The Why Files: Operation Podcast - 91: Smithsonian Cover-Up: Ancient Egyptians and Giants in the Grand Canyon

Episode Date: December 16, 2022

In 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt wanted to declare the Grand Canyon off-limits to all timber and mining operations. It would take another 11 years for Congress to designate the Grand Canyon a national park. Sensing a final opportunity for adventure, explorer G.E. Kincaid took a boat down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. The canyon was rich in minerals like gold, silver and copper and Kincaid wanted to see what he could find before the area was closed off for good. About 40 miles up-river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, Kincaid saw stains in the sediment formation about 2,000 feet up. He tied off the boat and got out to investigate. Kincaid couldn't find a trail, but after a short hike he found something interesting covered in desert brush. Steps. Hundreds of them. Carved in sandstone. Steps that wound their way up to a high shelf on the side of the canyon. He followed the steps until he came across a cavern entrance. An entrance that was clearly man made. Kincaid entered the cavern and turned on his flashlight. On the walls he saw writing. But it wasn't English or Native American writing. It was Ancient Egyptian Heiroglypics. Kincaid lifted his flashlight and saw that the tunnel ran far into the distance. He didn't realize it at the time, but this was only the beginning. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

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adventure, explorer G.E. Kincaid took a boat down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. The canyon was rich in minerals like gold, silver, and copper, and Kincaid wanted to see what he could find before the area was closed off for good. About 40 miles upriver from the El Tovar Crystal Canyon, Kincaid saw stains in the sediment formation about 2,000 feet up. He tied off the boat and got out to investigate. Kincaid couldn't find a trail, but after a short hike, he found something interesting covered in desert brush. Steps, hundreds of them, carved in sandstone, steps that wound their way up to a high shelf on the side of the canyon. He followed the steps until he came across a cavern entrance,

an entrance that was clearly man-made. Kincaid entered the cavern and turned on his flashlight. On the walls, he saw writing, but it wasn't English or Native American writing. It was ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Kincaid lifted his flashlight and saw that the tunnel ran far into the distance. He didn't realize it at the time, but this was only the beginning. When G.E. Kincaid tied off his small wooden boat to investigate the strange coloration of the rock wall, he was hoping to find clues that would lead him to a mineral deposit. He wasn't expecting to find hieroglyphics. When Kincaid noticed chisel marks in the walls,

he drew his pistol, turned on another light, and slowly walked deeper into the gloom. He kept detailed notes of everything he saw. The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to 9 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. G.E. Kincaid now realized he was in a huge complex. He estimated that as many as 50,000 people could have lived here. In some rooms,

he found granaries with shelves of glazed pottery, many of which still contained seeds. He found cooking areas and a huge dining hall. The rooms were full of ancient artifacts. Kincaid carefully wrapped a few small metal and ceramic objects for later study. Another large room Kincaid described as an area for metalwork, a technology that should not have existed in this area. Here are 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 a workroom was some charcoal and other

material probably used in the process. There's also slag and stuff similar to map 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. G.E. Kincaid explored the underground complex for several hours, still having no idea when this place was used, what it was used for, or who the builders were.

Then he came across another large room, a crypt. The crypt had shelf upon shelf and row upon row of mummies, dozens of them. At this point, G.E. Kincaid realized that if he was going to explore this entire underground city, he was going to need help. G.E. Kincaid sent a few artifacts to the Smithsonian along with his notes of what he found. He requested financial and logistical support for what he felt was the most significant archaeological discovery ever made. The Smithsonian agreed. A few weeks later, Professor S.A. Jordan arrived with a team of about 40 scientists, researchers, and laborers to excavate and explore the ancient underground city. Now with more lights and manpower, the scientists realized that the cave system layout wasn't random.

It was a symmetrical, deliberate design. The tunnels all led to a central chamber. In the chamber was a large statue of what Kincaid thought looked like Buddha. Like Buddha? Buddha. What'd I say? 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 this 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. No, I didn't think we were allowed to say Oriental. Are we bringing that back? Uh, we're not. This was written over a hundred years ago. Oh, right, when we had freedom of speech. No, Oriental in this context just means eastern. Because of this discovery, Kincaid's team started calling the complex the Citadel. The crypt was one of the bigger rooms discovered. Now with enough light, Kincaid was able to fully describe what he saw. The wall slant back at an angle of about 35 degrees.

On these are tiers of monies, 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. Kincaid, Jordan, and the Smithsonian team explored the entire cave complex.

They were overwhelmed with evidence that this was not some faraway temple occupied by a few priests. This was a huge city lived in by thousands of men, women, and children for hundreds or possibly thousands of years. The question nobody could answer was, who were they? By the end of the expedition, G.E. Kincaid and Professor Jordan's team had discovered hundreds of rooms, barracks, granaries, metalworking shops, temples, and many, many living quarters. Though most of the rooms were empty, thousands of artifacts were found. They found swords and shields made of copper, bronze, and a gray metal that scientists couldn't identify. They thought it looked like platinum. They found pottery, urns, utensils for cooking, small yellow stones called cat's eyes, and large stone tablets, all engraved with hieroglyphics. On all the urns are 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 tablets 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. Even with all the relics and all the writing Kincaid and Jordan found, they were still no closer to determining who built the citadel in the Grand Canyon. They thought some of the statues looked Tibetan, but they weren't quite right.

They thought the writing looked Egyptian, again, that wasn't quite right. There were experts on site, none of whom could identify the statues or translate any of the text. But there were two things that the researchers could agree on. One, the civilization that built the citadel was very advanced, far more advanced than the native tribes that occupied the area for a few thousand years.

This now lost civilization worked bronze many years before the Bronze Age began. They understood division of labor and agriculture when every other society on Earth was presumably still hunting and gathering. These are discoveries that went against everything that was taught in mainstream archaeology and anthropology. A civilization like this shouldn't exist. Oh, what was the second thing? What? Oh, you said the eggheads agreed on two things. What was the second thing?

Right. They agreed that the civilization that built the citadel in the Grand Canyon didn't emerge there locally. This civilization arrived there from the other side of the world. Kincaid and Professor Jordan sent boxes of artifacts and books full of notes and drawings back to the Smithsonian, along with their hypothesis that an ancient civilization existed in the Grand Canyon thousands of years before Native Americans arrived in North America. These people were technologically advanced, educated, skilled, and spiritually complex. And these people originated somehow in Egypt or Asia. Kincaid wanted more resources and a larger team to help them research the citadel and search the Grand Canyon for more evidence of this lost civilization.

Their request was denied. And G.E. Kincaid and Professor S.A. Jordan were never heard from again. Son of a... From our tread experts. Toyo's open country family of tires will get you through tough weather in a variety of terrains. Until May 31st, save up to $100 in rebates on select Toyo tires. Find a Toyo tread experts dealer near you at treadexperts.ca slash locations. From tires to auto repair, we're always there. Treadexperts.ca

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You searched for your informant who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth. While curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. You sailed beyond the horizon. In search of an island, scrubbed from every map. You battled krakens and navigated through storms.

Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest. While you cooked a lasagna. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible. In northern Arizona is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on earth, the Grand Canyon. Carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is more than just a pretty landscape and a spot for a

tourist to take selfies. It's a place of deep spiritual significance for the people who've lived in the area. The Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, Apache, and several other tribes have lived around the Grand Canyon for several thousand years. They still do. Hopi mythology says that from the Grand Canyon, the first people of the world entered. The story says that many thousands of years ago, a reptilian race emerged... Lizard people! Yep. Hey, how many times do lizard people have to come up in these stories before you believe in them? I guess I'm going to need a few more.

Lizard people are going to keep popping up. You'll see. Thousands of years ago, a reptilian race... Lizard people. Lizard people emerged from the Grand Canyon and changed into humans. Lizard people are shapeshifters. That would seem to be true. Other Pueblo cultures like the Zuni and the Acoma have similar legends that there were people there before the tribes. Lizard people legends? Well, some legends say reptilians were there. Other legends say a race of giants were there. And there are rumors that skeletons of giants have been discovered all over the western United States.

But the evidence has been suppressed. Suppressed by who? The Smithsonian. Of course. Something I've learned from doing this show is that all myths and legends do carry a little bit of truth. We already have evidence that people landed in North America before Columbus. The Vikings famously explored and settled parts of Newfoundland 500 years before the quote-unquote New World was quote-unquote discovered. And there's growing evidence that ancient Chinese explorers

landed in North and South America before the Vikings. But landing on the east or west coast of America is one thing. Getting to the Grand Canyon is a whole other thing. How could people get there? And even if they could, how did they have the technology to excavate millions of tons of rock in order to build an entire underground city? Well, we may have known the answer to that question for a thousand years. Traveling from Europe and Asia to America thousands of years ago was almost impossible.

Almost. Many brave people did it. But traveling to the Grand Canyon is a much more difficult task than landing on a California beach. To get to and build in the Grand Canyon requires technology. The Hopi have a very intriguing legend about the ant people. These are humanoid creatures that are smaller than humans, with pale skin and large eyes like an insect. Aliens. According to legend, a series of cataclysms hit the Earth many thousands of years ago. Young Adraeus.

The Hopi were on the verge of being destroyed. A sky god emerged from what they called a moving star. UFO. The sky god brought the Hopi to the ant people, who escorted them to underground caves for protection. The sky god then got back into his moving star and flew off above the clouds. The Piyot have a legend about the Havmusus.

They're usually described as being humanoid in shape, with golden skin and large eyes. Aliens! They lived in a vast underground city and traded with faraway people. They possessed weapons that the Piyot described as silver tubes that shot lightning and can kill a man instantly.

Beezus! And the most interesting part of the Havmusuv legend, they supposedly flew silver canoes in the sky. UFOs! These craft made a humming sound and could maneuver like an eagle and move at great speeds. Most ancient cultures have a flood myth.

They describe a global disaster that melted the ice caps and caused sea level to rise 400 feet. Entire cities were wiped out, maybe even entire continents. Atlantis. Most of these flood myths also talk about how, after the waters receded, a god-like people came down from the sky. These gods gave humans the gift of civilization and taught them things they had forgotten before the Great Flood. Things like writing, astronomy, and agriculture. Could the city and the Grand Canyon

be evidence of this time in history? And if it is, why would anyone want to suppress it? All the information in today's episode comes from two front page articles from the Phoenix Gazette published in 1909. In the years since, mainstream researchers have decided that the articles were a hoax, a fantastic story designed to sell newspapers. 19th century clickbait. Yep. The media hasn't changed much. Unfortunately, that's true. But many people believe the story is real

and the Smithsonian is covering it up. Smithsonian Public Relations, Marion speaking. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Hello? Hello? Hello? I'm here, I'm here. Sorry, I was on hold a long time. How can I help you? Um, they transferred me to Marion. Yes, this is Marion. Okay, great. Um, my name is AJ, and I'm with the Y-Files. We're a

YouTube channel that covers mysteries. Did you say you're from YouTube? The Y-Files. We're a YouTube channel that covers mysteries. Did you say you're from YouTube? The Y-Files is a channel on YouTube, yes. Okay. I wanted to talk to you about an article that was in the Phoenix, Arizona Gazette in 1909. Uh-huh. And they sent me to you. I was hoping to ask you a couple of questions about that.

Okay, let me stop you. No Egyptian artifacts of any kind have ever been found in North or South America. Sounds like you've given that speech before. So, G.E. Kincaid... Yeah, that's the prevailing belief, but the Smithsonian has been accused of covering this up, so... Yeah, I don't have a response to that. You probably don't want to talk about giants or giant skeletons, huh? Goodbye. That's the official story. Kincaid's cave is a hoax, so no reason to try and find it.

Nothing to see here. Even Kincaid himself wanted to keep people out. 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 archaeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters. A trip there would be fruitless and the visitor would be sent on his way. Whether at the request of the Smithsonian or just to protect his find,

it was clear that Kincaid wanted to dissuade people from finding the Citadel. But even over a hundred years later, that wouldn't stop people from trying. And some of those people, they say they found it. Jerry Wills and his wife Kathy have been studying the Kincade Cave mystery for years. Their approach was find the original base camp of the explorers which would lead them to the cave.

After years of research and exploring the area where G.E. Kincade said he found the cave Jerry and Kathy found a location covered in artifacts from that time. And on the canyon wall just below this area they believe is the entrance to the underground city. Exploring is difficult, though. The entire area where the cave is supposed to be is designated off-limits by the federal government. Oh, I saw that coming.

About a thousand caves have been discovered in the Grand Canyon. Many of them man-made, but only about 30 have been mapped. And many of those have been sealed. Oh, I close them man-made, but only about 30 have been mapped, and many of those have been sealed. Oh, I close them off. Oh, for your safety. That's a bunch of bulls**t. Yeah, I don't buy the safety excuse either. There are plenty of people who'd be willing to take the risk, and they'd be willing to sign a waiver that says the government isn't responsible if something happens. In fact, people have tried this. The government still says no, it's too dangerous. How nice of the government to look after us.

Isn't that nice? Then why is it legal to jump out of a plane or ride a roller coaster or drive a car? Some things in life are dangerous, but they're still worth doing. Some other caves in the Grand Canyon have been blocked by steel gates. They say this is to protect the bat population. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you say bats? We have to protect the bats?

That's what they say. Well, having bats caused enough problems these last few years, allegedly. Still, people are willing to risk a fine or imprisonment to find the lost city in the Grand Canyon. But anyone who goes looking should expect a response. When Jerry and Kathy's team tried to explore the area, suddenly an unmarked plane appeared. Clearly, they were being watched. Despite this part of the Grand Canyon being a no-fly zone, and the fact that no aircraft is allowed to fly

below the rim, a plane appeared. Jerry Wills is convinced this was a warning. His team was unable to continue their expedition. Exploring the cave from above is almost impossible. But what about exploring it from below, as G.E. Kincaid did? Another group of explorers tried this.

As they approached the location, a black helicopter showed up. Not a tourist helicopter, not even a black civilian helicopter, an Apache combat helicopter. When this team explored the area above, looking for the ventilation shafts Kincaid wrote about, and possibly a way down, they found cement blocks in the middle of nowhere. Some of these blocks are platforms near the edge of the rim with hardware and anchors that would be used to assist mountaineers. When asked about this, the authorities say these are reinforcing structures to prevent rock falls. Also in this forbidden zone, rock formations have unusual names. There is Isis Temple, Tower of Set, Horus,

the Cheops Pyramid, and Ra. There's also the Manu Temple, the Buddha Temple, the Krishna Temple, and the Sheba Temple, and many more names that refer to ancient Egyptian and Hindu cultures. Cultures that specifically have myths about a god helping civilization after the Great Flood. The official word is, the fact that these names exist within the Grand Canyon's no-go zone is a coincidence. But I don't really believe in those. Do you? You searched for your informant,

who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth, while curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. You sailed beyond the horizon in search of an island scrubbed from every map. You battled krakens and navigated through storms.

Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest while you cooked a lasagna. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible. David Hatcher Childress is a French author who's published 200 books. He often covers ancient mysteries. He believes the United States government is actively suppressing archaeological discoveries. He mentions that while the film Raiders of the Lost Ark is fiction, the final scene showing the warehouse is close to reality. That the Smithsonian, an independent federal agency, is hiding some of the most important discoveries made in the Americas.

He says the cover-up began in 1881 with famous geologist John Wesley Powell. Powell appointed Cyrus Thomas the director of the Eastern Mound Division of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology. When Thomas came to the Smithsonian, he believed there was a race of mound builders that were distinct from and arrived before the American Indians. This school of thought is called diffusionism, which says throughout history, there's been a widespread dispersion of culture and civilization, even across great distances. The Smithsonian took the opposite approach. It promoted isolationism, which says most civilizations are isolated from each other and have little contact, especially when separated by large bodies of water. It was held that the advanced and highly populated civilizations of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys were rare and that they didn't have contact

with other advanced cultures like the Aztecs, the Toltecs, or the Maya. But the Mississippi River runs from Canada all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. To say these cultures were isolated is like saying that people in the Black Sea had no contact with people in the Mediterranean. That's ridiculous.

When ancient mounds of the American Midwest are examined, they show the existence of a complex culture. Cities larger than those in Europe at the time. They also show burials of extremely tall people, sometimes seven or eight feet tall. When the Spiro mounds were excavated in the 1930s, seven and eight foot tall skeletons were found at a time when the average height of a human male was about five foot six. Those skeletons have been lost. In 1892, stone coffins were discovered in Alabama by Frank Burns during a geological survey. The coffins were about seven and a half feet long, hollowed out by fire and metal chisels. The findings were sent to the Smithsonian. In 1984,

this report was found by researcher Frederick J. Pohl. He asked the Smithsonian about this. They said, we have not been able to find the specimens in our collections, though records show that they were received. Well, how do you lose giant stone coffins? That weighed several tons? I don't know. And never underestimate the incompetence of the federal government. Eight years later, the Smithsonian said they found the coffins, but they were stored in a warehouse that was contaminated by asbestos, so nobody could go in there to see them.

During World War II, a crew was building an airship in Alaska. They excavated a mound that had gigantic human remains, skeletons twice or three times the size of a normal human. This report has been confirmed by multiple sources. The Smithsonian collected the findings, and that was the last anyone heard about it. There are stories like this from Alaska all the way down to Mexico City. An amazing discovery is made. The Smithsonian steps in. The story disappears. The saying, skeletons in your closet, means you have secrets you don't want revealed. Secrets that, if discovered, would be embarrassing and possibly dangerous.

In the case of the Smithsonian, skeletons in the closet could be taken literally. But the government literally has evidence that an advanced race was in North America long before the native tribes arrived. Evidence they don't want revealed. Mainstream science says this is nonsense, but the Hopi and other Grand Canyon tribes do believe this. The Hopis say that when the first people emerged from the Grand Canyon, they sent a message to the Temple of the Sun asking for a blessing of peace.

That messenger hasn't returned. But even today in Hopi villages, at sundown, tribal elders can be seen on rooftops gazing toward the setting sun, waiting for the messenger to come home. And when he does, the ancient land will be returned to the first people. Now that's an optimistic belief. The United States spent 200 years taking land from the first people. You really think they're going to give it back? Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. My name is

AJ. That's Hecklefish. This has been the Y-Files. If you had fun or learned anything, do us a favor and like, subscribe, comment, and share. That stuff really helps the channel. And like most topics we cover here, today's was recommended by you. So if there's a story you'd like to see or learn more about, go to the Y-Files.com slash tips. And special thanks to our patrons who make this channel possible. Without our Patreon members, there would be no Y-Files dot com slash tips. And special thanks to our patrons who make this channel possible. Without our Patreon members, there would be no Y-Files. If you'd like to support the channel, consider becoming a member on Patreon or grabbing something from the Y-Files store.

I know inflation is making everyone jack their prices, but we have not. No, you got any tinfoil hats up there yet? Not yet. Well, get cracking, sport. They are definitely watching us. I'm working on it. That's going to do it. Until next time, be safe, be kind, and know that you are appreciated. Take care.