YEAR: 1995

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 22-25

PROVINCE: British Columbia

COUNTRY: Canada

NEAREST TOWN: Bella Coola

OBSERVED: (Related at a bigfoot conference)

I am sure some of you will be interested in my recent trip to Bella Coola, British Columbia. Some people believe that if Bigfoot exists, this is where he will be found. For those who are not familiar with Bella Coola, have a look at a map of British Columbia and see where it is. There is only one road in or out and most of it is gravel.

I went there this summer to talk to various people, particularly native Indians, about Bigfoot. As some of you may know, I am working with Rene Dahinden on a number of projects and thought I would get a little first-hand field experience in the Bella Coola area.

Shortly after I arrived in the little town, I was greeted by Darren Edgar, the town "good-will" ambassador. Darren is a native Indian and makes a few dollars taking people to the local "petroglyphs," (carvings in stone - all sorts of symbols and creatures) that were made hundreds or thousands of years ago by unknown people. The Bella Coola Indians do not claim to have made them so there is a big questions as to who did. I took pictures of some of the carvings. If anyone is interested in this area, contact me, I will provide photocopies at costs.

When I questioned Darren about Bigfoot (Sasquatch more common term up there) he said I should talk to his cousin. This I did, and the information given me was:

- Many Indians have seen sasquatch - Sasquatch throw rocks at Indians when fishing - Fishermen sometimes throw a fish to the Sasquatch - fish disappears - Footprints have been seen, but they don't bother to cast or photograph

After this interview, I "contracted" Darren to take me to the petroglyphs. It was raining very heavily so the trek up the mountain trail was slippery and somewhat dangerous. On our way down, we met with about 4 or 5 Indian youths (16-20 age-group my estimate) who were headed up the trail. Darren, who knows everyone in the town, said to one of the youths: "This man is interested in Sasquatch and wants to talk to you." (He did this on his own accord, I had said nothing).

This is the way the resulting conversation went:

Q. Have you ever seen or heard of Sasquatch in this area?
A. Yes, we know they are there.
Q. Have you seen one yourself?
A. Yes, when I was about twelve. (This youth was about 17) Q. What did it look like?
A. It was down by the river bending over. I thought it was a bear, but then it got up and walked away on two legs.
Q. Do you ever see footprints?
A. Yes
Q. Do you ever take pictures of the footprints?
A. (Laugh) No.
Q. Have you had any other experiences?
A. Yes, we hear them at night
Q. Where do you hear them?
A. Down by the government wharf. There are three of them and they call to each other. When my friends and I were in in the mountains we heard them very close, we decided to leave.

In my opinion, the natives in Bella Coola are very sincere people. The way this information was given to me left me with no doubt that they were telling me the truth. I believe Bella Coola is a prime area for Sasquatch research.

And here's one for the books - true story:

My son, Dan, has just called me to tell me that Sali who works driving a logging truck in the Harrison area has just been fired. Why? Well, Sali felt the need to relieve himself (#2) while on the road, so pulled over and went into the bush to do so. In the process, he felt somewhat uneasy, looked around and saw a Sasquatch staring at him. He grabbed at his pants and ran to his truck. He was in such a state that he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. Needless to say, the logging company did not believe his story. (Sali claims he has seen Sasquatch before - so I'm not so sure - however, he is certainly being original in his report.)

Finally, anyone interested in posters from the Patterson/Gimlin film, Bigfoot in the News (book) and other items, please send request for informaion to: Progressive Research, Dept. 291 - 720 6th Street, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, V3l 3C5. E-mail me with your name and address if you wish.

Chris Murphy, British Columbia, Canada

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The following is information I am assembling for inclusion in a new publication on unexplained and unusual phenomena. I thought it might be appropriate in light of interest expressed in my recent trip to Bella Coola.

BOGS: a beast in Bella Coola Indian lore that somewhat resembles a man. It has hands and the regions about its eyes are distinctly human. It walks on its hind legs in a stooping posture with its long arms swinging below its knees. In height, it is somewhat less than the average man. With the exception of the face, the entire body is covered with long hair, the growth being especially profuse on the chest, which is large, corresponding to the great strength of the animal. It is believed that this creature, along with others in the same category, may be rendered powerless by a bullet smeared with the hunter's blood.

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It is likely the word "bullet" has replaced "arrow" or "spear" in the passage of time. Except for size, the Bella Coola "Bogs" certainly meets the general description of Bigfoot. Then again, it is likely Bigfoot creatures vary in size in accordance with region inhabited, just like human beings.

Referring to newspaper articles I have assembled in BIGFOOT IN THE NEWS, Bella Coola was rated as the "highest sighting area" in 1976. This information was disclosed by Ron Olson who claims it was the result of a computer analysis he performed on Bigfoot sightings. John Green disputed this claim, stating that while there had been several reports from Bella Coola in the early 1960's and before, there had been no further sightings for a decade.

A newspaper report in August 1976 references Bella Coola has having a sighting "earlier that year" and goes on to state that "Indians around Babine Lake have talked about the Sasquatch for many years." Ron Olson became part of an expedition led by Roy Lack (Oregon) into the Bella Coola area that same year. The objective was to find a Sasquatch and plant a radio transmitter in the animal and further trace its movements.

Shortly after Lack left the region, a major sighting occured right in the town of Bella Coola on the road to the government wharf. And then tracks were found in the snow on the road that leads into Bella Coola. Clayton Mack, a resident of Bella Coola, who was recognized as a world famous grizzly bear hunter, claimed he had seen Sasquatch, which added a lot of credibility to sightings in that area. Mack, it is reasoned, would not mistake a bear for a Sasquatch. He discusses his experiences in a book - written by a local medical doctor. I believe Clayton passed away about two years ago.

Chris Murphy

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Note : Clayton Mack is the subject of a fascinating book called "Grizzly Bears and White Guys" (Harbour Publishing Co. B.C.). The book is mostly about his experiences as a grizzly bear hunting guide but an entire chapter is dedicated to his encounters with "Sasquatch" in the central B.C. coast area. He had seen it 3 times and heard it on numerous occasions. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject as he sounds very credible.

Follow-up investigation report:

From the files of Ron Schaffner.

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
• Please send any comments or inquiries to [email protected]