YEAR: 1979

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

STATE: Arizona

COUNTY: Graham County

LOCATION DETAILS: I don't remember, nor was I paying attention. We had turned off on a dirt trail and hiked back a bit. We were not at the Riggs Lake yet and we were past the first major cabin area.

NEAREST TOWN: Safford

NEAREST ROAD: Swift Trail

OBSERVED: I had never thought about reporting this until I read about the reports on Mt Graham. Lived in the Gila Valley as a child. Visited Mt Graham as a child with relatives from Michigan. I was 10 years old. I was sitting on a log with a slope behind me. Started feeling "funny", like something was watching me. Family called me back to the car, I glanced up behind me and there was something huge and dark partially behind a boulder right up the slope from me. I ran as fast as I could. It was hairy and tall. I hadn't heard anything before the sighting occurred. I told everyone and was told I was seeing things. I have never forgotten that visit to Mt. Graham. As an adult I am still freaked out up there. I know what I saw, it was not a bear! It was large, dark and hairy. I have looked into Bigfoot sightings before, but never connected it with Mt. Graham. I do now!

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing that I can remember.

OTHER WITNESSES: My family was a short distance away. I sat on a fallen tree. My back was to the slope. family back to me.

OTHER STORIES: I never have, that is why I never really let myself think it was a bigfoot. That is what I thought it was, because I knew it was not a bear and nothing else was close in size. When I read about the other sightings on Mt. Graham I knew I was right in my original idea.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Early afternoon or late morning. Clear day, no clouds.

ENVIRONMENT: Pine forest, dirt trail, steep slope up hill.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Chuck Jacobs:

I spoke with the reporting party (RP) at length by telephone, and she added the following:

- She was sitting by herself a short distance away from her other family members, with her back toward a large boulder, when she had an intense feeling that she was being watched. She turned around and saw a large, hair-covered creature on the other side of the boulder, approximately fifteen feet away, looking at her. As soon as she saw the creature, she turned and ran to her family.

- She only saw the creature very briefly, probably only a second or two before she turned and ran, so she did not observe much in terms of facial features or other details. Since it was behind the boulder, she was unable to make any estimate of its height or weight, but advised that it stood upright and was very large. She described the hair color as black or a very dark reddish-brown.

- When she ran to her parents, they did not believe her and totally dismissed the incident, not even going over to the boulder to look. She advised that what she saw was definitely not a bear, and in fact was much too large to have been a bear or any other animal known to live in the area.

- She advised that she grew up in a small farming town at the base of the mountain, and that the incident has haunted her for her entire life. While growing up, she thought about it every time she looked at the mountain. She now lives in a different part of the state, but remembers the incident as if it happened yesterday. She said that once she learned about what Bigfoot creatures were, she always thought that was what she had seen. After watching various TV programs and documentaries about Bigfoot/Sasquatch creatures, and after reading reports on the BFRO website about activity on Mount Graham, she became totally convinced of it and decided to file her report.

This location is on national forest land in the Pinaleno Mountains……one of southern Arizona’s so-called “sky islands.” The sky islands are a group of isolated mountain ranges separated by broad high-desert valleys. The highest point in the Pinaleno Mountains is Mount Graham, at 10,720 feet. The location of this incident is below the peak at approximately 9,400 foot elevation. There are a number of reports of possible BF activity in the Mount Graham area dating back to the 1950’s on the BFRO database, the most recent of which occurred in the Summer of 2013.

I found the RP to be well-spoken, articulate, and very credible, and I have no reason to believe that she is being anything but completely open, truthful, and accurate about what she experienced as a child those many years ago.

About BFRO Investigator Chuck Jacobs:

Chuck is a retired fire officer, with an extensive background in firefighting, inspections, investigations, and education. He is also a long-time back country traveler, who has explored some of the most remote areas of the western states by Jeep and camper van. His interest in Bigfoot began many years ago, but he began seriously squatching when he learned about activity in his home area in the Arizona mountains. He has been on numerous trips, both solo and with small groups, and attended the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Arizona Expeditions.

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