MUMMIES AND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS FOUND IN GRAND CANYON?
It was on April 5, 1909, when the discovery of Egyptian artifacts and mummies found in the Grand Canyon were released to the public. G.E. Kinkaid, an explorer, and S.A. Jordan, who worked for the Smithsonian Institute described their experience and findings to the world. The artifacts are by far the Grand Canyon’s largest enigma. In a recent article this event is described as follows:
“The latest progress of the explorations of what is now regarded by scientists as not only the oldest discovery in the United States, but one of
the most valuable in the world.”
In 1908, Kinkaid had been mining for minerals nearby the Colorado River. At the time, he was traveling by boat when he came upon a cavern in a canyon wall. He noticed stains of different colors running out from the entrance, which to him looked man-made. Curiosity made him paddle to it. Then, he saw chisel markings in the rock and knew he had to investigate this further, but with lighting and the right equipment and tools. He immediately made calls requesting someone of authority in the archaeological world. That’s when Jordan enters the exploration. Since this seemed like such a great find, the Smithsonian funded the project in whole.
The news release articulates on every piece of the event, even the location of the caves main access; 5 miles North of Grand Canyon Village on the South rim. It’s approximately 3.5 miles long by 2 miles wide with a sub-peak land-form. Descriptions of hieroglyphs were given in detail, as well as finding armor, copper instruments, pottery and figurines made out of twine. The tunnel system seemed to stretch for miles. In addition, they talked about an incredible large statue that sat in the main underground passage of the cavern. It’s claimed to look Asian but has Egyptian symbols on the base.
Deeper into the passages is a room that held Egyptian looking mummies stacked three high. Each had been leaning on a tier, or shelf of its own with a small copper cup and other like items near the feet.
Per almost all reports in books and online, Kinkaid and Jordan gathered as much as they could load on their boat and sent it all to the Smithsonian Institute. Some accounts say half of their findings went to the Institute and no one knows what happened to the rest. Most importantly, if any items were sent to the Smithsonian, to date, they have not released a time-date stamp on the relics, released photo’s nor explained the discovery. Most who have studied and written about this “Mystery” feel the Smithsonian Institute is keeping the lid on this find for a lot of reasons.
To this day, researchers continue to go to amazing lengths creating 3-D models of the statue and tunnel system, create maps to the cave, and of course, try to solve the mystery of: When and why were the Egyptian’s here?
One author states “there was a second exploration but the cave had been blasted and destroyed so no one could enter again.”
Interestingly, a few researchers point out how topographical maps show how the canyon’s greater formations are named after Egyptian temples and gods. For example: Tower of Ra, Horus Temple, Osiris Temple and Isis Temple. Is this evidence the ancients were at the Grand Canyon?
All stories about this phenomena stems from one newspaper article from the Arizona Gazette. One would think this unbelievable event would spread to many other newspapers throughout ….. everywhere; this changes history.
Out of about a dozen other printing agencies that existed in Arizona at that time, two other offices did pick up the story; the Jerome Mining News. It was a very small independent agency which only reprinted the Gazette’s story, and the other pick-up was Flagstaff’s Coconino Sun which added the headline: “Looks Like a Mulhattan.”
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In 1909, Yellow Journalism was in full bloom. It’s also known as Yellow Press; a type of journalism that created eye-catching headlines and either extremely exaggerated a story or fabricated an entire tale. In a way, it was an honor for any newspaper press to receive such an odd “joke” because it gave people back then something to talk about.
One well known hoaxer in Yellow Press was Joe Mulhattan. For over thirty years he tricked newspapers into publishing fake stories. His outlandish tales were usually about fantastic discoveries of ancient treasures and lost civilizations. In 1880, he was recorded as one of the greatest hoaxers in American history.
As well, Arizona was in its golden age of mining and nearly ever day the newspapers were shouting about new mining discoveries. Many of the articles were found to be swindles, designed to attract the big money investors in the East.
March 29, one week before the Egyptian Cave article in 1909, the Arizona Gazette’s main rival, the Arizona Republican, ran a story titled “A Little Essay about Mines and Faking.“
This author feels it’s safe to say “no”, the Egyptian’s were not in the Grand Canyon nor was an immense underground system filled with mysteries of our ancient history.
And, the larger formations of the Grand Canyon were named by Clarence Edward Dutton, a geologist who worked for the U.S. Geologist Survey. He simply loved Egyptian names.