Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill - Kerby, Oregon

Add this one to your Passport!  This aside to the Josephine County Historical Society's "Passport To History" was only natural after a visit to the Kerbyville Museum.

Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill.  Although not on the "Passport" list, we had to investigate this fascinating building.  It was built in 1932 as a tavern, and had been one ever since.  Now it is no longer a tavern, it is a tavern++.  It has a full restaurant, and a full service bar.

Opening in June as the Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill, this is a great addition to the entire area!  Owned by Doc Bashford and Sharon Satmar, the Bigfoot Cavern is in a building originally built by Ralph "Shorty" Phillips.

"Shorty" used a special method of building he had learned in Pennsylvania before moving to the Illinois Valley in 1920.  Coincidentally, Doc Bashford hails from "Shorty's" neighboring state of Ohio.  Doc said he is a genuine "Buckeye."

The stone facade on the Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill is created from rocks directly out of the Illinois River.  "Shorty" Phillips started work on this building in the evenings after spending his days  helping to build the Redwood Highway.

Unique with its double fireplace, the building has a special place in the history of Josephine County.

Long being "the place to gather," this tavern was the "watering hole" for the Illinois Valley.  "Shorty" opened it as "The Ritz," then it became "Stoney Front Tavern" and now under Doc and Sharon's ownership it's the Bigfoot Cavern.

Double doors in the back were where the loggers from the valley would enter, and use the building's showers to clean up before entering the tavern. 

They changed clothes, but still wore their "hob nail" boots, and when you visit, take note of the floor --  Doc said they thought of refinishing the floor, but instead decided to leave the history where it was made!  They were right in doing so, because the thousands of indentations on the floor really give it a unique character.

It is a great looking floor, and what a fantastic record of the history of our county.

So why Bigfoot Cavern?

Well, Doc Bashford has degrees in Zoology and Biology, and told us he prefers to be called a cryptozoologist -- one who tracks uncatalogued species, but of which enough evidence exists to support the possibility that they really exist.

That brings us to Doc's specialty -- Sasquatch!  He has made five actual sightings and has traveled all over the country in search of the creature, which eventually led him to Kerby.  Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill is in the heart of Oregon's Bigfoot sightings.  This shot an indication of some of the articles and memorabilia that is displayed on some of the walls in the Cavern. 

Inside the front entrance of the Bigfoot Cavern, you run right into the Big Guy himself.

A nine foot tall Sasquatch carved out of wood, and weighing almost 3000 pounds.  His name is "Baby."  This is Doc Bashford posing with his mascot.

Doc's partner Sharon Satmar has lived next door in Selma for about 11 years.

Doc will be displaying lots of Sasquatch memorabilia on the walls of Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill, and will have actual plaster casts of the creatures feet that were taken from one of the sightings.

Doc said he had "Baby" carved to the dimensions that most sightings have indicated him to be, including his own experiences.

"Baby" took 10 men, two hoists, a crane, and four hours to get him from the front door to his guard post just inside.

Doc Bashford has been hunting for the elusive Sasquatch for 25 years now, and said people are constantly reporting sightings in the Illinois Valley's massive mountain regions.

The map indicated Bigfoot sightings, but Doc said he could add about 500 more to it before it would be up to date.

The Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill is rapidly turning out to be the Sasquatch headquarters for all of the out of state Bigfoot hunters and enthusiasts who are continually visiting our beautiful state.

Combine the mystery of something I think everyone wants to believe in, with a place to share stories with other believers and not be laughed at, and you have Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill.

Now for the bonus!  The food was a great surprise!  My wife being a vegetarian, we didn't expect to find much of interest to her, but the chef at Bigfoot Cavern came through big time!  She made her a grilled Veggieburger, and I had a terrific clubhouse sandwich that rivaled any I have ever had!

They have a great staff of local people who have obviously been catering to the public for a long time!

I predict a great future for this business, and they have already featured talent fresh from appearances on the "Comedy Club."

The great thing about Oregon's multitude of Sasquatch sightings is how excited people get when one is spotted!

Even though most people are skeptical about their existence, and they haven't been proven to exist; no one can prove they aren't out there!

Go get 'em Doc!

See you at the Bigfoot Cavern Bar and Grill!

Please visit the Josephine County Historical Society's website for more information on the Passport To History program.

Below are the links to my earlier Josephine County Historical Society's Passport To History blogs.

Introduction      Caveman      Schmidt House

Blind George's Newsstand        Grants Pass Historic Homes Tour

Historic District Tour      Grants Pass Pharmacy      Rogue Theatre

Hugo Community Church      Haines Apple Tree      Ament Dam

Grants Pass Cemeteries      Pottsville      Sportsman Park

Griffin Park      Lake Selmac      Granite Hill Cemetery

Pleasant Valley Cemetery        Josephine County Bridges

Grants Pass Fire Department      Reinhart Volunteer Park      Wolf Creek Inn

Applegate Trail Interpretive Center        Golden Townsite

Grave Creek Covered Bridge        Robertson Bridge

Wilderville Store and Post Office        Wilderville Cemetery

Granite Tombstone Quarry        Merlin Park - Veterans Walk of Honor

Gotcher Cemetery      Provolt Store      Missouri Flat Cemetery

Siskiyou Smokejumper Base        Rough & Ready Botanical Wayside

Rough & Ready Lumber Co.        Pacifica, A Garden In The Siskiyous

Riverside Park      Daily Courier      Daily Courier "Boss" Voorhies

Barnstormers Theatre      Ghosts In Southern Oregon National Monument

The Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument

Oregon Caves National Monument        Hugo Ladies Club

Kerbyville Museum       Stith-Naucke House