Do you think that the Lovelock Cave giants are a myth? There was a race of giants living in North America. At one point in time. Is it a long-forgotten history or just some folktales created around American tribes?
In this article, I will discuss the tribe of the giants and their story related to Lovelock Cave! Do you want to know if there is any truth to the mystery of the Lovelock Cave giants? Of course, I will be sharing some evidence in the form of artifacts after archaeological evaluation and exploration of the cave.
Can you imagine that there are archaeological specimens such as baskets, weapons, bones, and others that have been retrieved from the cave? Continue reading to know all about the archaeological dig of the cave, which will make you more curious!
You Will Be Shocked To Know That The Lovelock Cave Giants Were 10 Feet High!
Did you know Lovelock Cave was known as Horseshoe Cave, Indian Cave, Sunset Guano Cave, or Bat Cave? The cave is one of the oldest caves in Nevada, which is located 20 miles away from the modern-day Lovelock! It is situated in the south region, so much of it is underneath Lake Lahontan!
The local Indians informed John T. Reid, a mining engineer, about the legend of the giants! He was then taken to the site. However, he could only start an archeological dig after some time. The tribe men were not baptized hence, they did not need to know things not to do after baptism!
The focus was on guano, an important ingredient for gunpowder, so two miners, David Pugh and James Hart, created a company to dig guano! This led to the artifact expedition, which had some amazing results. Read along to know how shocking some of the findings were!
Who Were The Lovelock Cave Giants?
Large skeletons have been found in Nevada near the dry bed of the lake near the Lovelock Cave. This was in 1931; in January and June, these skeletons were found. The first skeleton measured up to 8.5 feet tall, while the other skeleton estimated up to 10 feet long.
This report was published in the Nevada Review-Miner, which provided this information, thus providing supportive evidence to the legend of the giants. These skeletons were wrapped in gum-covered fabric, similar to the Egyptian mummies.
According to the tale by the Paiute, the area’s tribes have joined hands to fight against Si-Te-Cah! The tribe members chased the red-haired giants while they took refuge in the cave. The giants did not come out to face the Paiutes, so they shot arrows and started a large fire.
That is how the giants die, either burnt alive, getting asphyxiated, or running out of the cave after the fire was initiated. Thus, the cave became completely inaccessible to human contact after the war!
What Is The Story Behind The Lovelock Cave?
It is the legends that are told by the Paiute elders to their Tribal children over many years! Based on the archaeological evaluation and context, the site is important, especially because the legend revolving around the place does have evidence on its side.
There are sets of handprints double the size of a normal person’s hand! It does support the theory of giants at the Lovelock Cave. Bigfoot investigators Don Monroe and MK Davis released the picture of a stone boulder with double-size hand imprints in 2013.
Skulls have been found at the Peru and Bolivia border near Lake Titicaca, and the legends claim that the skulls belonged to giants with elongated skulls and reddish hair. The legend of Uros Indians living on Islands and making reed boats on Lake Titicaca.
This resembles Paiute’s ancestors who drove the giants at Lake Lahontan! So why are the giants connected to the Lovelock Cave? Mummified remains have been found, one of which is 6.5 feet while another is 8 feet high! The two red-haired giants. However, there is no confirmed evidence as such.
In the book Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, written by Sarah Winnemucca, there is no mention of giants, but yes, Barbarians were mentioned. The sandal of 38.1 cm also hints at the existence of unnaturally tall individuals!
Archaeological Exploration Of Lovelock Cave!
Two miners, David Pugh and James Hart, created a company to dig in the cave in 1911! Initially, they stripped three to six feet of guano from the cave using a shovel and pick! They did not consider that there might be any artifacts on the Earth!
Instead, they shipped 250 tons of the guano to San Francisco at the Hawaiian Fertilizer Company. Pugh and Hart contacted the founder of the University of California Anthropology Department, Alfred Kroeber, after they reported finding prehistoric artifacts.
It was in 1912 that the first archeological dig of the Lovelock Cave, which L.L. Loud led! Loud was also from the University of California and accordingly led another dig in 1924, where the excavation was successful. The findings of the archeological dig were so amazing that it was close to shocking.
Loud found bones, weapons, and other artifacts, almost 10,000 specimens. Based on the reports created on Lovelock Cave, at least 60 mummies of average height were discovered in the cave! What else do we have unearthed? Keep reading!
Mysterious Artifacts…
Among the artifacts, one unique thing unearthed was a Duck decoy with its feathers still attached. The species discovered is one of the oldest known in the world. The mummies of the people were mostly of average height, so is the concept of giants just a myth?
Well, they have excavated a 38 cm or 15 inches sandal, which questions the identity of the giants! There was also a donut-shaped stone, with carving outside of 365 notches and 52 corresponding notches inside of the stone!
Most archeologists and scientists believed that the stone was used as a calendar for the tribe living in and around the Lovelock Cave. The culture of the Lovelock Cave started in 1500 BC based on the evaluation through radiocarbon dating!
The vegetable material found in the excavation dates back to 2030 BC, the basketry dates back to 1218 BC, the human tissue discovered was evaluated in 1420 BC, and the human femur excavation dates back to 1450 BC.
After evaluating all the artifacts, it has been observed that the civilization of Lovelock Cave lasted around 3000 years!
Finishing Off…
Now that you have read about the Lovelock Cave giants, do you think some people were 8 to 10 feet tall? The Natural History Museum in Winnemucca, Nevada, has artifacts proving that people were actually living in the Lovelock Cave!
However, there is no confirmation that these people were giants; hence, the legend of the giants is just that! A legend!
Comment on your thoughts about the mystery of the giants inside the Lovelock Cave. Is it a myth, or are we too scared to accept the reality?
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