Researcher Chronicles Historical Bigfoot Encounters Across America

Summary: This Coast to Coast AM episode features author and researcher Timothy Renner discussing his ongoing Bigfoot collection project, which began in Pennsylvania and has expanded to cover the entire country. Renner explains that he relies heavily on microfilm and newspaper archive research to find historical reports. He shares his perspective that Bigfoot is likely not a natural animal but something unknown, noting that the creatures seem to avoid trail cameras and often appear in areas where mystery lights are also reported. The conversation explores how historical terminology evolved from "wild men" in the 1800s to "gorillas" around 1890-1900, coinciding with public awareness of mountain gorillas. Renner reads a detailed 1920 account from the Altoona Tribune about the Boolig family in Pennsylvania, who had multiple encounters with a 7-foot creature that attacked and broke a young man's arm. He notes that the behaviors described in modern reports match those from historical accounts, including creatures following people home after being shot at. Renner also discusses the possibility that some of the 90,000 missing people in the United States at any given time may be attributed to Bigfoot encounters.