Oregonbigfoot.com file# 00191

REPORT OVERVIEW

Date: July , 1974
Douglas county, OR
Nearest town: Riddle
Nearest road:
Conditions:
Time: dusk
Location:

REPORT DETAIL

Description of event: Michael Swink called to tell of several incidents on I-5 Freeway near Riddle, OR, in July of 1974, at about dusk. Michael is a heavy equipment operator, and the J2K Construction Company was doing some road work 17 miles south of Roseburg, at the Gazley Road exit (T30S R5W). He was camped at the time with friends working for the Compton Rock Crusher, next to the South Umpqua River. The night before, some kids had seen a big ape down the river, and recently a worker had quit, leaving his lunchbox, as he had seen a big ape. That evening, about 8:30-9 PM, as he came around a car, he saw something in the river. He froze, then stepped back behind some heavy equipment, and watched the creature about 100 yards away across the river, for a good two minutes, before it got dark and he couldn't see. It was picking up rocks and eating something off the bottom, something bug like (caddis fly larvae, possibly also crayfish or periwinkles). The creature jumped back and forth often and very easily, having really gigantic legs, and a neck like a wrestler, it came right down to its shoulders. It appeared about 8 1/2 feet tall, was probably an adolescent, as it was a very fit looking male, maybe 5-600 pounds. The arms hung below the knees, and the creature was black, the hair short, but about six inches in the crotch, much shorter on the chest and head. The face appeared flat, but although he really strained his eyes, it was just far enough away and dark enough that he couldn't make out any facial features. The head was conical, the high pointed dome was towards the back. When dark, and he couldn't see any more, Michael went back to the camp to alert the others. The motion disturbed something and he heard crashing in the ten foot high brush. Michael and five other men went down to the river, and one said he saw something big swimming in the river, but nobody else could make it out. There was an awful smell, like a wet Billy goat. Also, there was a club laying along the bank, looked like one a caveman would use, but he never saw the Bigfoot holding it.Michael, a week later, invited his twin brother, Richard, to come down, hopefully to see the Bigfoot also. He came with his family, 6 kids, and they set up camp, putting ropes around the camp,

Source: The Track Record #47
record updated:2002-07-09 00:00:00