Attacked By A Band Of Sasquatches?

The Ape Canyon Incident

By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher

            Of all the documented sasquatch attacks, the Ape Canyon incident of 1924 was one of the most notable and frightening in history.

            In mid-July of that year, Fred Beck and a group of four men were gold prospecting in Ape Canyon, Mt. St. Helen’s Washington in the Lewis River area, when they began to notice evidence of “visitors” around their cabin. Some very large human-like footprints were discovered and they had been hearing noises at night around the area. They claimed to have heard thumping noises that sounded like chest-thumping. And one said they heard a strange high-pitched whistling sound on one ridge above them, only to hear another whistle on the opposite ridge.

            When Beck and another of the men went down to a nearby spring for water, they caught sight of a large, ape-like creature staring at them from behind a large pine tree. It was said to be very dark brown in color and they estimated it to be about 7 feet tall. It ducked behind the tree and then poked its head out to watch them again. As the story goes, one of the men raised his rifle and took a shot at the creature and believed he grazed it’s head. But it ran away and ducked out of sight.

            Beck claimed to have seen another one as it stood along a canyon wall. He said he shot it in the back, and watched it fall into a gorge.

            The men may have thought the incident was over, but they nonetheless planned to leave the area the next morning just in case. So they hunkered down that night with their rifles at hand.  As darkness fell and the men were tucked away inside their cabin all was quiet. 

            But they were later awakened by an enormous thud against the cabin wall and some chinking from between the logs fell into one of the men’s laps. They all grabbed their rifles. A loud rustling was heard outside along with the trampling of large, heavy feet.  One of the men peered outside from between the logs. He caught sight of what he believed to be three creatures, but from the sounds they heard, they believed there were many more.

            The creatures were pounding on the walls and door of the cabin, and throwing rocks onto the roof in an attempt to break the break it open. And frighteningly, one of the creatures stuck its arm through the hole where the chinking had fallen and attempted to grab an ax without success.  And, luckily for these men, they had built the cabin sturdily for winter and it had no windows. The creatures were unable to break in.

            The attack continued throughout the long night with only short intervals of quiet. And the men claimed they shot at them only when they were being attacked, and they stopped shooting when it got quiet, hoping the creatures would soon learn the shooting would stop when the attack stopped.

            After about five hours of assault, the creatures finally gave up in the early morning hours. At daylight, the men finally went outside only to find a strip of wood torn from between two logs of the cabin and numerous large footprints all around. They left the area quickly, leaving much of their equipment behind.

            Later the men agreed not to tell the story to anyone, but one of the men leaked the story and the press got wind of it. Then others began hunting around the area for the apes. It was called The Great Ape Hunt of 1924. The men were later interviewed by many reporters, but the story came into question since only tracks were found and no bodies of the creatures they had killed.  Many came to believe it had been a hoax. But Beck continually swore to the truth of his story. 

            The canyon is said to have been named Ape Canyon after this incident took place. ******DF