YEAR: 1980

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: JULY

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Marion County

LOCATION DETAILS: THE PUDDING RIVER IS EAST OF MT ANGEL. FOREST AND WATER. IT IS NOT A A MAJOR RIVER. AT THE WIDEST PLACE -60 FEET. DEPTH IS APPROX 4 FEET.
IT IS IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. IT IS KNOW FOR SMALL TROUT. THE WOOD ARE THICK. THE RIVER IS NOT FAR FROM A BACK WOODS 2 LANE. THE WOODS ARE ON BOTH SIDE. THE RIVER IS FULL OF LARGE ROCKS
WHEN WE WERE THERE THE RIVER WAS ABOUT 1 FOOT DEEP
IT IS NOT A POPULATER AREA. THE WOOD A FAIRLY DARK ONCE YOU ENTER. IN THE SUMMER THERE ARE LARGE SAND SPOTS

NEAREST TOWN: Silverton

NEAREST ROAD: Meridian Rd.

OBSERVED: MY WIFE'S GRANDFATHER WANTED TO TAKE ME FLY FISHING AT THE LITTLE PUDDING RIVER. HE ONLY HAD ONE POLE
SO I WENT TO WATCH. WE PARKED NEAR THE BRIDGE
AND WALK EAST UP THE RIVER. HE POINTED TO A STACK OF ROCKS AND ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHAT THEY WERE. I TOLD HIM NO. HE SAID BIG FOOT DOES THAT.
I SAID OK, SURE. AS WE WALKED UP THE RIVER WE SAW THEM ABOUT EVERY 200 FEET. I WADED ACROSS TO WHERE THEY WERE AND HE SAID "DON'T TOUCH THEM". AFTER WE PASSED THE 4TH ROCK PILE HE PUT DOWN HIS POLE AND WE WADED ACROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE. HE TOLD ME TO STAY PUT. HE WAS GONE FOR ABOUT 10 MIN. HE CAME BACK AND TOLD ME NOT TO TALK AND FOR ME TO FOLLOW. WE WALKED ABOUT 50 YARDS INTO THE WOODS UNTIL WE CAME TO A BIG FALLEN TREE. HE TOLD ME TO BE QUIET.

I SAW IN THE MIDDLE OF FOUR TREES THAT THERE WERE SMALL BRANCHES PACKED DOWN AND RED BROWN TUFTS OF HAIR. IT SMELLED LIKE AN ANIMAL HAD DIED. IT TURNED MY STOMACH. I ALSO SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS CHICKEN FEATHERS IN THE DEN. WE WALKED OUT AND BACK TO THE RIVER. HE TOLD ME THAT I JUST SAW A BIG FOOT DEN. HE WAS 87 YEARS OLD. I NEVER THOUGGHT MUCH ABOUT BIG FOOT. I DONT KNOW IF IT WAS OR NOT. HE DIED 3 YEARS LATER. HE WAS THE GRUMPIEST MAN I EVER MET.
HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND. I BELIEVED THAT HE REALLY THOUGHT WHAT HE SHOWED ME WAS THE TRUTH .

ALSO NOTICED: NOTHING WAS HEARD BUT I FOUND IT STRANGE THAT HE HAD ME WAIT ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE RIVER WHILE HE WENT TO CHECK IT OUT. HE DIDN'T SAY SO BUT HE SHOWED ME PICTURES OF THE BIG TROUT HE CAUGHT THERE MAYBE 30 OR 40 YEARS AGO.

OTHER WITNESSES: THERE WERE TWO. MY WIFE'S GRANDFATHER AND MYSELF

OTHER STORIES: JESS, MY WIFE.S GRANDFATHER, WOULD NOT TAKE ANYONE WITH HIM NO MATTER WHO THEY WERE. HE HATED PEOPLE. WHY HE LIKED ME AS HE TOLD ME WAS THAT I WAS NOT AFRAID OF HIM AND OVERLOOKED HIS GRUMPINESS. HE TOLD ME WHEN HE CAMPED IN THE WOODS WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER THAT HE HEARD THE BIG FOOT AT NIGHT AND SOMETIMES HE SAW ONE WATCHING HIM FISH. I ASK IF THE BIG FOOT KNEW HE WAS THERE AND HE SAID YES. HE SAID SOMETIMES WHEN HE HOOKED A FISH THE BIG FOOT WOULD GET EXCITED AND MOVE ITS HEAD FROM SIDE TO SIDE. HE SAID HE YELLED AT THE BIG FOOT TO GO AWAY BUT IT DIDN'T MOVE. HE SAID THAT THE SONS OF A BITCHES WERE LIKE KIDS.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: SUNNY AND BRIGHT. NICE DAY

ENVIRONMENT: THE RIVER BOTTOM IS ROCK. THE ONLY STRUCTURE
IS A SMALL, I BELIEVE, WOOD BRIDGE AND THE ROAD NOT FAR AWAY. FURTHER ON DOWN ABOUT 3 MILES IS A HOLE WHERE SOME FISH FOR SALMON AND STEEL HEAD. THE WATER SEEMS ALWAYS IN THE SHADE DUE TO THE TREES.

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

Lengthy interaction with the eye witness, including his trip to the site to verify the location, revealed that the river in question is the Abiqua, a clear mountain stream rather than the muddy Pudding River. The site is located about two miles north of Silverton and due south of Mt. Angel. Especially the upper reaches of the Abiqua have been the source of many sasquatch reports. The characteristically stacked rocks and the nesting site in combination with previous encounters by the grandfather as well as the locale serve to provide a higher level of probability for these observations than they might have in isolation.