Josephine
County, Takilma, Oregon
August 1996
In August 1996 we
took horses into the country south and east of Takilma, Oregon. We weren't
quite back into California, but somewhere close. How I wish I had a camera
and global positioning device! I am a retired investigator dealing with
insurance fraud, and I don't really fall for anything that isn't black
and white, or plausible. It takes something quite extraordinary for me
to be at a loss for an explanation. We had finished dinner, and were smoking
cigars and pipes (tobacco) when we heard a scream from somewhere above
and behind us. I have never heard anything like it, and quite honestly,
it scared the hell out of us.
I was with two friends who know the outdoors well. I'm not a hunter, but
they are, and have been in the rough country for as long as I've been
behind a desk.
Neither of my friends could identify what we heard. It was quiet for about
10 minutes, and we heard it again. It seemed like the source was lower
than the first time we heard it, and seemed louder. We heard nothing else,
and hit the sack around 9 pm. In the morning, my friend Jack came back
to our camp after a little look-see, and said he had the feeling he was
being watched as he "did his business" in the brush. He said
he heard footfalls fairly close, but thought it was one of us. We had
just gotten up, and hadn't even made coffee.
As we were about to, we heard something moving quickly through the heavy
scrub and up the hill. We could occasionally see brush and tree limbs
moving, but couldn't make out who, or what it was. Al, who moved to our
left, said it looked like a man, but that it was too big and fast, and
he only saw it for a second. He said the "man' seemed to be hairy,
but it wasn't really light yet, and there was lots of interference. We
followed, and realized we could never make the kind of time that it did.
We smelled a horrible musty stink, but never got a good glimpse of our
visitor. What amazed my partners is that branches were broken about 6
feet up, and the speed with which it moved. I still won't say the word
Bigfoot, but I'm more of a believer now. Sincerely, N.A. (Please don't
divulge my address)
Addendum: Originally
called Taklamah, "the town's name was changed to Takilma in 1902.
Colonel T.W.M. Draper of the Waldo Copper Mining Company was the founder
of Takilma, which was named for an Indian chief. The first post office
was established on August 2, 1902, by George F. Morgan. The town was established
due to copper mining. The Queen of Bronze Mine was a major mine throughout
the 1920's.
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 13:42:46 -0800 (PST)
Contact information in database file.
|