The Legend of Bigfoot continues. From as far away as the Himalayan mountains to the Siberian outback, the Yeti or sasquash continues to be seen and photographed. National and international organizations are striving to prove the existence of an ape-man creature living in North America. Famous sightings have been reported in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Iowa.
The most recent and most widely publicized sighting was on July 11, 1995!
Apparently, a man, wishing to remain anonymous from Tacoma, Washington took several clear, close-up photographs of what he reported to be Bigfoot. The photograph above claims to be one of the photographs.
Herbert Atienza, a staff writer from the Journal American newspaper, Bellevue, Washington, published a report concerning the photograph on November 9, 1995. His story centers on Cliff Crook, who had spent most of his adult life in search of the legendary Bigfoot. After more than 39 years, he finally believes he is on to something.
Mr. Cook claims to possess “conclusive photographic proof” of the elusive creature’s existence. “It’s Bigfoot… if these pictures were any clearer, he would breathe,” he said.
Mr. Crook, 55, directs Bigfoot Central, a local group devoted to the investigation of the legendary creature, also known as sasquatch. He said he acquired the series of pictures from a Tacoma man who took them on July 11 in the Wild Creek area in the foothills of Snoqualmie National Forest.
Crook said that as the man was hiking near the lagoon, he heard “heavy splashes,” looked down and saw a hulking figure in the water. “The creature just stood there and looked at him,” Crook said.
He said the man then grabbed his camera and took several pictures of the beast as it walked away. Crook is convinced the photographs are authentic. Two photography experts who examined the snapshots were a bit more skeptical, although neither would declare the photographs as fakes.
“It’s hard to create a situation to duplicate it, but it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone who knows how to use a camera. The odds are they’re not real, but who knows,” said Newell Burton, president of Bellevue-based Omega Photo Specialists.
He said the photographs appear to be double exposures, or two pictures overlapping each other. Gordon Kyle, a photo specialist from Overlake Photo in Bellevue, said it didn’t appear as if the figure was cropped from another photo.
Crook said the man who took the photos does not want to be identified for fear that possible notoriety would disrupt his life.
“It was a gut feeling that he was telling me the truth,” Crook said. “If you heard the quaking in his voice and the consistency with which he tells the story, then you too will be convinced.”
Crook isn’t the only one who believes in the existence of the legendary creature.
Last week, researchers at Ohio State University said they will conduct DNA tests on tufts of hair collected from the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington believed to be that of the creature.
Anthropology professor Gordon S. Krantz of Washington State University also believes the creature inhabits the woods and forests of the Pacific Northwest.
“Just as bears and cougars are able to live in the woods today, so does this creature, which is actually an upright ape,” Krantz said.
Krantz said he became convinced of the creature’s existence through his extensive studies of evidence purportedly left by the creature, as well as the numerous reports of sightings.
“The evidence is overwhelming,” he said. “It’s simply not possible that all of them are fake.”