Roger Patterson made a controversial and iconic contribution to Bigfoot investigation in 1967 with his and Bob Gimlin’s much-parsed Bluff Creek Bigfoot film. Nicknamed “Patty,” the film continues to generate speculation about its authenticity 50 years after its release. Although the encounter shocked Patterson and Gimlin, the film failed to capture the scientific community’s interest at the time. Technical and detailed computer simulation analysis since have provided arguments for its credibility. Among the experts who analyzed the film are Dmitri Bayanov, Igor Bourtsev, René Dahinden, Jeff Glickman, and Grover Krantz. All found reason to believe the footage was true. Almost an equal number of analysts, including Bernard Heuvelmans and John Napier, found the presentation questionable or an outright hoax. Patterson, a filmmaker, had a long-standing interest in Sasquatch beginning in 1959. Both he and Gimlin maintained the film was legitimate.
Patterson’s first book, “Do Abominable Snowmen of America Really Exist?”, was published in 1969. It contains previously unpublished (at the time) interviews and letters, drawings by Patterson, hand-drawn maps, illustrations and photos. Chris Murphy re-issued the book in 2005 under the title “The Bigfoot Film Controversy.”
Books by Roger Patterson:
