Creatures, Myths & Legends
Bigfoot was once included in an official US Army atlas of Washington state
By
T.K. RandallJanuary 22, 2025 ·
38 comments
It remains unclear why the cryptid was included in the book. Image Credit: Midjourney
The inclusion of Sasquatch as being part of the state's recognized wildlife has long proven a curiosity.
Back in 1975, the US Army Corps of Engineers published a comprehensive 114-page book entitled
The Washington Environmental Atlas which cost $200,000 to produce.
The book took several years to compile and contained detailed information on the wildlife, environment and geography of the region, as well as maps, diagrams, photographs and more.
It contained entries on plants, archaeological sites, rivers, forests and just about anything and everything else that anyone could ever need to know about Washington state.
But there was one addition that continues to raise eyebrows to this day - an inclusion that has sparked a great deal of debate and speculation over the intervening 50 years since the book's release.
In a part of the book about wildlife, the authors had oddly decided to include an entire section all about Bigfoot - treating the cryptozoological creature as though it was a genuine, accepted part of the state's established inhabitants.
While it does acknowledge that the existence of such an animal is disputed, its inclusion in a US Army Corps of Engineers atlas remains a rather baffling peculiarity.
The book makes reference to hair samples being tested in FBI laboratories and claims that no matches could be found to any existing known species.
It also goes on to describe the creature's physical characteristics in great detail, including the size of its feet (as determined from footprint plaster casts) and even its facial features.
It even mentions other similar cryptids sighted in the USSR.
Ultimately, it's not particularly clear why such a serious, expensively-produced and thoroughly-researched publication would include a cryptozoological creature in its guide to native animals.
There is even a cartoon on the same page poking fun at the decision to include it.
You can check out the page from the book below (courtesy of
The Black Vault).

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