Andrew Genzoli and Betty Allen: Pioneers in the Search for Bigfoot
In the annals of American Cryptids, few creatures have captured the public's imagination quite like Bigfoot, the elusive giant said to roam the remote forests of North America. Two figures stand out in the early days of Bigfoot lore: journalists Andrew Genzoli and Betty Allen of the Humboldt Times.
The Birth of a Legend?
In 1958, Andrew Genzoli highlighted a letter from a reader about loggers in northern California who'd discovered mysteriously large footprints. Genzoli, known for his engaging writing style, added a touch of humor to the story, jokingly suggesting that the footprints could belong to a relative of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas.
To Genzoli's surprise, the story fascinated readers, sparking widespread interest and curiosity. In response, Genzoli and fellow Humboldt Times journalist Betty Allen published follow-up articles about the footprints. They reported the name that the loggers had given to the so-called creature who left the tracks—“Big Foot”.
The Spread of the Bigfoot Phenomenon
The story quickly spread to newspapers all over the country, and the TV show Truth or Consequences offered $1,000 to anyone who could prove the existence of Bigfoot. Genzoli continued to fuel the intrigue with his columns, posing questions like, "Who is making the huge 16-inch tracks in the vicinity of Bluff Creek? Are the tracks a human hoax? Or, are they the actual marks of a huge but harmless wild man, traveling through the wilderness? Can this be some legendary-sized animal?".
Despite the widespread attention, Allen believed that most of the loggers didn't really believe in the creature. She thought they were just passing along stories with a “legendary flavor”. However, the public's fascination with the story was undeniable.
Legacy
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| Andres Genzoli (left) Jerry Crew (right) |
The work of Genzoli and Allen played a significant role in shaping the modern U.S. concept of Bigfoot. Their reporting not only popularized the term "Bigfoot" but also helped to establish the creature as a fixture in American folklore. Even today, the search for Bigfoot continues, with numerous sightings reported each year.
While the existence of Bigfoot remains a topic of debate for some people, there's no denying the impact that Andrew Genzoli and Betty Allen had on the legend. Their reporting ignited a cultural phenomenon that continues to captivate the public's imagination to this day.
Thanks
~Thomas~
This post is by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as TCC Research. Over 25 years of experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter, a published photographer, and a poet.
~Thomas~
This post is by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as TCC Research. Over 25 years of experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter, a published photographer, and a poet.
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Judging by Allen's opinion on the lumberjacks, it appears the "Abominable Woodsman" originated as part of lumberjack folklore, with most lumberjacks not believing in it but viewing it as a part of their heritage (the heritage dating back to the settlement of inland New England: the frontier was all the lands to the north of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bays, unlike that of der Neu Nederlands, Neu Sverige, and the Middle and Southern colonies, all of which had the frontier as the West).
ReplyDeleteLumberjack heritage is thus East Anglian, Estuary, and Home Counties, in origin, showing us the culture as it was before the East India Trading Company, the Enclosure Act, and industrialization; it is also Irish and Hiberno-Norman as well as Portuguese, Basque, and Spanish, all of which sailed and pirated off New England.
Bigfoot would therefore have origins in the Basajaun of the Basques, the Irish Bigfoot of the Wicklow mountains, and English folktales of giants and wildman (and anchorites).