Jefferson Declares Itself the ‘Bigfoot Capital of Texas’

Jefferson City Mayor, Carey Heaster Jr., recently signed a proclamation recognizing his city as the “Official Bigfoot capital of Texas.” The proclamation states that “…numerous Marion County residents have reported multiple sightings of mysterious Bigfoot – like creatures in and around Jefferson for decades,” thereby giving the infamous mythical creature its due. It also recognizes the city as the “…geographical epicenter…” of Bigfoot sightings.

The concept of the proclamation was developed by Texas Bigfoot Conference founder Craig Woolheater, who annually (in October) hosts the event in downtown Jefferson. In comments regarding this recent declaration, Woolheater explained, “Thirteen other cities in the U.S. use Bigfoot for tourism and that’s where I got this idea from. I brought the idea for the proclamation up to the city after I saw a city in Alabama do the same.”

Drawing hundreds of patrons to the bayou city annually, Woolheater’s Bigfoot conference has also established a college scholarship fund which benefits two Jefferson High School graduating seniors every year. “We had the city of Jefferson issue a proclamation in 2005 recognizing the third weekend in October as the official ‘Texas Bigfoot Conference Weekend.’ In 2016, we had a proclamation issued recognizing the 15th anniversary of the Texas Bigfoot Conference,” he said.

Photo: Facebook/NJ Pine Barrens Bigfoot Research

This year’s event is scheduled for October 19 – 21 at the Jefferson Transportation Center and will feature a tribute to the “…51st anniversary of the Patterson – Gimlin film where they captured the famous image of a Bigfoot walking in the woods in 1967…” for which Bob Gimlin, the man that shot the film, will be present to speak. The proclamation of Jefferson being the “Official Bigfoot capital of Texas” recognizes Woolheater’s annual event as well as the tourists that it helps draw to Jefferson every year, saying: “Whereas, the Texas Bigfoot Conference, having been established in Jefferson in 2001 by Craig Woolheater, and having attracted large crowds of interested, local and out of town Bigfoot enthusiasts to discuss Bigfoot sightings and evidence, city officials recognized that many tourists, outdoor enthusiasts and visitors to Marion County are interested in Bigfoot…. local officials see the benefit of supporting the educational, social and tourism aspects of Bigfoot research.” For more information on the annual Texas Bigfoot Conference, visit the link provided here.