On the night of February 7, 1962, Robert Hatfield was staying at his sister’s house in Fort Bragg, California. His sister’s dogs were howling in the backyard, so he stepped outside to see what had them so spooked.
That’s when he saw it: a giant figure lurking in the shadows. The creature was more than 6 feet tall and covered in hair. Hatfield was certain it was the largest bear he had ever seen.
He ran to wake his brother-in-law, Bud Jenkins. Then Hatfield hurried back into the yard—and smacked right into the massive beast.
Jenkins’s heart pounded as he rushed over to help. Both men struggled against the creature, and then it turned and ran off into the night.
Later, a group of neighbors searched the nearby woods. They didn’t find anything, but they knew exactly what Hatfield and Jenkins had seen.
It wasn’t a bear. It was Bigfoot.