I am saddened to announce the passing of Julius ‘Smokey’ Crabtree. Smokey passed away at 7:30 pm on January 17, 2016. He was 88 years old. My thoughts and best wishes are with his wife, Fran, and surviving sons.
Thomas Steenburg
Tag Archives: research
Sasquatch Slow Down
Well, it sure has been a strange and slow Fall in the Sasquatch field, so far. Lack of reports, (credible sounding ones) at least…not much of interest seen on outings looking for evidence, etc, etc.
One has to wonder, why? I have noticed that this is normal for this time a year, which flies in the face of what most researchers assume is the most active time of year: Fall. Not so, according to my statistics.
I have had two odd reports recently.: one came to my attention when a man left a note on the windshield of my car with a small rock telling me that it was thrown by a Sasquatch which occurred up at Davies Lake, BC. He also left his name and phone number on the note. I did call, 3 times to be exact, but for one reason or another he has made no further attempt to contact and clarify the situation. So, I have to assume he no longer wishes to talk about it? One has to wonder as to why he left the note in the first place?
The second was from a man who just lives south of me in Washington State who stated that his wife had recently seen a Sasquatch on the family property. However, like the previous case, has not responded to messages for more information which I insist upon now before I investigate any further. This of course, could be a case of not clearing things with her before reporting the incident, after all many witnesses do not wish to be part of any investigation as their sighting is a personal matter they may not be ready to share with researchers. That is understandable, too. I have encountered this many times over the years.
So far, the Fall of 2015 is turning out to be the same as so many before. Slow and strange.
Thomas Steenburg
Educating The Public
Twice this past September, I was asked to speak to the Public about my life of researching this on going mystery. I often get such requests from schools, Libraries, and outdoor adventure groups. I always try to accommodate such requests as I feel, especially today, that there is so much bad information in a field of study which for the most part more resembles an asylum being run by the inmates than a serious study of whether or not our forests are home to a ongoing species of large primates. The first was held at the Chilliwack Public Library on September 26, 2015 at 1 pm.
There was a lack of advertising for this event, and I also failed to mention anything about it on this blog site, which some of my friends pointed out to me, but about 25 people did attend. A few days later, I gave a similar presentation at a church for the ladies of the ‘Women’s Probus Club of White Rock & South Surrey’. About 100 ladies attended this event, many of which afterward wanted to talk about Sasquatch incidents they were aware of from friends and family members in their past. A little rushed for time but I think they all found it interesting.
Really had to watch my language, though.
Thomas Steenburg
Crandell Campground Incident
The short documentary, ‘The Crandell Campground Bigfoot Incident’ was produced about a year ago by the web site known as ‘Beyond Creepy‘. They did a pretty good job. I still consider this incident one of the more interesting and detailed Sasquatch sighting reports I have personally investigated. It certainly was the most interesting account from the 24 years of researching in the province of Alberta, Canada. I moved to the west coast of British Columbia for good in September of 2002. ‘Beyond Creepy’ has many such documentaries, on many topics of interest, and I do recommend to the reader to check the site out, that is if you don’t mind feeling a little “creep”-ed out afterwards.
Thomas Steenburg
Gathering Of The Minds
On August 1st, 2015 the B.C.S.C.C. had our annual get together at Green Point Recreation Park on the east side of Harrison Lake, fittingly inside Sasquatch Park . Good food and blunt talk was enjoyed all around as Sasquatch, as well as other topics of a cryptozoological-nature, were discussed.
Several of our members went from the get together right out into the bush, in fact ,they came in from the bush in order to take part. Sunny and hot, which was a nice change from the usual overcast and light rain we experienced on more than one occasion in the past. Of course, the much anticipated cheese tray was the highlight of the hungry. All there would agree on that point unless actually asked. So, that tradition will still go strong as I never ask.
John Kirk, President of the BCSCC, filled us in the latest updates concerning lake and sea cryptids; always fascinating stuff. And, of course, the Sasquatch dominated all of my time. I also got an earful about not posting often enough on this blog, to which I could only bow my head in shame. So, a good and informative time was had by all, without the unexpected hiccups of the last two years causing any problems with the venue.
Thomas Steenburg
Steenburg File # 10191
This is one of the more recent investigations. I have been debating whether or not to publish my investigations on this blog or not, since many witnesses have asked that their names remain confidential. Not the case here; I hope you all find it interesting.
WEAVER LAKE SIGHTING
B.C. FILE# 10191
LOCATION: Weaver Lake, B.C. Near Harrison Lake West FSR
TIME: 10:30 AM
DATE: August 21, 2014
REPORT BY: Thomas Steenburg
I received a phone call in the evening of August 21, 2014, from a woman named Maria Muller (age 49) who reported that she might have seen a sasquatch at Weaver Lake, BC earlier that same day about 10:30 am. Her boyfriend, Robert Bailey (age 51) was with her at the time of her sighting but did not actually see the subject himself due to the brief time it was in view; and the fact it had stepped out of sight before she brought his attention to it. However, he happened to taking some scenic photos with his cell phone’s camera at the same time and may have caught the subject in a shot with out realizing it. By coincidence, I was only 5 minutes away when this encounter occurred near Morris Mountain. But fate being what it is, I did not learn of it until later in the evening when she called my home. When they checked the images on the cell phone when they got home (Surrey, BC) she spotted the figure and told Robert he had indeed captured an image of the figure they saw. They emailed the picture to me.
My thoughts on the photo: is possible, but the figure is too distant to identify clearly. I plan to visit the area tomorrow to see if any stationary object could account for the figure in the photo. To Maria Muller’s credit, she is not saying that it defiantly was a sasquatch. She admits it might have been a man she saw or even someone dressed up to fool people.
A full interview with her now follows.
Thomas Steenburg
Would you please state your full name?
Maria Muller.
Do you wish to remain anonymous?
No. Why should I, LOL?
I always ask a witness that, as many do not wish it to be known that they have seen a Sasquatch, as I am sure you can understand why?
No, I am fine with it. I know what I saw.
What is your occupation?
I’m a graphic artist.
Do you wear corrective lenses?
I do use reading glasses now as I am older, but my vision is good.
Were you wearing them at the time?
No.
How old are you?
49.
Where did this incident occur?
Weaver Lake.
This took place today? (Aug 21,2014)
10:30 am.
10:30 am this morning?
Right.
Tell me what happened.
We were at the water, we had gotten off the dock. We were parked right at the boat dock there. Nobody was around, we had just gotten dressed, my boyfriend had started taking pictures with his cell phone, you know, before we left for memories. There was nobody around. No noise, no nothing, and off in the distance I could see somebody coming down the trail. I saw the feet first, and then I saw the body, and it looked like a gorilla. And then it turned off to the left, and I said to my boyfriend as he was taking pictures, ”did you see it, did you get it with the camera, I just saw a sasquatch!” and he said, “no way”, and I said, “it looked just like a gorilla.” He didn’t be leave me, and I said, “lets go over there and look,” and he said, “No, no, you’ve got Sasquatch on the brain, we are going home,” and so we went home (Surrey BC). When we got home I told him to show me the pictures, I want to see if you got it on camera and sure enough, he did.
Describe the area where this took place?
OK, we were at the end of the dock, at the boat launch, not the end of the dock but the beginning of the dock, sorry. Looking towards the area where the host resides, (site host for Weaver Lake, Mrs Andrea Colwell); the bridge is to the left and the beach area is to the right and the host is right behind that, can’t tell that from the picture though, and to the right of that is the beginning of the lake hiking trail, goes around the lake, we took a hike on the trail yesterday (August 20th); that is where we ended up yesterday, where I saw this thing.
What distance would you estimate you were from this thing when you saw it?
I don’t know.
Do you recall what color it appeared to be?
Yeah, it was all black.
What was your first impression?
I first saw the feet coming down the trail, from where we were, it was the only human-like movement I could see, so immediately it caught my eye. I saw somebody walk down the trail, but when I saw the body and the head and it looked like a gorilla, I was shocked, and I said to my boy friend, “Did you see it, did you see it!?”. “Are you getting it!?” He didn’t know what I was talking about. Then when I tried to tell him it was a Sasquatch and it looked like a gorilla, he just figured it was someone walking down the trail and I was seeing things. But later, when we looked at the pictures, he saw that it was all black, and big, and it looked like it had a gorilla chest, and the fur or hair or what ever, there was no neck line, the head and shoulders were all one. There was no neck.
What was it doing?
It was coming down the trail, I could see it between the two trees, as you can see in the picture, it was coming down the trail and then it just went left. It was just walking.
Did it appear to be hairy, or could you tell?
I thought it was a gorilla, so I would say hairy. It looked as though it saw us!
Did it stand and walk upright?
Yeah, it was walking like a man.
Did you ever see it go down on all fours?
No.
How tall would estimate it was?
I have no idea. Because I first saw the feet then I saw the upper body, but by then the feet were behind bushes and stuff. So, when I saw the chest area and the head, something was in front of it, and when it turned left and walked away it went behind a tree and I couldn’t see it anymore. So I couldn’t describe the whole length it. But in the picture it looks like you can see one arm and the chest.
How much do you think it weighed?
I don’t know. It was over too fast; there was nothing to compare it with, there was nothing beside it that I could of, you compare it to?
How long did you see it for?
I would say 3 seconds. That was it.
Did it stop at all or was it moving the whole time?
It was moving the whole time. But it was facing us, I know it saw us.
That was my next question, do you think it saw you?
Yeah, it saw us.
It’s reaction?
It turned left. All of a sudden it was behind the trees and that was it.
You never saw it again?
No.
Did you notice any facial features?
It was too far away. All it looked like to me was a gorilla walking like a man.
Could you tell if it was male or female?
No.
Did you notice anything about the arms or anything?
What I thought, well, what I thought was: sasquatch was suppose to be all furry? But what I saw today, it looked like it had a bit of a bare patch like a gorilla has (chest area), so that’s weird, because I always thought the sasquatch was all fur? This one appeared to have a bit of a shine on the chest, like I don’t know, a chest plate?
Did it make any noise?
No.
Did you smell anything during, before or after?
No. But at night we were hearing some strange noises. We were joking, “maybe it’s the Samssquatch,” LOL.
Like Bubbles from ‘The Trailer Park Boys’?
Yeah, LOL.
Are there any other physical characteristics of the subject which stand out you recall?
It was just walking like a man. It wasn’t hunched over, no nothing. All it was, like, was a gorilla.
Did you check for footprints?
No. I wanted him (Robert) to go over there, but he didn’t even believe I saw anything. He thought I was seeing things. But later, when he saw the picture he believed me a little bit more because it was all black and I said, “I know it looked like a gorilla”.
Did you report what you saw?
Yes, you.
Steenburg note: since this interview, Maria has posted about her encounter on a couple of web sites concerning the Sasquatch mystery.
Describe your general outdoor experience, do you guys camp a lot?
No, maybe twice a year. That’s about it.
There was only one other witness and he actually did not see it?
He took the picture but he didn’t see it.
That was your boyfriend, and his name is Robert Bailey?
Right, correct.
What do you think it was?
I think it was a Sasquatch. Or a gorilla standing up. Or it could have been someone playing a hoax, who knows?
Do you feel someone could have been playing a hoax?
I don’t know, we were the only ones there, though there was a dog somewhere barking at the time?
Steenburg note: follow-up investigation at the site, by my self and Brad Trent, concluded that there were still a very large number of other occupied sites that morning. We determined this by checking with the camp host, Andrea Colwell, as the weekend crowd really had not started to arrive yet. Also, Host Andrea Colwell, has a dog which does bark a lot, so this probably explains the dog barks she heard at the time.
Has any of your friends or family members made a report like this before?
No.
Have you every made a report like this at any other time to anyone else?
No.
As far as you are concerned, you ether saw a Sasquatch or someone pretending to be one?
Yes.
Robert actually did not see it, but he snapped the picture in question?
Correct. Yes.
Steenburg note: this concluded the interview, other than general back and forth concerning the photo and other things. I left early the next morning for Weaver Lake with Brad Trent to do some on-site investigation.
UPDATE, AUGUST 22, 2014.
Myself, along with Brad Trent, arrived at Weaver Lake Campground at approximately 10 am this morning. After introducing ourselves to the camp host, Andria Colwell, it was moments only to locating both the photographer’s location and the location of the subject in question. Andria has only two beach front campsites and knew what we were asking about right away, along with being fascinated why we were there. Both camp sites, which were vacant 24 hours before when the sighting occurred, were now occupied and two large tents had been erected . Fortunately for us, their location did not interfere with our re-creation attempts. Some of the occupants seemed to be amused by the reason for our being there. Investigating the location of the subject was revealing. What Maria refers to as the trail she saw the subject on during the short time it was in view, was in fact the main road through the campground, also the object which blocked the view of the subjects lower half, both to her eyes and the photo taken by Robert, was a combination of two large logs and a boulder about waist-high, which the subject in the photo is directly behind. She said that the subject turned to its left and walked out of sight, and she did not see it again. We noticed that at the location to the left, was the beginning of the hiking trail which goes around Weaver Lake, as well as a bear-proof garbage container, and a recycling container for bottles and cans. Also, the camp host trailer site was only about 60 feet away from the location. Finding the spot where Robert took the photo from, was easy, too. Brad went to the spot and took a photo of myself standing right behind the boulder and logs, which the subject had been behind. After, we changed positions and repeated the process. This was all done at approximately 10:30 am, August 22, exactly 24 hours after the encounter. When these photos are examined, both Brad and myself appear to be just as large, if not larger, than the subject. It seems there is a very good chance that Maria saw a person wearing dark cloths either going to the garbage bins or starting to hike the Lake Side Trail, and this is a case of simple mistaken identity? Which is what Robert suggested to her when she first told him about it. The camp host did do some rounds through the camp ground at that time in question. However, she always wears a high-reflective yellow jacket, the same type flag men wear on the highway, at work sites. When she stood at the spot, she stood out like a light bulb. I would be prepared to declare this a case of mistaken identification outright, if it weren’t for the witnesses insistence that the subject she saw was so gorilla-like in appearance, though I must admit the figure in the photo does not cry out gorilla to me. I can state that no stationary object accounts for the figure in the photograph. So to conclude: there are two possibilities here; 1 – it was a Sasquatch and she is right in what she saw or 2 – it was a human and she misidentified what she saw? I lean to the latter due to our on site investigation, but a Sasquatch cannot be totally ruled out here.
Thomas Steenburg
Mount Baker, Have a Good Feeling
Last week I took my first trip of the season to Mount Baker and what a wonderful and promising area it is, too. I have heard about a few sighting reports from there over the past decade or two, but not many.
Route 542 takes you through some of the most beautiful old growth forest still left in northern Washington State; prime Sasquatch, or Bigfoot as our American friends call them, country.
Even if you have little or no interest in the on going Sasquatch question, It is a location you will never forget just from the beauty of the place.
I have lost count of the number of deer and other small animals I have seen running across the road. So far, all of my trips there over the last two years have been during the day. I plan to run it in the early hours of the morning, hoping as always, to see a incredible creature in front of me, which so far in the last 37 years has not happened. But I have a feeling about the place.
I always keep the in the back of my mind that Baker is classed as an active volcano, often steaming. Not dormant. But I will play the odds that nothing will happen during one of my trips there.
Thomas Steenburg
Are Stick Structures Evidence of Sasquatch?
This video was was made during the Easter long weekend of 2015. It has already drawn angry responses on youtube, by self-deluded individuals who prefer to attack myself personally, rather than offer any counter-argument.
Just for the record, I am not stating that all such evidence is nonsense. I am just saying that, in 37 years of investigation, so far I have not found any evidence of Sasquatch being involved in any stick structure that I have seen. Nor do I see evidence in the vast number of other investigations done by researchers who assume a Sasquatch is responsible.
You need evidence to make such a statement, and so far all I see is personal opinions, and wishful thinking.
Thomas Steenburg
Keep That Camera Handy
The one piece of advice I continually give to all who care to listen is this: Never go anywhere, at any time, for any reason, without your camera. The reason for this is obvious. If you are in the right place at the right time to see one of these creatures, the odds are that you will only have it in view for a few moments before it disappears into the shadow of the trees.
Nothing is, of course a sure thing, even if you have a camera sitting beside you while driving a forest service road – we are all human. And there is always that few seconds of hesitation as you witness something, which you will reflect on for the rest of your life.
It happened to me only once in 37 years of searching. It was at an extreme distance in a cut line, and by the time I brought my old British Army Land Rover to a halt, the figure had walked into the trees on the east side of the cut line. I still wonder if that figure was a Sasquatch or a large man dressed in dark clothing that day? But I will talk about my only possible sighting (so far) at another time.
Today, Go-Pro and other companies are selling continuous recording devices, dash Cams, some call them, which in my opinion, every researcher should look into. Having this type of device would perhaps take care of that brief few seconds of hesitation, which is human nature, when confronted with something unbelievable in front of our eyes.
Thomas Steenburg
Upcoming Local Event
An evening with Thomas:
Location: Mission Library
33247 Second Avenue, Mission, BC
Tel (604) 826-6610
33247 Second Avenue, Mission, BC
Tel (604) 826-6610
Date: February 25, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM PST
Event Description:
“Since 1978, local Mission resident Thomas Steenburg has been researching the elusive Sasquatch throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Washington. Thomas will spend the evening educating us on this fascinating or fictional creature.”
For more information: