Whitehall, New York Names Sasquatch as Its 'Official Animal'

The village of Whitehall, New York passed a resolution last Tuesday naming Sasquatch as their "official animal," according to The Whitehall Times.

“This came to us from Dave Molenaar and it’s in the form of a resolution,” Mayor Phil Smith said of the written motion, which passed unanimously. “The last Saturday of every September be officially known as Sasquatch Appreciation Day and that Sasquatch shall be the official animal of the village of Whitehall.”

External interest in Whitehall is largely dependent upon its history of Bigfoot sightings, and the village boasts three statues of the cryptid. A number of books and documentaries on Bigfoot have also been made that feature Whitehall.

"It is one of the key things that attracts outside interest," Molenaar said. "It's getting pretty significant now."

Whitehall has been known for its Bigfoot sightings since the mid-1970s, when a string of civilian and police encounters made national news. 

The Sasquatch adoption resolution read:

WHEREAS since the 1970s Whitehall has become known for an inordinate number of Big Foot sightings, mention of which goes back as far as the Iroquois, Algonquin and Samuel de Champlain.

AND WHEREAS in the 21st Century this has developed into a Whitehall town law, protecting the Sasquatch as an endangered species, along with an increasing number of Big Foot-themed businesses.

AND WHEREAS Whitehall is now the subject of Sasquatch movies, TV shows, books and home to Big Foot researchers and authors.

AND WHEREAS Whitehall now displays four prominent Big Foot statures and is home to an annual Big Foot half marathon and Sasquatch Festival that draws people from 200 miles around, the northeastern U.S. and Canada; all making Whitehall a tourism destination point, for Big Foot searchers.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the village of Whitehall, New York, the last Saturday of every September be officially known as Sasquatch Appreciation Day in Whitehall and that the Sasquatch will be the official animal of the village of Whitehall, New York.