Nilusha Jayasinghe

2A- McGee

10 Jan. 2009

Bigfoot: Is It a Myth or Is It True?

It lurks the forests and mountains across the world. It irks the minds of people young and

old. From a myth that was created years ago, it has evolved into a worldwide mind boggling

phenomenon that still exists to this day. It is Bigfoot, an out of the ordinary monstrous creature

said to still survive, but has never been physically captured. The opinions about this creature vary

from person to person while there is strong evidence to back up any of those opinions. So the

question remains, is it a myth or is it true?

Whether or not this alleged giant ape-like creature is truly alive, it apparently inhabits

forests all over the world, specifically in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Originally

named Sasquatch, Bigfoot is described as large, hairy, and able to move on two limbs as a human

would. It possesses brown to dark red hair and has a large forehead and eyes. Its height could

range from six to ten feet and its weight could exceed five hundred pounds. This monster has

apparently left enormous footprints for which it derived its trademark name, which have been as

large as twenty four inches long and eight inches wide. While most footprints of Bigfoot have

had five toes, some have had two to six toes, and some even had claw marks. It also apparently

has a strong odor when nearby and is said to be omnivorous and nocturnal. The name Bigfoot

has been changed according to region, such as the well-known “Yeti” of the Himalayan

Mountains. (Wikipedia)

Although there had not been a specific date that the global marvel of Bigfoot was born

into society’s thoughts and wonders, it had been around for decades and maybe even centuries.

Its legend has been around for years prior to the naming of the creature, so it is difficult to

discern a specific date for it. There have been apparent witnesses throughout those years

although it was not until the 1950’s that it actually came to fame. In 1951, a photographer named
 Jayasinghe, 2

Eric Shipton photographed what he described as a Yeti footprint, which was published shortly

thereafter and gained wide attention. Bigfoot’s acknowledgment grew over the decade and

retired its old name of Sasquatch after large footprints were found in Humboldt County,

California by bulldozer operator Gerold Crew in 1958. These 16 inch footprints reoccurred in the

same area, giving Bigfoot more glory as the story got published in “Humboldt Times” and then

gained international attention when it was published in the “Associated Press (Wikipedia).”

After 1958, the story of Bigfoot truly established itself as a main popular culture

phenomenon as the first Bigfoot hunters began their missions around Bluff Creek, California. It

managed to reach television as new television shows concerning this new discovery such as

“Monster Quest” and “Destination Truth” aired. Even a Bigfoot Field Research Organization

(BFRO) that claims that their evidence is credible, formed as a result of the speculation and

curiosity formed around this phenomenon (Wikipedia).

The Bigfoot Field Research Organization consists of avid Bigfoot followers who are

determined to gain support from others. It is an organization that mainly works to find as much

factual evidence as they can in order to prove to the government land use agencies that the

Bigfoot actually does exist so that it could be officially recognized as a species. They believe that

the Bigfoot species is certainly rare and maybe even endangered, so it is important to preserve

and discover as much as possible about them before they are forever lost. They know that critics

of Bigfoot have claimed that video evidence of the Bigfoot have actually been of somebody

dressed in a Bigfoot costume, but the BFRO rejects this firmly and believes that a realistic

Bigfoot costume is truly difficult to create, evident by the miserable failures by Hollywood

costume creating experts of creating them. This, along with the fact that the original costume

claimed to be worn in videos was never seen by anyone, gives the organization even more

confidence that the videos that have been taped of the declared monster are true and not a hoax.
 Jayasinghe, 3

They use only the most convincing evidence, and accept that those photos, videos, and claims are

from honest and credible people, and are determined to use them to prove their point to the

government as well as the scientific community (BFRO).

In addition to the BFRO, there have been some notable sightings of Bigfoot over the

years. Some of the most notable sightings include Fred Beck’s claim in 1941 that he and four

other miners were attacked by “ape men” who threw rocks at their cabins in an area later came to

be called “Ape Canyon,” and also found large footprints outside the next morning. Skeptics say

that pranksters might have done this and left fake footprints outside. Another sighting occurred in

1941 when Jeannie Chapman and her children escaped when a seven and a half foot Sasquatch

approached their home in British Columbia. Finally, the most well-known evidence defending

the existence of such a Bigfoot occurred in 1967 with the testimonial of Roger Patterson and

Robert Grimlin who captured the Bigfoot on film in Bluff Creek. Later known to be called the

“Patterson-Grimlin Film” was proposed fake many years later when Bob Heironimus, a friend of

the two film makers, said that he had been dressed in an ape costume for the making of the film.

The BFRO strongly reject this claim and rely on this tape as extremely strong evidence of the

existence of Bigfoot (Bigfoot Sightings).

The scientific community undoubtedly criticizes the legend of Bigfoot, and claims it as a

result of hoaxes or misidentification of known animals and their tracks such as apes or bears.

Bigfoot is very similar to bears in that it is approximately the same size of a bear standing on its

hind legs and that it had been sighted mostly in areas where bears live. Some suggest that

Bigfoot could actually be a still living member of a species of prehistoric animals that have been

claimed to be extinct by scientists, such as the Gigantopithecus which was a species said to be

extinct three hundred thousand to one million years ago. Some also claim that it could be an

ancient species of Homo Sapiens which have survived to this day. Mainly, most of the scientific
 Jayasinghe, 4

community claims to "discount the existence of Bigfoot because physical evidence supporting

belief in the survival of a prehistoric, bipedal, apelike creature of such dimensions is scant or

nonexistent (Wikipedia).”

It is unarguable that the existence of the alleged “Bigfoot” is a controversial matter in the

community. The peculiarity that has existed over hundreds of thousands of years was able to

attract many people ranging from devoted supporters to skeptics to people who are stuck in

between. There have been movies created about this and it has also been a source of

entertainment in some aspects. There have been exhibits made for it, and there has been credible

evidence that supports it existence as well as denies it. Investigations will continue as well as the

criticisms; however, no matter if the alleged monster exists or not, it will remain as a part of

societal curiosity for a long time before it dies out.

 Jayasinghe, 5

Works Cited

"Bigfoot." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 10 Jan. 2009

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot>.

Bigfoot Encounters. 10 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bigfootencounters.com/>.

Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. 10 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bfro.net/>.

"Bigfoot Sightings." Our Bigfoot: Bigfoot Pictures Sightings Videos. 10 Jan. 2009

<http://www.ourbigfoot.com/bigfoot_sightings.html>.

"Foot." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 10 Jan. 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot>.

Thesaurus.com. 10 Jan. 2009 <http://thesaurus.reference.com/>.

"Voice of Reason: The Reality of Bigfoot | LiveScience." LiveScience | Science, Technology,

Health & Environmental News. 10 Jan. 2009

<http://www.livescience.com/technology/050728_bigfoot.html>.
 Jayasinghe, 6

The Forest King

Into those forests, I will not go

They belong to someone else
But what mystery they echo…

In them, I hear, lurks the true forest king

With his large feet and majestic stature
But I wonder, is he a real thing?

Apparently, there has been credible proof

In videos and pictures and “I’ve seen it, I swear!”
But sometimes it all seems like a spoof

The world is in such marvel with this rarity

Attracting skeptics and supporters,
But is he the truth? There is no clarity.

For many more years, the legend will go on

Maybe he will be physically captured, and
A conclusion may be drawn

Of the forest king, I have bared no sight

No matter if he is real or not,
To enter his forests, it is not my right
But what mystery they echo… it probably won’t bite.