Recently I’ve come across tales of several “unusual” humanoid creatures, ranging from seven foot horned humanoids in Sayre Pennsylvania to 10 foot tall Iowan Giants (found in a Pyramid) http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/N.Am/Kossuth.Giants.html
Unfortunately it seems that all I’ve been able to find is second hand stories. Supposedly the horned Pennsylvanian humanoids disappeared while they were in possession of the American Investigative Museum (AIM) in Philly, and there don’t seem to be any photos of the 10 foot giants in Iowa. Does anyone out there know of any good sites which detail these finds? What about the AIM? Thanks
Yes, I agree that this guy seems to be a bit “out there”, but he didn’t originate the horned giants legend. He gives his source as:
“Pursuit, in its July, 1973, issue, reported that in the 1880s, while digging in a mound at Sayre in Bradford County, Pennsylvania,…A story about the horned skulls appeared in a Reader’s Digest book, Mysteries of the Unexplained.”
I’m not sure what Pursuit is, but I have read Reader’s Digest. RD may not be the most scientific source, but I trust it more than some guy’s website. I’ve seen the RD article referenced a few times as the principle source. One site even listed the names of the professors who made the discovery. Gimmie a second and I’ll dig it up…
Hmmm, Squink’s link doesn’t work for me, perhaps there is another way to view the file?
With regard to EJs horseshit comment, yeah that skull looks fake, but the site itself makes no claims about the skull. In fact it indicates that the skeleton’s disappeared which de facto means that skull picture is a fake.
This google search will get you there as well. The article is the second cite on the page. If you can’t read pdf, then click on the 'view as html" link.
Lyman’s book, Forbidden Land: Strange Events in the Black Forest, doesn’t show up at amazon, so you might have some trouble finding a copy.
An appearing, disappearing horned skull? Sound a lot like one of my favourite Ray Bradbury short stories, “Colonel Stonesteel’s Genuine Home-made Truly Egyptian Mummy”. Great read.
I like a good gag as much as the next guy, but REALLY!
So wait, is the only reference to the horned skulls:
From Robert R. Lyman, Sr.’s (1971) Forbidden Land: Strange Events in the Black Forest,
How could I track down the validity of any of this? Is there a way that I can research whether or not the American Investigative Museum really exists or existed?
You could try asking the Smithsonian librarians via email. They’ll probably be able to find out if the Smithsonian had a relationship with this “American Investigative Museum.” Also, try the Fortean Times forums.
If you want an interesting book (unlike the textbook stylings of the “Haunted America” series) full of reported sightings in the North East of everything from Ghosts to aliens & MiB to Bigfoot, I’d recommend Passing Strange : True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors by Joseph Citro.
I love this book because, unlike horror novels, it scared the crap out of me the night I first read it. However, this book is full of places I’ve actually been, and I’m far less skeptical of the paranormal than many dopers purport to be, so YMMV.
I did a little checking on the Iowa giants story. The story shows up on a few different paranormal sites, always the same text and no attribution or date. I think I may have tracked down the source and gee, it sure looks like a parody to me. It lists, among other things, the B. Lavatsky Museum in Hopkins Grove Ia, the alleged site of the discovery (Madame Blavatsky, of course), and the University of Emmetsburg (no university, pop. approx. 3900). Here’s a link for anybody interested.
Bottom line: Be skeptical. If there was anything to any of these stories it’d make the news in all the large outlets, not just a couple of credulous websites
I almost forgot. If you want to see real pyramids in Iowa, you want to visit a small cemetery a few miles outside my hometown. Here’s what they look like.
