YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: july 4th or 5th

STATE: Nebraska

COUNTY: Dawes County

LOCATION DETAILS: On highway NE 385 about 10 to 15 miles South of Crawford NE on a curve in the highway, south of the Cocrine Hill section of the road.

NEAREST TOWN: Crawford

NEAREST ROAD: NE 385

OBSERVED: I had the Bigfoot sighting On the night of July 4th 1996 at about 02:00 on the actual date of the 5th. I was on the highway 385 going South towards Hemingford. I had just come out of the Cocrine hill section of the highway. I was going around a sharp curve in the highway, and had my high beams on in my truck. As I rounded the curve I saw a tall human like form take 2 or 3 steps onto the edge of the road, and then spot as if to wait for traffic to clear. I slowed way down to see if it was someone needing a ride. As I got next to the big foot i noticed that the creature was around 8 to 9 feet tall, and was covered head to toe in long black fur. I got scared, and being alone I stepped on the gas, and stopped 5 miles or so down the road to process what I had just seen. The big foot also had arms that hung lower, and longer than that of humans.

ALSO NOTICED: It stopped on the edge of the highway , and just stood there to let me pass.

OTHER WITNESSES: I was the only person in the truck, but there was a car behind me. I do not know if the car had seen the big foot.

OTHER STORIES: I have heard of a sighting near a bridge in the area from some older Boy Scouts in my Troop. They said that they were hiking near their camp sight, and saw a big foot jump from the edge of a bridge in front of them, and run away. I do not remember exactly where they were camping, just that is was near Crawford, NE.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: I had the Bigfoot sighting On the night of July 4th 1996 at about 02:00 on the actual date of the 5th. I saw the bigfoot in the high beams of my pickup truck, and I remember quite a bit of moontight also. (Full moon on July 1 1996, www.moonphases.info/past_full_moon_dates_calendar.html)
The weather conditions were clear, and not windy with normal temps for July.

ENVIRONMENT: At this sharp bend in the highway there is a canyon, that is wooded with Ponderosa pine trees. It is a part of the Pine Ridge Forest that includes Chadron State Park, and Fort Robinson State Park, and Nebraska National Forest.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Mitch S.:

I spoke with the witness at length and he seemed very credible. A few things to note that were not in the initial report, were the detailed descriptions of the animal. The witness stated that he was driving a Nissan pickup and the animal was about 4 feet higher than his truck. The animal was on the left hand side of the road standing directly on the white line of the highway. He slowed down both because he thought it was a stranded person and because of the dangerous curve on the road. It was at the bottom of a steep valley with a hard curve over a culvert and creek bed. He stated that the animal was pure black with coarse hair. He did not get a good look at his face because it was mostly a side profile in his high beams. He repeated several times that the arm length was extraordinary. Even though it was a full moon, he said that the bottom of the valley was dark. The valley is full of Ponderosa pine trees. The vehicle behind him was estimated to be a half of a mile back. The highway was actually on Nebraska Highway 2, not 385. Highway 2 and 385 merge together, but not for a few more miles South.

About BFRO Investigator Mitch S.:

Mitch has attended the following Expeditions:
Wyoming 2008
Utah 2009
Wyoming 2009
Washington Olympic Peninsula 2009
Mitch is an avid hunter and fisherman and a native of Nebraska.