Ray Crowe founded the Western Bigfoot Society (WBS) in Oregon in 1991, holding monthly meetings in the basement of his Hillsboro bookstore. Those meetings became a hub for eyewitnesses, researchers, and curious locals, one of the first consistent public spaces dedicated to Bigfoot discussion.

 

Crowe’s approach was open‑door and community‑driven. He welcomed anyone with a story, a question, or a theory. That accessibility made him a beloved figure in the field and helped normalize Bigfoot research for everyday people.

 

Crowe created The Track Record, a newsletter that became a massive archive of sightings, letters, sketches, and field notes. It grew in popularity across North America and eventually worldwide. 

He documented not just Sasquatch reports, but global hominid lore, Almasti, Yeti, Yeren, the Abominable Snowman, making the newsletter one of the most comprehensive grassroots cryptid archives ever assembled.

 

This work preserved thousands of reports that would have otherwise disappeared into private notebooks or forgotten conversations.

Though known for his documentation, Crowe also conducted expeditions throughout the western United States, contributing firsthand observations to the record.

 

He also spoke to school groups, hosted public meetings, and even planned a Bigfoot museum, the Bigfoot Information Center, showing how committed he was to public education and community involvement. 

Ray Crowe passed away on September 29, 2015, but his influence remains foundational.   

His newsletters, meetings, and archives helped shape modern Bigfoot culture, giving researchers a shared history and a place to connect long before social media existed.

Crowe wasn’t chasing fame; he was building a community. And that community still stands on the foundation he created.