Sasquatch Awareness Day

 

On this day in 1967, the infamous footage was recorded along Bluff Creek in Northern California, within the Six Rivers National Forest.

It's known as the Patterson-Gimlin film.  And while it hasn't proven anything, it has helped sustain a lore that is celebrated, even if not entirely believed.

Roger Patterson became interested in Bigfoot after reading an article in True magazine, from December 1959.  The author, Ivan T. Sanderson, later released a book relating worldwide accounts of Sasquatch-like creatures, and specifically mentioned tracks found in the Bluff Creek area.

Patterson died in 1972, and always maintained the authenticity of his footage.  His friend, Robert Gimlin, has always denied being part of any hoax with Patterson.  They claimed to have followed the tracks of the animal, and these were shortly after found by US Forest Service timber cruiser, Lyle Laverty.

Humans across the globe have a fascination with cryptids - we love a thrill of the unknown, and we have a deep psychological need for wonder.  In many cases, it is also a source of local identity and community.