YEAR: 1974

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Umatilla County

LOCATION DETAILS: Beginning from Pilot Rock, Oregon, go south on E. Birch Creek Rd. for about 18 miles, traveling around the east side of Indian Lake to the campground located on the NW side of the lake.

NEAREST TOWN: Pilot Rock, Oregon

NEAREST ROAD: Rocky Ridge Road

OBSERVED: My stories begin in the mid 70's at Indian Lake, in Eastern Oregon. It was during the summer youth camp-out. One night at the camp fire, there was this strange yell coming from down the mountain from the face of the dam. I asked and asked but was ignored. The strange yell was getting closer. Suddenly the counselors decided it was time for everyone to go to bed. Once in our teepee, I asked our lead counselor what the strange sounds were. She whispered quite rudely to be quiet and go to sleep. Later that night I was awakened bysomething. I wasn't sure what had awoken me but then the ground seemed to be shaking. Like boom, boom, boom, boom. I was just about the sit up to peek under the teepee when I was grabbed by my arm by my counselor. She hissed at me to be still. The next morning everyone acted like nothing happened! I was so confused. We broke camp pretty fast that day.

OTHER WITNESSES: There were 10-15 counselors and a dozen students who heard the night howls. The walking was heard by me and 1 counselor, that I know of.

OTHER STORIES: Johnson Creek is NW of the lake and has had campers from our local area. There have been stories from their camps of rocks being thrown at them. Hearing pots and pans being moved around in the middle of the night. Our Native American teachings have taught us that these Big People are just curious. Nothing to fear, but to leave them alone and unnoticed.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Camp fire was around 10pm, or thereabouts. I think it was a some what cloudy night. This lake is 15 miles from the nearest town, so there were no lights other than the camp fires.

ENVIRONMENT: The area is in the middle of the Umatilla National Forest. It is timber land full of evergreen pine trees and some alder mixed. There is a man-made lake about 1 mile long by 1/2 mile wide. The lake is near the top of a mountain. There is a creek running into the west end with the face of the dam at the east end. The dam lets out into Birch Creek. There is a summer cabin at the SE side of the lake with another down 1/2 mile. The lake is for non-motorized craft. The camp ground has no electricity.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Dr. Wolf H. Fahrenbach:

The camp is a retreat for youths from the Umatilla Indian Reservation. There were many kids there, ages between 8 and 16 and about a dozen counselors, sleeping in teepees at night. In the context of daily activities like swimming, rafting and boating on the lake, the substantial noise might have been an attractant. The intial vocalization consisted of moaning screams, each about 5-6 seconds in duration, at least a dozen in number, stretching over an hour.

The witness belongs to the Umatilla Tribe and reports that the existence of the sasquatch, called "stick Indian" or Ste-ye-ha-mah in the Sahaptic language, seems to be common knowledge among the older folk, who counsel a wiser live-and-let-live relationship towards the sasquatch than is often evidenced by their Anglo neighbors.

The most recent reported sasquatch activity at Indian Lake occurred near the beginning of September '06. Time of this report is mid-September '06.

About BFRO Investigator Dr. Wolf H. Fahrenbach:

Hair analysis since 1965. Field work since 1989. Sasquatch courses given in Oregon and Arizona (3-10 weeks duration); Published in Cryptozoology.