Putting the Puzzle Together: New Book Sheds More Light on Historic Film Footage

The cover of the new book by Daniel Perez, Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion
The cover of the new book by Daniel Perez, Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion, which seeks to help put the puzzle together surrounding the historic and oft contended 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film.

Everyone has questions about things in life, especially in regard to strange or unusual events. To this day, various opinions can be found about the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film depicting an alleged “Bigfoot” creature, which leave many of us intrigued, and some overwhelmed with questions of our own. We may feel there aren’t very many answers, or even clear information and evidence to try to get to answers about the truth of this film and the creature depicted in it. But that may be changing.

For decades, Daniel Perez has been asking questions as he has researched the people and events surrounding the Patterson-Gimlin film. “That’s the beauty of asking questions. To find out. To get answers,” he says in his new book, Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion, where he presents numerous answers he’s found about the film itself, the investigations that followed, and the people involved in all of this.

1968: Recreating the positions where Roger Patterson was when filming "Patty," the Bigfoot, and where she was walking through the area
1968: Recreating the positions where Roger Patterson was when filming “Patty,” the Bigfoot, and where she was walking through the area, as part of the study of the Bluff Creek film site by Jim McClarin & John Green. The arrow was added many years later to point at the “big tree” for reference purposes. Photo courtesy and ©2024 Daniel Perez.

In Bluff Creek, California, on October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson shot historic 16mm film footage of a tall, hairy creature walking away from him, leaving large tracks in the sandy soil near the creek. Was it real, or a hoax…and how would this be determined? For Daniel, investigating written and video interviews, reports, and other testimony from shortly after the event provided answers to questions like these: What kind of camera did Patterson use to film the creature? How soon after the sighting was the film developed and shown? Who were the first people to screen the film, what were their credentials, and what were their thoughts about it’s authenticity? What did they think about the Bigfoot? What did these folks think about Patterson, his character, and the consistency of his testimony?

As the film captured the attention of Bigfoot researchers, investigations of the Bluff Creek area began. How long after the filming was the site first researched, and what was the outcome? How many people were involved in the early research? What kind of research needed to be done, and how thorough was it? How long was the trackway still visible for researchers? Who made plaster casts of the footprints, and did they give more information to researchers about the validity of the Bigfoot? How did they determine its height? Who named it “Patty”?

Pictures of the top and side views of an original footprint cast by Bob Titmus from the trackway at Bluff Creek, dated Oct. 31, 1967
Pictures of the top and side views of an original footprint cast by Bob Titmus from the trackway at Bluff Creek, dated Oct. 31, 1967. The arrow in the side view clearly points out what Dr. Jeff Meldrum observed to be evidence of a “midtarsal break” in the structure of the large foot that made this print. Cast images courtesy of Daniel Perez.

Many of the answers to these questions could have been lost to time, but in his book, Daniel provides valuable results in this area as well, having diligently gathered information for decades from interviewing those involved, from documents, photographs, notes, and maps of early investigations of Bluff Creek, all the way to modern expeditions which returned many years later to a dramatically changed film site to survey and document the remaining landmarks and pieces of Bigfoot history.

The layout of Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion, by Daniel Perez, is rich with text and images throughout
The layout of Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion, by Daniel Perez, is rich with text and images throughout, including this spread showing a well-organized effort to showcase the pictures and information, using Daniel’s idea of presentation: that the reader “just happens to be reading my notebook.”

Bigfoot At Bluff Creek: A Pictorial Discussion is a beautifully packaged full color perfect bound book, with a high quality glossy cover and interior book gloss paper. Filling these 130 pages with incredible information and many historic color photos, Daniel approaches his research thoroughly, checking the validity and importance of each source to build a comprehensive picture of the events and people surrounding the Patterson-Gimlin film. Having objectively compiled all this, and using a more personal “notebook” presentation style, he gives the reader the freedom to form their own opinion about this intriguing subject.

Copies of the book can be purchased directly from the author, Daniel Perez, through his website https://www.bigfoottimes.net/product/bigfoot-at-bluff-creek-book/, and are postpaid: $39.54 each for USA customers; $59.54 each for the rest of the world. Funds can be sent through Paypal to: perez952@sbcglobal.net, or as orders through the mail with a check or money order made out to Daniel Perez, addressed to: Daniel Perez, P.O. Box 17302, Anaheim Hills, CA, 92817.