If you think reports of Bigfoot sightings are relatively recent phenomenon, guess again. Accounts of creatures similar to Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, have been showing up in American newspapers for at least 200 years!
Take a look at these newspaper stories from the distant (and not-so-distant) past and decide for yourself whether you think Bigfoot is real!
- Long-Island Star, 1818: “He is described as bending forward when running, hairy—and the heel of the foot narrow, spreading at the toes.”
- Weekly Arkansas Gazette, 1851: “They were followed by an animal bearing the unmistakable likeness of humanity. He was of gigantic stature, the body being covered with hair.”
- Southern Shield, 1852: “He is described by them as being about 7 feet 2 inches high, and covered completely with black hair, interspersed now and then with gray.”
- Cincinnati Enquirer, 1895: “She was suddenly confronted by a naked giant, who sprang into the road in front of her horse, making savages gestures and yelling.”
- Boston Post, 1895: “…that this being had a hirsute growth on its face […]; that it uttered a loud howl or yell, and with amazing swiftness leaped into the recesses of the forest.”
- Florida Today, 1979: “…[saw] over 1,000 footprints ascribed to a crippled Bigfoot.”
- Town Talk, 1995: “He saw three of the creatures staring back [at] him. The creatures appeared to be large stumps, but Bryant could discern heads and shoulders.”
- Daily Record, 2012: “He looked like a human being with an ape head and had jet-black hair all over him.”
- Detroit Free Press, 2016: “[The creature was] standing on two legs and looking back at him from the woods with glowing eyes. […] And it just casually turned to the left, walked into the woods and it met up with […] three others.”
And don’t miss these images!
- Image of a frame from the famous 1967 Bigfoot film (from the Press and Sun-Bulletin, 1999), as well as a description of the creature in the film (from the Star Press, 1967)
- Photo of casts of Bigfoot footprints (Decatur Herald, 1967)
- Another photo of a Bigfoot footprint cast (Great Falls Tribune, 1967)
- A map of 50 years of Bigfoot sightings in New Jersey (Daily Record, 2012)
Want to read more? To find further installments of the stories above, try checking the next day’s issue of the paper the story was featured in (e.g., if it was in Monday’s paper, check Tuesday’s). If it’s not in that issue, try checking the next issue that falls on the same day of the week (e.g., if it was published on Sunday, check the next Sunday’s issue).
Got any Bigfoot stories? Share them with us! Or find more articles about Bigfoot sightings on Newspapers.com.
While driving up Pikes Peak, wife and I pass a sign “Bigfoot Crossing”, with a description of past crossings in the area. We’ll stop and get a picture of that sign on the way down,I told her. Coming down, we had to roll past the sign about 50 yards to a wide spot in the road. Wife got out with the camera, walking back toward the sign,while talking nervously. I stood by the door of the truck, waiting to see how far she would get before she noticed I wasn’t right behind her. Soon she turned around and said “what are you doing?” I told her if Bigfoot showed up, “I was going for help”. Fortunately for both of us, he didn’t make an appearance.
When I was in high school in the Bay Area, CA we were next to the Santa Cruz mountains. There are lots of small towns in there and a Reservoir & homes on the edge of it.. We ran into Big Foot 3 times… Once, on the long highway that runs past Saratoga to Los Gatos just before the mountains at night. It was dark & raining, not much traffic.. The side of the road has an 8 ft tall wall, because people lived in large estates on the other side.. A Big foot stood on the other side, leaning on the top of the wall watching us.. He was all hairy, smelled musky, yet his dark eyes seemed to have intelligence & curious question in them as he watched… When we saw him & froze, staring back… he gave a screaming type of yell (that gave you chills).. We ran & could hear his footsteps thudding on the ground as he followed on his side of the wall… Thank God for cars…
About 27 years ago my wife and I were driving home from having dinner. It was just getting dark and we lived where there was a small forest. We crossed the creek and started up the hill toward our house when a hairy creature standing upright at about 8 to 9 feet tall took one step from the side of the road to the middle of the road and the second step was on the tree line on the other side of the road. I immediately called my dad because this was on his land. He said it was too dark to go into the woods that evening but we would check it out in the morning. He said it was probably a bear. I never seen a bear walk upright and take 2 steps to cross a 12 foot road.