My first memory of sasquatch discussion was the 1st of April 1959 when I was 10 years old and living in Northern Idaho.
Here is the article from the front page of the Lewiston Morning Tribune – 1st of April 1959.
Oregon Men Say "Abominable Snowman' Seen In WallowasLa Grande, Ore. (AP) – Three La Grande men swear there is a home-grown said they saw it through binoculars when they flew over the mountains for another look as soon as clouds disappear, perhaps Wednesday. Ray McFarland, who was piloting their light airplane on a pleasure ride Sunday, said he sighted what at first he thought was an animal near Horseshoe Lake. He put the binoculars on it.
“It was the shock of my life,” he said. “The best I can describe it is as half-man, half-beast.”
McFarland said it was hairy, but patches of skin appeared. “The hind legs were longer and it was tearing at the carcass of a small animal. Doug Holman and Leonard Knight, who were along, said they also saw the half-man, half-beast creature. All three are La Grande businessmen.
Horseshoe Lake in the Wallowa Mountains of Northeastern Oregon
As a child in Idaho I read this article in our local newspaper about this sighting in North-east Oregon. My uncle, Roy Carper, lived in Wallowa County, Oregon and he was a friend of Leonard Knight’s. Uncle Roy said his friend wanted the pilot to rent a small helicopter and go back and have another look but the pilot, apparently shook up about the sighting refused.
I vividly remember this incident as my relatives lived close to the sighting area. The description as “half-man, half-beast” really scared me as a kid, actually it still does.
This story is written about in:
John Green’s book – “Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us.”
And the incident can also be found in John Green’s Database here:
John Green Database – Wallowa County, Oregon – # 10011009
