Skookum Report from the 1800’s

One of the early white settlers, Elijah L. Wade worked mostly on the Quinalt Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. He religiously kept a diary and there is a very casual entry from February of 1878, in which he talks about tracking a skookum with his dogs, but being unable to catch up and shoot it. The area where this took place is now the town of Montesano. He says in his journal:

Wednesday Feb 27. 1878
I trimmed fruit trees all day. Put up the cattle & fead alone – with difficulty. Took my gun & went into the hills in the PM. The dogs got after a skukum but I could not overtake it.

The entry is quite nonchalant and perplexed his grandchildren, who write in his biography:

Grandfather’s diary frequently mentions having gone hunting that day, killing pheasants, quail, geese or ducks, and sometimes writing that he had gotten no game. Once he got on the trail of a ‘skookum’ but could not bag it. We have never been able to figure out what he meant by a skookum.

Two years ago, the entry was found again by John Pickering, Wade’s great grandson and (coincidentally) a sasquatch researcher.

Robert Lindsay Gives Biscardi Benefit of the Doubt

Robert Lindsay of robertlindsay.wordpress.com/

"I do not believe that Biscardi is a hoaxer. He’s simply a guy with an average IQ who has a very strong need to believe in things who gets taken for a ride a lot by hoaxers or folks who just don’t have anything." --Robert Lindsay

While we wholeheartedly disagree with Robert Lindsay's assessment of Tom Biscardi he does have some updates on the Bigfoot DNA research from the perspective of Richard Stubstad. They were both interviewed by Biscardi on his radio show last night (11/30/2011)

Our disagreement with Robert Lindsay begins with the assessment of Biscardi's intelligence. We happen to think Biscardi is more clever than Lindsay gives him credit for. True, if Biscardi was of average IQ, it would be a good argument why he has been "hoaxed" himself so many times. It may even provide reason why Biscardi chooses not to look before he leaps when he sensationalizes his newest evidence.

We can debate whether or not Biscardi is a hoaxer or not. We can debate whether he was the victim of hoaxes or not. We can even debate whether Biscardi is clever or of average IQ.

What is not debatable; Biscardi does not verify his own evidence before writing a press release. Not only does this imply that he doesn’t do his homework very well, it also implies that getting attention may be more important then the research.

In our previous post "Finally! A Journalist Does Real Research on Tom Biscardi" Paul Gackle of the San Francisco Examiner two of Biscardi's biggest flops.

"This isn’t the first time Biscardi has been accused of plotting a hoax. In 2005, he went on the radio show “Coast to Coast AM” claiming he knew the location of a captured Bigfoot close to the Oregon border and would air footage online via webcam for a small fee. But on the day footage was slated to be released, he said he’d been “hoodwinked” by a woman in Nevada.

Then in 2008, Biscardi held a news conference in Palo Alto with two Georgia men who claimed they were holding a Bigfoot carcass in their freezer. Biscardi confirmed the creature’s authenticity, saying he had measured its feet and touched its intestines. But soon after, the Georgia men admitted the pictures were nothing more than a Halloween costume stuffed with animal parts."
SRC: San Francisco Examiner

We are still big fans of Robert Lindsay, he does his research, digs deep and has provided the Bigfoot community with lots of food for thought. We just think he's being too generous.

Below is a short excerpt from Robert Lindsay's post describing Biscardi as instrumental in the early days of the DNA project of Dr. Melba Ketchum.

Ketchum needed people to run samples to her and all of the blowhard lions of the scene refused to lift a finger. Only Tom Biscardi would step to the plate. Let’s give credit where it’s due.

Offer to buy the Sierra Kills Bigfoot steak. As we reported earlier, Justin Smeja’s Bigfoot steak from the Sierra Kills is up for sale. Asking price was $10,000. On the show, Biscardi upped the offer to $50,000, with money to go into an escrow account and money transfer to occur upon proof that the steak is what Smeja says it is.

Bloody clothes from the Sierra Kills. Smeja has agreed with us that the juvenile Bigfoot died in his arms. That’s a very strange thing to do to a wild animal. Hunters don’t cradle their dying prey. But I feel that this thing may have looked so human that it brought out Smeja’s compassionate or guilty instincts. This is why he cradled it in his arms as it passed. As a consequence, Smeja got Bigfoot blood on his clothes. These bloody clothes are in storage at the moment, and they may have Bigfoot DNA on them.

Ketchum and Biscardi. In the early days, when Stubstad and I broke this story, Ketchum made a brief appearance on the scene to attempt to shoot the messenger. She said that Richard’s samples were “not useful to the study.”

We do not believe this is a truthful statement. Instead, we believe that the Four Corners toenail and the blood on the plate from Crittenden, Kentucky tested positive for Bigfoot in repeated tests. In addition, Ketchum attempted to trash Stubstad by saying that the samples came from Biscardi. In doing so, it appeared that Ketchum held Biscardi in disdain.

However, the truth is more complex. We actually don’t report much on personal relationships here other than some fancy wording that you can take however you wish. But if two adults, male and female, have a good platonic friendship, we don’t see why we should not report on that. And Ketchum and Biscardi were close friends at one point. I would urge you not to read anything more into that.

The friendship ended rather abruptly. I am happy that Ketchum and Biscardi had a good friendship, and I am sorry it ended on a sour note. Indeed, Biscardi can be a charming fellow. At any rate, Ketchum trashing Biscardi as persona non grata is rather rich considering he was such a good friend at one point.
SRC: Robert Lindsay

Robert Gray Middle School does Bigfoot Comedy

Ian Sloan (standing) and, from left, Gwyneth Bushman, Max Fawcett and Nicole Panet-Raymond star in Robert Gray’s production of “North Woods Nonsense.”
CLAIRE OLIVER / SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY CONNECTION)

The very School that Bigfoot researcher Thom Powell teaches at will be performing a Bigfoot Comedy.

'North Woods Nonsense'
RGMS theater department presents upbeat, family comedy as its winter production
BY CLAIRE OLIVER

The Southwest Community Connection, Dec 1, 2011
HILLSDALE – Southwest Portlanders have the chance to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot in this neck of the woods, when Robert Gray Middle School’s theater department presents its production of “North Woods Nonsense,” a comedy by Andrew Ross, starting Dec. 1.

The action in this witty, upbeat comedy centers around the lobby of the rundown Lost Loon Hotel at Moose Bottom Lake, where handyman Pete has written a fictional story about Bigfoot kidnapping a local resident that ends up being published in a national tabloid.

People from all over nevertheless take the account as true and come to the hotel to search for Sasquatch on their own.

This sighting also provides the perfect excuse for Birch and Pine, assistants to inept congressman Oakley, to suggest a trip to the hotel to keep him out of the public eye. The pair is trying to keep Oakley, who is head of Congress’ parks committee, from speaking in public to prevent him from sharing his ideas of turning the Grand Canyon into a giant lake, building a mall at Yellowstone and building condos at Mount Rushmore.

Hilarity ensues with the convergence of the Bigfoot enthusiasts and the reporters hot on Oakley’s trail.

“It’s an amazingly fantabulous blow-you-away comedy the whole family would love,” said eighth-grader Ian Sloan, who plays Rep. Oakley.

Cast members said they’ve all had fun embodying their characters.

“I feel like my character is some part of me,” said eighth-grader Nicole Panet-Raymond, one of the sisters who manages the Lost Loon Hotel.

“I love my character because I get to scream a lot,” said eighth-grader Gwyneth Bushman, who play’s Panet-Raymond’s eclectic sister.
The cast has been rehearsing together since the second week of school, and its members said the group is now like a giant family.

“There’s a lot of love, and it’s a lot of fun,” Sloan said.

“Because we’ve created such a collaboration, it’s amazing to see it come together on stage as well,” Director Jules Moorhouse said. “It’s a great family show.”

“North Woods Nonsense” will open Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on the school’s stage, located at 5505 S.W. 23rd Ave., and will continue Dec. 2 and 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.

Tickets cost $5 for students and $7 for adults and are available at the door or online through www.graypta.org. The theater and box office will open 30 minutes prior to each performance. All money raised through ticket and concession sales will support the Robert Gray PTA Theater Program.

Bigfoot takes to stage, page
Bigfoot isn’t just making an appearance on Robert Gray’s stage.

Thom Powell, a science teacher at the school, published his second book, “Shady Neighbors,” earlier this year, and the sasquatch mystery is the novel’s central theme.

Combining Bigfoot and baseball, the novel follows a rural family threatened by the imminent development of its land, according to the book’s description on Amazon.com. When the family begins to notice strange occurrences in the area caused by an unknown force, they must learn to work together with that force for the greater good.

“Shady Neighbors” is available for purchase on Amazon. Powell’s first book, “The Locals, a Contemporary Investigation of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch Phenomenon,” is a nonfiction investigation of the sasquatch legend. It is also available online.

For more information, visit www.shady-neighbors.com.
SRC: The Southwest Community Connection