Arkansas Hosts Its First State-Wide Bigfoot Conference

A captivated audience listens as Michael Mayes tells his Bigfoot story.
 Photo by J. Lewter

  Just over a year ago, a devastating tornado ripped through the small town of Vilonia, Arkansas and forced the cancellation of a planned Bigfoot Conference. The organizers of the conference decided to try again, and the outcome was better than they had imagined. More than 200 people came to the meeting, which was the first of its kind in the state. Many of the attendees were experienced "Squatchers," while others (like me) were newbies who just wanted to see what happens at these kinds of meetings.

  "I did not know what to expect for the attendance of something new in uncharted waters," said Robert Swain, the director of APES (Arkansas Primate Evidence Society - a major sponsor of the conference.)
 "I told our APES group that I was going to be happy if we had fifty to seventy-five people attend.  I was amazed that two hundred and thirty people showed up!"

   Keynote speakers gave presentations on the folklore and legend of the Bigfoot, as well as some of their own personal experiences and sightings. Bigfoot memorabilia, books and surveillance equipment were all for sale at the meeting, including conference t-shirts that had been printed for the year before and had to be rescued from the field after the tornado ripped through town. 

  Are there any plans for a future conference? Swain says APES is "already evaluating what we can do next year to make it better. YES there will be another conference next year!"

Bigfoot Vilonia sketch. Artist unknown. 

"I Saw a Bigfoot!"

The Spillway at Robbers Cave State Park in Oklahoma

   Late one night in the early 90's, bored teenagers Jason Collins and Andy Holdsclaw drove to a state park just north of Wilburton, Oklahoma. These boys had no idea what they were about to see. 
   Collins remembers pulling his 1986 Pontiac TransAm up near the spillway to take a look around. "We got out (of the car) at the same time," said Collins. "We walked over to the ledge near the spillway and Andy yelled, 'LOOK!' I looked down and saw a hairy, taller-than-human thing sitting in the middle of the creek next to the spillway.
   "It looked up at us as if it was startled and it started to run," said Collins. It ran upright, very quickly, over slippery, uneven rocks. "When have you ever seen a bear run on its hind legs over slippery rocks without falling?" asked Collins. It also looked more human than bear "because of the shoulders," explained Collins.
   The boys ran back to the car and tried to think logically about what they just saw. Since they were in a campground area, they thought maybe someone was camping nearby and decided to take a dip in the creek. "We went everywhere that we could think of inside the park and couldn't find a single camper. So we left for home," said Collins.
   At the time, Collins did not tell anyone about the incident. "My friend Andy was so scared when he told his mom." She called the rangers' office and asked if there had been any reports of a Bigfoot. The officer she spoke to said it might have been an escaped convict from the McAlester prison. "He said he would check into it and within a few hours he called her back and said there were no reports of anyone escaping," said Collins. 
   In preparation for this interview (January 2013), Collins called Robbers Cave Park Ranger William Hahn who has worked at the park for more than a year. Hahn said that no one has ever reported seeing a Bigfoot inside the park. He did not think it would have been an escaped prisoner, either. Hahn worked at the McAlester prison for nearly 10 years and said 90 percent of escaped prisoners "usually go home, not to a state park to hide." He also mentioned a rumor that a bear lives near the spillway, although he has never seen it. 
    "I cannot be more serious about what I am about to say, and to this day if you asked me, 'Did you see a Bigfoot?' - I would say 'Yes,'" said Collins. 

The creature was seen near these rocks at the bottom of the spillway, located a few miles north of Wilburton, Oklahoma.

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      Blogger's Note:  I took an astronomy class with Jason Collins in 2012 when he originally told me this story. He was the first person I have ever met who believes he may have seen a sasquatch. I begged him to do this interview.  -J.L.