Wilson Creek Bigfoot Museum
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Leaving the coastal Redwoods behind, we headed inland toward Lassen National Volcanic Park. On the way, we stopped in Willow Creek, California, the self-proclaimed Bigfoot Capital of the World. First order of business was lunch at Gonzalez Mexican Restaurant next door, then on to The Bigfoot Museum to try to solve my Bigfoot problem.
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I have been wandering all through the Pacific Northwest, from Redwoods to the Oregon coast to mountain trails, and still no luck. No shrill whistles, no oversized footprints in the sand, and not a single tall, hairy man-ape crashing through the brush. Clearly, I am doing something wrong.
Willow Creek is not too far from Bluff Creek, where the famous Patterson–Gimlin film was shot in 1967. That shaky clip of a supposed Bigfoot strolling through the forest is still the holy grail for Squatch believers. The museum leans into that history with footprint casts, photographs, media reports, and a giant wooden Squatch out front.
Inside, we were first introduced to town memorabilia from the 1930s and earlier, snapshots of Willow Creek before Sasquatch took over its identity. But further in came the good stuff: plaster casts of enormous feet, grainy photos, and shelves of reports from people convinced they had seen or heard something out there in the woods.
I may not have found Squatch in the wild yet, but I did leave with a Bigfoot book to further my studies and improve my odds next time.
Willow Creek is not too far from Bluff Creek, where the famous Patterson–Gimlin film was shot in 1967. That shaky clip of a supposed Bigfoot strolling through the forest is still the holy grail for Squatch believers. The museum leans into that history with footprint casts, photographs, media reports, and a giant wooden Squatch out front.
Inside, we were first introduced to town memorabilia from the 1930s and earlier, snapshots of Willow Creek before Sasquatch took over its identity. But further in came the good stuff: plaster casts of enormous feet, grainy photos, and shelves of reports from people convinced they had seen or heard something out there in the woods.
I may not have found Squatch in the wild yet, but I did leave with a Bigfoot book to further my studies and improve my odds next time.