Lane County, Oregon sightings

A list of encounters and sightings in Lane county, Oregon from Squatchable.com.  The reports are a hodgepodge of Bigfoot encounters from all over the area, and go back many years. It's amazing to know that many of these sightings are so close to where I live. Surrounded by Sasquatch, indeed.

Squatchable has sightings for all over the U.S. Find your area and check it out.

Local Sasquatch Synchronicity: Answering My Call?

(Not a literal call; more on that good old metaphysical side of things)

More on the incredible Sasquatch-work-synchronicity. (see post below)

Met briefly with the person related to the co-worker who had a Bigfoot encounter in the Cottage Grove area. Which is a local hot bed of not only Sasquatch activity, but UFO and general all over weirdness vibes. Turns out the researcher he was with was Ron Morehead! He asked me if I knew Morehead; I said no, not personally, but I was familiar with Morehead. But at the time, I couldn't place the name of the researcher with the theory. When I got home I looked him up and of course! Moorhead was on Coast to Coast not long ago, and he discussed the more anomalous, paranormal aspects of Sasquatch.

While I go on about Sasquatch in my area (Oregon; Willamette Vally) as well as everywhere -- terrestrial and none terrestrial -- I miss the obvious. As in, a gathering of local researchers and interested parties in the Cottage Grove area. Which I will be sure to attend this month!!!!

What seems odd in the past two days is the location. There are several schools in our district... many elementary schools. (I am an EA in an elementary school.) What are the odds staff members -- not only close in terms of area of sightings such as the Cottage Grove area roughly 25 miles south of here) but friendship, as well as work location? Not only do I feel an affection for this co-worker (long before I knew of the Bigfoot connection) but our rooms are in the same wing, and only separated by one room.

It's logical to assume that these same people, or, myself, could be at another school in another part of town, and never know each other.

Adding to this Fortean type connection: just this week, I was putting out "the call" concerning Bigfoot.  Show me a connection, a message, something, a dream visit, I asked, and, a few days later, this.

Thom Powell's Edges of Science

My copy of Thom Powell's Edges of Science arrived yesterday. I started reading right away and reluctantly put it down only because I had to get to sleep in order to be fresh and bright eyed for students the next day. So far, I 'm loving the book. Powell writes about interesting examples of dreams concerning Sasquatch from witnesses. More on that later.

The point is, Powell is of the "paranormal" school regarding Sasquatch, citing other researchers who also fall into this camp. The division is a strong one, bordering on down right vicious at times, but there are those who have experienced the "stranger side of Sasquatch" and aren't shy about sharing their theories.

Cryptomundo:Finding Bigfoot on the Jeff Probst Show

On Cryptomundo, a clip of the Finding Bigfoot team on the Jeff Probst Show: Cryptomundo  Finding Bigfoot on the Jeff Probst Show. (I liked what Cliff said about Probst's use of the pronoun "he" to describe Bigfoot. Still wish they'd all stop using the term "Squatch" however.) Also liked what Ranee had to say. And she's the skeptic! :)

Levels of "Intelligence", Supernatural Sasquatch, and the No Kill/Kill Debate

Some are adamant about their opinions on this debate: kill, or, no kill. I'm adamant -- I won't budge -- I'm for a No Kill stance and that's that. Some are less adamant; they qualify their opinions depending on the perceived state of intelligence of the creature. The more human like Sasquatch appears to be, the less likely this type of person would attempt to kill one, but, if the creature is perceived to be "ape like," and more ape, less human, the kill policy reigns. Sasquatch is considered, by some, an animal, less than us, and while clearly intelligent, and astounding in its very existence in terms of scientific discovery, it's still "just" an animal. Still less than us, somehow. And that alone gives some the justification they need to support their kill view.

I don't care if Sasquatch turns out to be "just a big ape," some kind of uber-bear, or an alien. I don't care if the intelligence of Sasquatch is below that of a pinto bean. The intelligence level of Sasquatch should have nothing to do with killing it. I have major issues with hunting, but I do understand the justification for it in terms of survival; if one needs to feed oneself, then I'd be a hypocrite to say one should not hunt for food. If I were to find myself in certain circumstances, I might have to find I'd have to hunt as well. That aside, killing a Sasquatch is a very different issue.

I'll reiterate what I've said so many times before; I don't give a damn if science finds proof of Sasquatch's existence, and certainly not at the expense of a dead body.

Maybe this view of mine is based on my personal experiences with the paranormal, anomalous encounters and interests and UFOs: I don't care if anyone believes me or not, and I don't owe anyone an explanation or proof. I share my experiences for my own reasons, many of which I am clear about, many which I'm not. Who knows why we do what we do? We're not as focused as we sometimes tell ourselves we are. That's okay however... we're human.

My personal experiences involving the above mentioned phenomena is no doubt the reason why I am open to so-called "paranormal Bigfoot" encounters. I've never seen a Bigfoot (yet, :) and never had a supernatural Bigfoot experience (although, I suspect my cone of light experience related to Stan Johnson might be considered one such experience in some ways) but I accept these high strangeness stories. I accept them as interesting, true, and valuable. True, not necessarily literal.

So in some ways it's a non-argument; killing Sasquatch, if the creature is supernatural. Can you kill a fairy? On the other hand, we can't be too sure, and might as well continue the good fight against those who, regardless of where they fall on the kill policy continuum, would support killing one under certain circumstances.

conversation with Regan Lee

Mike Clelland of hidden experience posted the audio interview from awhile back, thanks mike!  Edited to add: in that interview, I talk about a strange experience I had involving a cone of light while discussing Bigfoot and Stan Johnson. Johnson was a so-called "Bigfoot contactee" though I dislike that term, who lived in Sutherlin, Oregon. Johnson had many encounters with a Sasquatch family and UFOs.
conversation with Regan Lee

Following Bigfoot Ballyhoo

Linda Newton Perry's Bigfoot Ballyhoo is a blog I've posted about here recently; I also had turned on the "follow" feature to her blog. I say "followed" because she's removed me from the follow option.

Newton-Perry is a Christian and has said her religious views don't allow her to condone the paranormal. Because I have a Bigfoot blog that focuses on the high strangeness aspects of Bigfoot research, linking to my blog or supporting it, even by mentioning it I guess, conflicts with her personal beliefs.

A few days ago, Newton-Perry responded to the e-mail I had sent her by reposting it her blog:

Thank you for the good words....Regan, I , however, can not list paranormal sites. My Christian beliefs prevent me from delving into that subject. I do not believe Bigfoot is in anyway paranormal. I believe he is flesh and blood and placed in the animal kingdom for a purpose. I respect your right to believe as you wish and I ask that you respect mine. Thank you for participating on this blog and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Seems she’s changed her mind about looking “forward” to “hearing more from” me.

This is a sensitive subject for researchers. If you put yourself out there as a researcher, you have an obligation to be honest to the data. As I asked in my previous post: if your religious views conflict with data, where does your responsibility end? If you reject, hide, or ignore data you don't like because it conflicts with your views, are you an honest researcher? I don't know, I'm asking. I asked that question in a spirit of discussion. I had asked in my previous post, what would Linda Newton-Perry do with, say, the recent BF report from the Oregon teacher who had a recent Bigfoot sighting on the Oregon coast if that teacher had included some weird detail like, BF dematerializing in front of her? Or a UFO appeared next to it? Or any other of the high strangeness things that have been reported by some Bigfoot witnesses?


Newton-Perry didn't answer, either directly to me, or on her blog. She preferred to ignore the question and remove me from the follow feature. Certainly her right to do so; but I wonder where that leaves the Bigfoot reports that are coming her way? What if, as I asked previously, one of those reports she’s posted on her blog contained "weird" data? Would Newton-Perry lie about it? Hide it? I think these are legitimate questions.

Since Newton-Perry writes for two newspapers about Bigfoot, has a Bigfoot blog, and has published books about Bigfoot, these questions are valid and assuming her participation in this discussion is sensible.

Newton-Perry said her beliefs don't allow for paranormal Bigfoot beliefs but as I pointed out, not all Christians share that opinion. For example Stan Johnson (deceased) was a Christian who had many so-called paranormal encounters with Bigfoot including telepathic communications and rides on space ships.

Like the UFO subject (sans Bigfoot) religious beliefs come into things, and there’s a variety of beliefs and opinions within any particular religion. I know Christians who believe UFOs and related entities are demonic, and don’t want to have anything to do with the topic. I also know Christians who don’t believe that at all. And everything in between.

On the one hand, if Newton-Perry believes, as she says, Bigfoot is strictly flesh and blood, and not paranormal, that’s fine. Many BF researchers, as we know, believe that, regardless of their religious beliefs. But again, the question is, what would a researcher do -- Christian or not -- with a ‘weird” BF report that came their way?


This post of mine isn't to pick a fight or become one of those self appointed gurus of UFO or Bigfoot research. Not me! This field, like the UFO field, has its share of the pompous, arrogant, and self-important. This field is also full of just plain mean people who have no problem openly insulting others. This isn’t about insulting anyone, making fun of anyone’s religion, or picking fights. It’s about sincerely asking questions concerning research. If you can’t participate in that then should your work be taken seriously?

To be fair, we all have our buffers and lines we won't cross. Concerning Bigfoot, I haven't found mine yet. (UFOs and related subjects, maybe, but that's another blog and another post entirely.)

I wish all researchers the best, except, those that promote a kill policy. I just can’t get past that, and well, that’s the way it is.

But as always, the question that’s been asked many times by many a Bigfoot researcher, what to do with those high strangeness reports? Not a new question, but one that won’t go away.

Blog Find: Oregon Bigfoot, Gable Film Update

I don't think I knew there was an Oregon Bigfoot blog, how could I have missed that? Quickly realizing after checking out her site that, duh, it's Autumn Williams, Oregon bigfoot researcher... who runs Bigfoot.com. But here it is, with an update on the Gable film. Hat tip to Blogsquatcher for the link.

Update: Matthew Johnson’s Oregon Cave BF Sighting

In July of 2000, Matthew Johnson saw a Bigfoot in the Oregon Caves National Monument national park. Here's an update, with video interview.




Read about the McMinnville UFO gossip and more!

Ray Wallace, Mark Chorvinsky: A Look Back

More than ten years ago or so, when I was in the folklore graduate program at the University of Oregon, I made copies of any references to Bigfoot that I came across in the archives. I just found in my files notes about a field work project done by a student in the 1970s where Ray Wallace (April 21, 1918 − November 26, 2002) is mentioned. I have the original paper somewhere, but can't seem to find it; when I do, I'll post more about this.

Wallace of course was the man who "killed Bigfoot" -- upon Wallace's death,it was revealed he faked giant BF footprints and family members ran around in BF costumes. This, according to much of media and the uber-skeptic, "proved" that there was no such thing as Bigfoot; it was all just Ray Wallace, having a huge joke on the rest of us. But according to some accounts, Wallace had researched Bigfoot quite a bit in his day. He collected tales of Bigfoot from many sources, including many Native American Bigfoot tales. There is a reference in a student folklore field research paper to an informant named Kenny Spencer of Toledo, Oregon, who:

read in his forestry book at Pacific Lutheran University that Tom Slick (oil millionaire and Bigfoot researcher) and Ray Wallace were classed as authorities on Bigfoot as they have done more research on Bigfoot than anyone in the world. (Layton)

According to this report, Wallace:

bought a diary from an old miner’s grandson in Eureka, California (Joe Ellison) that tells about three, giant-sized, hairy people that used to attack Indians and the miners in 1849. (Layton)

Wallace was clearly aware of Bigfoot tales, and was interested enough to collect them. It seems that at that time and in that area, at least, Wallace had a reputation for knowing about Bigfoot, enough to get him mentioned as someone who has done “more research on Bigfoot than anyone in the world.”

Linda Layton’s student report contains several short tales told by Wallace about Bigfoot sightings, encounters and captures.

Wallace's contributions to Bigfoot research were ignored by almost all in the field, according to the late Fortean writer and Strange magazine publisher Mark Chorvinsky, who passed away in 2005. In a 1994 article for Strange, Chorvinsky wonders why this was, and asks if the photo (shown here) was of a real Bigfoot, or a "guy in a suit." Wallace had sent the photo to Strange editor Mark Opsasnick; Wallace would not reveal the name of the person who took the photograph:

Here is a picture of a female Big Foot... I bought it, the negative, from a photographer who was up near Mt. St. Helens in March taking pictures when he saw this giant sized female sitting on a log asleep as she was so heavy with a baby inside of her that she could not move very fast, he said she would have [been] easy to capture while sleeping on this log on an old abandon[ed] loading site where they loaded out logs several years ago. He said she was just sitting out in the warm sun and went to sleep."

As to Wallace's contributions to Bigfoot research, Chorvinsky cites Opsasnick:

Bigfoot expert Mark Opsasnick, author of The Bigfoot Digest, opines that, "If one does objective research into the origin of Bigfoot, it is obvious that the role Wallace played in the creation and development of Bigfoot cannot be ignored. He was there when the term 'Bigfoot' originated in 1958 as an important player in the case surrounding Jerry Crew, and Roger Patterson consulted with him repeatedly. This is a fact ignored by the contemporary Bigfoot investigators." Opsasnick concludes that, "It is quite conceivable that if there had been no Ray Wallace, there would be no Bigfoot as we know it today.

Sources: Layton, Linda: July 18, 1971, Randall Mills Folklore Archives, University of Oregon

Mark Chorvinsky,New Bigfoot Photo Investigation, Strange Magazine, 1994

Blogsquatcher Interviews Henry Franzoni

So, have you read the interview yet? No? Do it!

As far as the question of "paranormal" Bigfoot vs. "flesh and blood" it's an exciting -- and typical bit of synchronicity -- that this is discussed in the way it is, since I've been thinking about this lately. And I came to the conclusion (as much as one can in these areas) that the manipulation of sound and energy are abilities of Sasquatch, which would cause us to think of Sasquatch as "paranormal." And in a way, it is paranormal, but, like UFOs and "aliens" their almost magic like characteristics are either technology, as in the case of UFOs, or the edge of preternatural abilities to use energy, including sound, in seemingly magical or "paranormal" ways. And is paranormal is really just a word to describe normal, just the part of normal we don't yet completely understood, or can explain, then . . . as some researchers say of the paranormal vs. flesh and blood Bigfoot question, "it's both."

I don't intend to give the impression Franzoni is in any New Age "bigfoot are our psychic brothers" stuff; there's solid ideas, research and science here, as well as data that's been around for some time but somehow lost or forgotten.

All right, I know I'm rambling. Point is, Blogsquatcher has brought us a fantastic interview, and everyone needs to read it.

I would love to buy Henry Franzoni's book, but it is spendy $59.00 plus s/h. Well worth it I'm sure, given there are maps, etc. but it's something I need to save for and wait until I can afford it. But in the meantime, there is the interview, and his website.

Ivan T. Sandseron on "Flix," The Creature in Conser Lake

In my book The Ghost of Conser Lake, (unpublished) I cite an interesting passage from Ivan T. Sanderson’s book Abominable Snowmen about the creature. (You can read a previous section of the book here. Mention of “Flix,” the Bigfoot like being that appeared in Millersburg, Oregon in the late 1950s -early 1960s, is one of those interesting high strangeness BHM (big hairy monster) cases. Here’s a section from my book, with added comments in parentheses.


Flix Gets Around
Flix made the news for a good two years. He was seen off and on in the area during that time. Clarence Starr, owner of the Owl Cafe in Albany at the time, told Westby (Betty Westby, the reporter who wrote several articles about Flix for the Democrat Albany Herald newspaper) that the monster “had trampled down a lot of mint on his farm and that he will not be able to harvest much of his crop.”

An elderly woman “who came from one of the early pioneer families,” the paper noted, walked into the Greater Albany office to give her story of her encounter with Flix:

“That monster was in our pasture last night. My neighbor took a shot at it. He found some blood on the ground, so he thinks he hit it. We saw its tracks, and the women in our neighborhood are scared to go anywhere at night or even sit on porches or leave the doors or windows open. I think he sheriff an state police should Hunt this creature down before it kills someone.”

The newspaper tried to explain to the woman a “big white cow” had recently escaped from its owner’s truck and that this is what she saw, but “she refused to believe our explanation.”

Mrs. Penning in Devers-Conner, about 30 miles south of Millersburg, told Betty Westby she heard "dripping sounds," even though it was August. (Interesting that Mrs. Penning described the “dripping” sound; remember that Flix’s footsteps were also described as “squishy.”) Looking out her living room window she saw a “large, light form,” hurrying away, and heard a “low pitched cry that seems to start from its toes, tapering off to a squeal like a pig’s.” Penning also fond fingerprints on her bedroom window, and Westby spectacled that they were web shaped, due to the four fingered, spread-out shape of the prints.

Three years later, the story of the Creature of Conser Lake was still news. In an article by Martin Clark, Albany Journal staff writer, he comments on writer Keith Sosebe’s upcoming talk on the “monster.”

“Leaping from the shadow of a deep gully, the thing stood fully 7 feet tall in the ghostly moonlight. Petrified with mingled horror and curiosity, the young people sat motionless in their car. Suddenly, the apparition took at enormous leap over the gully and slipped away trough a tangle of boughs.”

By October, Flix, or a similar creature, was reported in Stanton, Oregon, 30 miles from Millersburg. (Oregon) It seems that Flix moved within an approximate 30 mile radius. This is assuming it was the same creature of course. Calls came into the Stayton police station of an “eight foot tall hairy monster,” and monster hunters were quick to look for the creature. Fortunately the police stopped a group of teens, armed with guns and beer, who decided to go monster hunting, before they could do any damage.

A Herd of Flixes?
Cryptozoologist and biologist Ivan T. Sanderson discussed the Conser Lake monster briefly in his book Abominable Snowmen:Legend Come to Life, citing a small item that appeared in the January, 1961 edition of FATE magazine, reporting that the “monster” was “still on the loose.” Sanderson also writes in Abominable Snowmen that a source wrote Sanderson in October of 1960, insisting that there was not only the one Flix, but several “Flixes” in the area. According to Sanderson’s unnamed friend, there were more than one BHM, several in fact, and fingerprint as well as footprint casts were taken. Referring to Flix, the letter writer described the creature:

he makes extremely high pitched sounds. his hair or fur had slight glow in the dark . . .feet make a squishy sound. Has been seen at day and night and seen to disappear into the lake.”

This last part about Flix disappearing into the lake gives some support to the theory about BHM, and/or Bigfoot, living underground. Sanderson also supported this idea. The letter writer mentions a “Hal Starr” who has had contact with more than one of these creatures. In the correspondence sent to Sanderson about the Conser lake “monster,”
the letter writer reports that “Creatures (italics mine) were still being sighted on a farmer’s farm.” The name given was Hal Starr; is this the owner of the Owl Cafe mentioned earlier?(Cal,or Hal?)

Flix himself verified Sanderson’s source that there was more than one creature. The creature told psychic Jane Waterby (Waterby was a friend of Betty Westby's and the two visited the lake to try and communicate with Flix.) that he wasn’t the only creature of his kind:

"I am sorry for you alien friend. What are you called?”
“I am called Flix. there are many like me, but I am the one called Flix.”

Another typical, yet frustrating detail Sanderson’s friend gives is the writer’s comment that a “finger print [was] lifted off a house window including a plaster cast of a foot print.” Sanderson's friend also said he had physical evidence:

“Have personal taped accounts of this creature . . . this includes photographs.”

But no photographs, fingerprints, footprints or recordings have turned up. As with much of UFO, cryptid and Fortean phenomena, evidence is as elusive as the phenomena itself.

copyright Regan Lee
March 1, 2009

Over on Blogsquatcher: Oregon "bigfoot" and a great story

As usual, Blogsquatcher has some good items. One is Part I of a story about following up on reports of Bigfoot sightings. As is often the case, the people invovled are as interesting as the Fortean/weird/anomalous thing they're going after.

There's also a video from my state of Oregon of a "Bigfoot."