Jason Colavito
2001
Rumors are rampant on the Internet that the archaeology
is suppressing the true human past. We take a look at the
origins of a modern myth.
is suppressing the true human past. We take a look at the
origins of a modern myth.
NOTE |
The following article first appeared on my old Lost Civilizations Uncovered website in 2001. The article earned the unending ire of David Childress, who developed a loathing for me as a result. The article was also cited by Ken Feder in the Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology. I am reprinting it here, but do note that I wrote this when I was 19 or 20 and in the intervening years additional information has come to light, though nothing that has changed the overall conclusion. though Please also note that many of the 2001 links are now dead and have been removed.
The text of the 1909 Arizona Gazette article cited below follows my article. |
Archaeological Cover Up?
Original Editorial Note |
In the April-May 2002 edition of Nexus Magazine, William Hart asked whether archaeology engaged in a coverup to suppress hidden aspects of the human past. Similarly, in the winter 2001-2002 edition of the pseudo-scientific magazine Ancient American, author Jack Andrews asks the question "Did Ancient Chinese Visit the Grand Canyon?" (vol. 6: i. 41)
Here now a LOST CIVILIZATIONS UNCOVERED exclusive, the side of the story that Ancient American and Nexus did not tell their readers. |
On April 5, 1909 a Phoenix newspaper called the Arizona Gazette published an article in its evening edition which claimed the an Egypto-Tibetan culture lived in the Grand Canyon. Running on the front page under the headline "Explorations in the Grand Canyon," the anonymous story claimed that the find was "not only the oldest archaeological discovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world." Furthermore, the article claimed the project was "under the direction of Prof. S. A. Jordan" with Smithsonian-backed adventurer G. E. Kinkaid. The duration of the article is an account of the find by G. E. Kinkaid.
In his narrative Kinkaid described a series of tunnels and passages with a cross chamber near the entrance in which stood a statue: "The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet."
Kinkaid allegedly says that he found an unknown gray metal resembling platinum in the cave, and tiny carved heads were scattered on the floor. Urns bore "mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover." In another room he said he found mummies: "Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric."
Then we take leave of Kinkaid, and the anoynmous reporter offers an epilogue: "The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages."
From this strange story written at the dawn of the twentieth century came a web of intrigue and deception that alternative historians say they have uncovered. This is but one aspect of a growing paranoia among alternative authors that sees conspiracies threatening to destroy the "true" history of man's past. We shall examine several aspects of this alleged coverup.
THE GRAND CANYON
Off the bat, there are a few signs that point to a hoax on the part of the paper or Mr. Kinkaid. First of all, this is a one-source story without comment from Prof. Jordan or any other person, though some canyon mystery enthusiasts like Jack Andrews point out that the Gazette rarely used bylines on its stories. "It was a unique story in an otherwise dull, routine mainstream paper," Andrews said. On March 12 of that same year, the Gazette had reported on an earlier phase of Kincaid's adventure. However, there is no documentary evidence to back up Mr. Kincaid's existence.
Secondly, the Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. Anyone who really worked for them would know that. Third, when the article is read in full, it seems like a regurgitation of the 19th and early 20th century stories about Lemuria and Mu. In fact, even if the paper were blameless in the affair, the alleged Mr. Kinkaid, for whom no Smithsonian record exists, could easily have been a local liar who read all about the lost continent of Atlantis or Lemuria and spun it into a local tale bought by the yellow press still reeling from the Pulitzer-Hearst tabloid fever. How could even the most "dull, routine" paper pass on a story that seemed so good?.
As Mike Mahanay comments on his Grand Canyon trek and exploration page, "Please remember that although this article was published in 1909, it is pure fiction, and has led many a fortune hunter to frustration and despair!" Mahanay has worked in the Grand Canyon for years and leads tours through the region.
However many people ignore this warning, and the story has a sinister aspect. The belief in this lost Egyptian/Tibetan temple has consequences today. Ever since unorthodox researcher David Hatcher Childress published the newspaper hoax as fact in his book Lost Cities of North and Central America, the story took on the trappings of truth, without regard for actual facts. In his web article about maverick archaeologist John Ora Kinnaman's attempts in the 1950s to prove a 35,000-year-old date for the Great Pyramid, Stephen Mehler writes:
"By virtue of the huge crystal stored in a chamber 1,100 feet below the bedrock of the Giza Plateau, Egyptian priests could send telepathic messages around the world! According to [Dr. Albert J.] McDonald, one of the places Dr. Kinnaman said these messages were sent was the Grand Canyon! Dr. Kinnaman may have known about the find in the Grand Canyon in 1909 and even known Professor S.A. Jordan, but we have no documentation of this as of yet."
For his part, Kinnaman claimed to have found the Atlantean Hall of Records beneath the Sphinx, where he said the Ark of the Covenant rested. Obviously, there is not truth to this, and Kinnaman sought to validate the Atlantis prophesies of alleged psychic Edgar Cayce.
Jack Andrews said that while he has no definite proof that any aspect of the Grand Canyon story is true, "I find that most outspoken critics of the 1909 story are generally slim to none in the 'evidence' to back their outrageous claims that the story is automatically a 'myth' or 'hoax'. I have not seen one piece of genuine evidence to back the claims."
Yet there is evidence that the story does not hold up. There once was a Prof. S. A. Jordon, with an 'o' not an 'a', but this Jordon was a European archaeologist, not an American one. Jordon did not work the Grand Canyon. On the Cyber Space Orbit website, John Winston comments:
"Several professional inquiries into this matter ten years ago made it clear that to Smithsonian authorities, this was indeed a hoax, and that the fact there is no record of any Professor S. A. Jordan ever existing, or ever being associated with the Smithsonian."
He then paradoxically cites the existence of Prof. Jordon as proof of a Smithsonian cover-up of the information in the Gazette article. More likely is the idea that Jordan with an 'a' never existed.
As for the Smithsonian itself, when asked by Peter Hay of the Sightings website, a representative for the Institution had the following comment:
In his narrative Kinkaid described a series of tunnels and passages with a cross chamber near the entrance in which stood a statue: "The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet."
Kinkaid allegedly says that he found an unknown gray metal resembling platinum in the cave, and tiny carved heads were scattered on the floor. Urns bore "mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover." In another room he said he found mummies: "Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric."
Then we take leave of Kinkaid, and the anoynmous reporter offers an epilogue: "The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages."
From this strange story written at the dawn of the twentieth century came a web of intrigue and deception that alternative historians say they have uncovered. This is but one aspect of a growing paranoia among alternative authors that sees conspiracies threatening to destroy the "true" history of man's past. We shall examine several aspects of this alleged coverup.
THE GRAND CANYON
Off the bat, there are a few signs that point to a hoax on the part of the paper or Mr. Kinkaid. First of all, this is a one-source story without comment from Prof. Jordan or any other person, though some canyon mystery enthusiasts like Jack Andrews point out that the Gazette rarely used bylines on its stories. "It was a unique story in an otherwise dull, routine mainstream paper," Andrews said. On March 12 of that same year, the Gazette had reported on an earlier phase of Kincaid's adventure. However, there is no documentary evidence to back up Mr. Kincaid's existence.
Secondly, the Smithsonian is an Institution, not an Institute. Anyone who really worked for them would know that. Third, when the article is read in full, it seems like a regurgitation of the 19th and early 20th century stories about Lemuria and Mu. In fact, even if the paper were blameless in the affair, the alleged Mr. Kinkaid, for whom no Smithsonian record exists, could easily have been a local liar who read all about the lost continent of Atlantis or Lemuria and spun it into a local tale bought by the yellow press still reeling from the Pulitzer-Hearst tabloid fever. How could even the most "dull, routine" paper pass on a story that seemed so good?.
As Mike Mahanay comments on his Grand Canyon trek and exploration page, "Please remember that although this article was published in 1909, it is pure fiction, and has led many a fortune hunter to frustration and despair!" Mahanay has worked in the Grand Canyon for years and leads tours through the region.
However many people ignore this warning, and the story has a sinister aspect. The belief in this lost Egyptian/Tibetan temple has consequences today. Ever since unorthodox researcher David Hatcher Childress published the newspaper hoax as fact in his book Lost Cities of North and Central America, the story took on the trappings of truth, without regard for actual facts. In his web article about maverick archaeologist John Ora Kinnaman's attempts in the 1950s to prove a 35,000-year-old date for the Great Pyramid, Stephen Mehler writes:
"By virtue of the huge crystal stored in a chamber 1,100 feet below the bedrock of the Giza Plateau, Egyptian priests could send telepathic messages around the world! According to [Dr. Albert J.] McDonald, one of the places Dr. Kinnaman said these messages were sent was the Grand Canyon! Dr. Kinnaman may have known about the find in the Grand Canyon in 1909 and even known Professor S.A. Jordan, but we have no documentation of this as of yet."
For his part, Kinnaman claimed to have found the Atlantean Hall of Records beneath the Sphinx, where he said the Ark of the Covenant rested. Obviously, there is not truth to this, and Kinnaman sought to validate the Atlantis prophesies of alleged psychic Edgar Cayce.
Jack Andrews said that while he has no definite proof that any aspect of the Grand Canyon story is true, "I find that most outspoken critics of the 1909 story are generally slim to none in the 'evidence' to back their outrageous claims that the story is automatically a 'myth' or 'hoax'. I have not seen one piece of genuine evidence to back the claims."
Yet there is evidence that the story does not hold up. There once was a Prof. S. A. Jordon, with an 'o' not an 'a', but this Jordon was a European archaeologist, not an American one. Jordon did not work the Grand Canyon. On the Cyber Space Orbit website, John Winston comments:
"Several professional inquiries into this matter ten years ago made it clear that to Smithsonian authorities, this was indeed a hoax, and that the fact there is no record of any Professor S. A. Jordan ever existing, or ever being associated with the Smithsonian."
He then paradoxically cites the existence of Prof. Jordon as proof of a Smithsonian cover-up of the information in the Gazette article. More likely is the idea that Jordan with an 'a' never existed.
As for the Smithsonian itself, when asked by Peter Hay of the Sightings website, a representative for the Institution had the following comment:
"From: Smithsonian Information <[email protected]
To: <[email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 8:16 AM Subject: Re: Fw: SIGHTINGS "Peter Hay "Your e-mail of January 11 has been received. "The Smithsonian Institution has received many questions about an article in the April 5, 1909 Phoenix Gazette about G. E. Kincaid and his discovery of a 'great underground citadel' in the Grand Canyon, hewn by an ancient race 'of oriental origin, possibly from Egypt.' According to the article, Prof. Jordan directed a major investigation of the 'citadel' that was mounted by the Smithsonian. "The Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology, has searched its files without finding any mention of a Professor Jordan, Kincaid, or a lost Egyptian civilization in Arizona. Nevertheless, the story continues to be repeated in books and articles. "We appreciate your interest in the Smithsonian Institution." |
Lost Civilizations Uncovered asked Ancient American writer Jack Andrews to write an article detailing why he believes the Grand Canyon story is true after he e-mailed us his detailed criticisms, some of which appear in this story. Andrews declined our invitation, saying: "I cannot, however, write an article stating why I believe the story is true, since I have not yet been convinced conclusively of the 'truth' of the story."
HOW THE STORY GREW
Nevertheless, many continue to believe faithfully in the story of the prehistoric cave, a story that has grown and metamorphosed into a subterranean city as the story is told and retold again and again. Author David Icke is typical of the true believers. From his book The Biggest Secret:
"In 1909 a subterranean city which was built with the presicion (sic) of the the Great Pyramid was found by G. E. Hincaid (sic) near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It was big enough to accomidate (sic) 50,000 people and mumified (sic) bodies found were of oriental or possibly Egyptian origin, according to the expedition leader Professor S. A. Jordan. My own resaerch (sic) suggests that it is from another dimension, the lower fourth dimension, that the reptilian control and manipulation is primarily orchestrated (sic)."
In Icke's telling, the cavern tomb of legend becomes a precise city with a sizable population. Icke also names its inhabitants as reptiles from the fourth dimension, a concept first put forward in H. P. Lovecraft's fictional story "The Nameless City," where a hapless traveler discovers a subterranean city in Arabia populated by the mummies of prehistoric reptiles. Except for a difference in location, Icke's version of the myth reads like Lovecraft warmed over, with a good dose of Robert Temple: "There were other extraterrestrial races at large on the Earth, and still are, as well as the extraterrestrial race which the Sumerians called the Anunnaki and other ancient texts called the serpant (sic) race." Once again, those pesky Annunaki make their way into the myth of lost civilizations. Of course, Icke also believes that Princess Diana died as a result of an extraterrestrial cover-up.
The common thread running through all of these articles and posts is a common source: the David Hatcher Childress article hinting at a vast archaeological conspiracy to cover up Egyptian relics. Let us take a quick look at Childress and his ideas.
He claims that at the age of 19 he left on a six-year, around-the-world adventure in the style of ancient astronaut theory founder Erich von Däniken. He says he studied first-hand the ruins of cultures spanning the globe, and WexClub.com called him a "real-life Indiana Jones" for his archaeological adventures.
Childress calls himself a "lost science scholar," and claimed in his book Extraterrestrial Archaeology that the moon and nearby planets contain pyramids, domes and spaceports visible by telescope and satellite. He has a profound respect for the scientist Nikola Tesla, who Childress believes invented anti-gravity, time-travel, death-ray and thought machines. Childress is also prone to seeing conspiracies, arguing in his book The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla that the U.S. government conspired to supress the discoveries made by Tesla to protect big business. Incidentally, Childress claims only to be the posthumous co-author of Fantastic Inventions with Tesla as the main author.
In his most recent book, Technology of the Gods (2000), he claims that ancient cultures possessed advanced technology far beyond what humanity can achieve today.
Childress also wrote a series of Lost Cities books in which he compiled anomolous, questionable and apocryphal stories to prove his thesis that a lost civilization influenced early man and current governments are suppressing this fact. It appears that Childress discovered the story of the Gazette article while researching Lost Cities of North and Central America, in which he repeated apocryphal stories of pterodactyls alive in Texas. He took the official denials of the Gazette story as proof of a cover-up. He included the story and the denials in a chapter of Lost Cities, and he excerpted that chapter for the disreputable Nexus magazine in 1993.
After publication in Nexus (volume 2 number 13), the article was posted on KeelyNet BBS on May 8, 1993 under the inauspicious heading of CANYON.ASC. KeelyNet issued the disclaimer that anything it published was free to copy, and an internet revolution was born. Soon the Childress article appeared all over the internet and hundreds of websites carried the news that ancient Egyptians lived in the Grand Canyon. (A Google search turned up 974 pages with the story.) By 2001, the story was firmly embedded in the alternative community as proof that the Smithsonian covered up parts of history.
NEXUS: CONSPIRACY CENTRAL
Nexus magazine is a strange story all on its own. Founded in Australia in 1987, the magazine focused on unconventional and occult stories, often without second thought to the veracity of information. In 1990, Duncan Roads purchased the magazine and attempted to make it the paper of record for the alternative community:
"It was a magazine that addressed itself to the alternative fringe of society and thus it carried many 'alternative' points of view on the subjects of health, human rights, the environment, human potential and suppressed information. I revived this magazine by deleting all articles on the new age, the occult, environment and similar subjects, and by concentrating on what I call 'suppressed information.'"
In the April-May 2002 Edition of Nexus, author Will Hart alleged that a massive archaeological coverup to suppress what he believes is the true history of humanity: "The conspiracy is global and there are many vested interest groups. A cursory investigation yields the usual suspects: scientists with a theoretical axe to grind, careers to further and the status quo to maintain." Hart reiterates many of the so-called mysteries of the human past, and he presents each as an attempt by mainstream science to "suppress" information.
For example, He alleged that scientists used fallacious logic and ad hominem attacks to discredit researchers challenging the orthodox view. Citing the Sphinx-weathering controversy, Hart charged that Egyptologists tried to hide evidence for a 10,000 year-old Sphinx (currently believed to be about 4500 years old) by attacking the character of the major proponent of the old-Sphinx theory, tour guide John Anthony West: "Shifting the focus away from the issues and 'personalising' the debate is a highly effective strategy--one which is often used by politicians who feel insecure about their positions."
Yet Hart commits the same offense, opining that evolutionary theorist Richard Dawkins is a member of the "Brain Police" and smearing his intergrity. Notice more of Hart's own faulty logic. He claims that scientists cannot be trusted, saying, "Didn't those meek fellows in the clean lab coats give us nuclear bombs and biological weapons?" Yet he is quick to confuse to issues, folding archaeology into nuclear physics and conflating evolutionary biology with bioterror in order to paint one discipline with the bad brush of another.
Calling it "The Big Lie," Hart claims that Egyptologists are purposely suppressing the true age of Egyptian monuments to protect not just themselves, but the entire scientific world-view. If ancient monuments are more ancient than believed, then cultural evolution is not true.
"Since," Hart wrote, "the theory of 'cultural evolution' has been tied to Darwin's general theory of evolution, even more is at stake. Does this explain why facts, anomalies and enigmas are denied, suppressed and/or ignored? Yes, it does."
What we can clearly see here is a hidden agenda, a hidden creationist agenda that loathes science because it challenges the religious explanation of human life. Yet even if ancient cultures went a few thousand years further back in time, it in no way invalidates the idea of biological evolution. In fact, cultural evolution is no longer the favored theory, having gone out of fashion decades ago. Today most researchers believe that human culture is cyclic, with periods of great development and periods of decay. However, creationists, firmly rejecting any form of evolution seek to link the idea of cultural evolution to its biological counterpart so that attacking one can discredit the other.
"Are we hearing the faint echoes of religious zealotry?" Hart asks of science. Yes, but not from the scientists.
Like those who sought to claim the Grand Canyon as the nexus of an alien underground, those who claim archaeological coverups around the world routinely rally against the twin blasphemies of "credentials" and "peer-review," arguing that science perpetuates its coverups by the ridiculous idea of demanding its researchers to have an understanding of their subject and submit it for other scientists to comment upon and review. The alternative historian instead relies on single sources and questionable sources, like a 1909 newspaper article citing men who many never have existed. That one source, for these people, is worth more than all the reports of science. Unfortunately, no one bothered to check the source.
HOW THE STORY GREW
Nevertheless, many continue to believe faithfully in the story of the prehistoric cave, a story that has grown and metamorphosed into a subterranean city as the story is told and retold again and again. Author David Icke is typical of the true believers. From his book The Biggest Secret:
"In 1909 a subterranean city which was built with the presicion (sic) of the the Great Pyramid was found by G. E. Hincaid (sic) near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It was big enough to accomidate (sic) 50,000 people and mumified (sic) bodies found were of oriental or possibly Egyptian origin, according to the expedition leader Professor S. A. Jordan. My own resaerch (sic) suggests that it is from another dimension, the lower fourth dimension, that the reptilian control and manipulation is primarily orchestrated (sic)."
In Icke's telling, the cavern tomb of legend becomes a precise city with a sizable population. Icke also names its inhabitants as reptiles from the fourth dimension, a concept first put forward in H. P. Lovecraft's fictional story "The Nameless City," where a hapless traveler discovers a subterranean city in Arabia populated by the mummies of prehistoric reptiles. Except for a difference in location, Icke's version of the myth reads like Lovecraft warmed over, with a good dose of Robert Temple: "There were other extraterrestrial races at large on the Earth, and still are, as well as the extraterrestrial race which the Sumerians called the Anunnaki and other ancient texts called the serpant (sic) race." Once again, those pesky Annunaki make their way into the myth of lost civilizations. Of course, Icke also believes that Princess Diana died as a result of an extraterrestrial cover-up.
The common thread running through all of these articles and posts is a common source: the David Hatcher Childress article hinting at a vast archaeological conspiracy to cover up Egyptian relics. Let us take a quick look at Childress and his ideas.
He claims that at the age of 19 he left on a six-year, around-the-world adventure in the style of ancient astronaut theory founder Erich von Däniken. He says he studied first-hand the ruins of cultures spanning the globe, and WexClub.com called him a "real-life Indiana Jones" for his archaeological adventures.
Childress calls himself a "lost science scholar," and claimed in his book Extraterrestrial Archaeology that the moon and nearby planets contain pyramids, domes and spaceports visible by telescope and satellite. He has a profound respect for the scientist Nikola Tesla, who Childress believes invented anti-gravity, time-travel, death-ray and thought machines. Childress is also prone to seeing conspiracies, arguing in his book The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla that the U.S. government conspired to supress the discoveries made by Tesla to protect big business. Incidentally, Childress claims only to be the posthumous co-author of Fantastic Inventions with Tesla as the main author.
In his most recent book, Technology of the Gods (2000), he claims that ancient cultures possessed advanced technology far beyond what humanity can achieve today.
Childress also wrote a series of Lost Cities books in which he compiled anomolous, questionable and apocryphal stories to prove his thesis that a lost civilization influenced early man and current governments are suppressing this fact. It appears that Childress discovered the story of the Gazette article while researching Lost Cities of North and Central America, in which he repeated apocryphal stories of pterodactyls alive in Texas. He took the official denials of the Gazette story as proof of a cover-up. He included the story and the denials in a chapter of Lost Cities, and he excerpted that chapter for the disreputable Nexus magazine in 1993.
After publication in Nexus (volume 2 number 13), the article was posted on KeelyNet BBS on May 8, 1993 under the inauspicious heading of CANYON.ASC. KeelyNet issued the disclaimer that anything it published was free to copy, and an internet revolution was born. Soon the Childress article appeared all over the internet and hundreds of websites carried the news that ancient Egyptians lived in the Grand Canyon. (A Google search turned up 974 pages with the story.) By 2001, the story was firmly embedded in the alternative community as proof that the Smithsonian covered up parts of history.
NEXUS: CONSPIRACY CENTRAL
Nexus magazine is a strange story all on its own. Founded in Australia in 1987, the magazine focused on unconventional and occult stories, often without second thought to the veracity of information. In 1990, Duncan Roads purchased the magazine and attempted to make it the paper of record for the alternative community:
"It was a magazine that addressed itself to the alternative fringe of society and thus it carried many 'alternative' points of view on the subjects of health, human rights, the environment, human potential and suppressed information. I revived this magazine by deleting all articles on the new age, the occult, environment and similar subjects, and by concentrating on what I call 'suppressed information.'"
In the April-May 2002 Edition of Nexus, author Will Hart alleged that a massive archaeological coverup to suppress what he believes is the true history of humanity: "The conspiracy is global and there are many vested interest groups. A cursory investigation yields the usual suspects: scientists with a theoretical axe to grind, careers to further and the status quo to maintain." Hart reiterates many of the so-called mysteries of the human past, and he presents each as an attempt by mainstream science to "suppress" information.
For example, He alleged that scientists used fallacious logic and ad hominem attacks to discredit researchers challenging the orthodox view. Citing the Sphinx-weathering controversy, Hart charged that Egyptologists tried to hide evidence for a 10,000 year-old Sphinx (currently believed to be about 4500 years old) by attacking the character of the major proponent of the old-Sphinx theory, tour guide John Anthony West: "Shifting the focus away from the issues and 'personalising' the debate is a highly effective strategy--one which is often used by politicians who feel insecure about their positions."
Yet Hart commits the same offense, opining that evolutionary theorist Richard Dawkins is a member of the "Brain Police" and smearing his intergrity. Notice more of Hart's own faulty logic. He claims that scientists cannot be trusted, saying, "Didn't those meek fellows in the clean lab coats give us nuclear bombs and biological weapons?" Yet he is quick to confuse to issues, folding archaeology into nuclear physics and conflating evolutionary biology with bioterror in order to paint one discipline with the bad brush of another.
Calling it "The Big Lie," Hart claims that Egyptologists are purposely suppressing the true age of Egyptian monuments to protect not just themselves, but the entire scientific world-view. If ancient monuments are more ancient than believed, then cultural evolution is not true.
"Since," Hart wrote, "the theory of 'cultural evolution' has been tied to Darwin's general theory of evolution, even more is at stake. Does this explain why facts, anomalies and enigmas are denied, suppressed and/or ignored? Yes, it does."
What we can clearly see here is a hidden agenda, a hidden creationist agenda that loathes science because it challenges the religious explanation of human life. Yet even if ancient cultures went a few thousand years further back in time, it in no way invalidates the idea of biological evolution. In fact, cultural evolution is no longer the favored theory, having gone out of fashion decades ago. Today most researchers believe that human culture is cyclic, with periods of great development and periods of decay. However, creationists, firmly rejecting any form of evolution seek to link the idea of cultural evolution to its biological counterpart so that attacking one can discredit the other.
"Are we hearing the faint echoes of religious zealotry?" Hart asks of science. Yes, but not from the scientists.
Like those who sought to claim the Grand Canyon as the nexus of an alien underground, those who claim archaeological coverups around the world routinely rally against the twin blasphemies of "credentials" and "peer-review," arguing that science perpetuates its coverups by the ridiculous idea of demanding its researchers to have an understanding of their subject and submit it for other scientists to comment upon and review. The alternative historian instead relies on single sources and questionable sources, like a 1909 newspaper article citing men who many never have existed. That one source, for these people, is worth more than all the reports of science. Unfortunately, no one bothered to check the source.
Postscript 2002
Jack Andrews wrote Lost Civilizations Uncovered on August 5, 2002 to take issue with our coverage of the 1909 Grand Canyon tomb story once again. He asked that we run a statement from him clarifying his position. "'Skepticism' does believe in fairness, right?" he asked.
STATEMENT FROM JACK ANDREWS
AUGUST 5, 2002 I would guess that you will reduce all and any arguments for the possibility of the 1909 cave's existance [sic] to an "either or" "black and white" "true or false" scenerio [sic]. You are correct. I "did" say "I cannot, however, write an article stating why I believe the story is true, since I have not yet been convinced conclusively of the 'truth' of the story." I never said that I am convinced that the story is false, or a hoax, or an exaggerated fable. I am not convinced of that, based on my 250 miles of hiking experience in the Grand Canyon and several boxes of research information I have collected over the years and most certainly not convinced of the possible falseness based on the weak arguments for a "hoax" or "falseness" presented to me and presented on "skeptic" web sites based on shallow to no research on the 1909 story, the Grand Canyon's geology, hydrology, geography, history and history of human habitation, and arguments spoken by many with little to NO Grand Canyon hiking experience. It all adds up to a slim poorly researched arguments from the "skeptical" community who appear to be to [sic] lazy to do any serious research into the 1909 story and it's [sic] relationship to the Grand Canyon .... and yes you "do" have to present convincing evidence that the story is false. Armchair critiques, from my experience, generally contain the weakest arguments of all. |
Mr. Andrew's research may be viewed at his website where the reader can also view his three dimensional artwork from "another cosmos," including his impressions of the supposed Grand Canyon 1909 cave.
Update 2005
In March 2005, Lost Civilizations Uncovered received the following letter:
I am a great niece of John Ora Kinnaman. He married my great Aunt Flossie. I spent time with him when I was young and my father was raised by John and Flossie in Georgia as a young boy. He was a very bright man and had many good qualities but unfortunately was not truthful about many things. He copied the works of others and took them on as his own. His biography is full of untruths, his travels to Europe and the Middle East for instance. My family and I are amazed at some of the things we have read. In his day people never checked facts: no computers, etc. When I log on to the Kinnaman Foundation and see how they are trying to get donations for this "research" it really bothers my family and myself. I hope all of these "theories" will be debunked. Thanks.
- Sharon Bochkay |
TEXT OF THE 1909 ARIZONA GAZETTE ARTICLE
EXPLORATIONS IN GRAND CANYON
Mysteries of Immense High
Cavern Being Brought
to Light
JORDAN IS ENTHUSED
Remarkable Finds Indicate
Ancient People Migrated
From Orient
Mysteries of Immense High
Cavern Being Brought
to Light
JORDAN IS ENTHUSED
Remarkable Finds Indicate
Ancient People Migrated
From Orient
The latest news of the progress of the explorations of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archeological discovery in the United States, but one of the most valuable in the world, which was mentioned some time ago in the Gazette, was brought to the city yesterday by G.E. Kinkaid, the explorer who found the great underground citadel of the Grand Canyon during a trip from Green River, Wyoming, down the Colorado, in a wooden boat, to Yuma, several months ago.
According to the story related to the Gazette by Mr. Kinkaid, the archeologists of the Smithsonian Institute [1], which is financing the expeditions, have made discoveries which almost conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of oriental origin, possibly from Egypt, tracing back to Ramses. If their theories are borne out by the translation of the tablets engraved with hieroglyphics, the mystery of the prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile, and Arizona and the Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which staggers the wildest fancy of the fictionist.
A Thorough Examination
Under the direction of Prof. S. A. Jordan, the Smithsonian Institute is now prosecuting the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the last link in the chain is forged. Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel.
Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet. The recent finds include articles which have never been known as native to this country, and doubtless they had their origin in the orient. War weapons, copper instruments, sharp-edged and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are being made to equip the camp for extensive studies, and the force will be increased to thirty or forty persons.
Mr. Kinkaid's Report
Mr. Kinkaid was the first white child born in Idaho and has been an explorer and hunter all his life, thirty years having been in the service of the Smithsonian Institute. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost grotesque.
"First, I would impress that the cavern is nearly inaccessible. The entrance is 1,486 feet down the sheer canyon wall. It is located on government land and no visitor will be allowed there under penalty of trespass. The scientists wish to work unmolested, without fear of archeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters.
A trip there would be fruitless, and the visitor would be sent on his way. The story of how I found the cavern has been related, but in a paragraph: I was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. Some forty-two miles up the river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2,000 feet above the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with great difficulty.
Above a shelf which hid it from view from the river, was the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty yards to what was, at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became interested, securing my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several hundred feet along the main passage till I came to the crypt in which I discovered the mummies. One of these I stood up and photographed by flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the discovery. Following this, the explorations were undertaken.
The Passages
"The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to nine feet toward the farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first side-passages branch off to the right and left, along which, on both sides, are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, though some are 30 by 40 feet square. These are entered by oval-shaped doors and are ventilated by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about three feet six inches in thickness.
The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by an engineer. The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side-passages near the entrance run at a sharp angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction.
The Shrine
"Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people's god, sitting cross-legged, with a lotus flower or lily in each hand. The cast of the face is oriental, and the carving this cavern. The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet.
Surrounding this idol are smaller images, some very beautiful in form; others crooked-necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and evil. There are two large cactus with protruding arms, one on each side of the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock resembling marble. In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools of all descriptions, made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemicals for centuries without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff similar to matte, showing that these ancients smelted ores, but so far no trace of where or how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the ore.
"Among the other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold, made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and glazed vessels. Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in the oriental temples. They contain seeds of various kinds. One very large storehouse has not yet been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, which indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded, as the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a very hard cement. A gray metal is also found in this cavern, which puzzles the scientists, for its identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call "cats eyes', a yellow stone of no great value. Each one is engraved with the head of the Malay type.
The Hieroglyphics
"On all the urns, or walls over doorways , and tablets of stone which were found by the image are the mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover. The engraving on the tables probably has something to do with the religion of the people. Similar hieroglyphics have been found in southern Arizona. Among the pictorial writings, only two animals are found. One is of prehistoric type.
The Crypt
"The tomb or crypt in which the mummies were found is one of the largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 degrees. On these are tiers of mummies, each one occupying a separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench, on which is found copper cups and pieces of broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric.
The urns or cups on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in design, showing a later stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this exterior section was the warriors' barracks.
"Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, no clothing, no bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for water vessels. One room, about 40 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall, for cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, though it is presumed that they came south in the winter and farmed in the valleys, going back north in the summer.
Upwards of 50,000 people could have lived in the caverns comfortably. One theory is that the present Indian tribes found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years before the Christian era, a people lived here which reached a high stage of civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Professor Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will prove of incalculable value in archeological work.
"One thing I have not spoken of, may be of interest. There is one chamber of the passageway to which is not ventilated, and when we approached it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our light would not penetrate the gloom, and until stronger ones are available we will not know what the chamber contains. Some say snakes, but other boo-hoo this idea and think it may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are heard, but it smells snaky just the same. The whole underground installation gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on one's shoulders, and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker. Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly daydreams back through the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space."
An Indian Legend
In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopi Indians the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people of one heart and the people of two hearts. Machetto, who was their chief, counseled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld, and then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Paisisvai (Red River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn.
They sent out a message to the Temple of the Sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will and rain for people of one heart. That messenger never returned, but today at the Hopi villages at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe out on the housetops gazing toward the sun, looking for the messenger. When he returns, their lands and ancient dwelling place will be restored to them. That is the tradition.
Among the engravings of animals in the cave is seen the image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was learned by W.E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi Indians.
There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that they came from Asia; another that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages.
According to the story related to the Gazette by Mr. Kinkaid, the archeologists of the Smithsonian Institute [1], which is financing the expeditions, have made discoveries which almost conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of oriental origin, possibly from Egypt, tracing back to Ramses. If their theories are borne out by the translation of the tablets engraved with hieroglyphics, the mystery of the prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile, and Arizona and the Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which staggers the wildest fancy of the fictionist.
A Thorough Examination
Under the direction of Prof. S. A. Jordan, the Smithsonian Institute is now prosecuting the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the last link in the chain is forged. Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel.
Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet. The recent finds include articles which have never been known as native to this country, and doubtless they had their origin in the orient. War weapons, copper instruments, sharp-edged and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are being made to equip the camp for extensive studies, and the force will be increased to thirty or forty persons.
Mr. Kinkaid's Report
Mr. Kinkaid was the first white child born in Idaho and has been an explorer and hunter all his life, thirty years having been in the service of the Smithsonian Institute. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost grotesque.
"First, I would impress that the cavern is nearly inaccessible. The entrance is 1,486 feet down the sheer canyon wall. It is located on government land and no visitor will be allowed there under penalty of trespass. The scientists wish to work unmolested, without fear of archeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters.
A trip there would be fruitless, and the visitor would be sent on his way. The story of how I found the cavern has been related, but in a paragraph: I was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. Some forty-two miles up the river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2,000 feet above the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with great difficulty.
Above a shelf which hid it from view from the river, was the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty yards to what was, at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became interested, securing my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several hundred feet along the main passage till I came to the crypt in which I discovered the mummies. One of these I stood up and photographed by flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the discovery. Following this, the explorations were undertaken.
The Passages
"The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to nine feet toward the farther end. About 57 feet from the entrance, the first side-passages branch off to the right and left, along which, on both sides, are a number of rooms about the size of ordinary living rooms of today, though some are 30 by 40 feet square. These are entered by oval-shaped doors and are ventilated by round air spaces through the walls into the passages. The walls are about three feet six inches in thickness.
The passages are chiseled or hewn as straight as could be laid out by an engineer. The ceilings of many of the rooms converge to a center. The side-passages near the entrance run at a sharp angle from the main hall, but toward the rear they gradually reach a right angle in direction.
The Shrine
"Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people's god, sitting cross-legged, with a lotus flower or lily in each hand. The cast of the face is oriental, and the carving this cavern. The idol almost resembles Buddha, though the scientists are not certain as to what religious worship it represents. Taking into consideration everything found thus far, it is possible that this worship most resembles the ancient people of Tibet.
Surrounding this idol are smaller images, some very beautiful in form; others crooked-necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and evil. There are two large cactus with protruding arms, one on each side of the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock resembling marble. In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools of all descriptions, made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the lost art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemicals for centuries without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff similar to matte, showing that these ancients smelted ores, but so far no trace of where or how this was done has been discovered, nor the origin of the ore.
"Among the other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold, made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and glazed vessels. Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in the oriental temples. They contain seeds of various kinds. One very large storehouse has not yet been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, which indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded, as the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a very hard cement. A gray metal is also found in this cavern, which puzzles the scientists, for its identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call "cats eyes', a yellow stone of no great value. Each one is engraved with the head of the Malay type.
The Hieroglyphics
"On all the urns, or walls over doorways , and tablets of stone which were found by the image are the mysterious hieroglyphics, the key to which the Smithsonian Institute hopes yet to discover. The engraving on the tables probably has something to do with the religion of the people. Similar hieroglyphics have been found in southern Arizona. Among the pictorial writings, only two animals are found. One is of prehistoric type.
The Crypt
"The tomb or crypt in which the mummies were found is one of the largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 degrees. On these are tiers of mummies, each one occupying a separate hewn shelf. At the head of each is a small bench, on which is found copper cups and pieces of broken swords. Some of the mummies are covered with clay, and all are wrapped in a bark fabric.
The urns or cups on the lower tiers are crude, while as the higher shelves are reached, the urns are finer in design, showing a later stage of civilization. It is worthy of note that all the mummies examined so far have proved to be male, no children or females being buried here. This leads to the belief that this exterior section was the warriors' barracks.
"Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, no clothing, no bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for water vessels. One room, about 40 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall, for cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, though it is presumed that they came south in the winter and farmed in the valleys, going back north in the summer.
Upwards of 50,000 people could have lived in the caverns comfortably. One theory is that the present Indian tribes found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years before the Christian era, a people lived here which reached a high stage of civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Professor Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will prove of incalculable value in archeological work.
"One thing I have not spoken of, may be of interest. There is one chamber of the passageway to which is not ventilated, and when we approached it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our light would not penetrate the gloom, and until stronger ones are available we will not know what the chamber contains. Some say snakes, but other boo-hoo this idea and think it may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are heard, but it smells snaky just the same. The whole underground installation gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on one's shoulders, and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker. Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly daydreams back through the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space."
An Indian Legend
In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopi Indians the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people of one heart and the people of two hearts. Machetto, who was their chief, counseled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld, and then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Paisisvai (Red River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn.
They sent out a message to the Temple of the Sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will and rain for people of one heart. That messenger never returned, but today at the Hopi villages at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe out on the housetops gazing toward the sun, looking for the messenger. When he returns, their lands and ancient dwelling place will be restored to them. That is the tradition.
Among the engravings of animals in the cave is seen the image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was learned by W.E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi Indians.
There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that they came from Asia; another that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on human evolution and prehistoric ages.