Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History
3232 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, TX 77802
(979) 776-2195
Fax: (979) 774-0252

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents: Bigfoot: Fact or Folklore?

Bryan, TX: Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Abominable Snowmen, and Yeti are just a few of the names given to mysterious "ape-like" hominoid creatures reported worldwide. Are these sightings real or hoaxes? Is there something more to the story? As G. Clifford Carl, former Director of the British Columbia Provincial Museum wrote, "The numerous sight records and other reports of hairy giants, the photographs of individuals, the innumerable foot prints and other types of evidence all point to the presence of such creatures but until a specimen is obtained the question must remain unresolved (Oct. 21, 1968)."

Whether one believes in the creature's existence or not, the inescapable truth is that Bigfoot has embedded itself into American Folklore. The exhibit Bigfoot: Fact or Folklore? is scheduled to be open by January 26, 2004. The exhibit is scheduled to be in place for a minimum of 6 months.

The Texas Bigfoot Research Center is donating and loaning items for this exhibit. From videos, footprint casts, photos displays to newspaper article archives. The Milam County Sheriff’s Dept. is loaning their life-size Bigfoot replica for display during the exhibit. Texas A&M anthropology professor Dr. Vaughn Bryant, who was active in Bigfoot investigations throughout the 1970s, is loaning copies of Bigfoot hand and footprint casts from his collection. Dr. Bryant researched the Bigfoot phenomenom with the late Dr. Grover Krantz while they were both at Washington State University in the 70's.

From our current showcased exhibition, Warrior Cultures: Comanche War Parties vs. the Texas Rangers to Ice Age Mammals of the Brazos Valley, the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is sure to have something that will interest you.

Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Museum admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, children ages 4- 17, and for "Friends of the Museum". College students with a valid ID are $4 and children 3 and under are free with the paid admission of an adult. Come by and see us!

"Either the most complex and sophisticated hoax in the history of anthropology has continued for centuries without being exposed, or the most manlike (and largest) non-human primate on earth has managed to survive in parts of North America and remains undiscovered by modern science." - Forensic anthropologist George W. Gill, Former Director of the American Board of Forensic Anthropologists

Darn... another reason to visit Texas.

Guess I'm gonna have to check that out!
Thanks Craig
Belle

That sounds pretty cool!

But why does the Milam County Sheriff have a life sized bigfoot model?

How COOL, I'd love to see that! Maybe they'll get such an incredible turnout that other museums will take note and follow their lead. We can hope!

Probably because nobody's ever gotten a good enough picture to hang in the post office...

They had the replica made because in 1978 there were some Bigfoot sightings there in that county. They turned out to be probable hoaxes. The Sheriff's Dept. had it made to use for fund raising projects. They use it at their local festivals and have people get their picture taken with it for a fee. Here are links to the articles from the 70's.
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

Craig:

Do you have pictures, or links to them?

Tug,
In the initial post in this thread, the words Bigfoot replica, are a link to a page on our site where there is 1 picture of the replica. If you click on the photo on our site, it will bring up a larger version.

Thanks, Craig

Thanks for the great article, Craig!
what an awesome exhibit that must be...
You will provide us with future pictures of how it looks, right? Hope so.
Just want to see how they use your artifacts....

and that sheriff's model is very cool!! maybe not real close in the face, but a great idea!

Battalion, Texas A & M
Monday, February 2, 2004 
Brazos Valley museum features Bigfoot exhibit
By Elizabeth Knapp
online article


Bigfoot is displayed at his temporary home at the Museum of Natural History
in Bryan. The exhibit will be at the museum for the next six months along
with footprints and other information about the larger-than-life
creature. (Photo by EVAN O´CONNELL/THE BATTALION)

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History will feature a Bigfoot exhibit until August.

"It is a fun, new exhibit," said Graham Criglow, the facilities manager. "It is so controversial and I think that it is a fun way to get new people into the museum."

The exhibit includes a life-size replica of Bigfoot, photographs, footprint casts, films, books and newspaper articles.

The stories of Bigfoot have been around for years, and there have been reported sightings in all states of the union except Delaware and Hawaii.

"Everybody has a story, someone you know has a story," Criglow said. "I think that is what gets people in here."

The museum, despite the controversial topic, has circumstantial evidence that will make everyone think twice, Criglow said.

"At first, I was extremely skeptical, but after evaluating all the evidence, I realized that it is quite possible that it can exist," said junior biology major Ganiva Reyes. "After seeing the research they displayed, I began to think that it could be true."

Stories and possible sightings that have accumulated all over the world have sparked the interest of many people.

"Everything deserves time to be researched," Criglow said. "It is wrong of science to write something off, even if it is folklore."

The answer to the question of whether it is fact or fiction still remains to be found.

"Students need to learn not to believe everything they read or hear," said Tom Lynch, executive director of the museum. "They need to know how to judge what is true and what is false."

Information and evidence has been provided to the museum on loan by the Texas Bigfoot Research Center. The life-size Bigfoot mount is on loan from the Milam County Crime Stoppers.

The museum is open for admission Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. For more information, visit Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History.

scary lookin

Thanks for posting that.

I think he looks rather intimidating... He could definitely use some moisturizer on that face, and his fingers are longer than Dennis Rodman's..


I like it!

so do the ladies