YEAR: 1970

SEASON: Summer

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Cowlitz County

LOCATION DETAILS: From I5 take the Spirit Lake Hwy to Chuck's store. Turn left onto the Tower road. Continue on the Tower road, crossing the Toutle river and proceed another mile or two till the road turns and abruptly left up a hill. This location is the old entry point to Hollywood Gorge (In the 1930 a movie called God's Country and the Woman was filmed at this spot) Go on up the Tower road and the next road intersecting from the left is Rock Creek Road. The land now belonges to the Weyerhaeuser Company is is most likely gated, although during hunting season it is unlocked. Proceed about 2 miles. In 1970 the roaded dead-ended at this landing. It may have all changed since then, although I don't think the trees growing at this site in 1970 have been harvested yet, but trees 100 yards or so farther east would most likely would have been by now.

NEAREST TOWN: Castle Rock or Toutle

NEAREST ROAD: Tower road

OBSERVED: The year was 1970 and my friend John and I rode my Honda 90 along logging roads to a secluded area which was about 7 miles from my family's cabin on the Toutle River. The USGS map of about 1952 labeled the road as Rock Creek Road and it intersected the Tower Road just about 150 yards NE of Hollywood Gorge. I remember the year because John had been graduated from high school and was working at Longview Logging and Mill Supply and I was about to enter my junior year of high school. Anyway, it was summer and we were camping in my father's old army pup tent when we heard what sounded like several apes screaming. We both agreed that was the best description of the sound. It was fairly dark and we looked out of the tent and saw a large dark silhouette about 150 feet from the front of the tent. John had a JC Higgins single shot 22 rifle and I had a Winchester gallery gun also in 22 cal. What we saw we thought was a big foot and we shouted out several warnings to whoever or whatever was there that we were going to begin shooting. After getting no response, we pumped several rounds into it and it did not move. We finally got brave enough to go out and investigate only to learn it was an old tree stump from when the area was logged by McCormick Brothers in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Although the stump was not a big foot, we both heard that most chilling screaming which must have lasted 45 seconds to a minute. My best guess is that the sound originated less than 300 yards away, yet the nearest farm or house or cabin was about 1-2 miles away.

ALSO NOTICED: No

OTHER WITNESSES: Just John and me.

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Evening, perhaps 10:00 pm

ENVIRONMENT: End of Rock Creek Road was a loggin landing where the logs were loaded onto trucks. The predominant trees were D. fir and Hemlock.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Clifton Barnes:

I spoke with the witness on the phone for approximately 15 minutes. The witness was able to recall fine details of the evening without hesitation and was very open and forthright with his statements about his experience.

He stated that he and his friend heard several primate sounding vocalizations that night for 15-20 seconds each and further specified the estimated range at approximately 100 yards. He noted that the sounds were unusual enough to disturb himself and his friend. He stated that he had never heard a sound like it and has not again since 1970.

His description of the sounds heard were compared to monkeys at the zoo when they are excited or agitated. The witness did not hear any other sounds or see anything else unusual that night or since.

The witness was also willing to give GPS coordinates of the location where the vocalizations were heard.

To rule out the Barred Owl from the possible animals he may have heard, I sent him a recording of Barred Owl sounds. The witness commented that what I sent him was lower pitched and reiterated that the sounds they heard were higher pitched and sounded as if you were at the zoo and "the monkeys got all worked up and started screaming".

After speaking with the witness, it is my opinion that his report was geniune and he is familiar with the local wildlife and was convinced that what he and his friend heard that evening was not a human or known animal. Although no recordings were obtained and the experience is not conclusive, I believe that what the witness and his friend heard that night MAY have been an unverified animal or animals commonly known as the sasquatch.

About BFRO Investigator Clifton Barnes:

Clifton Barnes is a long time outdoor enthusiast who regularly enjoys a spectrum of outdoor activities, martial arts and social non-profit volunteer work. He is from eastern Washington and has a background in visual communications, fitness, telecommunications and finance.

His interest in the phenomenon began in 2002 and he later attended a BFRO expedition on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. He has participated in many independent & BFRO expeditions in the US and Canadian pacific northwest dating back to 2004. He has since relocated to north Georgia and continues to pursue research there near the Smoky Mountains.

He believes that the Sasquatch mystery can be legitimized and eventually solved by obtaining compelling video & audio, dna and track evidence and chooses to pursue the scientific verification of this species through various surveillance methods.

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