BIGFOOT SANCTUARY

Inscription

BIGFOOT SANCTUARY
FOR CENTURIES, LOCAL STORIES
TELL OF SIGHTINGS OF GIANT
HAIRY BEASTS THAT WALK UPRIGHT
AND LEAVE HUGE FOOTPRINTS.
LOCAL LAW PROTECTS THEM.
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2023

Every year the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York holds their annual Sasquatch Festival, drawing thousands of people with a curiosity or passion for what has become a local folk-cryptozoology tradition.

For centuries, there have been stories told of giant hairy beasts that walk upright being sighted in the area. These tales go back to early Native American stories, as well as French explorer Samuel de Champlain’s writings about a giant hairy beast that he learned of from Native American guides while traveling through the area. In the 1800s, there are references made to sightings of what were dubbed the “Wild Man” and these events have continued to the present day.

In 2004, Whitehall passed a law prohibiting hunting the beloved, albeit mysterious bigfoot creature. The town is now seen as a bigfoot sanctuary, where these elusive creatures are celebrated and protected by the community.