​THE TRUTH
The most popular conspiracy theories surrounding Bigfoot are related to its origins; among these theories is the conspiracy that Bigfoot isn’t an ape or other Earthly creature, but rather, an alien. Although there isn’t much formal research or evidence that points to Bigfoot being an extraterrestrial visitor, there is one event that may provide a more conclusive link: the 1973 Pennsylvania Flap. The 1973 Pennsylvania Flap was an event during which there was an increased incidence of both UFO and Bigfoot sightings (Ones 1). This event first began with UFO sightings, which were then followed up one month later with multiple Bigfoot sightings, as well as continued UFO sightings, by the residents of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area and towns (1). These sightings became so numerous and anxiety-provoking, that, reported in a newspaper by the Latrobe Bulletin, “Stan Gordon, director of the Westmoreland County UFO Study Group which has been investigating ‘Bigfoot’ sightings, has issued a warning to the public not to panic over reports of the creature and to avoid hunting it, particularly with guns,” (“1973 Bigfoot Flap” 1). The paranoia became so real in Pennsylvania that there were multiple hunting parties for Bigfoot that would even last past dark and into the night (1).
Also worth noting is the fact that, not only did certain members of UFO study groups take an interest in these Bigfoot sightings individually, but the entire Westmoreland County UFO Study Group, and especially its leader, Stan Gordon, became actively involved in investigating Bigfoot sightings in their area, compiling data from sightings and issuing daily reports on recent UFO and Bigfoot sightings, though they had to threaten to stop their reporting due to potentially dangerous Bigfoot hunting parties (“1973 Bigfoot Flap” 1). “UFO Group officials have threatened to cease issuing daily progress reports if such incidents continue to occur” (1).What makes this particularly interesting, however, is the fact that this UFO group took an interest in Bigfoot at all. One possible reason for the sudden interest is how the time and location of sightings of both UFOs and Bigfoot overlapped almost perfectly, which would, at the very least, raise the possibility of there being a link between the two phenomena. Whatever it may be, there was enough reason for an entire UFO group chapter to dedicate time and resources into investigating Bigfoot which yet again poses the question, “Could Bigfoot be related to aliens?” On the other side of this conspiracy, however, is another theory that lies closer to home.
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Covered in thick hair, bipedal, intelligent, and humanoid; these characteristics are shared both by Bigfoot and great apes. With these similarities, could there be a hidden link between Bigfoot and humans? The conspiracy theory that Bigfoot is related to man, possibly being an unknown species of primate or even a wild man, is perhaps the most popular theory among all.
Building on to this idea, many sightings of Bigfoot point out an almost uncanny resemblance to humans. In a newspaper article, detailing his experience with Bigfoot, Peter Williams of the Chehalis Tribe recounts, “’I raised my rifle to shoot it, but, as I did, the creature stood up and let out a piercing yell. It was a man-a giant, no less than six and one-half feet in height, and covered with hair’” (Burns 1). From a distance, the creature already resembled a man to Peter, but after being chased back inside, through a crack in the wall, Williams got a much closer look, explaining, “’Darkness had not yet set in and I had a good look at him. Except that he was covered with hair and twice the bulk of the average man, there was nothing to distinguish him from the rest of us’” (1). With a clear view of Bigfoot, Williams described the cryptid as being almost identical to any other human, barring its impressive stature and thick coat of hair. Even known species of primates are still clearly distinguishable from humans, but the almost identical comparison between Bigfoot and human physical attributes, combined with Williams even mistaking the creature for a man at first, possibly points to the idea that humanity may have an unknown cousin more closely related to us than any other living species of animal we’ve discovered.
Physical traits are one thing, but more astoundingly, some lifestyle aspects of early, and even modern-day humans, are reflected in the habits that have been said to be observed in Bigfoot. Charlie Victor of the Skwah tribe had his own experience with Bigfoot, stumbling upon its shelter hidden within a cave on the side of a mountain, in which he recalled, “’But before we got very far from the entrance of the cave, we came upon a sort of stone house or enclosure; it was a crude affair’” (Burns 2). Primates are known to build simple nests out of sticks, leaves, and other similar materials, but one thing that distinguishes humans from primates, is the more complex, advanced, and sturdy structures that humans build for shelter. Victor describes the structure they found in Bigfoot’s cave as looking like an archaic stone house, which sounds more like a structure one might expect a human to make, yet again implying that Bigfoot may be related to humans, or at the very least, have human-like intelligence (2).
Another thing that distinguishes humans from other creatures is language and how people communicate, but Bigfoot may also have the capacity to speak language the same way humans do. In another encounter with Bigfoot, Victor ended up shooting what appeared to be a Bigfoot child (Burns 2). Afterward, the mother of the creature appeared before Victor and confronted him (2). He details this encounter, saying, “’ She turned upon me savagely, and in the Douglas tongue said: ‘You have shot my friend’” (3). Victor, familiar with the Douglas tongue, responded in the same language, but the Bigfoot did not immediately respond, and instead, Victor was threatened by her (3). He recalled, “She pointed the snake-like thing at me and said: ‘Siwash, you'll never kill another bear’” (3). Many animals on earth communicate and intimidate in their own way, and in that essence, this isn’t anything incredible. What makes this extraordinary, however, is how that Bigfoot was capable of human speech, an incredibly complex language in comparison to other animals. Not only that, but it understood the language well enough to understand how to deliver a clear threat that a human would understand. This is another building block added to the conspiracy that Bigfoot may be related to humans. Perhaps Bigfoot diverged from humanity somewhere in the past and developed language in a similar way to humans, allowing it to learn human language with enough exposure, or maybe Bigfoot is actually human, but a lost tribe who blended human culture with their own.
