What really happened at Bluff Creek?

Posted by: Loren Coleman on February 3rd, 2012

Questions that I hear often:

What really happened at Bluff Creek?


Bigfoots Watch in Bewilderment” by London designer and illustrator Aled Lewis

Why are there no modern “Patterson-Gimlin films”?


Cartoon by Chuck Ingwesen at Wordsandtoons.

Why are there so many blurry films, nowadays?

And today, this year, it seems appropriate to take a personal moment: Happy Birthday to my son, Caleb, who turns 22!


Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.


16 Responses to “What really happened at Bluff Creek?”

  1. William responds:

    I think the entire Bluff Creek saga is way more complex that any of us realizes except one person and that would be Bob Gimlin, and perhaps even he doesn’t know all that was going on in the mind of Roger Patterson regarding his Bigfoot plans. While to me the film seems real there are certainly plenty of side issues that raise suspicion that have been well-documented. One thing I often have wondered about is perhaps this Bob Heironomous character was telling the truth (as he indeed did pass a polygraph on a televised program) while Roger Patterson is documented as well as passing one. How I think this could be is perhaps Patterson did have a suit to film his documentary movie and perhaps Bob did wear it and was filmed however, this film was disregarded when Roger and Bob stumbled on the read deal. As such, if the truth was told, nobody would believe it, which is why I theorize is why Bob Gimlin has never taken a polygraph to this day. (Just food for thought).

  2. choppedlow responds:

    One thing I have seen in the last five years, since I figured that there might be more to the Bigfoot thing, is that there is a lot of people who base their entire ‘faith’ that they exist on the PGF. I’d say that I don’t believe it just because of the line on Patty’s thigh, but I tend to say it’s real just to take an opposing view than Scott Herriott. That guy can’t shut up about it. I hope Brian fires him soon.

  3. rozum responds:

    Loren, is your son Caleb into cryptozoology as well? I hope so. 🙂

  4. Hapa responds:

    Perhaps the Sasquatch population at Bluff Creek was going the way of the Dodo, making one last appearance before going extinct in the region, if not the continent…

    If this is true, especially if they went extinct period, and all we have encountered later are hoaxes and the like, then we may never know the truth about Hairy Wildmen of North America. A shame…

  5. Opalman responds:

    Loren,
    My Grandson just turned 14 months old and I hope he picks up my interest and fascination with the unknown. My son Daniel is an army aviator too enthralled with flight to pursue much else, at this point in his life, (he’s 24). My Grandson’s name? Caleb! Aren’t all the best and brightest named Caleb? LOL

  6. crusader2 responds:

    Can’t place any belief in the truth of the PG film. Circumstances around it highly dubious. Looked at numerous reports of Bigfoot sightings/encounters and many are obvious hoaxes. Interested in Ape Canyon encounter and Chapman story but would love to see more evidence.

  7. Opalman responds:

    Loren, I neglected to read my post over before posting it…the closing line didn’t paste over from MS Word:

  8. diogenes responds:

    It’s a fifty year old film for which one witness has stated (I guess not underoatch?)
    his perceptions of that week/day. A few other may be direct witnesses to that weekend. Ex-asst Secretary of the Interior, Robert Lyle Laverty, I am sure has an opinion that he has never been forthsoming with, given he shot the track photos we see in Meldrum’s book (with rene’s pipe in it) and so on…

    If the energy spent reviewing that film was put into modern evidence (mine for instance, or many I know) we woud not all be so focused on this very old film.

    There is evidence out there, and nowhere to assemble intelligently or for future investigators. Dr. Meldrum has limited accessibility and is just one person with perhaps some bias that have prevented others from influencing his work (or the BFRo blocked them out, that seems changed). Who else? Who do you go to?

    A public with a video and movie? That’s what Erickson plans to do…and won’t without the much anticipated “DNA study.”

    Maybe things will change, maybe they won’t…we don’t have a published study. If it flops? I join the “stop Finding Bigfoot” stuff. If it flies? I join the stop “Finding Bigfoot \” stuff.
    Although I was “successful” in my endeavor I did so in ignorance. Now that I know better? The amaturs: trackers, Bobo’s, habituators, and so forth need to stop.
    Totally bad Anthropology, totally bad information….
    Time to let this go and wither just lve with the mystery or allow true scientists to take their very conservative and careful steps toward discovery…
    Yeah, the industry of Finding Bigfoot (for me one MQ episode and the Google earth BFRO reports) is not a good thing except I guess for those who get a paycheck and the public who does not understand the reality….
    They are real, they are a culture, and are fully sentient. They know us, and I feel that is why they retreat. We should pay attention to their desire to remain hidden. It works, a kind of synegistic relationship, they own the wild and remote places and the Night world. Let’s leave it to them.

  9. diogenes responds:

    Gosh Loren, no edit button here, I have adjusted to another forum with edit…LOl what would my post be without serious typos..thanks for wading thru! Also Happy B-day to your son..22 is well. evrything!

  10. Opalman responds:

    @crusader2: I certainly wish you would tell us exactly what circumstances surrounding the P/G encounter and filming are “highly dubious!” Highly dubious by definition is: ‘Very fraught (filled up with), uncertainty or doubt’ I expect and agree with a healthy degree of skeptsism regarding anything sasquatch (or crypto) but your words seem a bit out of place in my opinion.

    For anyone that’s objectively looked at all (or most) of the circumstances surrounding the old 16mm Kodachrome film frames; the film itself is pretty convincing, but lets move on further.

    One of the most complete and objective studies of the film and all its individual technical aspects is the NASI Report written and compiled by J. Glickman: Diplomat, American college of Forensic Examiners. Glickman’s work is truly impressive and a model for other scientists to follow IMO. Full and abridged copies are easy to find on the net using any search engine. His historically thorough conclusion after an exhaustive scientific investigation of all the elements involved; (after a three year long study regarding the film), is that “it cannot be demonstrated to be a forgery.” There are several other writings by other scientists like it.

    But for me, as I’ve stated in other posts, the clincher (as is the case for many others) is that the animal is obviously a real animal. I say this because I have personally observed, in the wild, just about every mammal known to zoology and endemic to North America. The discriminating proofs are extremely subtle and would naturally escape many viewers. It is though the very subtleness of certain indicators that proves it for me. (and others) that these are things that just can’t be faked and defining them in writing is nearly impossible.

    This may very well sound preposterous to some and I understand. Try to understand this though: when you hunt, track, photo-hunt, and trap wild animals over a very long period, you become very cognizant of wild creatures habits, postures, reactions, and movements. One develops a sixth sense regarding wild creatures and what constitutes a creature’s behavior when in pain or wounded, frightened, hungry, thirsty, hunger satisfied, defensive aggressive, predatory aggressive, rabid, playful, evasive, inquisitive, young, old and very old, in rut and after being rejected while in rut. (stay away from that one if its a large animal like a bear, bison, moose, muley etc.) There are of course countless combinations and to be an effective woodsman or hunter and especially bow hunter, etc. one must be so observant and stealthy as to be able to approach said animal within a reasonable distance to insure a humane one shot cull by employing such skillsets as enumerated above so that one can successfully outsmart his quarry.

    After watching the P/G film a hundred or so times (copies of original, stabilized, magnified, slowed down run backwards etc.) I like to believe I know what a real animal looks like, moves like, etc.

    I don’t expect anyone to take my word for any of this…But you’d be far better off believing me. The creature depicted in the P/G film is as real as any other animal. Its real and it exists. I’ve never seen one living example nor even any convincing spoor, I’ve never heard a sasquatch howl nor woodknocking, nor rock clicking. (maybe eyeshine… once?) But I positively know sasquatch exists because I saw a film clip of a female of the species; “Patty” and I know the film is depicting a real animal.

    I guess I just wish people would assume it exists instead of the other way around and get down to the hard, tricky work of finding an example that science would except as real. That way we can begin the next phase; how and where to protect it.

  11. crusader2 responds:

    Opalman,

    Thank you for your comprehensive reply in defence of the PG film. I will as you suggest read the Glickman analysis and revert with the points that I believe make the integrity of the film dubious. Needless to say I would love to be proved wrong and for both the PG film to be genuine and Bigfoot found to exist.

  12. kittalia responds:

    Whether or not the film is real, I think the reason why no one matched it is mainly because in today’s world everyone has low-quality cameras and can’t use them. We have a ten-year-old video camera that takes video as well as our new, big, professional quality camera because it was made for making videos.

  13. Opalman responds:

    @kittalia,
    I’m not sure I understand you. Even today’s majority of cellphone cameras takes stills @ a higher resolution than the film camera used in the P/G film of 1967, (a Kodak K-100, 16mm (wind up) movie camera w/ Kodachrome film), replete with a crappy lenses system. Its nearly impossible to find a non-high definition digital camera or camcorder! If you are referring to a digital pocket camera with video capability and not a digital still camera, then the case is that even, 10 year old video camera technology is vastly superior to what was used by Patterson. (what I’m trying to point out is that any 10 year old camera takes clearer pictures than Patterson’s equipment.

    So why haven’t we any good pics?

    I too am very surprised that we don’t have a much clearer film or digital image by now. It’s a very unsettling situation. Seems like sasquatch has some way of detecting any camera and if he doesn’t avoid it completely he de-focuses it somehow. Its called the blobsquatch protocol. (I’m being facetious now, sorry)

  14. bobhelferstay responds:

    With all of the advances over the last 40 years since the PGF was made, I doubt very much that it’s nothing more than a person in a fur suit. There’s no way that anyone could have predicted and compensated for the level of technoglogy that this film has been analyzed with.

    Also, there are modern PG style films out there. The Freeman film is one example. Now a days though, everything is either digital or video tape, which does not have the resolution that film does.

    If the PG film was fake, we would have been able to detect it by now. There’s no way that something shot 40 years ago could stand up to modern technology.

  15. eyeofstrm responds:

    Fake Shmake, just show me the damn suit or shut up already!!! Or better yet find some one to make one. Aught to be real simple with todays tech. right ?

  16. Reverend responds:

    I think a lot of people are dubious about the PGF – and I know I am – but it’s also not accurate to suggest we’d have better footage by now, if Bigfoot was really out there.

    I for one take a lot of walks in the woods with my camera. I have thousands of photo’s of really boring, everyday creatures. The handful of times I’ve seen anything interesting (no, I’m not talking about Bigfoot), I’ve either not been quick enough to get the camera up, and focused, in time, or I’ve just stood there with my mouth open thinking “WTH is that!?”…

    I think it would take someone with immense calm and presence of mind to be fast enough to point, focus and shoot at an elusive, fast, and quite possibly dangerous creature in the woods.

    If I had my camera and bumped into Bigfoot, you’d still only have my word for it and, at the very most, a blurry photo of a hairy backside… 🙂

Sorry. Comments have been closed.

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