Ape Canyon Incident: Unforgettable Encounter with Sasquatch in 1924

Posted Sunday, March 23, 2025

By Squatchable.com staff

A fascinating account of an alleged Sasquatch encounter has recently emerged on YouTube, and it's one that any Bigfoot enthusiast won't want to miss. The video, posted by the YouTube channel Fireside Storyteller, delves into the infamous Ape Canyon Incident of 1924, a chilling tale of a group of prospectors who claimed to have been attacked by a group of Sasquatch. I was immediately intrigued by the story's details, which have become one of the most compelling chapters in Sasquatch lore. The video takes us back to that fateful summer, when five hardy prospectors were searching for gold in the remote wilderness near Mount St. Helens in Washington State. The group, led by Fred Beck, had built a sturdy log cabin near a narrow gorge that would later become known as Ape Canyon. For weeks, they had been working their claim, following veins of precious metal through the ancient volcanic rock. But as they worked, strange things began to happen. Several times, they found massive, human-like footprints circling their cabin – footprints that were far too large to belong to any known animal in the region. At first, the men dismissed their unease, but when Fred Beck spotted a large, dark figure watching him from across a ravine, they knew something was amiss. The figure stood upright on two legs, covered in dark hair, and appeared to be at least seven feet tall. Startled and afraid, Beck raised his rifle and fired, hitting the creature and causing it to stagger backward before disappearing into the dense forest. That night, as the miners gathered in their cabin, the mood was tense. They took turns keeping watch, listening to the unfamiliar sounds echoing through the darkness outside. Then, shortly after midnight, it began. Rocks of all sizes rained down on the cabin from every direction, and through gaps in the wooden walls, the terrified men caught glimpses of massive, shadowy figures moving around their shelter. The siege continued for hours, with the creatures testing the cabin's strength and attempting to force their way inside. The miners were certain that if the cabin walls gave way, they would not survive the night. Finally, as the first light of dawn began to break, the attack suddenly stopped. When the prospectors cautiously ventured outside hours later, they found massive footprints all around their cabin, along with numerous rocks that had been hurled during the night. The Ape Canyon Incident has remained one of the most dramatic encounters between humans and what many believe to be Sasquatch. Fred Beck maintained the truth of his story until his passing, and geologists have since confirmed that the area around Ape Canyon is riddled with caves and natural tunnels – perfect hiding places for creatures wishing to remain hidden from human eyes. What makes this story so compelling is not just the dramatic siege of that remote cabin, but the question it forces us to consider: What happens when the boundary between legend and reality blurs? In those moments when we stand at the edge of the known world and glimpse something beyond our understanding, do we retreat to the safety of conventional explanation, or do we allow ourselves to wonder about what might exist in the wild spaces we have yet to fully explore? I find the Ape Canyon Incident to be a captivating and thought-provoking account. I encourage all Squatchable readers to check out the Fireside Storyteller's video and share their own unexplained experiences in the comments below. Sometimes the most important discoveries begin when we acknowledge what we don't yet understand.