Deep in the forests of northern California, where the canopy of redwoods and Douglas fir blot out the sky, growers found the perfect environment for cultivating some of the world’s most coveted marijuana. Many of the patches that began to proliferate in a tri-county region known as The Emerald Triangle, started off as small-scale operations supporting the lifestyle of a 1960s-era, back-to-the-land movement. By the mid-1990s, operations grew considerably, attracting less scrupulous criminal elements.
The Emerald Triangle is known today as the nation’s largest cannabis-producing region, but it’s also known for a creature of legend, one whose existence has never been proven but whose believers are convinced is out there somewhere: Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch.
In the mid-1990s, a 23-year-old journalist by the name of David Holthouse journeyed to the region, seeking temporary work on the pot farm of an acquaintance. At first, he thought the stories of Bigfoot told around the camp were simply to frighten the new guy. But then, two drugged-out men came to the cabin spinning a wild tale of murder. Three people on a nearby farm had been torn limb from limb, and the men believed a Sasquatch was responsible. Holthouse didn’t pursue it at the time, but something alarmed these men enough that it made an indelible impression on the young journalist.
Holthouse, now a New Mexico-based writer and documentary producer, recounts the incident in Sasquatch, a Hulu original documentary series from director Joshua Rofé.
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