An upstate New York town that has become somewhat synonymous with Sasquatch saw its connection to the creature celebrated with a newly unveiled historical marker that declares the community to be a Bigfoot sanctuary. The village of Whitehall was put on the proverbial cryptozoological map by way of a significant series of Sasquatch sightings that occurred there back in 1976. Coupled with longstanding Native American accounts of the creature as well as subsequent reported encounters with such bipedal beasts, the community has come to be considered proverbial Bigfoot country by many fans of the famed cryptid, which the town has embraced with zeal in a myriad of ways.

Thanks to the efforts of local researcher Paul Bartholomew, Whitehall passed an ordinance in 2004 that designated Bigfoot an endangered species and made it illegal to hunt the creature within the borders of the village. A few years later, the town passed another resolution that named Sasquatch their official animal. All the while, several statues as well as Bigfoot-themed businesses popped up throughout the community. The connection to the cryptid came into full bloom with the creation of the enormously popular Whitehall Sasquatch Festival and Calling Contest, which serves as a full-on celebration of the creature that has garnered national media attention thanks to the unique competition featuring participants unleashing their best Bigfoot bellow.

Last week, Whitehall's admirable appreciation for the cryptid was recognized with the unveiling of a new historical marker from the Pomeroy Foundation. The organization aimed at preserving community history has previously produced similar plagues celebrating local 'Legends and Lore' such as a purportedly haunted bridge in North Carolina and Lake Champlain's famed monster 'Champ.' The Whitehall marker, which was installed next to a Bigfoot statue near the town's grandstand, declares that the community is a "Bigfoot Sanctuary" and reads "For centuries, local stories tell of sightings of giant hairy beasts that walk upright and leave huge footprints. Local Law protects them."