Residents seek return of stolen wooden Sasquatch carving in Garrett

Garrett, Wyoming. A carved wooden Sasquatch that has stood on a roadside tree in the unincorporated community of Garrett for four years has been stolen. The carving, located in the Friend Park area south of Esterbrook, was removed from its post on a ranch in Albany County. Residents of the isolated community are now searching for the figure and offering a $100 reward for its safe return.

Linda Fittje, a local resident, discovered the theft on Wednesday while driving past the site. She noticed the familiar wooden figure was missing from the tree and stopped to inspect the area. Fittje said the carving was not merely hidden or moved behind the rock, but taken. She noted that the thieves left the mounting screws in the tree, which she described as a careless act that fueled her frustration.

The timeline of the disappearance is not exact. Fittje believes the carving was removed within the last two days. The landowner, whose ranch housed the installation, last saw the Sasquatch in its usual spot two weeks ago. Fittje said she frequently drives past the location and would likely have noticed its absence sooner if it had been gone longer. She said the carving had been a neighborhood landmark since 2022, with drivers stopping to take photographs.

Fittje suspects that out-of-state hunters may have taken the figure. She observed a high volume of non-local traffic on the roads leading to Garrett during the fall hunting season. She said she believes the theft will lead to a tip because the person who took the carving will likely want to show it to others. Fittje said she is monitoring social media for sightings of the specific wooden Sasquatch from Garrett.

The carving had a sign attached to it that read, “Warning! Please Do Not Feed The Sasquatch.” It served as a informal local attraction for years. Callie Miller, a resident of Casper, said her young son enjoyed seeing the figure whenever their family drove through the area. Miller noted that the loss of the carving affects the community’s shared history with the roadside decoration.

Fittje is leading the effort to locate the missing figure. She said she did not expect to take on the role of a Sasquatch search coordinator, but she accepted the task because the specific target is a known wooden carving. She said she is not interested in general reports of Bigfoot sightings in Wyoming, only in information regarding this particular installation. She said the goal is to return the figure to its original location on the tree.

The community is treating the search with a mix of seriousness and local humor. Fittje said she is confident the carving will be found because it is a distinct object that cannot be easily hidden. She said the $100 reward is intended to encourage anyone who spots the figure to report it. She said the carving represents a specific local memory that residents want to preserve for future generations.

Fittje said she is reaching out to people who have seen the figure in unusual locations. She asked residents to contact her directly via social media if they have information. She said the search is focused on the Friend Park area and surrounding roads where the carving was previously visible. She said the community is united in its desire to have the neighborhood Sasquatch back in its native habitat.