by Taylor Kimble
When Michael Rugg was a young boy, he encountered a large, primate-like creature roaming the woods of Humboldt County. Since that enchanting experience all those years ago, he dedicated his life to the discovery of Bigfoot—despite the constant oppositions he faced. Michael explains that when “you see something and people say you didn’t see it because it doesn’t exist, you find yourself in a conundrum. It made me curious of other things, too… like U.F.O.s and other paranormal.”
Michael, the curator for Felton’s Bigfoot Discovery Museum, constructed this local museum of free admission as a safe place for the community to share their knowledge and experiences of bipedal primates. Before the construction of exhibits were complete, the Bigfoot Discovery Museum opened its doors in 2004 to curious community members who were eager to explore the intriguing museum. The exhibits were finally completed in 2006, providing the ability and resources to help uncover the truth and existence of these creatures. The museum holds an extensive library of paranormal subject matter, Bigfoot, the weird, U.F.O.s, other cryptozoology titles, and a collection of tapes containing interviews with other researchers on the peculiar subjects. These books are available to check-out as a member of the museum for personal research and/or pleasure. A pop culture section exhibits paraphernalia of various representations of Bigfoot—such as games, toys, and souvenirs. Another exhibit depicts a nocturnal scene of a Bigfoot sighting, using a life-size Bigfoot model in a darkened room. Evidence such as plaster casts of handprints and footprints, probable remains of a Bigfoot tooth, and the Patterson-Gimlin Film displays throughout the museum. Recorded in 1967, two men caught sight of a Bigfoot wandering alongside a creek in Northern California. This film plays constantly in the Bigfoot Discovery Museum for the visitors’ enjoyment and is considered the most sensational piece of evidence pertaining to the existence of Bigfoot. Upon entry, visitors view a timeline and map of verified Bigfoot sightings throughout South Felton, parading our own evidence from local eyewitnesses.
Due to COVID-19’s incessant determination, the “temporary” closures of businesses seem to be looming towards more permanent closures, creating local devastation across the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Bigfoot Discovery Museum is one those wounded businesses during the ongoing, pandemic-imposed closure. Michael states that the museum faces extinction and, he needs the community’s help to preserve its unique display of the weird. He is proud of the museum’s demonstration of genuine research of the paranormal and the unveiling of the Bigfoot presence in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Please follow the link below to donate to the Bigfoot Discovery Museum. DONATE BY AUGUST 1st because the campaign will stop taking donations by then. All donations go directly towards the museum’s expenses. The GoFundMe page contains more information about where the proceeds will be allocated. Help Michael keep Santa Cruz weird!
Museum website with donation link: https://www.bigfootdiscoverymuseum.com/support
GoFundMe link: https://gf.me/u/x7dvn5
