The Legend of Bigfoot. T. S. Mart
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THE LEGEND OFBIGFOOT
THE LEGEND OFBIGFOOT
Leaving His Mark on the World
T. S. Mart and Mel Cabre
Illustrations by Mel Cabre
This book is a publication of
Red Lightning Books
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
© 2020 by T. S. Mart and Mel Ayers
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-68435-139-8 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-68435-140-4 (ebook)
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This book is for Mom and Roger, who walkedbeside me down the roughest path.
—T. S. Mart
You knew how offbeat I was from the get-go.Thank you, Antoine, for being equally offbeat with me.
—Mel Cabre
CONTENTS
Appendix: Bigfoot Culture Timeline
PREFACE
BEFORE THE UNITED STATES BECAME A COUNTRY, the legend of Bigfoot existed. The subject of thousands of stories, this creature has been viewed as a monster terrorizing the woods, a supernatural entity stealthily living among us with an otherworldly agenda, and simply an animal trying to live a life of seclusion. Theories and beliefs are vast. Research and discussion have become an occupation for some and a hobby for many others.
Alongside believers are skeptical fans who enjoy the idea of a large monster roaming forested areas. While hiking in the woods, these fans might imagine a pattern of fallen trees, visualize impressions in the soft ground, and joke about the possibilities. Around the campfire, they hear a shrill cry and think, What if… We’ve seen it on TV—Bigfoot showing up at the campsite of jerky-loving young adults. It’s fun.
Prior to the rise of technology and mass media, story based in truth was at the heart of a good legend. Historical icons and their experiences influenced the culture of those times. It’s not so different today, except information travels by commercials, movies, fictional books, video games, and so on, instead of by word of mouth. Because of this, there exists a new culture of Bigfoot fans, those who value entertainment as much as they value the monster himself.
Regardless of where you fall on the pendulum of believer to skeptical fan, if you find Bigfoot to be fascinating to any degree, this book is for you. Focusing on five different regions of America, we’ll give a complete overview of Bigfoot and show how mainstream America has been influenced by various legends, the men who turned legend into reality, and the continuation of the fanciful idea of what-if. Whether you are serious, scared, or laughing, we hope you enjoy this resource for fans dedicated to America’s favorite cryptid.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE STARS ALIGN and all the pieces of a dream fall into place. As Mel and I were dreaming about writing this book as a mother-daughter team, our editor, Ashley Runyon—whom we didn’t know at the time—was dreaming about publishing a cryptid resource for fans. Our agent, Cyle Young, who’d never heard of a cryptid before he met any of us, strolled in between us. Thank you both for bringing us this opportunity, which has fulfilled one half of a lifelong dream. Ashley, you are the reason this book exists, and your advice and suggestions have helped make it shine. Thank you to Darja Malcolm-Clarke and the copyeditors who meticulously combed through and polished this book. You are amazing. Any and all remaining errors are our fault alone. To the design and production team—your creativity and attention to detail have soared beyond our expectations. Thank you for your excitement about this project.
Many people are far more educated on the subject of Bigfoot than we are. Many have no idea how they’ve helped us, but we’ve been reading, watching, and learning from your expertise. A few of these individuals are Loren Coleman, Seth Breedlove and the Small Town Monsters Crew, Lyle Blackburn, the late Mark A. Hall, and the late Ivan T. Sanderson.
Most importantly, we thank our friends and family, who tolerate our wild conversations. Thank you for your patience. You are loved and appreciated more than you know.
INTRODUCTION
GROWING UP, MEL SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS DRAWING animals—and then turning them into monsters. One evening, when she was about eight, we were on our way to the drive-in, and a horsefly flew in the truck and bit her on the back. To divert her attention and help release the anger, I told her to draw me a picture of it. She wasted no time replicating the angry face of a horsefly, with horns and fangs. The world needed to know that horseflies were terrible monsters.
Not long after, Mel watched a documentary about Mothman. This was the first time she’d heard the story, and it scared her so badly she didn’t sleep well for several nights. It’s not that she believed he was real, but the what-if was enough to cause her overactive imagination to dream up countless scenarios of doom.
Mel had already learned to cope with her fears by studying the object of focus. So, she thought, why not research