FEDS FUND BIGFOOT TRAP

Located in the Applegate Ranger District along the Collings Mountain Trail a half mile west of Applegate Lake, the Bigfoot trap is believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation, perhaps on the planet. And it was fortified and funded by the Federal Government-- well actually volunteers of the USDA Forest Service "Passport in Time" program.

Although most projects in the program involve historic or archaeological sites, the Bigfoot trap, which draws hundreds of curious humans each year, was unusual enough to be included, observes Jeff LaLande, archaeologist for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

Measuring 10-feet-by-10-feet, it's a wooden box built of 12-inch wide and 2-inch thick planks. A heavy expanded metal grate served as the trap door, triggered by the big fellow reaching a hairy hand for the bait — a deer or rabbit carcass — hanging at the rear of the structure.

Heavy metal bands binding the planks and telephone poles anchoring it to the ground were meant to keep the burly beast from breaking out. Citing safety concerns, the Forest Service bolted the trap door open in 1980. Uncle Sam didn’t want tourists trapped, bigfooted or not.

The trap was originally constructed, according to forest service records, when a short-lived group dubbed the North American Wildlife Research (NAWR) firm applied for a special use permit in the early 1970s.

Ron Olson, a surviving member of the NAWR shared his feelings with Medford, Oregon's Mail Tribune

“I wouldn’t ever want to see Bigfoot held in captivity,” stresses Ron Olson. “The idea was to learn about him. We wanted to put a transmitter on him. We wanted to find out how they evade people and where they migrate to.”
“We weren’t going to kill it — we had a tranquilizer gun,” he explains. “We had a sled built to put him on. We even had big manacles ready if we got one and the tranquilizer started to wear out. We had it pretty well organized.”

Olson ought to know about the massive trap: He, along with his late father and a friend, built it in 1974.

If you are close to the Oregon/California border near Jacksonville, take Highway 238 onto Upper Applegate Road towards the Applegate Dam. A pull-off along the right side of the side the road is used for parking. There you will find the trailhead of Collings Mountain Trail, hike just over a half mile to an abandoned miner's claim and follow a dirt trail to the 1974 structure.

IS BIGFOOT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?

DISCLAIMER: Although I do not subscribe to this belief, I believe it is noteworthy as Bigfoot Lore.
There is several pieces of Mormon literature claiming that Bigfoot is a modern incarnation of Cain, the brother and murderer of Abel, from the Bible story of Genesis.
Here's a Cain/Abel refresher in case you haven't been attending Sunday school.
The first children of Adam and Eve, born after the Fall of Man. Once, when they were grown men, both Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God. When Cain saw that Abel's pleased God whereas his did not, Cain murdered his brother out of jealousy. For his crime, Cain was exiled by God to a life of wandering in a distant land.

Most recently the BF/Cain connection was a research paper written by Matt Bowman and published in Journal of Mormon History. The paper is based on several sources including David Patten’s story of encountering Cain, a letter published in Lycurgus Wilson’s biography of Patten, Spencer Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness, a poem referencing the event by Eliza R. Snow, and meeting records of Quorum of the 12. The biggest contribution to the lore Mr. Bowman provides is evidence the story was widely circulated in the 19th century.

The paper goes on and cites Church Archives I finding similar stories; such as a page marked “from the papers of E. Wesley Smith,” mission president in Hawaii in the 1920s and brother of Joseph Fielding Smith, describing Wesley’s meeting with Cain, and explaining that his brother told him of David Patten’s encounter.

Here is a direct quote from Lycurgus Wilson’s biography of Patten:

"As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me.... His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark.
I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.
About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight...."(Lycurgus A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten [Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1900], p. 50., as quoted by Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [Salt Lake City, Bookcraft, Inc.]18th printing 1991 p.p. 127-128.)

Another recent publishing of this connection is a fictional book that uses the Folklore as a jumping point. The book is title Clan of Cain by Shane Lester. It uses the same David W. Patten experience and then continues as a fictional adventure. Here is his book as described by him

Clan of Cain: The Genesis of Bigfoot is a newly published book that offers a different dimension to the Bigfoot mystery. A recently uncovered document reveals a possible connection between the origins of the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and Bigfoot. Searching through the archives of historical church documents the author; Shane Lester uncovered an extraordinary story that becomes the foundation of a new theory about the origins of Bigfoot.

There are a few more sensational press Bigfoot has recieved lately, which I will be posting in the next few days. Then I will get back to more serious stuff. Stay tuned for Bigfoot Endorses Clinton, and NASA:BIGFOOT IS A MARTIAN!

BIGFOOT'S CASTLE

Now first let me say as co-founder, I do not endorse all opinions shared here at The BFRLC's Blog, but I am passionate about the big guy, and I am fascinated by BF's impact on us, especially here in the states. This blog is meant to be the biggest Bigfoot magnet ever made, with more drawing power than any film, book, or blog.

As a child, my family camped every other weekend. The routes to our favorite destinations often included long eastbound stretches of I-90 at night.

I-90 follows a path carved by ancient glaciers long gone, defining Oregon's northern border. It slices through miles of old-growth forest, nested between the Columbia River on one side and sky scraping cliffs on the other. like a classic Hanna-Barbara cartoon I-90's scenery seems to loop continuously without change until it bends near Corbett at exit 22 An outcropping of cliffs overlooking the Columbia Gorge named Crown Point. The jewel of this crown, set prominently like a precious stone, is the Vista House.

Despite my curious nature, I never bothered to ask about the Vista House. For one, I wasn't sure if anybody else could see it. Besides, as a resourceful six year old, it was perfectly obvious to me. A building made of stone? Without any apparent roads to or from? Perched in the upon a cliff deep inside the forest? Simple. Bigfoot's castle.

While siblings, family and friends guessed at cloud formations, looked for the big dipper or gazed at the moon, my eyes stayed fixed on the surrounding forest. After all, now I had Bigfoot's address, I was sure to spot him in his neighborhood.

After 10-plus years, traveling past Crown Point literally hundreds of times, I never gave up, and I never did see him. Oddly I was never disappointed, each uneventful search only confirmed the rarity of this mysterious creature.

I knew that Bigfoot was significant. At a single glance BF's upright posture reveals how he shares more with us humans than any other creature alive today. Once discovered we would learn as much about ourselves as we would of it. Eventually my interest in BF would lead me to human origins, anthropology, primatology, bio-mechanics and a sea of multiple personal accounts and sightings with as many different theories and counter-theories.

As no two snowflakes or fingerprints are identical; the same could be said be said when it comes to any two Bigfoot theories. I am fascinated by them all, every single one, no matter how polished or rough. So stay tuned. Tomorrow I post a theory, of biblical proportions, aptly titled: Is Bigfoot My Brother's Keeper?