Jacko hoax

The Jacko hoax was a Canadian newspaper story about a gorilla supposedly caught near Yale, British Columbia in 1884. The story, titled "What is it?, A strange creature captured above Yale. A British Columbia Gorilla", appeared in the British Columbia newspaper the Daily Colonist on July 4, 1884.[1] On July 9, 1884, the Mainland Guardian newspaper in New Westminster, British Columbia stated "that no such animal was caught, and how the Colonist was duped in such a manner, and by such a story, is strange."[2] On July 11, 1884, the newspaper British Columbian reported that about 200 people went to view "Jacko" at the jail where he was supposedly kept, but the people found only a man at the jail who fielded questions about a creature that did not exist.[3]

The "Jacko" story has been used by Bigfoot advocates as evidence for the existence of Sasquatch.[4] The original newspaper article describes "Jacko" as a gorilla and not a Sasquatch. Many books about Bigfoot and cryptids have featured the event and cite the original newspaper article. In 2008 Michael Cremo discussed the story as possible proof for the existence of Sasquatch.[5] However, the writer Joe Nickell noted that the story was regarded at the time by the Mainland Guardian as a hoax.[6] The "Jacko" story was featured on the A&E television documentary series Ancient Mysteries about Bigfoot, season 4, episode 18 narrated by Leonard Nimoy. The story was also mentioned on the Bigfoot episode of the television series In Search Of..., season 1, episode 5, also narrated by Nimoy. The Jacko story was mentioned in a 1976 documentary called The Mysterious Monsters.

Anthropologist Grover Krantz suggests that Jacko was purchased by P. T. Barnum and exhibited as Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy. Photos of Jo-Jo between 1884 and 1885 indicate Jo-Jo was replaced.[7] However, Bigfoot researcher Chad Arment claims that Jo-Jo was not Jacko, as Jo-Jo could speak many languages and could write his name according to an article in the New York Times, October 13, 1884.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Daily Colonist July 4, 1884
  2. ↑ New Westminister Mainland Guardian July 9, 1884
  3. ↑ British Columbian Newspaper July 11, 1884
  4. ↑ Green, John (1968), On The Track of the Sasquatch. Cheam Publishing Ltd.
  5. ↑ Cremo, Michael A. Thompson Richard L. (2008), Forbidden Archeology, The hidden history of the human race. Torchlight Publishing Inc.
  6. ↑ Joe Nickell (January–February 2007), "Mysterious entities of the Pacific Northwest, part I," Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 31, no.1, Page 21
  7. ↑ Krantz Grover (1992), Big Footprints: A Scientific inquiry into the reality of Sasquatch. Johnson Books.
  8. ↑ Arment Chad (2006), The Historical Bigfoot. Coachwhip Publications.
  9. ↑ New York Times October 13, 1884

Further reading