The legend of Bigfoot (a.k.a. Sasquatch or Yeti), has existed for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Ancient people all over the country told stories about large, hairy, human-like creatures, and most of those tales were terrifying – so scary that the people often didn’t dare to say its name out loud. Today, Bigfoot is more fascinating than terrifying, and it’s one of Oregon’s most famous legends.

People who claim to have seen Bigfoot report a large, hairy creature who stands about eight feet tall. The creature has ape-like features and is shy, but seems intelligent.
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People also report hearing noises that include grunts, whistles, and screams.
Though the creature was common in folklore for ages, the first known written account of Bigfoot in Oregon appeared in 1904.
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Settlers near the Sixes River reported seeing a wild, hairy man who roamed the land.
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In 1924, men who were mining near Washington's Mount St. Helens claimed to have been attacked by large apes. Oregon newspapers covered the accounts, and local Native Americans began sharing their stories of "tsiatko," legendary "tall men" who roamed the woods and stalked women and children.
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In the late 1950s, loggers began reporting huge footprints that were similar to human prints, but much larger. They also reported sightings of the large creatures walking briskly through the forest.
North American Bigfoot Center/Facebook
Those huge footprints provided a name for the creature - "Bigfoot."
Over the years, accounts of Bigfoot sightings continue, and many people devote their lives to the research and evidence of the elusive creatures. One place to learn more about Bigfoot is the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, Oregon.
North American Bigfoot Center/Facebook
The center is full of plaster castings of footprints and handprints that may belong to Bigfoot, as well as other pieces of research and evidence.
North American Bigfoot Center/Facebook
The center is owned by Bigfoot researcher Cliff Barackman, and it's open to the public Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Some people spend their lives trying to find Bigfoot, but there are certain places in the state where you're more likely to lay your eyes on one. In 2019, The Oregonian took a look at all the Bigfoot sightings from 1984 to 2018. Clackamas County had the highest number, with 27 sightings during that time period.
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Josephine County had 21 sightings, Douglas County had 17, and Lane County and Umatilla County each had 16. Smaller numbers of sightings were reported in 11 other counties in Oregon.

According to The Oregonian, there were 3,800 Bigfoot sightings in Canada and the U.S. between 1920 and 2017.

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