"The Patterson Legacy", an excerpt from BIGFOOT Encounters in Ohio: Quest for the Grassman by Christopher Murphy

Certainly, the single greatest and most convincing evidence of the existence of Bigfoot is the film taken by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin at Bluff Creek, California in October, 1967. Unlike the evidence for some of the other "great mysteries" in the world, this film is generally withstanding the test of time. In short, there is still as much evidence to support its authenticity as there is to discredit it. There have been no deathbed confessions, moldy monkey suits or secret diaries that have surfaced over the 50 years since the film was taken. Roger Patterson died in 1972, never deviating in the story of his remarkable experience. Bob Gimlin lives in Yakima County, Washington State, still firm and steadfast that the two adventurers saw and filmed a genuine bigfoot.

The following excerpt is from "BIGFOOT Encounters in Ohio: Quest for the Grassman" by Christopher Murphy and can be purchased here.

Chapter 8

The Patterson Legacy

To be sure, major factors supporting the film are the numerous bigfoot sightings and footprints. What may be considered "reliable" reports and findings predate the film by over one hundred years. It was, in fact, sighting reports and footprints that influenced Patterson to take up his search for the elusive creature. 

Patterson's first exposure to the bigfoot phenomenon was an article he read by Ivan T. Sanderson that appeared in True magazine, December 1959. The article related the finding of large humanoid footprints by Jerry Crew in the Bluff Creek, California area the previous year. Sanderson, who had long been involved in the search for humanoid creatures, gave considerable credibility to Crew's finding. In particular, he called attention to the vast unexplored regions in the northwestern part of California. His closing paragraph in the article is noteworthy:

 

Before you are tempted to scoff and put this story down, bear in mind a few things. This area extends over 17,000 square miles, and nobody lives there. Apart from the higher ridges and mountain peaks, the ground area is completely concealed from the air by forest. It has never been properly surveyed or mapped. Yet for all of this, the area is well watered, overgrown with berries, full of small game, and never completely snowed in. Though it nestles in the midst of civilization, and is fertile and livable as [that of] civilization, it is completely uncivilized. Almost anything could be living there. From the evidence. something is. Will somebody please do something about it before it is too late? 

Patterson started his research by talking with First Nations people on the Yakima Reservation (Washington State). Native belief in bigfoot (for which Natives have numerous names), gave him further encouragement. Sometime in 1964 he ventured into the Bluff Creek, California area to look for the creature. Acting on information from Pat Graves, a Forest Service worker in the region, Patterson saw firsthand recent 17-inch (43-cm) tracks in the Laird Meadow Road vicinity, similar to those reported by Jerry Crew. Patterson made a cast of one of the prints as seen here. He was greatly moved by this experience, as can be seen by his own words, "I was so astonished I could only stare and try to picture the creature that had made those tracks only the day before." 

This experience infused in Patterson a burning desire for more knowledge. He continued his research, and collected numerous newspaper and magazine articles on the subject. An artist of considerable ability, he drew pictures of the events he read about, or which were related to him by others. All of the information he gathered, together with his own thoughts and conclusions, he compiled into a book entitled, Do Abominable Snowmen of America Really Exist? (Franklin Press Inc.) that was published in 1966. 

Patterson's incredible experience the following year (October 20, 1967) in which he and Bob Gimlin personally saw and filmed an alleged bigfoot is summed up by Patterson as follows: 

Last Friday, my companion — Bob Gimlin, a part Apache fellow who's good at tracking and so on — and I started up an old logging road where a particular lot of big tracks had been seen. Some of the tracks were 17 inches long. We rode horses, and I had a 16 millimeter movie camera in my saddlebag. We both had high-powered rifles but we agreed that if we found a sasquatch we wouldn't shoot unless we absolutely had to. About 1:30 in the afternoon, as we rounded a bend in the road, we saw the creature. My horse reared, and then fell as I tried to control it. But I got the camera out and yelled to Bob to cover me with his rifle while I tried for the pictures. The thing was across the creek beside the road, about 50 yards away. I ran down to the creek and got on a high sandbar to film it. It was obviously a female, for although it was covered in hair you could see it had large breasts. It stood about six feet tall, maybe more, and was very broad. We figured the weight at somewhere between 350 and 400 pounds. She stood there for maybe half a minute, and then started walking away, still upright. She crossed the creek, got back on the logging road up ahead and moved out of sight. Bob started to follow on his horse, but I called him back. The tracks we'd seen earlier indicated she was part of a family group, and that could be dangerous. I was shaking quite a bit, so the film isn't too steady, but it shows the thing clearly. I've believed they existed for a long time, just to talking to many eyewitnesses. Now there's no doubt at all. 

Roger Patterson's untimely death, just one month short of his 40th year, brought to a close his dream of actually capturing the creature he had filmed. Considerable research, however, has been performed on the film by many professionals and dedicated bigfoot researchers. 

In 1998 the North American Science Institute, under Jeff Glickman, a forensic examiner, completed a highly intensive analysis of the film. The following is a summary of the findings. 

1. Measurements of the creature: Height — 7 feet, 3.5 inches, (2.2m); Waist — 81.3 inches (206.5cm); Chest — 83 inches (210.8cm); Weight — 1,957 pounds (886.5kg); Length of arms — 43 inches (109.2cm); Length of legs — 40 inches (101.6cm).

2. The length of the creature's arms is virtually beyond human standards, possibly occurring in one out of 52.5 million people. 

3. The length of the creature's legs is unusual by human standards, possibly occurring in one out of 1,000 people.

4. Nothing was found indicating the creature was a man in a costume (i.e., no seam or interfaces).

5. Hand movement indicates flexible hands. This condition implies that the arm would have to support flexion in the hands. An artificial arm with hand movement ability was probably beyond the technology available in 1967. 

6. The Russian finding on the similarity between the foot casts and the creature's foot was confirmed.

7. Preliminary findings indicate that the forward motion part of the creature's walking pattern could not be duplicated by a human being. 

8. Rippling of the creature's flesh or fat on its right side was observed indicating that a costume is highly improbable. 

9. The creature's feet undergo flexion like a real foot. This finding eliminates the possibility of fabricated solid foot apparatus. It also implies that the leg would have to support flexion in the foot. An artificial leg with foot movement ability was probably beyond the technology available in 1967. 

10. The appearance and sophistication of the creature's musculature are beyond costumes used in the entertainment industry. 

11. Non-uniformity in hair texture, length, and coloration is inconsistent with sophisticated costumes used in the entertainment industry. 

NOTE: There is much controversy over the height and weight of the creature. Nevertheless, it appears that it was at least 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98m) tall, and weighed at least 542 pounds (245.5kg).

  

In other areas of bigfoot research, footprints indicate a very straight-line footprint pattern. Human tracks, in comparison, have greater alternation between footprints. This difference may have something to do with the weight and structure of the creature. It has now been reasonably confirmed that the creature in the Patterson/Gimlin film also had a straight-line footprint pattern. Noteworthy in this regard, I have been given to understand that people in certain North American First Nations tribes walk in this fashion. 

Whether one believes in the film or not, there is no doubt that the Patterson legacy brought tremendous, much needed focus on the bigfoot issue. 

You can read more by purchasing  "Bigfoot Encounters in Ohio: Quest for the Grassman" by Christopher L. Murphy here.