Bigfoot trap
Encyclopedia
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, a few miles from the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state border. It was designed to capture a Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
(or Sasquatch), the legendary hominid that is said to live in the forests of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
Description
The trap is a wooden box 10 by made of 2x12 planks bound together by heavy metal bands and secured to the ground by telephone poles. A Forest Service special use permit was issued for its construction, but the door has been bolted open since 1980. Its location was originally remote and predicted to be a good place for a Bigfoot migration, but since the construction of the Applegate Dam, a road is now near the trap.History
The trap was built in 1974 by the North American Wildlife Research Team (NAWRT), a now-defunct organization based in Eugene, OregonEugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, that was inspired to build a trap at the location by Perry Lovell, a miner who lived near the Applegate River
Applegate River
The Applegate River is a long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately . Rising in northern California, it soon crosses the border and flows northeast then northwest to meet the Rogue about west of Grants Pass...
, who claimed to have found 18-inch-long human-like tracks in his garden. NAWRT operated the trap, keeping it baited with carcasses for six years, but caught only bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s.
Since then the trap had been abandoned and was deteriorating. In 2006 the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, under the Passport in Time program, began to repair the trap. The trap has become a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
over the past 30 years and hundreds of people visit it annually. At least one film has been shot on site.
The Forest Service keeps an eye on the device, but otherwise does not maintain it.
The Collings Mountain hiking trail passes by the Bigfoot trap.
See also
- Bigfoot in popular cultureBigfoot in popular cultureBigfoot, or Sasquatch, an alleged ape-like creature purportedly inhabiting forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, has had a demonstrable impact as a popular culture phenomenon...
- Evidence regarding Bigfoot
- Formal studies of BigfootFormal studies of BigfootThere have been a limited number of formal scientific studies of Bigfoot or Sasquatch, the supposed ape-like creature said to live in North America...
- Patterson-Gimlin filmPatterson-Gimlin filmThe Patterson-Gimlin film is a famous short motion picture of an unidentified subject the film makers purported to be a "Bigfoot", that was supposedly filmed on October 20, 1967, by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin on the Klamath River outside of Orleans,...