heel, and the stride measured 42 inches. It was raining, the snow melting rapidly, but you could see where the lone creature had circled up to a ridge, had been chewing on fir tree fronds, and went down into a swamp. Fred photographed one of the better tracks, and did make a note that the left foot had some type of injury (genetic? right foot was normal five toes) where the toes had fused together, leaving a track with only two broad points visible for toes, the front of the left foot being sort of heart shaped.
By sheer coincidence, Fred had taken a report from the same locality in mid-November, 1993, during late buck deer hunting season. The witness, Kalvin ôBearö Dahl was hunting the Bunker Creek area. He and his partner, in a taped interview, witnessed an eight foot black, pointed head, creature that was ôreally traveling.ö They were hunting on the logging landing near the swamp when the large creature to his right let out a cream like a peacock, and continued screaming until it ran into the same swamp. Another creature on the other side of the swamp screamed also.
* Rip Lyttle summarized several reports (discussed later), and introduced a friend for the meeting. RipÆs friend, Peter ôRockbadger,ö was raised in the Eugene, OR, area, and had several incidents to report. The first, on Fall Creek out of Eugene, OR, five or six (1988-89) years ago, reported seeing a Bigfoot in the snow through his rifle scope. Peter said in the 1970Æs at Gold Point, (T18S R3E, Sec. 34) he shot a rabbit and left the skin behind. During the night, he woke to extremely loud cries...undulating cries, rising to a very high shriek. He and his partner huddled with their rifles, when Peter noticed his partner had fallen asleep, rifle in hand. The next he noticed, it was the next morning, and he also had fallen asleep. Peter couldnÆt explain this, except commenting that ôheö might have ôwilled us to sleep.ö
In the same area, 1971, Peter and his partner, saw a deer, in panic and terror, run over a 12 foot waterfall, looking backwards. Peter and his partner watched, waiting to see what was chasing the deer, expecting to see a cougar. Nothing appeared, and the deer, in the middle of the day, swam off from the waterfall pool, unharmed. Later they found an apparent ôdroppingö very smelly and thin, like 30 weight oil, and covering a wide area of the trail, along which there were drag marks where something like a deer had been pulled.
There are a lot of caves in the upper Fall Creek area, Peter said. One rumor I picked up in a bar from a fellow who had an unpublished manuscript concerning the area, told of a lava blowhole that had a totem pole standing erect in it. The Indians made offerings supposedly. This was near Sardine Butte (T18S R4E Sec. 26, 5204 feet at lookout). Peter scoured the area, but never could find it. A mention was made of the Wildman of Wineberry Creek. This was a hermit who just wanted to be left alone, Peter said, and heÆd hang out along elk trails. As the years went along though, his description became more and more Bigfoot looking.
Southeast of Cottage Grove, Peter found what might be a Bigfoot bed or nest in 1978. He was on the Sharp Creek side of Bohemia Mountain (T23S R1E), and they had come to a clearing with a rocky outcrop that had a hole in the ledge. There were the remains of lots of sticks, and a pillow that had been made of green grass.
West of Eugene, near Veneta, a man and wife on a Vespa scooter, were coasting downhill in 1985 when they came upon a Bigfoot sleeping in the ditch. The sandy-brown creature with reddish hair tuned and looked at them as they coasted by.
In 1967 a Forest Service Geologist was doing some work concerning the building of trails on the North Santiam River, east of Mehama, OR, and was followed by something that whacked sticks numerous times.
WBS FIELD TRIP TO MIMA MOUNDS
In 1840 Captain Charles Wilkes while surveying described finding many conical mounds, 30 foot diameter, and 6-7 feet high, in the plains SW of present Olympia, WA. Hudson BayÆs Paul Kane also described and painted a picture of the tumuli (mounds) in 1847.
On February 26th, members of the WBS responding to the announcement of an outing at the Feb. 23rd meeting, gathered at the Mima Mounds site near Littlerock, WA. The mysterious gravel mounds once covered thousands of acres, but mostly have been leveled for agriculture. A concrete viewing tower and interpretative center at the site indicates that various ideas have been around since 1913 when geologist J. Harlen Bretz theorized that the silt blowing across ice sheets was the cause, settling in hollows and helping to cement the gravel when the ice melted. The randomly sorted sand and gravel formations are at the edge of the Vashon Glacier that existed during the Ice Age, 10-12,000 years ago. In 1940, R.C. Newcomb indicated that the mounds were the ôcollapsed remains of buckled blocks of frozen ground.ö As the permafrost melted, erosion deepened the areas between the individual blocks, leaving the mounds.
Walter Daiquest, a mammalogist, advanced a theory in 1941, that when the Vashon Glacier receded 10,000 years ago, pocket gophers (Thomomys mazama) arranged the thin topsoil into mounded nests which grew in size, generation after generation. There appeared to be a lot of evidence for that theory also, including a high humus level in the mounds. The slopes are about 30 degrees, the best angle for resisting erosion (most slopes tend to stabilize at that point).
My favorite of the theories was not volcanic eruptions, burial mounds (they are empty), or giant ant hills...but the story that Paul Bunyan had heard of the Great Wall of China, and decided America needed a great wall also. Hiring thousands to dig the gravel, they did, but unhappy with the way Paul was feeding them, the workers dropped the barrows and left, the barrows have long since rotted away, leaving the mounds of gravel. His job was done though, as the Cascade Mountains was the wall, and the hole they dug filled in with water, and came to be known as the Pacific Ocean.
NEW SIGHTING STUFF
* Christina Taylor reported she and her fiancee were driving south out of Hood River, OR, on Hy. 35, and stopped south of Sherwood Forest Camp (T2S R10E- creek to the west) on the east slope of Mt. Hood. They found a single track in soft ground, one inch deep. They used a stick (took it home) to measure the length at 17 inches, the toes were apparent. Maximum width was not measured, but she guessed at 6-7 inches. The area was covered in small sticks and pine needles. No other tracks were found, but one area might have had an impression. The lead was from Tod Deery of the Bigfoot Research Project. TR#41, Sept. 1994, had a report from nearby Polallie Camp area. Again, a single foot print was found on the trail. In earlier issue, Peter Byrne theorized that Bigfoot goes out of his way to not leave tracks. Tod Deery was also the host at the 2/26 pre-meeting dinner, representing the Bigfoot Research Project, 1-800- BIGFOOT
* Investigation report from Frank Kaneaster, Jr., Bigfoot Headquarters, PO Box 105, Colton, OR. Feb. 3rd, Frank received a report from a farmer from near Welches, OR (T3S R7E). He and his wife, went to investigate the next day, and found the farmer had lost a goat, and a ten foot fence had been torn down. Bigfoot tracks were ôplain as day,ö measuring 15 X 7 inches, with a 54 inch stride. Five toes were seen in the mud, and several of the tracks were plaster casted. Circling the area, the missing goat was found 100 yards away in a thicket of brush. The milk bags, liver and heart were missing. As Frank kept returning to the scene, he found the next night that the dead goat had been dragged another 200 feet, possibly by a cougar, and draped across the horizontal limb of an alder tree, only a few feet in the air, where daily checks indicated no further disturbance. Eventually, decomposing, it fell from the tree. I contacted Channel 6, KOIN, news, and they did a three minute interview segment of Frank and his wife, Barbie, at Welches, OR, behind the grade school, that aired Feb. 20th. It took 3 1/2 hours to film the segment, the goat being edited out.
* Investigator Rip Lyttle talked to a lady at a music store that reported a sighting 2/8/95, from near Ecola State Park, Oregon (T5N R10W), that lasted several seconds. The creature was dark, and running away from her, ôall arms,ö she said, and they were moving in a piston-like motion. A male friend with her did not see the creature. Rip has some suspicions concerning this report, as the possibility of mind-altering drugs was suspected. At the meeting Rip mentioned that he has also talked to a lady that had reported, while using LSD, that she had seen a Bigfoot at Multnomah Falls, OR (on the Columbia River). Hallucination...or maybe BF doesnÆt feel threatened at this time?
RipÆs not sure if this is a valid report or not. The man, Matt, was camping near Saddle Mt. State Park, Feb. 11/12th, at the Jct. of Lewis and Clark Road and the main park road (T6N R8W, sec. 31). Just before going to sleep, he heard a loud rapping on trees, but could see nothing with his flashlight. When asleep, he reported a peculiar dream; he heard strange sounds in his sleep, and saw the tent being unzipped, when a ôbig black wide face with no hairö appeared. The next morning there were no tracks and the tent was zipped up. Said heÆd never had the tent ôheebie-jeebiesö before. Rip wonders if this might be some ômind-trickö a Bigfoot was playing, or the tree raps might have been overly suggestive.
Matt did say though, that his uncle and grandfather had a mine east of Albany, OR, on the Santiam River, 20-30 years ago. They built a cabin and had cut many logs and one night were awakened in the cabin by a loud boom. Going outside they found an 8 foot by 18 inch log that had been hurled on top of the cabin, apparently from 80 feet away.
* Peter Byrne received a call reporting a sighting of Bigfoot at 6:30 AM, 2/10, from NE of Vancouver, WA. The information was passed to Larry Lund to investigate. Todd Neiss, Larry, and the witness, Evan Canoose, went to the site near Larch Mountain Honor camp (T3N R4E, Sec. 4), where the witness had stayed overnight with three companions that did not see the creature. At the Rock Creek Camp, a diligent search revealed no tracks, hairs, or other traces of the Bigfoot. The area along the fir-tree lined trail was rocky, and next to it was heavy undergrowth of sword- fern and salal. Extensive areas of sticker-bushes were also searched for hairs. The witness said he saw it from 30-40 feet away, but it had an ôout-of-focusö quality. He and the creature stared at each other for 45 seconds, and he described the creature as red-orange, like an orangutan, built large, wide in the chest and waist, and having a black face and black chest markings. It occasionally moved its right arm and hand to-and-fro. There was no smell or noises heard. Evan estimated the height of the creature at 6Æ4ö, based on where it stood next to a tree. Feeling uneasy, Evan Canoose returned to his car, not knowing what the ôblurryö creature did, and didnÆt tell his companions of the encounter until the trip home. Larry thought the creature might have approached the camp in search of garbage. While searching the area, Todd found a stump that had been trashed for insects, no claw marks, and a large ôsleepingö hole under a fallen log.
OLD FOOT NOTES
* Thorne Barnes recalls when he was 12 years old, and attending a church camp on the Wind River near Carson, WA. He and another boy were taking their swimming lesson in the spring of 1983 around noon, and the camp councilor had left momentarily to go to his cabin. It was then that a 7 foot tall creature with 4 inch long, dark shaggy, uniformly brown hair covering its body, put in an appearance near the fishing dock, 50-75 feet away. Both boys got a good look, as it stared momentarily at them, and then ran along the bank, displaying its profile, and disappeared into the brush and trees. A cross between a growl and a scream was heard. The hair completely covered the body, even the face, except for an area around the eyes. The round head was not cone shaped and it had a long beard. Some whitish skin was seen on the knuckles.
* Went to visit Peter Byrne to say good-bye prior to his 2/15 departure for Nepal, where heÆll be involved in an engineering project to erect a dam, preventing water from draining from a dying lake where wildlife is suffering. HeÆs due back in mid-March. During the course of conversation Peter mentioned a Bigfoot killing. Seems two hunters from Ohio went to a spot near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1965, and were road-hunting...shooting from the window of their car window. They saw a coyote and shot it, but did not kill the animal. Following it over a small embankment, they encountered a Bigfoot, and promptly shot it in the chest with a 30-.06. The Bigfoot fell over on its back, and lay there quivering; its fingers opening and closing, and the eyes opening and closing. On closer investigation, they noticed the thing looked human, and were sure they had shot some farmers handicapped child, and fearing a police charge...they got back into their car and headed back to Ohio. It was seven years before they told anybody, and then the story spread. Peter tracked the story back to its source, returned to the area with one of the men and spent a week in 1972 searching for bones and teeth with Patry Hull as an assistant. Nothing was found.
* Matt Dennis report from INTERNET. Ferry Butte Road, between the towns of Blackfoot, and Shelly, ID, on Shoshone Bannock Reservation, 10-15 years ago. Incident reported in Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, ID. Woman in trailer called Indian Police (Richard Thompson) at Sheriff Dept., who called in State Police. Terrible smell reported, growling, loud, angry noise reported. Close to dark, nobody wanted to check disturbance, so lady was brought into town until next day. Next day, grass was found matted down around trailer.
Also, 12 years ago a 12 year old girl traveling from Rexburg, ID to Idaho Falls, via Sage Jct.. past Beaver Dick Park. Mostly desert and farms. At a large rock outcrop near the road, the daughter started screaming to stop the car. There was a strange looking object on top of the rock-pile, that got up and walked away. There are major lava flows near here that could have natural lava tunnels and sink holes that Bigfoot could live in.
Also, story of little people in Indian legend. Stories told of the little people that would come and take the children away, and some of them never returned. The kids that came back were nuts, and it was said that the little people would eat the kids. Then at a big Pow Wow the elders got together and prayed to the Great Spirit for help from the little people. He felt sad, and sent the tribe a Great Protector, Sasquatch, to protect the children from the little people. The Sasquatch lived in the woods and kept them clear from invaders of the people. In return the tribe would hold dances to the Sasquatch, burn sage, and leave food and other offerings as a thanks for the protection of the Great Spirit.
* Credit Mike Phillips; America Online; No date for incident. I was canoeing with friends (Andy B.) near Boca Reservoir on the NV-Cal border when we saw long, skinny footprints ( four toes - one big and three little, longer than a size 13) in the mud and followed them until we found a five foot wide creek that the thing had stutter-stepped over and landed on two feet. The footprints were twice as deep as mine, I weigh 180 pounds. It walked with a long stride, the biggest member in our camp (6Æ2ö) could not match it. On the other side of the creek you could see where it slipped a little, picked up its pace, and ventured into the forest. Two hours later we heard some kind of animal screams in the night. There was also a stink that I can only describe as...animal. My friend thought it smelled like a wet dog.
* From Bill Green, Dir. NE Bigfoot Center; Wilma D. writes of incident from Plain Dealing, LA, near the Arkansas line.Thick and wooded area, lots of trees and streams. There are reports over the years of something around bayous of Louisiana. Enclosed is a drawing of a creature seen near the back of the property where a natural spring runs very cool water. In the early evening this creature was seen to run across the small clearing (no date given).
* Kurt Wagoner reports talking to a lady in Bend, OR, that had been camping near Paulina Peak, 7897 ft., OR (T12S R21S), along a game trail, eight years ago. In the early morning hours there was a terrific scream. She told some Forest Service rangers (Deschutes National Forest), who showed her a plaster Bigfoot track from a creature that had been seen crossing a road by two rangers, and told her, ôthis is probably the creature you heard.ö Kurt tried to track this lead down, but the ranger had retired (he had the name), but the Forest Service people werenÆt giving out any info.
* Rip Lyttle interviewed some Prindle, WA, residents 2/19. One long time hunter-businessman-resident, reported seeing a giant man standing below Prindle Mt., Hy. 14, on a precipice, in the early morning mist, two years ago. Another said he had seen a perfect 14 inch bare track in the snow a few years ago. Also, a third long time Skamania County resident reported seeing in the 60Æs, two silver, round, UFOÆs above Mt. Pleasant, two nights in a row. They had white lights around the outside rim.
Rip wanted to add to his personal sighting report from last issue (TR#43) that he was bushwhacking (walking off the trail), and heard noise (sticks being stepped on). First at 9:00 AM, to the left, then 10 seconds later, and again at 11:00, to the left and slightly ahead. When Rip was looking straight ahead and this big thing, tallish, passed between two trees four feet apart, and 30 feet away. It was tall, 6 1/2 to 8 feet, 2-3 feet thick, and walked between the trees to the right, then all was quiet. Rip waited and went ahead, heading west into the sun where the thing passed. There were cliffs 30 yards to the left, 500 feet high, so he was between it and the cliffs when it seemed to be flushed out of the narrow area. ôThen it moved ahead and passed in front of me, and I thought it didnÆt necessarily need to show itself to me, but I got a pretty good look...it was 2:00 PM and in view about a full second.ö
* Herb Gray said he had gone hunting on Rice Road (south of Cochran Rd.), west of Timber, OR, (T3N R5W) in the spring of 1979, and at a soft spot near the creek found a huge track, 18-20 inches long, and sunk 4 inches into the sediment. There were no other tracks. He was telling a friend who he said he also had seen a track nearby, between Hy. 26 and Timber. Further towards the coast, at Elderberry, a friend, Larry S., saw a Bigfoot in the road.
When Herb was 12 in 1972, he lived on the outskirts of Vancouver, WA, near Salmon Creek and 115th St. (T2N R1E). At the turn of the century Anderson Dairy farm, he says one of the hands had his leg lifted while lying in bed. He thought it was a child that lived nearby, but the dogs were making such a ruckus, he went to investigate, and saw a large hairy thing running along a hedge-row.
In 1985 Herb bought a German shepherd dog from Darleen C., who has 20 acres on the outskirts of Battleground, WA. She told him that her neighborÆs horse dumped him when he was investigating strange noises near the woods on his land. His wife had also seen something dragging a deer off the road. Larry Lund plans to look into this report.
MISCELLANY
* Member Sharon Jones (Spoke of Molalla River Bigfoot at WBS meetings) has had multiple bypass surgery, and an amputation at Salem Memorial Hospital. Those that would like to send a card may do so at her home address: 1257 Kennedy St., Woodburn, OR 97071. We all hope you recover soon Sharon.
* Peter ByrneÆs article about BigfootÆs smell on the inside cover of TR#42 has caused some degree of speculation...enough so that I thought this a good time to run this article by Wayne Moore concerning the topic.
ôBIG GNOME PHEROMONEö WAYNE MOORE
IF NEVER HAVE YOU SMELLED A SMELL THAT SMELLED LIKE THAT SMELL SMELLED, you have something in common with hundreds of otherwise normal people, all of whose experience has resulted in varying degrees of apprehension, anxiety, loss of self confidence, even fear. A common response among these folks is...öI have no idea why I felt that way; I just wanted to get out of there.ö Sound familiar? If it does you are one of many people who have had a first person experience with the most commonly described phenomenon-manifestation attributed to encounters with the legendary American Northwest ôSasquatchö...The desire to run away. It is not necessary for you to have seen such a creature or even to believe that such a creature can exist. Most of the people who have experienced this phenomenon (unexplained apprehension associated with varying degrees of desire to flee while in a specific Northwest outdoor environment that is obviously non-threatening) have no experience with Sasquatch or with the people pursuing the legendary creature. Yet there remains this experience that has a very real effect on their lives. An experience that at the time seems unique to the people who experienced the event but is one that turns out to be identical to that described by people who have had an event occur in their lives that did involve a ôSasquatch.ö The unusual similarity of the experiences in people of often diametrically opposed perspectives has been one of the motivating factors that causes me to propose the following hypotheses.
BIG GNOME PHEROMONES
Most species of animal and all mammals have to some degree developed a sense of smell and specific reactions to chemicals that are detected by that olfactory sense. Some animals have highly developed glands that Most species of animal and all mammals have to some degree evolved a sense of smell and specific reactions to chemicals detected by that olfactory sense. Some animals have highly developed glands that secrete solutions used for marking territory or group and family members. Other animals use this ability for defense or aggression and most animals use some for of this sense for sexual attraction, stimulation and status. All mammals use this sense in some form. Ourselves most pointedly included. Pheromone distribution may cover distances of many miles. These chemicals vary in particulate size and in their reactivity to other animals of the same species and to animals of other species. For instance if a cat chooses to be your companion the cat will rub against you placing a scent on you (and everything else the cat decides is its property). This scent is completely transparent to you. that is to say, you have no conscious reaction to this scent at all. It creates no discernible physiological changes in your body. If however you get anywhere near the chemical excretion from a skunk your reaction will be very powerful and may even make you physically ill. The physiological changes this chemical stimulates in your body are obvious. All smells affect our brains directly without any preliminary conscious editing, filtering or response. We donÆt have to think about reacting to smells. We just do it. This is a primary reaction. Some smells have a secondary reaction that is the result of learned behavior. For example sewers stink and lilacs smell pleasant. To a skunk or a shrew the sewer may be the more appreciated smell because of the greater abundance of insects, worms, etceteras associated with the sewer. In this scenario the reactions of the human, the skunk and the shrew demonstrate learned behaviors. Primary responses are the behavioral responses to scent that are not learned. These are the defensive, territorial and sexual responses. We have words for the various pheromones, hormones and related chemicals and for the reactions they generate. It is extremely difficult to modify those reactions. With effort, so direct a response is modifiable but can never be eliminated. The things you smell effect the physiological response areas of your brain directly. No conscious thought is necessary to make you react. Accepting this as fact, any pheromone, even if you are not consciously aware of smelling it, that can cause you to experience flight-reflex-response, will make you, apparently without volition, feel very uneasy or even leave the area you are in. If this occurs you will have no rational explanation for your behavior. you will lack demonstrable stimulus for your reaction. Your conscious mind, because it requires a certain amount of cause and effect to maintain rational thought, will interpret your reaction as fear caused by nearly anything it can imagine including the perception of great danger. I suggest to you that when a deer smells a man and takes flight that the deer is not doing so in fear and panic or solely in response to the civilized odors we carry about us, but as a flight reflex response to the scents and pheromones excreted by the man. The flight reflex allows an animal to respond with high adrenaline level activity without losing control of its body or requiring any time wasting evaluative processes. Even though the response to the stimulus is as explosive and as sustained as a pure panic reaction, the animal maintains physical coordination, and awareness of the environment is not diminished. Pure panic reactions may involve inability to move, loss of coordination, erratic judgments and reactions, or lethargic react- ions. Pure flight reflex rarely exhibits such destructive behavior. I further suggest that this may have happened to you.
Now let us make a huge assumption just for the sake of argument. LetÆs assume that there is a very reclusive creature with the instincts of a deer and an intellect somewhat greater than an orangutan or a chimpanzee roaming the forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. While weÆre at it, let us place this creatureÆs genetics closer to the Lowland Gorillas than to the orangutans or a chimpanzee. LetÆs further assume (while weÆre letting the word assume do its thing) that this creature entered the grasslands some time after early man and evolved competing with man and that one adaptation made by this creature is that it can excrete a chemical that varies in volume or strength according to the creatureÆs level of anxiety. Carrying this a bit further letÆs assume that we are reactive to this chemical (it would have no value to the creature if we were not) and unlike our reaction to the catÆs pheromones, we do react with this pheromone and that the form of the reaction is a flight reflex. In this scenario the creatures would leave a faint residual of the pheromone on the ground, shrubs and trees located in the areas through which they had passed. The residual pheromone would be proportionately more concentrated in areas that they had used for a more protracted time. the creatures would carry in their hair and impregnated in areas of their skin fairly high residual levels of these pheromones. When startled, frightened, aggressive or sexually aroused the creature would excrete proportionately higher levels of the pheromones causing the immediate area around and downwind of the creature to contain significantly higher levels of he pheromones. Keep in mind that you would never be aware of smelling the pheromones themselves as they directly affect only areas of your brain below and much more primitive than the self-aware cerebellum. These pheromones directly affect your autonomic systems.
Given these assumptions, if you were to enter an area where the creatures had recently been you would feel an unexplained anxiety associated with an urge to leave the area. If you were close enough to a creature to scent the strong residual reservoirs of pheromones from the body of the animal you would experience a very uncomfortable desire to be somewhere else, some involuntary movement and anxiety great enough to make you feel concern about your mental state. If you had startled or frightened such a creature and you were close enough to scent the fresh pheromones from the creature you would experience non-volitional movement of such magnitude that you would physically withdraw from the area without making any rational choice to do so. You would experience anxiety great enough to cause you to rationalize its cause, muscle tremors, muscle tension in the neck sufficient to cause a headache, inability to clearly describe what you experienced or inability to remember clearly what you experienced, ongoing anxiety sufficient to be distracting, sleep loss, a strong fear of being ridiculed, apprehension concerning the area in which your event occurred or areas similar to that area.
These are some very severe reactions. These reactions are not conjecture, they are real reactions common to people who have had a ôSasquatchö related experience and to people who have had a similar experience that was not ôSasquatchö related.
The following statements appear to be true. These people have experienced a real event. The physiological reactions experienced by these people are a response to an environmental stimulus.The physiological stimulus is natural in origin. The reaction is involuntary and unavoidable. Once the individual is aware of what is occurring the reaction is controllable. The reaction to the stimulus that causes measurable physiological changes to occur in a person subjected to the stimulus is a repeatable event.
You may draw your own conclusions about the existence or non-existence of the legendary ôSasquatchö but, based on empirical evidence, the probability of the existence of yet another unknown hominid existing on this planet is greater than zero. In any event that is a number that ought naught be ciphered out of our Northwest perambulations.
* Park Ranger Darren Bureshailo of Edmonton, Canada, called to tell of a sighting of Bigfoot reported to him. The witness had been driving in the middle of the night, January 24th, in the area of Hangman Valley, on the southwest side of Mt. Robson (12,972 ft) Provincial Park, off Hy. 16, west of Edmonton, Alberta. In the headlights, the six foot creature ran in front of the car, crossing the road at a jog, very quickly with only a few steps, and having a funny arm stride, the arms swinging way ahead of the body.
Darren said that the Indians in the area from a hundred years ago had legends of the ôMan Of The Bush.ö He said that he had worked for the Alberta Fish and Game Dept. for ten years, and has only seen Bigfoot tracks once. They keep a log of strange things, and he says a copy will be sent. Another recent entry in the log was by Greg H. on Jan. 12th, also from the Hangman Valley area. The pair of hikers saw from 1-2 kilometers away, a black Bigfoot cross a cut-line in the timber. It stopped and looked at them, then walked off, swaying, and taking itÆs time, into the bush.
Darren Bureshailo called again at 10:15 AM PST, 2/9/95 to report that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had notified him that loggers on the way to work at 7:30 AM MST, reported by radio that they had encountered two creatures moving at a distance on a ridge above Ghost Creek, SW of Mt. Robson, Canada. They had been driving on a back road when they saw the creatures in the distance. A helicopter team was on the way to check it out at the time.
*****Suspect the above Alberta reports are a fraud. The Fish and Game Dept. does not know who this person is, nor his supposed superior. RCMP Investigative Division has been notified. No further calls or mail from him have come in.
NEW BOOKS & OTHER STUFF
* Randy Cornelison has decided to try a phone update number for Bigfoot stuff in the upcoming Track Record. The number, 1-900-336-2020 ext. 395, costs $2.00 per minute, average call six minutes. Strauss Ent., Carmel, CA (408) 625-1910, Under 18 must get parentÆs permission. Touch Tone Phone Required. IÆll try to update him on stuff as it comes in, and if you have something...call him at (503) 235-2399 (donÆt forget to tell me also).
* Bigfoot At Baker Festival. Glacier, WA, June 17-19. Includes a parade, a Bigfoot look-alike contest, and other activities. Maple Falls, WA (206) 671-4611.
* Larry and Doris Lund were guests on the NBC television show ôThe Other Side,ö which aired in Portland, Jan. 7th. Larry has tape copies of the show, which featured, among others, Secretary of the Cryptozoological Society, Greenwell, and Bigfoot witness Scott Herriott, who saw a Bigfoot near the mouth of the Klamath River, CA, two years ago. They met Jay Leno, ôTonight Show,ö and might be invited to appear next summer, when they plan another interview with Dr. Will Miller, on ôThe Other Side.ö Photos of Larry and Doris with Jay appeared in TR#43.
* The Search For Enigmatic Animals, Chad Arment. 65 pages, paper cover, about 5 x 8 inches. Send $11.00 post paid, to 7905 S. Kessler-Frederick Road; Tipp City, OH 45371. Now hereÆs a really terrific little book that should be in every library. ItÆs stuffed full of little tid-bits of information for the researcher...and yes, IÆll even revise some of my procedures. The guide is unique in that it tells ôhowö to investigate a creature report. Such areas as the basics of investigation, networking, reporting, evaluating witnesses, and digging out historical information is covered. Also sample attempts to obtain information from the government via the Freedom Of Information Act are covered, often humorously. Special interviews with other investigators are capsuled; Mark Hall, Mark Opsasnick, Mike Quast, Bob Chance, Michael Frizzell, and yours truly. ThereÆs even a list of books and newsletters concerning crypto creatures.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
* Bill Green, Dir. New England Bigfoot Center (21 Benham St., Apt. F, Bristol, CT 06010), sent the WBS a letter he
had received from J.J. in Stillwell, Oklahoma, who had a personal sighting in 1994. It happened in a small town near here. I was visiting an ex-friend of my family, ôDan,ö and they own a slaughter house in the country outside of town. There have been reports from others besides this family for years, of strange things happening in this land. Among the reports are UFO sightings, ghost lights along the dirt road and bridge, and a number of Bigfoot sightings.
We spent the day touring their land and there are 3-4 abandoned silos scattered there. Dan said that on several occasions the family had witnessed Bigfoot...one early pre-dawn morning they heard high pitched screams coming from one of the silos in the distance. Thinking that a woman was trapped inside, they went to investigate...maybe teenagers were out on their property and were partying, and someone crawled inside a silo and became trapped. Getting flashlights, Dan, his mother, and another man reached the silo. Dan climbed on top and was about to shine the flashlight inside, while his mother was going to do the same through a small entrance at the bottom. When they heard the high-pitched scream inside and another from a distance. At this time they started to realize something other-than- human was at work here. Dan nearly fell coming down, and all three started running back to the house. Halfway back they realized something was chasing them from behind, and from both sides in the woods on either side of the trail. From what they could make out it was Bigfoot...the classic description of Bigfoot. They made it out of the trees and home, but said the rest of the morning they could see 4-5 creatures in the distance moving in and out of the trees.
Weeks later while working late in the slaughter house, Dan and his little brother, who is about 8 or 9, were walking the 100 or so yards to the house, and his little brother turned to see a creature squatting behind the slaughterhouse. It was completely covered with snow-white hair. He screamed and started running toward the house. My friend did not see this, but his little brother still wonÆt go out at night alone and has nightmares. Cattle and pigs and other livestock come up missing and sometimes a head is all that is found on the property.
I cannot say if these stories are true, IÆve only heard them second hand. But I had my own experience there. After we had spent the day exploring the area, we decided to stay up late. We did not discuss anything at that time about what had happened or been seen by others. During the night about 11:30 or 12 midnight, I was left alone at the trailer that is down in a field from the parents main house and the slaughter house. It was a full moon, so the night was bright with its light. Everyone had went up to the main house to meet some friends that had just arrived. After about 30 minutes I started to feel uncomfortable. Now IÆm not afraid of things that go bump in the night...IÆm more afraid of gun or knife wielding humans. But, I started to feel I was being watched, so I started walking up to the main house. Once I reached it I stood between it and a shack that had been converted into a room for one of the brothers that was there. To the left of it was a bamboo bush that stood about eight to 12 feet tall. I heard something moving in the grass on the other side of it. Thinking my friends were trying to scare me, I yelled out, ô I heard you guys, itÆs not going to work.ô No response. ôCome on guys, this isnÆt funny!ö Still no response. Then the bamboo slowly parted halfway up. I looked up and I was eye to eye with an albino creature with pink skin and red eyes. My heart nearly started out of my chest. I got numb and tingly all over and started to sweat. My eyes started tearing and I wanted to run, but couldnÆt move. Then I grew calm, the look on the creatures face was of surprise and fear. Like it was as scared of me as I was of it. We stood locked eye to eye for what seemed an eternity, then I heard my friends coming out of the house behind me. The bamboo closed and I heard it running off into the distance. To this day we kept very quiet about this. I no longer see Dan and I have never returned to this place, but that memory will always be with me. It was both terrifying and wonderful. IÆve never heard of an albino Bigfoot, but now have seen one. I donÆt believe these creatures mean us harm. Maybe when they choose they are curious and playful. Lets just hope, we as humans, try to understand and learn from them...not harm them. We are not alone on this planet or in this universe. Trust and peace will possibly lead to our final proof that these other inhabitants of our planet exist.
Another card Bill passed on said just after August 1st in 1978 and 1991, a Bigfoot-like creature was seen near Stillwell, OK. May 1971 a similar being was seen near El Reno, OK. In Sept. 1975 one was sighted near Noxie, OK.
* Continued from TR#43. Valentin B. Sapunov, St. Petersburg, Russia, Dec. 1st, 1994. My society, ôCryptobiology,ö studies rare biological creatures. ( Dr. Sapunov is the Professor of Biology at the Peter Academy of Sciences and Arts in St. Petersburg.)
MOON GHOSTS OF TIAN-SHAN
In 1989 we worked in the region of Aksu-Dzhabagly of Tian-Shan. The Abominable Snowman visited our camp personally. That summer we prolonged our study in the mountains, the place of work selected and recommended by the famous scientist from Alma-Ata, professor P.T. Marikovsky. He suggested two regions: Canyon Merke/Kazachstan, and Canyon Chon-Chichkan/Kirgisia. I arrived in Alma-Ata by train and from there took the bus with B.T. Khalthrin. Arriving at the village Lugovoe, we hiked to the mountains on a trail that went through the Kirgiz Range. There were many shepherds there, and all of them held the deepest respect for the Russian people. Everyone we met invited us into their homes and entertained us.
Aksakal, an old respected man told us: many years ago Dzestarnacks lived here. These were wild people with copper colored fingernails. But they have disappeared now. We collected information about a UFO and its pilots, but no information on the presence of Snowmen. Of biological interest, some time ago hunters in the area caught an albino wolf, and let him go.
We crossed the Kirgiz Range (4 km elevation) and went down into Talass Valley. In another days time we arrived in the Canyon Chon-Chickan, but unfortunately for us, geologists had found a gold deposit here. The number of gold prospectors here meant all Wild-people, of course, had left this place. We did visit some tunnels made by the miners, looking for bones of the Snowman, but had no success.
Arriving at the next point of our mission, Canyon Merke, some interesting information was related by the school teacher, A.P. Pechersky. In 1972 he had gone to the mountains with some schoolboys. The aim of the trip was to search for historical monuments. The first camp was at 2600 meters, and in the middle of the night Pechersky woke up hearing loud steps. Something then attacked part of the tent. The teacher took a gun, switched on a flashlight, and a big hairy arm showed up in the tent door. In the morning everybody sensed the presence of something near the camp. Birds trumpeted warnings at the air. Leaving the camp, Pechersky saw a human-like animal covered with brown fur, crossing the canyon with great speed. The next evening, a new meeting took place.
Another old story of Wild-people in this place took place in 1934. A shepherd family lost their baby. He disappeared during one minute when the parents were not watching. In three days the child appeared back again, calm and satisfied. At this time some shepherds saw in the mountains giant hairy people. This people-animal appeared in the moonlight and then disappeared. The famous hunter Mauer decided to kill the demons. The searching continued for some months, and at last the hunter went through the snow field tracking the demon. At the end of the trek, the terrible monster stood up, and Mauer shot. The cry of the Wildman was horrible and the hunter fell down in a faint. Coming to himself, he saw the face of a man in front of him. Mauer fell down again, and when he awoke this time, he sensed that the demon was licking his face without any signs of aggression. Shook, Mauer returned home and said, ôDemons of the mountains have no ill-will for the people, hence, we canÆt harm them.ö
In 1976 and 1985, A. Pechersky and other people saw footprints of a Wildman in Merke Canyon. In 1987 some schoolboys saw babies of the Wildman playing. There are no more recent reports of the Wildman from this area. Pechersky informed me about the character of the Wildman footprint found in 1976. The track appeared to have six toes, and this fact must be commented on. Two important genetic processes take place in small populations - inbreeding and genetic drift. They increase the frequency of abnormal forms in populations, according to the law of inherited variability founded by the Russian scientist, N. T. Vavilov. The pattern of forms of close species is the same; the close species for Wildman are men and apes. Sometimes they have such abnormalities such as syndactily (two fingers) and polydactily (six fingers). Detection of such a trait in Wildman would suggest this control by main genetic laws. In 1981 Moscow zoologist V. Makarov detected syndactilic footprints in the Pamir. Pechersky informs me about a six toed print in Canyon Merke. The fact was strange for the witness, but real for me as a biologist.
After talking with Pechersky, we went to the canyon. It appeared to have radon sources and deposits of uranium. According to the inhabitants of the village Merke, the level of radiation in the canyon is high, but not dangerous.
We analyzed results of the expedition to Alma-Ata together with Professor Marikovsky. Witness information suggested that the Wildman exists in the Tien-Shan Mountains, but its population is decreasing. The most productive regions for future work are places with low anthropogenic pressure, that is boundary zones and reserves.
Summer season is finished, but the scientific research work continues. Prospective approaches for an understanding of the nature of the Wildman is a comparison of the two populations from Northwest of Russia and at Tian-Shan. the results of the relationships are in the table. We didnÆt come to any conclusions in the scientific work, but an approach to the understanding of the evolution of the human genera was realized; thinking man and Wildman.
* INTERNET computer report, credit to Henry Franzoni. Early June 1962, Goldsborough, NC. Witness, G. L., was 6 years old, father at Seymore Johnson Air Force Base as tech rep for flight simulation company. Lived 12 miles from base in trailer park surrounded by uninhabited woodlands. Saw many large droppings in woods. In summer the road sprayed with tar-oil to keep dust down. Loud scratching on aluminum sided trailer, higher than animal could reach. Looked out window and in moonlight saw lumbering down the road a huge hairy creature, very tall, head a foot or so above the window, and a few hundred feet away. Gait funny, somewhat hunched, and it stopped a few times to sniff the air, massive arms, the hands hung below knees.. It looked directly at me and I saw its face in the moon light. Wetness soaked pajamas. Next morning a new puppy was found dead from apparent snapped neck. Saw single track in tar of road. A baby-sitter called the creature a Wampus Cat.
Cathy, 15, the baby-sitter, said her brother Donald Ray had seen the Wampus Cat also. He said that a lady in Mount Upton was attacked by Wampus Cat a few weeks back, as he read in paper. She had been driving when the creature dropped on top of car, causing her to crash into a tree. Hairy hands clung to both sides of car roof, fingers in windows, and hairy legs and feet hanging off back of car.
When grown up, witness met a friend, B.V., who had been in Goldsborough, NC, when he was 14- or 15. BV thought he was unique in hearing of the Wampus Cat at his GrandfatherÆs house, about 12 miles from McDanielÆs trailer park where I had lived. BV had seen a Wampus Cat and tracked it with his grandfather and his hunting dogs several times. Creature considered a hassle rather than a threat, constantly destroying his garden and eating wild berries off bushes, ripping the whole plants up by the roots. BV had a mid-sixties black and white photo. They had just poured a cement floor for a barn. That night dogs went nuts, and next morning two were dead with necks broken, and there were paw prints and two huge inhuman footprints in the cement.
Internet. Tracks were found 3-4 years ago around Carson, WA. 6-8 inches of snow on the road and we went in with a truck. 15 inch tracks that were big. Tracks went down a hill and off into dense forest. The 4-6 foot stride had toe prints but not claw marks, went down the hill about 100 yards. John Green did a phone interview based on a photo of the tracks submitted by friends grandmother.
Internet. IÆm not sure if a Bigfoot story, but something happened during the summer of 1993. I worked for the Fst. Service as an Assistant Wilderness Ranger in the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness, CN. My partner and I were on patrol 100 miles from the nearest town and clearing trail. Asleep in my tent, I heard something walking around my tent that I thought was a bear or something. I was lying there scared and awake, when all of a sudden something clamped down on my leg through the tent. I screamed and heard it leaving. My partner told me the next day that she hadnÆt been up nor heard anything. I still donÆt know what it was, but it really felt like a hand closing around my leg.
* Dr. Fahrenbach of the Oregon Regional Primate Center, called to let us know that hair samples left with him on our October 26th group visit had been examined. Bad news for us. The white hairs submitted from Gales Creek were those of a rodent (rabbit?); the black hairs from the North River were of a dyed synthetic fiber, probably cotton. The black hairs from the Lebanon area were cow hairs, he said. Well members, keep on looking. Dr. Fahrenbach stresses that a possible Bigfoot bed, when located, should be searched closely for hairs. Carry a magnifying glass when you go into the field. Try to avoid touching the hairs if you find any, as it is possible that DNA could be analyzed.
* HereÆs a poser for us. In the January 1995 issue of the Mammoth Trumpet, excavations at an early man site in Montana have been shut down, awaiting clarification of the federal law that protects human remains from desecration. The site was the first where shed human hairs had been recovered, and were in the process of being DNA typed. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 was enacted to be sure that all human remains are respected, and those in collections of museums and research organizations must be repatriated to tribal organizations. This includes bones, teeth, hair, and ashes. So...if Bigfoot someday proves to be human, all you people holding hair collected on federal or tribal lands must, by law, return them. Thanks somebody out there in the real world. I wonder who would claim them? The Sasquatch Humanoid Investigation Team (note initials) perhaps?
* Shirley Elkins letter. Shortly before Christmas of 1978, we had a major flood here, and every one was told to leave town, because they said the dam might burst. I ran up to some familyÆs house that had married a kin person. They kept the radio on all night and gave me the bed next to a wide window. I could see a graveyard nearby, and some dogs began to go nuts. Barking, then with a yelp, they all ran off. I looked out the window, and all I could see was fur against the window, and it felt like hands against the house, shaking the house. Then I saw quite a scary sight. A human looking creature, as it walked away from the window making grunting sounds. It walked upon the graveyard, and shook a tree, tore up bushes, and disappeared on down the hill. When I told the family, they said, they hadnÆt seen anything, but some nights they heard scratching on the side of the house, and their cats and dogs acted scared, and they had found the garden tore up one summer, and trees shredded. They are dead now, and I donÆt know who lives there, and if the same thing is still happening.
Shirley Elkins saw a very large green snake in the Big Sandy River in the 1960Æs. It was in the lower end of town, up Bridgeford, and I was going across the concrete bridge. I saw this snake, it had long black straight hair on itÆs head that was at least three feet long, and it dived in and out of the water so graceful. Shirley described the serpent as being about 20 feet long, two feet wide, green and deep yellow eyes. I sensed it wouldnÆt harm anyone, yet those cruel people and children shot the poor creature. I donÆt know if it died. A mean boy told me what they did.
* Samuel J. Sherry, Chestnut Ridge Bigfoot Center, RD #1, Box 237A, Ligonier, Penn. 15658. The most recent creature sighting was from Washington County, Canonsburg, Penn. A big hairy creature crossed the road January 7th. The investigation was by Paul Johnson. Although it was a week later that Paul got there, he found no trace of the creature. He plans to go back later, and wants to look for tracks during the next snow. Bob France camped on Chestnut Ridge at Trout Run last week of 1974, and while in his tent heard a vocalization that he described as a family of creatures. He did not go outside, but stayed in the tent.
* From letter to Bill Green, Dir. NE Bigfoot Center, from K.L.T. When I was 8 years old we were in Calif. in Redwoods forest. Mom slowed the car and pointed out a sign that said, ôCaution - Bigfoot Crossing,ö with a giant monkey painted underneath. All at once, she froze up, coasting to a stop when she took her foot off the gas pedal. She pointed a shaky finger toward the left, and I and my 4 year old brother looked. Standing off to the side between two trees was one of the biggest, hairiest thing IÆd ever seen in my life. this was no monkey. My brother began to scream and that put mom in gear, and she poured on the gas.
* Don Demers, 12/31/94. After reading some of the stories that you write in your newsletter, I figured you might want to hear this one. Back in 1968 or 69, Clint Kelley, Fred J. and myself had gone to see the famous Patterson film of Bigfoot when he appeared at the Memorial Coliseum. We had talked to him and seen the plaster of Paris footprints he had taken during his expedition. We were so impressed that we figured we could go on our own expedition for the classical Bigfoot in the wilderness area of Mt. Adams, WA. I have enclosed a picture of our expedition vehicle. Note the big feet painted on the rear. Back then people were curious about the painted feet...it was a great conversational subject. We had the truck all loaded and ready to go. We were leaving that Friday night after we got out of work. We had our cameras, plaster, and a rifle, just in case. And of course, the old standby, a couple of cases of beer. Sitting at the kitchen table looking over our maps of the area, in the excitement of the going on the first hunt, we started drinking our supplies. Sunday morning had come, and we had not left yet. Bad news, we never did see our Bigfoot, but the good news, we did spot two ôherdsö of RainierÆs crossing Lombard Street (Rainier Beer did commercials about ôRainierÆsö).
* Dr. Grover Krantz, Washington State University, Feb. 10, 1995...I (Ray) had noticed an item in Science News, Vol. 145, p 250, April, 1994, concerning the acquisition of a Homo erectus skull by Dr. Krantz when he was in Indonesia in 1993, with Dr. Tyler, Univ. of Idaho. the skull, in 40 fragments, was pieced together by Dr. Krantz. Originally thought to be between 700,000 and 500,000 years old, a new age estimate on the soil indicates the cranium might date to 1.5 million years (Science News, 3/5/94, p. 150). Dr. Krantz noted that the fossil was more similar to Chinese skulls than those from Java. He has enclosed with his letter a color photo of the skull, and an eight page professional paper concerning the background of the fossil and its measurements, and permission to use both. The paper was presented by Dr. Krantz to other prominent paleoanthropologists in Denver, March, 1994. As it is quite technical, IÆll summarize some of the more interesting (to me) elements. At some later date, IÆll reproduce the entire text for posterity.
As readers may recall, I (Ray) have been pursuing the idea that the Patterson creature might be a living example of Homo erectus, rather than a possible Gigantopithecus blacki as Dr. Krantz believes. His letter points out that, regarding Gigantopithecus (which I called overspecialized, a bamboo eater, based on the book, Other Origins, 1990, Ciochon, Olsen, and James). IÆll address the other following issues in another issue of the Track Record, after IÆve communicated again with Dr. Krantz.
Dr. Krantz: (1.) Overspecialization, per se, never causes extinction. Also, whoever said Giganto was overspecialized, and in what way? And how could this be determined? (Good point, I just took it for granted that Other Origins was correct...Ray), (2) Early man, as a predator, would not affect Giganto, just as all predators are incapable of causing extinction of their prey...only Agricultural Man can cause extinctions. Competition for the same resources could be a problem, but how would you know? (3) Homo erectus was a tool maker. This is an odd skill to give up. H. erectus was social; Bigfoot is not. H. erectus almost certainly hunted by persistence; this required a reduced hair cover, in contrast to Bigfoot. H. erectus was almost certainly diurnal, like us; Bigfoot is nocturnal.
A New Homo erectus Skull from Sangiran, Java
Donald E. Tyler/ Anthropology / University of Idaho / University of Idaho / Moscow, ID 83843 / USA
S. Sartono / Department Geologi / Institut Teknologi / Bandung, Indonesia
Grover S. Krantz / Anthropology / Washington state Univ. / Pullman, WA 99164 / USA
On May 10, 1993, a young man living in the Sangiran area of Java discovered a new Homo erectus skull. It has been tentatively assigned to the Lower Pleistocene, with a date of more than one million years. The specimen was first shown to Drs. Grover Krantz and Donald Tyler who were visiting the site on May 23. They alerted Dr. S. Sartono to the fact, who acquired the specimen two days later. It will be known as Skull IX, following von KoenigswaldÆs practice of assigning Roman numerals to pithecanthropine crania from the Lower and Middle Pleistocene of Java. A Sangiran number has not yet been assigned.
When it was first found and shown to the visitors, the specimen consisted of a complete braincase with minor damage to the base, along with a matrix-enclosed maxilla that exposed six tooth crowns. The braincase became badly fragmented in the process of its delivery to Sartono. During May 26 and 27, Krantz reconstructed the skull from over 35 pieces and Tyler photographed it in detail. They made all the measurements and observations that form the basis of this description. It was decided not to attempt making a mold at that time because of the skullÆs fragile condition; this will be done at a later date when it can be properly prepared. (When available, it will be added to the catalog of Javan casts from KrantzÆs laboratory.) The skull is now held in the Geology Department at the Institute of Technology in Bandung, Indonesia, along with most of the other Pleistocene hominid fossils from that country.
(Abstracted from text) The brain size appears to be 845 cc, as compared to African skulls of comparable age, 861 cc, while Peking skulls average 860 cc. Thank you Dr. Krantz
Track Record Number 44, February 1995 issue, Copyright 1995 by Ray Crowe
Advocates of Bigfoot/Sasquatch study
The Bigfoot Research ProjectTrack Casts for Sale (Dr. Grover Krantz/Ira Walters)Hominid Skull Replicas for Sale (Dr. Grover Krantz/Ira Walters)Cryptozoology HomepageSkeptical Viewpoints
Fringes of ReasonThe Skeptics DictoinaryA listing of general skeptical publications.Track Record #44 web page by Henry Franzoni / Visit Henry's home page or Email Henry Franzoni
