I hope this hasn't been covered before, but you guys have really opened my eyes up. I have read just about everything I can on Bigfoot for the past 15 years. After stumbling across this forum I had a rude awakening, I started to realize that not every sighting even the ones that seem genuine may be true. I know that I may have been naive to think that most of them are true, but I am talking about the real classics. I’m talking about the ones that appear in all the books, like Albert Ostman and the Roosevelt Story. No I didn’t say that I thought these two were necessarily untrue, they are just examples. So here is my question, and I admit it is very opinionated…

Which classic encounters do you think are pure bunk?

The Beck story " Ape canyon" to many conflicting reports to make it credible at this point. Revisions from beck..other claims of "hazing" by other propectors and then throw in becks book and the rambling of his son and well.. you really gotta wonder.

As they say in a bigfoot newsletter I receive,'Keep your skepticals on!'

The first book I read on Bigfoot was Roger Patterson’s book, Do Abominable Snowmen Of America Really Exist? Published in 1966 and sold in the lobby of the theater in my town where they played 70’s Bigfoot documentary, where the Patterson film was first introduced to the public. I purchased the book, and found it full of fantastic stories, and each were accompanied by very frightening art work. The Albert Ostman, the Roosevelt, and Ape Canyon stories were included in the book. It scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid to read that book and it’s scary encounter stories, but still I read the book so many times the it finally fell apart with pages scattered everywhere. Today, so many years later I know that many of those stories were probably no more than folklore, or just good yarns spun by outdoorsmen with great imaginations, but still whether they were true or not, they did spark my interest in Bigfoot and I give them credit for my interest in Bigfoot today.
Throughout the years I have read stories from very credible people and even have talked to some, and their stories and very real encounters make up for any fantastical yarns of the past.

I agree with you seadog, it was the scary stories that sparked my interest as a child and still have me active in the field today!

Here's a link to the Great Classics. Click Here If anyone here hasn't read them, they should.

Here's my break down on them...keep in mind this is just IMHO, and I haven't really researched these...just observations from reading them...

1840 Elkanah Walker: I feel the Indian legends referred to in this account are true, though most likely exagerrated in the telling.

1892 Bauman Story: Sounds very believable and from a good source. However, I think it was just as likely a beer as a bigfoot.

1924 Albert Ostman Story: This one really caught my eye as being nothing more than a story. Don't get me wrong. It's one of the best stories I ever read. Giving a bigfoot a dip of snuff to get away is a stroke of writing genius. That guy had quite an imagination.

1924 Ape Canyone story: This is another great tale, but unfortunately, it was told by a man of questionable mental stability. It all sounds great until you read a little further and start getting into the warped mind of the author.

1928 Muchalat Harry: Interesting read. Curiously similar to the 1924 Albert Ostman Story. Probably some truth hidden in it, but most likely highly exagerrated.

1941 Ruby Creek: I believe this story. It reminds me a little of Legend of Boggy Creek when I read it.

1955 William Roe: Seems like a classic sighting to me...lots of detail. The drawing reminds a little of Patty from the P/G Film. Perhaps it's the breasts. Anyway, I think this one is true.

Just my opinions...