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Katrina Yentch
Katrina Yentch is a freelance journalist, editor, and copywriter living in Portland. When she isn't writing, she's either napping and cooking in the winter or paddling and backpacking during the summer.
Searching for Sasquatch at the North American Bigfoot Center
Compare Bigfoot casts, listen to Sasquatch howls and read harrowing tales about the Pacific Northwest’s favorite hairy hominid at this eccentric museum near Portland.
Katrina Yentch
Katrina Yentch is a freelance journalist, editor, and copywriter living in Portland. When she isn't writing, she's either napping and cooking in the winter or paddling and backpacking during the summer.
Imagine a night camping in the woods. Do you share stories about Bigfoot sightings or other mysterious, unexplainable creatures? Well, picture those stories brought to life at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon, just 24 miles (38km) from Portland. And no, this doesn’t mean that Bigfoot is on display to prove that they’re alive and thriving (although there is an extremely realistic statue) — but by the end of your visit, you may well be convinced that Bigfoot is out there, presiding over forests across the world.
Why the Pacific Northwest Loves Bigfoot
The unexplainable existence of an ape-like monster in the woods has long been the subject of entertainment and folklore worldwide, but his presence is highly celebrated in the Pacific Northwest. Many locals consider Bigfoot, also affectionately known as Sasquatch, the region’s unofficial mascot, an enigmatic muse for art and outdoor culture. It isn’t uncommon to see camper vans on the highway sporting bumper stickers of the ape-shaped figure. Or to walk into coffee shops and adventure outfitters with paintings of Bigfoot prancing amid mountain peaks, the cryptid considered a peaceful symbol in the landscape.
The collection is a culmination of the 30 years that Barackman has spent tracing Bigfoot’s existence; putting it together for the museum took six months.
Researching Bigfoot
Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot host Cliff Barackman opened the North American Bigfoot Center with his wife Melissa at the base of Mount Hood in 2019. The location, in the town of Boring, is considered a hot spot for Sasquatch sightings. The museum’s exhibits range from narrative witness accounts to dozens of foot casts and photographic evidence. The collection is a culmination of the 30 years that Barackman has spent tracing Bigfoot’s existence; putting it together for the museum took six months. Like many museums, the center also serves as a research center for behind-the-scenes work conducted by various Bigfoot believers and scientists.
“I’m out there on expeditions at least once or twice a week,” confirms Nico Spadafora, lead researcher and manager at the Bigfoot Center. Spadafora’s background in paleontology has served him well in providing much of the data and artifacts on display. “We’ve even closed down the shop to research when someone drops us a tip.” Due to the constant research, exhibits and findings are updated throughout the year.
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Evidence, Not Facts
It’s important to note that a Sasquatch has never actually been captured. And so, because the museum is largely based on research findings, you won’t find a lot of hard facts about Bigfoot. There aren’t videos demonstrating its common behaviors, charts detailing what it eats daily, or pointers on spotting one yourself. Instead, you will read hypotheses about the creature with extremely convincing evidence.
For example, on two expeditions completed within the same year, researchers noticed new footprints in the same area, implying that Bigfoot — like many of us — is a creature of habit. “We don’t know for sure, but there are signs that suggest he’s habitual,” Spadafora says of the discovery. Scientists also claim to have noticed a pattern in Bigfoot’s diet and means of capturing prey. “While cougars kill their prey by suffocation, and bears mangle the animal to death, Sasquatch tends to break an animal’s neck with a swift, clean motion,” he explains. Researchers seek out animals killed in this manner to determine what a Sasquatch may be eating.
Inside the North American Bigfoot Center
Barackman and his team have organized the North American Bigfoot Center so that you can explore any part of it without getting lost. One section consists of a collection of hand and foot casts, differentiating Sasquatches from humans to dispel any doubts about the marks they have left behind. Another part of the museum shares the stories, myths and legends of ape-like humanoids worldwide, from Texas to Vietnam and Tibet.
There are also plenty of interactive experiences to bring the legend to life despite Bigfoot’s physical absence in the museum. You can “smell” what a Bigfoot reeks of, hear its roars and sounds through recordings, and watch documentary footage and fictional movie clips. Plenty of donated Bigfoot art decorates the museum, like skateboards and beer cans covered in Bigfoot cartoons, sculptures and, of course, a life-size representation of Bigfoot himself.
The North American Bigfoot Center Store is filled with goodies that help visitors show off their belief and pride in the lovable monster. With welcome mats, clothing, stickers, toys and mugs, the team has stocked the physical and online store for a full shopping spree dedicated to Sasquatch.
Bigfoot Activities and Events
Although the Bigfoot Center’s expeditions are reserved for its researchers, plenty of independent Bigfoot seekers visit the museum to inquire about their findings. For this reason, the museum supplies a handful of tracking guides in the gift shop to help other searchers.
The museum also hosts a crowd-funded community for Bigfoot enthusiasts on Patreon, informing members of the most up-to-date findings. The public can learn about the team’s research through Facebook or Instagram.
The Portland Spirit hosts Bigfoot Cruises for those who want to experience the forests of Sasquatch’s natural environment. Sailing through the Columbia River Gorge, the tour guides on these high-speed jet boats have plenty of insight to share about the waters he lives on — along with some help from narrated recordings by Cliff Barackman.
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