Raymond L. Wallace (April 21, 1918 − November 26, 2002) was an American amateur
Bigfoot
Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include:
*"A large, hairy, manlike ...
hoaxer.
Wallace was born in
Clarksdale, Missouri
Clarksdale is a city in southwest DeKalb County, Missouri, United States, located along the Little Third Fork of the Platte River. The population was 245 at the 2020 census. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO– KS Metropolitan Statistical A ...
. He worked as a logger for much of his life, but also in road construction throughout much of
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
and
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as an aircraft gunner. Wallace finally settled in
Toledo, Washington
Toledo is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 631 at the 2020 census.
The community is home to an annual Cheese Days festival that celebrates the town's dairy history.
Etymology
The area underwent several na ...
in 1961.
Bigfoot
In August 1958, the ''Humboldt Times'' of
Eureka, California
Eureka ( ; Wiyot: ; Hupa: ; ) is a city and the county seat of Humboldt County, located on the North Coast of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt Bay, north of San Francisco and south of the Oreg ...
, was the first to use the term "Bigfoot" in their story about huge footprints found by a worker of Wallace's
Humboldt County construction company.
Upon Wallace's death, his son Michael revealed that Wallace was in possession of large, poorly crafted, obviously fake wooden feet.
According to Wallace's family, Ray's brother Wilbur Wallace and nephew Mack McKinley used these wooden feet to stamp imprints around northern California as a prank.
Ray Wallace also created hair and feces samples which the family left in the woods for Bigfoot researchers to find. He created the hair samples by processing hair from the bison he kept on his wild animal farm near Toledo.
However, Chris Murphy notes that Ed Schillinger, "who is the only living witness from the Bluff Creek job" and "who considers himself almost an adopted son of the man
ay" strongly disputes the family's allegations.
Cryptozoologist
Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness M ...
Mark A. Hall was a persistent critic of the authenticity of Crew's 1958 tracks, and of certain other Bluff Creek tracks. Another
cryptozoologist
Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness M ...
,
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman (born July 12, 1947) is an American cryptozoologist, author and television personality who has written over 40 books on a number of topics, including cryptozoology. He is also the President, Founder and leading Director of the Inter ...
, has been similarly critical.
Regarding Wallace's claim to have told Roger Patterson where to go to shoot the
Patterson film,
Jeffrey Meldrum
Don Jeffrey "Jeff" Meldrum (born May 24, 1958) is a Full Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University. Meldrum is also adjunct professor in the Department of Physical and Occupational Th ...
writes, "... but it was clear from later interviews that he possessed little knowledge of the specific area ...."
[Meldrum, 274; see also 242]
Death
Wallace died in a
Centralia, Washington
Centralia () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 in Washington, Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a ...
nursing home at the age of 84.
See also
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Bigfoot in popular culture
Bigfoot is an alleged human or ape-like cryptid in North America. Since the mid-20th century, Bigfoot has become increasingly relevant in popular culture and is the subject of film, television, advertising, music, literature and more.
Advertisin ...
*
Jacko hoax
References
Other reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Raymond L.
1918 births
2002 deaths
Bigfoot
Cryptozoologists
People from DeKalb County, Missouri
Hoaxers
History of Humboldt County, California