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Show 2A Lakeside Review, Wednesday, October 28, 1987 . Were strange si; Bigfoot in South Weber? JUDY BLACKNER Lakeside Review correspondent SOUTH WEBER On a in South Weber, njoonlit night the canyon winds blowing shadows across the land can play tricks on the senses. The eye can see almost anything strange and prie the imagination can conjure up. -- But what separates imagination from reality or the possible exist-ahc- e of some strange phenomena, iQere humans may not yet understand. What of the abominable man or Yeti of the Himalayas, or tBe Russian Neanderthal man of tte mountains named Alma and the Canadian Sasquatch or the Nforth American Bigfoot of the Cascade Mountains. 2Does Bigfoot exist? Is there any evidence that such a creature, perhaps the missing link of mankind, may pay an occasional visit to the Wasatch Front? k period in During a January of 1980, several report fpm South Weber residents indicated they had felt, seen, and tieard the presence of someone or something. Some believed it to be t$c legendary Bigfoot, and the experience left an unforgettable impression on their lives. The sJbries attracted much attention. Their stories tell the facts as ttey observed them; it is up to tjje reader to believe it or not. 3Cn a Monday night in January, resident Ronald Smith, of 174 E. South Weber Dr., returned home Ijbm work at midnight. When I turned in the driveway rqy headlights flashed across something in the field and scared Whatever it was, said Smith. snow- one-wee- k I always feed the horses at this time. As I approached the pasture and whistled for the horses to come it was obvious that something was upsetting them and they would not come to me. I saw something big and against the snow going through the field. Because the kids sometimes stash their beer in my bushes I though it was a big kid in a fur coat, but as I walked closer to the fence I saw it disappear into the brush, he said. It let out a noise that wasnt a scream but a very sound, with a lot of volume that really came booming up through the trees at me. That really scared me. I went up to the house where my wife had been awakened and (she) asked me what was wrong, he said. Well I never had any reason to have Bigfoot on my mind but thats what came into my head when I saw it. My wife and I stayed up and watched out the window for a while and saw nothing more. The next day I went down to the field and found tracks in three inches of snow running from the southeast corner of my property and disappearing where it had crossed the bare road, Smith said. The tracks were 14 or 15 inches long and 7 feet apart; judging from the trees it ran by it was around 9 feet tall, he said. After that I never thought much of it except that it could or couldnt have been a Bigfoot. Then I heard news of another sighting up on the canal the day before. A man from North Ogden dark-color- ed deep-throat- ed that had also seen something called and said, Do you want to see some better evidence? Smith continued, I accompanied the man to the canal road where we found definite prints of the creature three-quarte- rs running about of a mile up the ca- nal road. The tracks were real plain and definite with toes and impressions of toenails. The tracks were 15'2 inches long and A'h inches wide and didnt show any sign of an arch but were Part way down, another set of tracks came up out of the canal and joined up with the others. What was interesting to me was the tracks werent a duck walk like a human but one foot directly behind the other and the second set of tracks fell in directly behind walking single file. The other tracks were smaller, about inches long. The tracks on the canal were only 4 feet apart, indicating they were walking. Prior to the sighting my horses always came when I whistled but during the week we felt the creatures presence the horses would shy away from the trees. After I saw it, it must have left the area because the horses no longer shied away from that area of flat-foote- d. 8-- trees. Smith said he has never followed Bigfoot stories but what he saw that week was pretty convincing. If those tracks were fake, somebody went to a lot of work because they looked real authentic to me. Walter and Myrna Ray, who live one house west of the Smith residence, had their own run-i- n with Bigfoot My wife had burned a stew in n a heavy pot; she set the pot on the back porch to clean up later," said Ray. We started hearing the Bigfoot stories going around town and the stew pot disappeared. I started looking around and I saw the stew pan in the front field some 200 yards from the house. Then I noticed the big footprints in the snow and followed the tracks up alongside the house. The pot was too heavy for a dog or other animal to move that far, said Ray. I figure he must have come down the hill from the canal and through the field over to our back porch. I have felt their eerie presence and smelled their foul odor in the Uintas; I think theyre around. Unless you cornered one, I dont think they would harm cast-iro- We found large barefoot prints in the snow under the tower and leading up to a barbed wire fence where it was obvious that the thing was large enough to easily step over the fence, said Fowers. Other residents who wish to re- in- anyone; they might be highly telligent to avoid mankind for so long. On Sunday, the day before the Smith sighting, a young female resident (who did not want her identity revealed due to many harassing phone calls and letters she main anonymous made other reis still receiving) saw something ports, such as a very bad stench that afternoon around 3 from her lingering for a few days. They back window. compared it to a skunks scent, I saw something dark and only worse. Another resident said somehairy coming down the hill toward the canal. What drew my thing had been in his hay barn attention was that its long swing- and pulled old deer skins down rafters and laid ing arms looked so odd and when from the it walked under the tower I knew them on the barn floor, apparentit must be big, like 7 to 9 feet ly to sleep on. compared to the tower. The milk cow in the adjoining Resident Quinn Fowers heard shed was so frightened she was of the womans sighting and, shaking like a leaf, standing sidealong with his brother, Darren, ways in the hay stanchion. and some friends, hiked up the See BIGFOOT, page 10A the tower where it was last seen. 1 Animals need care for safe Halloween Pet owners should also be aware that their animals can become upset by the frequent ringing of the doorbell ad appearance of strangers, and may bolt through the open door and run Halloween may be fun for people, but it can be an especially dangerous time for pets, cautions the Humane Society of Utah. Pets should be kept indoors that night, or, if they are outside animals, they should be closely away. Staff photos by Bruce Bennett INTENSE AND NERVOUS, Nathan Hulse of Kaysville ponders his final word before spelling it correctly to win the fifth grade division in spelling bee at the Layton Hills, ; Mall Saturday. Other winners were: sixth grade, Jennie Langeveld, first; Jeaire Pabst, second; Laran Lund, third; fifth grade, Nathan Reeves, second; Christa Carver, third; fourth grade, Nathan Marsden, first; Hillary Pitchforth, second, Mary Ann Patterson, third. Its an unfortunate fact that this is a time of year when some awfully sick things are done, says Humane Society of Utah chief cruelty investigator John Fox. And a great number of those things are done to animals." Black cats especially, because of the old superstitions linking them with witchcraft, are often singled as victims of cruel pranks or outright sadism. If you own one. of these animals, says Fox, keep him or her safely out of trick-or-treate- rs 968-354- harms way on Halloween. capabilities, should be provided. Bountiful has seen the system is a financial advantage to them, Johnson said referring to the 911 lErom 1A (jttely ve the nearest dispatches system. Johnson, whose department is emergency personnel. jlThe enhanced service automatiresponsible for serving the unincally lists the address of the caller corporated county and those mulind keeps it even if the caller is nicipalities without their own disconnected. police service, said bringing the CThe meeting is the beginning of service to the county is a long ah interlocal procedure needed to task, but the process has been bring the service to the rest of started. Each city will have until Dec. 1 pavis County, Johnson said. benow leaders decide whether or not to parto .However, city lieve, if they are to continue to ticipate in the effort to institute a &ait, an interim system, without 911 service. Those who particienchanced the systems pate will begin assessing phone Do you have a NEWS TIP? fees by Jan. 1. Johnson said the legal procedures for the system were completed several years ago, leaving agencies the option of charging a maximum service fee of 50 cents per month for each household with a phone. The fees would be collected by Mountain Bell, with a share of revenue being redistributed back to the cities involved. As soon as all those cities are in place by Dec. 1, we will notify Mountain Bell to start collecting the fees, Johnson said. Clearfield Police Chief Daren Green said one of the major problems facing the interim sys tem would be the transferring of calls from one agency to another. For example, the Clearfield dispatcher may receive a call on an 825 prefix from someone who to contact the Davis Countys Sheriffs Department. wished The original 911 enhanced system has total recall and has tracing abilities to locate the area of the call; the interim system would not, he said. Green said the interim system does offer one advantage in that it can be available to the public within 30 days after a decision has been made by the agencies Lakeside ' ' ' T v, - f HW b i I ij ' ' - ''1 nil. 'j A AREA CORRESPONDENT MARGE SILVESTER 544-203- 6 FARMINGTON CALLAHAN 451-500- 3 LAYTON LYNDIA GRAHAM 544-442- 3 544-995- 8 KAYSVILLE, FRUIT HEIGHTS RUTH MALAN SOUTH WEBER 479-41- 19 776-33- 02 SYRACUSEWEST POINT ARLENE HAMBLIN 825-45- 31 SUNSETCLINTON JEAN MATTHEWS or please call the Lakeside Review ; jjfs't eNf' ' .. ; and uted FREE by carrier Wednesday afternoon from Roy through Farmington. The Lakeside Review is a subsidiary of the Standard Corp. NEWS DEADLINES: All news and photos should be submitted no later than 3:30 p.m. Thursday for publication the following Staff "DEDICATED to caring for your HEALTH' DO YOU HAVE ?! 1. Headaches? 2. Backaches? 3. Painful joints? 4. ShoulderArm 5 HipLej pain? Ikata cymptama (tangly tntficata pwtJ ' Stiff neck? 825-252- 776-495- 1 M4m pain? Numbness? Nervousness? nil, chiropractic an kcalth ll out MfccinV, chock wtlfc oa today. Wednesday. ADVERTISING DEADLINES: Display advertisements Thursday at 2 noon. fied liner ads Monday at 6 p.m. 1 Classi- INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED WORK WHIPLASH- - RELATED AUTO INJURIES ACCIDENTS ROY JAMES NICKERSON , - rrtn, ,1 i distrib- CLEARFIELD JUDY BLACKNER BENNETT CHIROPRACTIC OFFICE Review The Lakeside Review is published weekly Lakeside Review N Lake City. 2146 North Main St.f Layton, Utah CALL YOUR JO-AN- . They may then not only be vulnerable to accidents or acts of cruelty, but may become confused and not be able to find their way back home. The best way to prevent this is simply to keep your pet closed out of the will room where be coming to the door, according to Fox. Persons who witness Halloween cruelty to animals or find pets who appear to be lost should contact The Humane Society of 8 Utah at or visit the shelter at 4613 S. 4000 W. Salt supervised. OFFICE HOURS Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m.-6:0Classified Hours Monday thru Fri. 8:00 a.m.-6:0- 0 p.m. 0 p.m. 5 PHONE 776-495- 1 or 298-891- 6 195 E. Gentile LAYTON SPORTS INJURIES I |