January 2011 -- WINNIPEG - After a half century of nightmares, Winnipegger Archie Motkaluk, 70, has finally revealed the secret behind his decades of sleepless nights.

Bigfoot believer Archie Motkaluk shows the sketch he drew from his own personal encounter in Renwer, Man., in 1960. (L. Mustard, QMI Agency) -->

Christmas Day at home on Lipton Street, with all the family around him, Archie brought out a book containing handwritten notes and a drawing of the Sasquatch he had a very up close and personal encounter with back on December 29, 1960. One by one, the family took Archie's book into a room adjoining their dining room, and read details of the day Archie clearly remembers standing face to face, eight feet away from a female Sasquatch in the bush near Swan River, Manitoba, and wondering what was going to happen next.

Home for Christmas from attending school in Winnipeg, Archie was visiting his parents farm near Renwer, Manitoba (south east of Swan River) and had taken a team of horses and the sleigh to go chop some wood three miles or so into the bush back of the farm.

With the horses tied to some nearby brush, axe in hand, 10:30 a.m., Archie was chopping deadfall when about 400 yards across the clearing he was in, he spotted what he believed to be a man slowly heading his way, stopping every few minutes to examine the bushes. Wasn't quite sure what the guy was up to, but by the time the "man" got within a hundred yards or so, Archie realized his visitor was a Sasquatch, who, shortly after, confronted Archie in a manner that left him literally frozen in place till the fear subsided enough for both him and the Sasquatch to take a few steps back.

So why did he wait 50 years to tell his story? Seems Archie was recently watching a television program in which the guest declared there is no such thing as a Sasquatch, and Archie just couldn't let it go. He decided regardless of the outcome, it was time to share his experience.

His description of the event is fascinating, particularly when he details the physical appearance, and behaviour of his somewhat nerve-wracking forest friend.

Archie tells me the only person he ever told of his encounter was his mother upon arriving home that day, who got him to sit down and draw a picture of it, the same picture he displays at the front of his notebook, now featured beside a Sasquatch pic one of his grandchildren got online.

Following the interview with Archie, I called University of Manitoba Science writer Chris Rutkowski, to ask if he was aware of any other Sasquatch sightings reported from the area. He recalled Sasquatch sightings at Easterville in 1968 and 1970, one of them reported by a school principal.

Googling Manitoba Sasquatch sightings I also found another report, this one on video, from March of 2007 near Peguis.

So now, Archie's tale, as with all other reported sightings of Sasquatch/Loch Ness monster type experiences, is yours to believe, or not; dismiss or discuss; mock, or chock up as yet further proof that Sasquatch lives, and walks the woods of friendly Manitoba.

Laurie Mustard 2011

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