Washington's 732 Sasquatch Reports and the 1924 Ape Canyon Attack

If you've ever found yourself deep in a Sasquatch rabbit hole on YouTube, chances are you've stumbled across some pretty fascinating content. Recently, I came across a podcast episode that had me completely hooked from start to finish, and I just had to share it with anyone who lives and breathes this stuff. The episode comes from the YouTube channel Field Notes from the Unknown, hosted by Casey and McKenzie. These two have an undeniable chemistry that makes their discussions feel like you're sitting around a campfire with friends, swapping stories about the unknown. Their Sasquatch series has been a real treat, and this particular installment dives into some of the most legendary Sasquatch hotspots in the United States. One of the most thought-provoking moments comes early on when they tackle a question that doesn't get asked nearly enough: do we actually want Bigfoot to be officially recognized as a species? It's a fascinating dilemma. On one hand, scientific recognition could lead to protections, maybe even national parks or designated sanctuaries in areas of high concentration. On the other hand, as McKenzie points out, once something is "discovered," it opens the door to trophy hunters, exploitation, and a whole host of dangers these creatures have never had to face before. They reference the ongoing North Carolina DNA study led by librarian Derby Orcut, who has put serious thought into what happens if and when the creature is proven to exist. The protocol involves keeping sample locations confidential to protect the very beings being studied. That's the kind of forethought that gives me hope that if the day ever comes, it could be handled responsibly. They also touch on the incredible lifetime work of researchers like Jeff Meldrum, whose dedication to the subject deserves vindication. The frustration of having an entire career dismissed as a punchline is something any serious researcher in this field can relate to. The conversation takes a wild detour into some truly bizarre history, including the Minnesota Iceman, a supposed creature that was carted around to sideshows across the United States, with people paying a couple of dollars to gawk at it. If that thing was real, the disrespect shown to what could be one of the closest creatures to humans is genuinely disturbing. They also mention an 1890s photograph from Canada allegedly showing a dead Sasquatch, which is the kind of thing that keeps you up at night. But the real meat of the episode is when they take listeners to Washington State, the undisputed epicenter of Sasquatch activity in the U.S. According to the BFRO database, Washington State has a whopping 732 logged Sasquatch reports. That's not a typo. You could sit down at a Pike Place Market in Seattle, strike up a conversation with five strangers, and odds are at least one of them has a story. The three major hotspots they highlight are Mount St. Helens, Skamania County, and the Olympic Peninsula. And this is where things get really juicy. They dive deep into the infamous 1924 Ape Canyon incident, one of the most controversial Sasquatch encounters in history. On the southeast slope of Mount St. Helens sits a rock formation called Ape Canyon, and it was here that a group of gold prospectors stumbled onto something that would haunt them forever. They found gold, built a rudimentary log cabin, and began mining, propelling themselves down a 30 to 40-foot escarpment to reach the mine entrance. During their stay, two of the men were out hunting for food when they encountered a seven-foot-tall, ape-like humanoid creature that attacked. One of the men fired on the creature, and depending on who you ask, the body either fell over the side of the canyon or was left there, with other creatures reportedly emerging from the woods to collect it. The men fled back to the cabin in absolute terror. This is the kind of story that has fueled Sasquatch research for a century, and hearing it discussed with such enthusiasm and reverence is a reminder of why this subject continues to captivate so many of us. If any of this sounds like your kind of content, do yourself a favor and check out the full episode. Casey and McKenzie have a way of making even the most familiar stories feel fresh, and their passion for the subject is infectious. Just be warned, you might end up booking a one-way ticket to Washington State by the end of it.