In the Humboldt County Collection of the library of Humboldt State College, Arcata, California is a small booklet titled: “The Hermit of the Siskiyous” by L. W. Musick. It was published from the office of the Crescent City News, in California 1896.  In it on pages 79-80 the following excerpt:

Note 1.
A Del Norte Record correspondent writing from Happy Camp, Siskiyou County on January 2, 1886 discourse as follows: 

“I do not remember to have seen any reference to the “wild man” which haunts this part of the country, so I shall allude to him briefly. Not a great while since, Mr. Jack Dover, one of our most trustworthy citizens, while hunting saw an object standing one hundred and fifty yards from him picking berries or tender shoots from the bushes.  The thing was of gigantic size– about seven feet high with a bull dog head, short ears and long hair; it was also furnished with a beard and was free from hair on such parts of its body as is common among men.  Its voice was shrill, or soprano and very human like that of a woman in great fear.  Mr. Dover could not see its footprints as it walk on hard soil. He aimed his gun at the animal or whatever it is, several times but because it was so human he would not shoot. The range of the curiosity is between Marble Mountain and the vicinity of Happy Camp.  A number of people have seen it and all agree in their descriptions except some make it taller than others.  It is apparently herbivorous and makes winter quarters in some of the caves of the Marble Mountains.”

This is apparently the oldest written account so far brought to light of the sighting of Bigfoot-like creatures in Northern California. Note that it is only two years later than the oldest Canadian newspaper account – that of the capture of “Jacko” on July 4, 1884.  The only discrepancy between this account and the usual Bigfoot report seems to be where it says the creature “was free from hair on such parts of its body as is common among men.”  Everything else agrees even the reluctance of the hunter to shoot it because it looked too human.

Citation:
January 2, 1969, page 2 copyright The Bigfoot Bulletin, editor George Haas credits Jim McClarin who also attended Humboldt State College (now Humboldt University) in the 1960's. McClarin, you'll remember, carved the statue of the O'Mah that greets passers-by in the mountain community of Willow Creek, California. It stands on the corner in the same lot with the Bigfoot Museum. http://www,bigfootencounters.com/stories/carving.htm

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