The Ape Canyon Attack — Mount St. Helens, Washington (1924)

In July 1924, a group of gold prospectors working a claim near Mount St. Helens reported a harrowing nighttime assault by a group of large, ape-like creatures. Fred Beck and four companions claimed they were attacked at their cabin in a remote gorge that would later become known as Ape Canyon. According to Beck's account, the miners had spotted and shot at a large creature near a cliff earlier that day. That night, the creatures retaliated — hurling rocks at the cabin roof, pounding the walls, and attempting to break down the door. The siege lasted through the night until dawn, when the creatures retreated into the forest. The men abandoned their claim and fled. A reporter for The Oregonian broke the story on July 16, 1924, making national headlines and introducing what may be the first widely publicized violent encounter between humans and an alleged Sasquatch-type creature. The gorge was subsequently named Ape Canyon by locals, and the name persists on USGS maps to this day. Skeptics have suggested the attackers were local youths throwing rocks, but Beck maintained his account until his death, publishing a pamphlet titled 'I Fought the Apemen of Mt. St. Helens' in 1967.