The Kevin Review (Kevin, Mont.), July 31st 1924
Race of “Ape Men” Said to Haunt Wilds of Mt. St. Helen’s In Southern Washington
The fabled “mountain devils” or mountain gorillas of which the Indians[*] in the regions of the Cascade mountains have for the past sixty years been telling weird tales have at last been seen by a group of prospectors who have for several years noticed their huge footprints, according to reports from Kelso, Wash., near which place the haunts are located.
A number of men who have been prospecting a claim on the Muddy, a branch of the Lewis river, were bombarded recently by a shower of rocks thrown by these “gorillas,” an attack which lasted throughout the night, until one of them was killed.
The animals made their appearance near Spirit lake, a body of water so named by the Indians who refused to go near it because of the huge “mountain devils,” which tradition had claimed were found there.
The prospectors describe the mountain beasts as having the appearance of huge gorillas, being covered with long black hair including their faces. Measurements taken of the tracks prove that the foot of the animal is from 13 to 14 inches long, while the toes which are four in number, are short and stubby. It is also reported that the animals walk upright and appear to weight about 400 pounds, having a height of about seven feet.
While awaiting the reports from parties who have gone to the vicinity of Spirit lake on Mt. St. Helen’s in quest of verification of the story told by the trappers, residents of Kelso were interested in the statement attributed to George Totsgi, of the Clallam Indian tribe, that the ape-men are members of the tribe of Indians known as the Seeahtik tribe. Totsgi was quoted as saying that members of the Seeahtik tribe are huge in stature and hairy like beasts.
These Indians, he said, talk the Clellam language and are adept in imitating the sounds of birds.
“The Seeahtiks were last heard of by the Clallam Indians about 15 years ago and it was believed by the present Indians that they had become extinct,” said Totsgi. “The Seeahtiks made their home in the heart of the wilderness on Vancouver Island and on the Olympic range.
“The Seeahtiks are seven to eight feet tall, with hairy bodies like bears. They are great hypnotists and also have a gift of ventriloquism, throwing their voices a great distance.”
Disclaimer: This 1924 newspaper article was published prior to 1931. Under United States copyright law (specifically the 95-year rule), this work has entered the public domain and is thus free to use or republish. It is presented here as an interesting and folkloric newspaper oddity.
[*] Note on offensive terminology: This article uses incorrect and offensive terminology to refer to indigenous or native people, which was unfortunately common at the time. For the purposes of historical documentation of the material, the article has been unaltered and is presented as it was previously published, retaining its original language and word usage. The derogatory term used in the article is a product of colonialism and should not be used to refer to indigenous people.
Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85053343/1924-07-31/ed-1/?sp=7
Categories: Newspapers, Proto-Bigfoot, Ape Canyon