Westmoreland County Bigfoot Sightings: 1982 and 2013 Reports

If you've been keeping tabs on Sasquatch activity in Pennsylvania, you know that the western part of the state has always been a hotspot. A recent video from the YouTube channel Knights Around the Fire dives deep into Westmoreland County, and honestly, the stories they cover are the kind that make you want to grab your camera and head into the woods. The hosts, David Thomsic and Sue Taylor, spend the episode breaking down two separate encounters that took place in the area, and both are worth paying attention to. The first incident goes all the way back to July 30, 1982, in Youngwood. Two couples were hanging out near a capped gas well when they started hearing strange moaning and whining noises. Then came a rustling sound from their left, near a baseball field. One of the men looked over and spotted something large and dark moving close to the ground about 25 yards away. When they all turned to look, one of the witnesses had his eyes locked on something massive standing upright next to the baseball backstop. The creature was somewhere between 7 and 9 feet tall. Things got real when it started moving toward them with long strides and swinging its arms. The group panicked and ran toward the road. One woman had to be physically pulled along by her husband because she was screaming so hard. When they reached the bottom of the hill and looked back, the creature was heading toward the hillside as if it was going to follow them down. They called the police, but nothing was found. The description is classic Sasquatch: dark fur, muscular upper body and legs, long arms that hung down to the knees, and that distinctive bent-leg stance with a forward arm-swinging gait when it walked. The weight estimate was 350 to 450 pounds, though the hosts point out that seems way too low for something that tall and muscular. They're probably right. Most researchers estimate these creatures weigh significantly more than that based on their build. The second story takes us to Greensburg on August 13, 2013. A man was walking his dog at night when he heard wood knocks, then a tree fell from a completely different direction. That's when he saw a 7-foot tall, grayish-black figure take a few long steps and vanish into the tree line. The hosts bring up a really interesting point about this one. The wood knocks came from one direction, but the tree fell from another. That suggests there may have been more than one Sasquatch in the area, working together or communicating across a distance. Wood knocks are widely considered a form of communication among these creatures, almost like a telegraph system through the forest. It's one of the most fascinating behaviors reported by witnesses across the country. Both of these reports come from sources that serious researchers take seriously. The 1982 incident is documented in Stan Gordon's work, and Gordon is practically a legend in the Pennsylvania Sasquatch community. He's been investigating these reports for decades and has built an extensive database of encounters throughout the state. The PA Bigfoot Society is another solid resource that tracks sightings across the region. Westmoreland County itself is an interesting area for this kind of activity. Founded in 1773, it was the first Pennsylvania county whose entire territory sat west of the Allegheny Mountains. It borders Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, so you've got a mix of suburban areas and heavily wooded regions. The Laurel Highlands sit just to the east, and that kind of dense, mountainous terrain is exactly the kind of habitat where Sasquatch sightings tend to cluster. The video also touches on Route 30, the Lincoln Highway, which is one of the most historic roads in America. Before Route 66 became the iconic cross-country route, the Lincoln Highway was the main shot, running from Times Square all the way to California. It cuts right through Westmoreland County, and roads like that often have a long history of strange encounters attached to them. If you're into Pennsylvania Sasquatch reports, this video is definitely worth checking out. The hosts do a great job of breaking down the details and pointing out things that even experienced researchers might miss. Plus, Sue mentions having a friend in Youngwood who has experienced weird stuff in the area, which just goes to show that these reports are still happening. Head over to YouTube and give it a watch. You might find yourself planning a trip to Westmoreland County before the video even ends.