Sasquatch Watcher Ranch Opens on Olympic Peninsula for Research

There's a fascinating new interview circulating on YouTube that's got the Sasquatch community buzzing, and if you haven't caught it yet, you'll want to add it to your watchlist. Linda Eastburn sits down with longtime investigator Thomas Sewid to talk about something he's calling the Squatch Watcher Ranch, a brand new research operation taking shape on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. For those unfamiliar with Sewid, he's a Vancouver Island, British Columbia native who has spent decades in the bush and has built a reputation as one of the more active investigators out there. He recently took on managing a store and museum in Forks, Washington, which sits right in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula, a region long considered prime territory for Sasquatch activity. It didn't take long for locals to start reaching out once they knew he was in the area. The story really gets interesting when a local landowner invited Sewid and one of his team members, Steve, out to his family's 150-acre homestead. The property has been in the family since the 1940s, with residents ranging from their early 60s all the way up to 96 years old. The family had been experiencing things they couldn't explain and wanted a professional opinion. What Sewid found right at the entrance is what makes this location so compelling. About 80 feet from the main gate, just outside the property line, he spotted a teepee tree structure. For those who don't know, these structures are something researchers have documented in active Sasquatch areas for years. They're constructed by breaking a tree at a certain height and using the pieces to form a framework, often with additional sticks added to complete the shape. In this case, the main pole was broken at about nine feet, the top half was broken again and placed into the structure, and roughly nine sticks total make up the whole thing. Sewid's interpretation is worth paying attention to. He told the landowner that the structure is essentially a message, a way of saying "we're here too, and we're sharing this space with you." The family has been on this land since the 1940s, and whoever is building these structures is acknowledging that presence while also asserting their own. It's a form of communication that researchers have observed in other active locations, and finding one right at the property boundary is a strong indicator of regular activity. The property itself is practically a Sasquatch buffet. There's a tributary running through the land, roughly 400 to 500 yards long, fed by 23 bubbling springs. The water is crystal clear and serves as a major spawning ground for coho, or silver salmon, during the fall months. That means ducks, trout, frogs, and plenty of other food sources concentrated in one area. Add in three separate apple orchards with cherry and pear trees scattered throughout, and you've got an ideal habitat with abundant resources. Sewid and his team have already deployed trail cameras with a specific strategy in mind. Instead of mounting them horizontally on trees, where the nylon straps break the natural vertical pattern of the forest and potentially alert Sasquatch to their presence, they've placed them up in the branches of the fruit trees, angled downward. The theory is that when Sasquatch come to grab apples or cherries, curiosity or hunger will override their usual caution about trail cameras, and the downward-facing angle will capture faces, shoulders, and bodies rather than just the tops of heads. It's a clever workaround to a problem that has frustrated researchers for years. Sewid has actually captured trail camera footage before on Vancouver Island, though he describes those images as "good blurry" and "bad blurry." Still, proof that it can be done. The name "Squatch Watcher Ranch" plays on the popular TV show, but Sewid is quick to point out that recognition matters in this field. When you mention the Olympic Project or other well-known teams, people know exactly what you're talking about. Building a recognizable brand helps fund the work, because this equipment isn't cheap. Night vision scopes, parabolic listening devices, trail cameras, the costs add up fast. Selling merchandise, running expeditions, and charging day rates are all part of how serious operations sustain themselves. What really stands out is Sewid's vision for the future of the property. He envisions a commercial operation where visitors could park their vehicles, hop on a golf cart tour, and be shown exactly where images were captured, where audio was recorded, and where tracks were cast. Given that thousands of people already visit Forks and the Olympic Peninsula every year for its natural beauty, adding a Sasquatch expedition component could be a game-changer for both the family and the research community. Sewid brings decades of bush experience to the table, along with deep knowledge of Native American perspectives and encounters. He's not a weekend warrior, and his track record speaks for itself. He claims to have put 24 people face to face with Sasquatch, plus another 30 to 40 who have either smelled them, heard them, or seen their tracks. That's an impressive number by any standard. One of the more fascinating bits comes near the end of the interview, where Sewid talks about his five cabins on Vancouver Island that he converted from sea kayak expedition camps into Sasquatch investigation camps. He brings a 12-gauge shotgun, which he calls "Bouncing Betty," painted in camouflage, and places it in the exact same spot against a spruce tree every time he visits. The Sasquatch in that area have become habituated to him and understand that he won't grab the gun unless absolutely necessary. It's a level of trust and familiarity that speaks to how long he's been working in these areas. The Olympic Peninsula has always been one of those regions that researchers keep coming back to, and with Sewid now based there full-time and a willing family with extensive property opening up their land for investigation, Squatch Watcher Ranch could become one of the more significant research operations in the Pacific Northwest. Definitely worth checking out the full interview for anyone interested in what's happening on the Peninsula.