50 Years Later, this Bigfoot Footage Filmed in Northern California Keeps the Legend Alive
Bigfoot remains one of the most popular legends and mysteries in the United States. Thousands of sightings and the never ending “evidence” of Sasquatch’s existence has captured the cumulative imagination of people around the world. Although evidence of Bigfoot is vast and complicated, one 50-year-old video out of Northern California has kept the movement alive for decades.
Northern California sits as the unofficial home of Bigfoot, with the most sightings to date on the planet. The National Forest Service even named a remote stretch of California Route 96 as the “Bigfoot Scenic Highway.” There’s also a 360-mile trail in NorCal’s vast upper wilderness named the “Bigfoot Trail,” which stretches through the Yolly-Bolly, Trinity Alps, Russian, Marble Mountain and Siskiyou Wildernesses.
By far the most popular evidence of Bigfoot in NorCal is the Patterson-Gimlin film, which was shot in Willow Creek, along Bluff Creek in Humboldt County in 1967. The film, which has been heavily circulated on TV and the internet, shows the creature leisurely walking away from the camera as it turns hauntingly into the lens of the camera before disappearing into the forest.
The legendary film is the work of Bob Gimlin and Roger Patterson. 50 years later, it has yet to be debunked.
Furious debate has put Bigfoot enthusiasts, video analysts and scientists in the mix to decide whether this is the best evidence of the elusive creature. Although Patterson died in 1972, Gimlin maintains the film’s authenticity to this day, even in the face of naysayers. In fact, one Willow Creek local came forward years ago to admit he was in fact the person in the Bigfoot suit. There’s no evidence to corroborate the man’s story.
One piece of evidence pointed by naysayers is the rectangular patch in the creature’s backside, which is claimed to be the wallet of the man in the suit. People will also point to the nonchalant, human-like walking posture of the creature as evidence of its forgery. But for those who want to believe, there’s no argument against its authenticity.
The area now features the Bigfoot museum along with a destination for experts and enthusiasts to go in search of the legendary beast in the NorCal forest. It’s the preeminent area to find Bigfoot in America. No matter the footprint, photo or forensic evidence found along the way, this crude video shot in Northern California has kept the Bigfoot movement alive for the past 50 years. And there’s no sign it’s slowing down.
