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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Cat Faces and Old Spanish Mines of Shirl Atwood

 

My friend Chris Davis otherwise known as Basonite puts out some pretty impressive videos... today I stumbled across one I had not yet seen and I must say, he did a very good job on this video and provided some very good information regarding the Cat Face carvings found throughout the Uinta Mountains. I had been on the fence regarding these strange carving for many years until a nephew of Shirl Atwood contacted me and sent me some pretty cool pictures of his uncle. Since that time Chris put together a cool video I think you will like. You can watch the video and support his youtube page "Basonite" by clicking the photo below.



Sunday, March 10, 2024

A Long overdue Visit to Short Canyon Glyphs

 FROM February 7th 2015, shorts and T shirt, we couldn't have asked for a better day...


It had been over 15 years since I have visited this site. My last visit to this site we had a strange experience and since, it has been special site for me, more so than others. We had just arrived at the site and settled in... 
I was happy to see that the glyphs look to be exactly as I had last seen them. 
NO ONE was within miles of us... suddenly I heard what sounded like an echoing lion or bears growl coming down out of a side canyon... stunned for a minute or two... we just starred at each other with wide eyes... I decided to replicate thinking it must be a hiker and maybe he was trying to get a rise out of us... so I roared back... it echoed up the canyon and almost immediately we heard a Native American man speaking loudly apparently in his own tongue reciting something back to us... he wasn't yelling although it was fairly load and echoing down the same side canyon.. there was no sign of anger but it was authoritative and as if he was trying to warn us or tell us something... it went on for about 10 seconds and then stopped... at that point we didn't know what to think but none the less we continued our visit... with respect...

Photos by my sweet Amy







Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Cove

 Original Article March of 2015


Every now and then just when I think I have seen everything in the general area... a friend pops up and asks, have you seen this site? With the deer in the headlight look you respond with as much composure as possible... uh... no...


Well a friend asked me if I had seen this one... WOW! I thought...
Just to give you an idea as to how large the pictographs are at this site, thats me in the pic below, I am 6 foot and 245 update, 265 lbs... Ya I know... what a tub butt...

You can enlarge the Images by... You guess it... By CLICKING THE IMAGES.

Photographs By My Sweet Amy



Although the site is heavily riddled with graffiti likely from the locals as it is not a well known site, it still remains to be one of the best I have seen in near 30 years!


This site has some of the largest and well preserved Pictographs I have seen, yet in other places at the site there is extreme fading as in the next few images...




In the remaining photos look closely and you will see that this site is heavily covered with petroglyphs as well.

If you are wondering what the author of the panels at this place intended? Well lets just say it has nothing to do with , Head hunters, beheading, blood letting rituals, of animals or people in fact it has nothing to do with any animal at all... It does have to do with a spiritual Journey and is... should I say it? A Tomb site. There is indication of "hesitationresistance or an unwillingness to enter this journey of eternity, I do not know why the resistance, but I intend to return to the site soon for additional studies to gain further understanding of this unique and spiritual site....








Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Archaeological Destruction of Dupont Cave

 Original Post December of 2014


Several years ago I was invited to visit a site which for the most part seems to be forgotten. It is privately owned property, and has a new owner since my visit in 2006.






Dupont Cave nearing the end of excavation. (1920)

This cave was excavated between 1908 and 1920 by Jesse Nusbaum who was the first National Park Archaeologist. It is said that this sites earliest occupation was around 217 AD in part determine by "Tree Rings" according to the report.

Since this caves excavation, several archaeologist and some unlicensed thieves, have tried to sneak into the site over the years according to the care taker of the time. He told me that the most exciting thing found at the site was the fact that in almost every burial plot called cysts that you see in the photos, was containing small mummified children. I would tend to believe the man in charge of that time, not only because of the testimony of several locals  but because the many small hand prints, yellow and red painted on the walls of the cave were small like children's hands. I see no reason why this individual would make anything up. I decided to contact the Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institute, which still exists... and I asked about Dupont cave and if they had the records of the excavation. They seemed quite helpful and sent me copies of the original reports made by Jesse Nusbaum. To my surprise there was no mention of any bodies being removed and when I called them back to inquire, they told me that the have no record of excavations of human remains being removed from the site. Several people who had family members take part in this excavation, directly or indirectly have confirmed that mummified children were removed from the site.

 

Dupont Cave After Excavation

However the missing mummies is another matter and is not necessarily my purpose for this post and it is not my intent to criticize the practice of Archaeology although it is well known my love hate feeling towards its seeming agenda to control information by the Smithsonian thumb. My intent is to point out what I am certain was not considered at the time of excavation, and it is my hope to bring it to the attention of the archaeological world in order to prevent it from happening in the future.

If you will notice, approximately 12 to 18 inches or so or earth had been removed from the site all around the burial plots, the exact amount I do not recall but the report should confirm. Notice how neat the site appears in the early photos after excavation. It is my opinion that the fill dirt removed should have been replaced around them supporting the stones after excavation at least around the plots so that the construction of them could remain as they ORIGINALLY were. But because this was not apparently foreseen, the plots are falling apart and the originality of the site further compromised as you can see in the following photos taken in 2006. 

This site has been off limits to the general public before and ever since it's excavation, the damage done is much greater than if it had been publicly known... Now the place looks as though it has been destroyed due to looters, or are we talking about a different form of legalized looting?

It would seem that once the purported mummified remains were removed from the site, all interest in preservation disappeared. Why couldn't they just leave them be? How long before they are digging up my Grandmothers grave?

I am reminded of watching a History Channel documentary recently concerning some cliff tombs found in Peru. I found it very interesting and informative. However, I was disturbed when the commentator said that it could take months to get permits to excavate which left the site vulnerable to looters. Then after obtaining the permits, he comments that they were lucky to obtain the permits before looters were able to steal from the site. This was said at the moment documentary footage was shown of the archaeologist rapidly removing several mummies and skeletons. The only difference that I can see in the looting process is that one is a licensed thief. Back to Dupont cave, what would looters do with a bunch of skeletons? Sell them on eBay? What do these archaeologist do with them? Why is it they were seen as a threat? Was there something highly unusual about them? What would the DNA tell and this I assure you this is the reason... I am at a loss as to why they would be removed, and then lie about them ever being there...

Burials in which I have been fortunate to see in the past are always associated with a nearby water source and in many cases, food, often grains such as corn on the cob is found among the dead as a source for the spirits to have food and water. The following two images were found in one of the cysts among the small mummies.





The Following images are what the site looks like today...

















Pictographs of Dupont Cave









To my archaeologist friends, It is not my intent to offend or diminish the archaeologist, it is the individual themselves and the often close minded attitude of some people who happen to be an archaeologist, paleontologist etc... those who are convinced of their own superiority and believe that knowledge somehow comes from a paycheck with their oh so familiar cliche... "I get Paid to know!" and never realizing or understanding that the opposite is in fact the truth. I think it is time  that the agenda of Smithsonian set up by E.G. Squire and J. W. Powel, be wiped out, rewritten, and to include full disclosure regardless of what item is found in a dig and how much it does not fit, and destroy the concept of Manifest Destiny including the un-spoken agenda. Let the evidences speak for themselves, remove the tight reigns and control over the museums in what they can display and what they can't retaining of course the wishes of the Native American. If GIANT Skulls or skeletons are found, SO WHAT!, It IS WHAT IT IS!.. who cares if the public sees it or knows it, SO WHAT if in the middle of a presumed Native American site excavation and obviously at a consistent depth with other items, is found a strange sphere of possible obsidian, with unusually intricate beautifully inscribed Egyptian "LIKE" hieroglyphs all around it!

BE a true representative of what archaeology is supposed to be... not what Smithsonian, the curriculum, your predecessors and your peers try to keep it because it might refute their damned theories STILL being taught as fact.... but first and foremost, Be True to Yourself!