The world is full of mysteries and none more so that the legendary creatures that are said to inhabit different parts of the world. From the Yeti that is said to roam the mountains of the Himalayas to the monster that supposedly lurks in the depths of Loch Ness there are many famous beasts around the globe. One of the most famous in America is Big Foot and this is said to roam the wild forests of the Pacific Southwest area of the country. It can also go by the name Sasquatch and is said to be a large, hairy ape like creature that is capable of walking on two legs. Although there has never been any definitive evidence of its existence there have been many famous sightings through the years and the names associated with some of these include the following.

Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin

In 1967 Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin were in the forests at Bluff Creek, California. While there they recorded some video footage of a Bigfoot which became famous around the world as the Patterson-Gimlin film. This showed a Bigfoot creature from a distance walking through a clearing in the forest. Over the years this has been put forward as the best evidence for the existence of Bigfoot. However its authenticity has been questioned by many. Some years later a friend of Patterson’s, going by the name of Bob Heironimus, came forward and claimed that the Bigfoot in the footage was none other than himself in an ape costume.

Jerry Crew

Another incident which took place at Bluff Creek, California involved a bulldozer driver known as Jerry Crew and took place in 1958. Crew took a cast of a footprint that he and other workers had been seeing while working in the area to a local newspaper room. However it was later reported that the footprints had in fact been made by Raymond L. Wallace. His brother was the boss of the workers and he therefore had access to the area. Following the death of Ray, his children revealed a set of 16 inch feet fashioned out of wood which had reputedly been used to make the footprints.

Fred Beck

One of the earliest encounters with Bigfoot creatures was alleged to have taken place as far back as 1924. Fred Beck reported that he and four other miners staying in a cabin in the area were attacked by several of the creatures who threw rocks at the cabin. The sighting became famous with the area where it happened becoming known as Ape Canyon. According to Beck the attack occurred after they had had shot at and possibly killed one of the creatures, although no body was ever found. Beck was to write a book about the incident some 40 years later in which he put forward the theory that the creatures were mystical beings which had come to Earth from another dimension. However, locals claimed that the incident arose from other miners playing a prank where they planted fake footprints around the cabin and threw the rocks.

Jeanie Chapman

Another early reported sighting of Bigfoot took place in 1941. Jeannie Chapman and her children lived in a property in Ruby Creek, British Colombia. She was to report that she and her children had to flee their home when they spotted a huge Bigfoot creature approaching it.

Rick Jacobs

The most recent sighting of a Bigfoot occurred in 2007 in the Allegheny National Forest near the town of Ridgeway. A local hunter, Rick Jacobs had set up an automatically triggered camera in a tree in the area. When he checked the results of this he found what is purported to be a picture of a Bigfoot. However this has been challenged by others who claim the animal in the picture is more likely to be a bear. However analysis of the picture by scientist led by Vanessa Wood claimed the proportions of the animal were not that of a bear so who knows whether the photo is genuine or not.

Bigfoot is a legend that persists in the US. With the many reported sightings, there are those that believe in its existence, while others think it is the result of an active imagination or mistaken sightings of other animals. Whatever the truth of the matter, there are sure to be further sightings in years to come and new names will be added to the list of those that have reputedly had a close encounter with a Bigfoot.