July 2, 2008

Western Bigfoot Society: Bluff Creek & Beelart

The following is the overview of Ray Crowe’s Western Bigfoot Society (the WBS is no longer called the International Bigfoot Society) meeting of June 28, 2008, by the man who did the talking, Joseph “Joe” Beelart. So there will be no confusion by those chroniclers of this history, Beelart was interested in seeing these notes published and approached me. I agreed after an exchange of notes about some suggested grammar and clarification edits from my end that would be necessary for me to see this on Cryptomundo.

You will note that Joe Beelart is one of the sources of the new threads discussing “another group” of people who are now working on “analyzing” the Patterson-Gimlin footage secretly. These people appear to be working on it beyond the fashion most of us have experienced the original 1967 footage, before M.K. Davis’ new theories of 2006-2008. Forewarned, in this case, well, is forewarned.

I very openly told Beelart that I felt most of his talk was based on speculations placed on top of speculations. I share here what he says he told the group, in terms of a historical recording of this very strange period in hominology.

As always with guest blogs like this, the opinions and conclusions expressed here are those of the guest writer and do not reflect those of anyone at Cryptomundo or of those individuals appearing with Mr. Beelart in photos used for purely illustrative purposes.

Here is Beelart’s overview of the recent WBS gathering:

June 2008 WBS Meeting

Hi Folks:

Have received several requests for notes on the Western Bigfoot Society meeting of June 28th in Portland, Oregon.

Bob Gimlin talked to me on the telephone and logically clarified several points concerning reports about MK Davis’ Ohio Conference presentation. I reported what Gimlin told me to the audience. I also added my own commentary. There was little new information.

The audience asked few questions. I felt I satisfactorily answered them.

I drew two diagrams of the road ways and the basics of the site, clearly putting Gimlin to the right of the creature, where both Patterson and Gimlin recalled Bob was.

(Wind was probably blowing from the southwest or left-rear of the creature due to an incoming storm front. Of course, wind in a canyon can shift to any direction. I forgot to bring wind up as I had no prepared notes with me. I forgot them.)

The first thing I told the audience was “no firearms were discharged” by Patterson & Gimlin or anyone else at Bluff Creek. This is what Bob told me, and what I believe.

We had a small crowd of regulars. Five faces at three different tables I didn’t recognize. They didn’t hang with the others. They seemed just to come in to eat and got interested. I happily permitted video. Only Patty for the WBS and Mann took any, but someone may have had a recorder on.

(I [had recently] received an email indicating someone else may be analyzing the P&G film in the tradition of M.K. Davis. Since I had nothing to offer, I deleted the post.)

[At this meeting, I] just went over the basics. I emphatically speculated there was “no violence at Bluff Creek in October 1967.”

Before March 2008, the subject had never been brought up, to the best of my knowledge. Many people have studied the film and have reported on it in writing and in presentations, but there have been no mentions of violence.

It is a terrible loss to Bigfooting that MK has dropped out over a few words related to violence. I also briefly brought up Long’s book, in the assumption where there’s smoke, maybe there’s fire.

It is very easy to explain all of the controversial things discussed by MK were due to common causes:
{1} Bob only used the backhoe to pull his truck out of the ditch during heavy, pre-dawn rain on Oct. 21st.
{2} Wind gusts blew the hair noted by MK.
{3} Excavation near the site was done by loggers or, possibly as a prospector test.
{4} The color “red” can be caused by mineral leaching, algae, film deterioration, etc. I have a registered copy of Photoshop 6 that I use. I very briefly talked color and layers.

I said that as far as I knew, possible excavations at the site were never mentioned by visitors to the site just after the film was taken. Dig marks could have been a little work on the Bluff Creek road for logging going on higher up.

I spent quite a bit of time on the timeline of Oct. 20th. To make the timeline work, as reported by Daniel Perez in “Bigfoot at Bluff Creek,” they had to drive the main road to Arcata.

Bob told me they had stopped at an airport for 20-30 minutes. He slept in the truck while Roger went inside. I pointed out there are two airfields near Eureka. The big one is at McKinleyville.

I also noted that I was my impression at that time VFR required no flight plan. Also if it was a fly-in pickup the airport could have been listed as a stop in a flight plan filed elsewhere. I said this was speculation as I have no knowledge of an air charter.

I believe the creature in the film was real and not a man in a costume.

Bob Gimlin forcefully told me, “there was no third man” at the site or in camp. Bob has said this same thing for 40 years. “No third man” at Bluff Creek.

However, the following seemed factual to me, and some points contradict each other:
{1} MK had spent about 10 years analyzing the P&G film and reporting his results. His findings were not especially controversial until the “violence” words emerged.
{2} Bob Gimlin has clearly stated in many presentations and interviews that the creature is real. The fast paced events at the time of the film kept him from seeing many details.
{3} According to Greg Long’s book, Bob Heironimus says the film is a fake.
{4} From Long’s book, Al DeAtley fails to “recall” many details, such as how the film got from Bluff Creek to Washington State. DeAtley speculates he charted an aircraft.
{5} For the current story to be good, if the film wasn’t flown out by airplane, it had to be driven north the night of the 20th. Since I have a tremendous amount of high value parts sales experience, I went over the six ways to transport the film: automobile, air, USPS, delivery service, next-bus-out, and passenger train baggage. Of those only the first two seem practical.
{8} If the film was mailed as Patterson repeatedly said, a contradiction arises with Gimlin’s airport statement.

The point of the meeting was, “What does all that stuff mean to an average Bigfooter like me?”

If the PG film shows a real creature the film still means little or nothing to science. It does not advance our cause unless a type specimen is collected.

We must continue research based on our own belief in the creatures, and the thousands of sightings and other evidences which have accumulated for decades.

I hope this helps you understand what went on at the meeting. There is more, but I think I’ve covered most of what I said.

Finishing, I commented that it was unfortunate that my friend and colleague, MK Davis has left the field.

Joe Beelart
West Linn, Oregon

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