World's Largest Bigfoot

Bigfoot enthusiasts have their favorite spots across the United States. The Pacific Northwest has been riddled with Sasquatch sightings for hundreds of years. Florida has the skunk ape, which dwells in the Everglades. The Boggy Creek monster put Fouke, Arkansas, on the map for its famous documentary. Did you know that the world's largest Bigfoot, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is found in South Dakota? How he came to be a resident is no mystery.

When Jarrett Dahl graduated high school, he went on a quest to discover his future. Jarrett had a sixth sense that a chainsaw and a block of wood were his tools of the trade. The summer after his graduation, he visited a family friend in Soldotna, Alaska. The friend was a well-known artist who taught Jarrett how to use a chainsaw to create sculptures out of wood. Jarrett was a natural. His first pieces sold, and chainsaw art became his passion. After years in Alaska, Jarrett and his younger brother relocated their business to South Dakota.

Jarrett receives multiple commissioned pieces a year. When he was hired to do an eight-foot-tall Bigfoot, he was thrilled with the challenge. Next came a 12-foot Sasquatch. A local guide, Richard, introduced the brothers to Keystone, a busy tourist town not far from Sturgis, Mt. Rushmore, and Deadwood. Richard encouraged Jarrett to create an eye-catching piece for Keystone. With help from a handful of talented chainsaw artists, plans were drawn up for the world’s largest Bigfoot.

The artists spent a month creating a 23-foot tall depiction of a sitting Sasquatch who holds a flagpole in his hand that measures 54 feet tall, the height he’d be if he were standing. This gentle giant catches the attention of people driving through Keystone. This inevitably leads to a visit to Dahl’s Chainsaw Art.

Bigfoot’s face, hands, and, of course, big feet are carved, while much of the structure is covered in round logs that emulate a thick outer coat. Three different types of wood, cedar, pine, and cottonwood, were utilized in the sculpture. As a Bigfoot enthusiast, art lover, tourist, or human, the world’s biggest Bigfoot is a must-see. When you ask Jarrett: “Do you believe in Bigfoot?” He will smile back and reply, “What do you think?”