In 2004, two Vietnam veterans were driving back toward Estacada, Oregon, after a VA trip to Portland, when they decided to cut through the Cascade foothills and revisit an old, unused scaling station near Dodge. What began as a quick look around an overgrown logging area became a rare close-range encounter with what the primary witness believes was an entire Sasquatch family.

This report is notable for its proximity, the length of observation, the apparent juvenile creatures, and the defensive posture of a large adult.

CASE FILE:

Date: 2004

Location: Near Dodge, outside Estacada, Clackamas County, Oregon

Region: Cascade foothills, Clackamas River corridor

Witnesses: Two men, both Vietnam veterans

Primary witness: Male, age 73 at time of report, requested anonymity

Secondary witness: Friend of primary witness, now deceased

Setting: Old unused scaling station, overgrown skid road, logged timberland

Reported activity: Tree manipulation, deer bones, unusual rock placement, twisted vine maple, close-range sighting of several small hairy beings, and one large adult Sasquatch-like creature

Estimated distance: 10 feet or less

Duration: Approximately two minutes or more

Witness reaction: Alert, surprised, but not fearful

WITNESS REPORT

The witness, who asked not to be named, stated that the encounter occurred in 2004 while he and a friend were returning from Portland, Oregon. His friend had needed a ride to the VA, and afterward they decided to take a route through the Cascade Mountains on their way back toward Estacada.

Both men were Vietnam veterans. The witness served between 1970 and 1971. He was also familiar with parts of the area from previous hunting trips. He recalled earlier oddities in the same general region, including a dead deer found approximately 20 feet up in a tree and, during the 1990s, a 19-inch foot impression in dirt west of the old station.

They eventually reached a small place known as Dodge, where an unused scaling station sat. The area was mostly overgrown. As they looked around, they found piles of deer bones that appeared to be neatly separated. They also encountered several downed trees blocking the way, forcing them to climb over and around them.

“I had no background or history about that station, so I didn't know whether it had been used or not. We decided to go in for the first 50 feet or so. You could see around you, okay. After that, it was overgrown. You could see almost nothing but the little skid road we were on. Another 50 feet in, we came across a series of five or six alder trees, about eight feet tall and three inches in diameter, that had been pulled out of the ground and laid across the skid road. All these trees were oriented the same way. The 12-inch root wads were exposed, and there were still green leaves on the trees.

“We walked over and around these trees. Another 100 feet or so in, just about where the old skid road stopped, we stood there looking around. We noticed two things that were not normal on the northwest side. There was a large rock, about three feet in diameter, covered with moss, lying on its side with the bottom exposed. It was leaning up against a small tree, and the bottom of the rock was bare. I would guess that the rock weighed well over 100 pounds. Rocks are common here, but when a creek rock ends up five to six hundred yards from a known creek bottom, you have to wonder.

“Next to the rock and slightly above it to the left was a small vine maple tree. One of its lower branches had been twisted around into a complete circle. The opening in the vine maple was about one foot across. Behind that tree was nothing but heavy berry bushes. I bent down to look through the circle, then asked my friend to take some pictures because I had seen a similar activity not too far away.

“After he took his pictures, I bent down again and looked through the opening. I saw a pair of eyes about three feet in, looking right back at me. The face was that of a small, childlike creature with a lot of reddish-brown and black hair. Its head was pointed on top. It looked at me, then looked back over its left shoulder, then looked back at me again.

“I looked where it had been looking, and there sat another one about the same size, right next to it. What was interesting was that the second one was holding an even smaller one in its arms. I stood up and told my friend. Then he looked, and he saw them too.

“We stepped back without talking or making any noise, and then the very large adult showed itself to us. It was all black and hairy, with dark, round pupils. The white part of our eyes was red on this creature. It was half upright and half down on its feet. Its mouth was open, as if it was not pleased that we were there. I could see its teeth. They were white and very square in shape. Its canine teeth were a little longer, but flat on top. I did not see any pointed teeth.

“Its arms were spread open, I would guess about eight feet, and each hand had hold of a tree branch. My guess is that it was sitting up on its butt, looking at us, but its head was still above the berry bushes. While sitting there, I would estimate it was still five feet tall.

“We were standing 10 feet away or less from these creatures, and neither of us felt afraid. I looked at its eyes again. From either side of the edges of its eyes, you could see what looked like membranes. They were not eyelids. They were between the eyes and the eyelid, and they were also red. My guess is that it may pull those membranes in during daylight to protect its eyes. I am not a biologist, but I have never seen any creature that had that kind of membrane in its eyes.

“The hair on top of its head was pointed. Its skin was a gray-black color, with no hair that I could see on its face or the bottom of its hands. Its lips were narrow slashes. Its nose was not flat or very wide, but it was a little wider than ours and shaped somewhat the same. Its ears looked about the same size as ours, but they were set a little higher on its head, or maybe that was because of the size of its massive jaw. Its hands were large. I would estimate they looked twice the size of our hands, or more.

“Neither of us felt threatened. We must have stood there for at least two minutes or more, staring at each other. Two minutes at 10 feet or less in the wilds with anything is like two lifetimes. We could hear other noises coming from the woods around us, so, without talking or making any noise, we both turned and slowly walked back out the old skid road, climbing over the stacked trees.

“We did not talk until we were back inside the truck. My friend then asked me, ‘Just what was it that we saw?’ I said, ‘I think we just encountered a Sasquatch family.’

“We watched the woods a little more, saw no movement, and then decided to leave. My friend has since passed away. I have been back to that location at least a couple more times over the years, but the logging company that owned that land sold it. The new company that bought it went in and logged it all. The government now owns the land, and it is inaccessible.”

COMMENTARY

This is an unusually detailed Sasquatch family encounter, primarily because the witness describes not just one adult figure, but several smaller beings, including one apparently being held by another juvenile or female-type figure. The account contains several recurring elements associated with Pacific Northwest Bigfoot reports: manipulated trees, possible barrier structures, unusual bone placement, apparent territorial signaling, and close-range visual observation in dense cover.

The emotional tone is also important. The witness and his friend did not describe panic, terror, or immediate flight. Instead, both men reacted with caution and restraint. That detail gives the encounter a different character than many aggressive roadside or nighttime vocalization reports. The adult’s posture, open mouth, branch-gripping stance, and exposed position suggest a warning display rather than an attack. It may have been attempting to hold the witnesses in place long enough for the smaller beings to remain hidden or move away.

The red membranes described around the adult’s eyes are one of the most intriguing anatomical details in the report. The witness interpreted them as a possible protective feature, perhaps used in daylight. That is speculative, of course, but the observation is specific and unusual enough to preserve. The square, flat-topped teeth, gray-black facial skin, narrow lips, large hands, and high-set ears also give the report a strong observational quality.

The location is significant. Estacada and the Clackamas River corridor have long been discussed in Sasquatch research circles. BFRO’s Clackamas County listings include several reports from the broader area, including an August 2008 Class A visual observation near Estacada, a September 2004 tree-shaking incident near the Molalla River, June 2004 nighttime calls and footprints northeast of Colton, and other reports near Sandy, Table Rock Creek, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, and Mt. Hood National Forest.

Other regional sources also point to the same corridor as a persistent hotspot. Willamette Week described Oregon Route 224 near Estacada as a high-density Sasquatch sighting area, with reports stretching back to the early 1900s, while Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory notes that the Estacada-to-forest corridor has produced enough reports to become part of the region’s public Bigfoot identity.

A separate BFRO report from 2008 describes four campers who experienced nighttime activity, followed by a visual observation of a Sasquatch near Estacada. Another BFRO report from the same general Clackamas River access region describes a couple finding what they interpreted as a Sasquatch-related nest in a cave area reached from Estacada by following Clackamas River Road.

There is also an interesting historical echo in an older Estacada-area account, circulated through Bigfoot forums and attributed to Ray Crowe, involving a hunter reportedly finding a dead small Bigfoot-like body in a tree east of Portland in 1990. That story is difficult to independently verify, but it is notable because the current witness also recalled finding a dead deer high in a tree in the same broad Estacada region.

Taken together, this report fits into a larger pattern in the western Cascade foothills: remote timber roads, overgrown logging corridors, Clackamas River drainage access, repeated auditory and visual claims, and signs that witnesses interpret as deliberate environmental manipulation. Whether one approaches the case as cryptid evidence, unknown primate behavior, interdimensional manifestation, ultraterrestrial interaction, or a deeply layered regional folklore event, the Estacada and Clackamas corridor remains one of Oregon’s most compelling Sasquatch zones.

CASE NOTES

• The witness and his companion were both Vietnam veterans, which may be relevant when assessing observational discipline, situational awareness, and calm reaction under stress.

• The location was an old, unused scaling station near Dodge, outside Estacada, Oregon.

• The witness had prior unusual experiences in the same general area, including a 19-inch footprint and a deer found approximately 20 feet up in a tree.

• The men observed piles of deer bones that appeared to be separated or arranged.

• Five or six small alder trees had reportedly been pulled out of the ground and laid across the skid road in the same orientation.

• A moss-covered rock, estimated at over 100 pounds, appeared to have been moved far from a creek bottom.

• A vine maple branch had been twisted into a circular opening roughly one foot across.

• The first two visible beings appeared small, childlike, hairy, and reddish brown to black in coloration.

• One smaller being appeared to be holding an even smaller one.

• The adult was black-haired, large, and displayed a wide arm span while gripping branches.

• The adult’s mouth was open, but the witnesses did not interpret the behavior as an immediate attack.

• The adult’s eyes were described as having red sclera-like areas and additional red membrane-like structures.

• The witnesses were approximately 10 feet or less from the beings.

• The encounter lasted an estimated two minutes or more.

• Neither witness felt threatened, but both quietly withdrew.

• The secondary witness has since passed away.

• The site was later logged and is now reportedly inaccessible.

For more first-hand Sasquatch encounter reports, regional Bigfoot sightings, and eyewitness accounts from the Pacific Northwest, visit the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Master Index, where ongoing investigations into cryptids, anomalous humanoids, upright canines, winged beings, and unexplained forest phenomena are archived for readers and researchers. Lon

FAQ

Why is this Estacada, Oregon report important?

It includes a rare claim of multiple Sasquatch-like beings observed at close range, including juveniles and a large adult. The witness also provided environmental details, including manipulated trees, separated bones, a displaced rock, and a twisted vine maple branch.

Was this a single Bigfoot sighting or a family group encounter?

According to the witness, it appeared to be a family group. He described two smaller beings, one even smaller being being held, and one large adult that appeared after the smaller figures were noticed.

Did the creatures behave aggressively?

The adult appeared displeased and possibly defensive, but the witnesses did not feel directly threatened. The adult’s posture may have been a warning or protective display.

Is Estacada known for Sasquatch reports?

Yes. Estacada, Clackamas County, the Clackamas River corridor, and nearby Mt. Hood National Forest have appeared repeatedly in Sasquatch sighting databases, regional articles, and Bigfoot research discussions.

What makes the eye description unusual?

The witness described red areas around the eyes and membrane-like structures that were not eyelids. He speculated that these membranes might protect the eyes in daylight, although that remains only his interpretation.

NOTICE: Witnesses Sought for Upcoming TV and Film Project

If you have ever seen a winged humanoid in Chicago or the surrounding region, including the O’Hare corridor, nearby suburbs, forest preserves, Lake Michigan shoreline, or northwestern Indiana, I would like to hear from you.

I am currently assisting with an upcoming television and film project focused on the ongoing Chicago Winged Humanoid phenomenon and am seeking credible eyewitnesses, both past and recent, who may be willing to share their experiences.

If you have previously contacted me or are a new witness who has not yet come forward, please consider reaching out. All serious inquiries will be treated with respect and discretion.

If you would like to discuss your sighting, you can reach me through the 'CONTACT' link at the top of the page.

Your account may help document an important part of this continuing mystery. Thanks. Lon Strickler