Every American knows the legend of Bigfoot—the giant, hairy primate who haunts the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. The campfire tales. The blurry pictures. The grainy films. Right? But what’s the real story of Bigfoot? How did this modern American mythology all begin? And who were the people responsible for making Bigfoot such a legendary American tale? This book is meant to tell that extraordinary story. Over twenty-nine chapters, The Abominable Snowman of California traces the historic origin of the Bigfoot legend back to the fall of 1958 and the timbered mountains of Northern California’s Six Rivers National Forest, telling the true story of the Bigfoot legend and how the impact of a few mysterious footprints found up in Bluff Creek would ultimately lead to one of the most cherished characters in all of American folklore. Disclaimer: This book is less about giant, hairy hominoids, and more about people . . . you know, your garden variety Homo sapiens. Like any enthralling tale, the true story of Bigfoot is populated with an unforgettable cast of characters. And in The Abominable Snowman of California , Dustin Severs brings to life this small fraternity of colorful yet disparate individuals—a pious catskinner and a lovable trickster, a soft-spoken journalist and a hot-headed Swiss man, a beloved newswoman and a renowned pseudoscientist, a vainglorious Irish hunter and a wide-eyed Texas millionaire—this cast of dreamers who were largely responsible for creating one of America’s most enduring folk legends. The Abominable Snowman of California is a book about Bigfoot. But it’s also a story about the incredible power of the human imagination. And readers are sure to find the true story of Bigfoot as intriguing as the legend and filled with characters as fascinating and audacious as the hairy wildman himself.