This article was reprinted in the book Lost Cities of North and 
Central America by David Childress, Adventures Unlimited 
Press, Stelle, Illinois, 1992, available from BSRF for $14.95 + 
$2.75 p&h. Upon further research David found that this 
newspaper article was authentic, but the Smithsonian Institute 
currently denies any knowledge of the affair. Today the area is 
said to be off-limits to all, including Park Service personnel!

The latest news of the progress of the explorations of what is now 
regarded by scientists as not only the oldest archaeological discovery in the 
United States, but one of the most valuable in the world, which was 
mentioned some time ago in the Gazette, was brought to the city by G. E. 
Kinkaid, the explorer who found this great underground citadel of the Grand 
Canyon during a trip from Green River, Wyoming, down the Colorado river, 
in a wooden boat, to Yuma, several months ago. According to the story 
related to the Gazette, the archaeologists of the Smithsonian Institute, which 
is financing the explorations, have made discoveries which almost 
conclusively prove that the race which inhabited this mysterious cavern, 
hewn in solid rock by human hands, was of oriental origin, possibly from 
Egypt, tracing back to Rameses. If their theories are born out by the 
translation of the tablets engraved with hieroglyphics, the mystery of the 
prehistoric peoples of North America, their ancient arts, who they were and 
whence they came, will be solved. Egypt and the Nile, and Arizona and the 
Colorado will be linked by a historical chain running back to ages which 
stagger the wildest fancy of the fictionist.
A Thorough Investigation.
Under the direction of Professor S. A. Jordan, the Smithsonian is now 
pursuing the most thorough explorations, which will be continued until the 
last link in the chain is forged. Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet 
below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find 
another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like 
the spokes of a wheel. Several hundred rooms have been discovered, reached 
by passageways running from the main passage, one of them having been 
explored for 854 feet and another 634 feet. The recent finds include articles 
which have never been known as native to this country, and doubtless they 
had their origin in the orient. War weapons, copper instruments, sharp-edged 
and hard as steel, indicate the high state of civilization reached by these 
strange people. So interested have the scientists become that preparations are 
being made to equip the camp for extensive studies, and the force will be 
increased to thirty or forty persons.
Before going further into the cavern, better facilities for lighting will 
have to be installed, for the darkness is dense and quite impenetrable for the 
average flashlight. In order to avoid being lost, wires are being strung from 
the entrance to all passageways leading directly to large chambers. How far 
this cavern extends no one can guess, but it is now the belief of many that 
what has already been explored is merely the "barracks", to use an American 
term, for the soldiers, and that far into the underworld will be found the 
main communal dwellings of the families. The perfect ventilation of the 
cavern, the steady draught that blows through, indicates that it has another 
outlet to the surface.
Mr. Kinkaid's Report.
Mr. Kinkaid was the first white man born in Idaho and has been an 
explorer and hunter all his life, thirty years having been in the service of the 
Smithsonian. Even briefly recounted, his history sounds fabulous, almost 
grotesque:
"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 the 
archaeological discoveries being disturbed by curio or relic hunters. A trip 
there would be fruitless, and the visitor would be sent on his way. The story 
of how I found the cavern has been related, but in a paragraph: I was 
journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral. 
Some forty-two miles up the river from the El Tovar Crystal canyon, I saw 
on the east wall, stains in the sedimentary formation about 2,000 feet above 
the river bed. There was no trail to this point, but I finally reached it with 
great difficulty. Above a shelf which hid it from view from the river, was 
the mouth of the cave. There are steps leading from this entrance some thirty 
yards to what was, at the time the cavern was inhabited, the level of the 
river. When I saw the chisel marks on the wall inside the entrance, I became 
interested, securing my gun and went in. During that trip I went back several 
hundred feet along the main passage, till I came to the crypt in which I 
discovered the mummies. One of these I stood up and photographed by 
flashlight. I gathered a number of relics, which I carried down the Colorado 
to Yuma, from whence I shipped them to Washington with details of the 
discovery. Following this, the explorations were undertaken.
The Passages.
"The main passageway is about 12 feet wide, narrowing to nine 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.
The Shrine.
"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 the face is 
oriental, and the carving shows a skillful hand, and the entire is remarkably 
well preserved, as is everything in this cavern. The idol most 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 Thibet. Surrounding 
this idol are smaller images, some very beautiful in form; others 
crooked-necked and distorted shapes, symbolical, probably, of good and 
evil. There are two large cactus with protruding arms, one on each side of 
the dais on which the god squats. All this is carved out of hard rock 
resembling marble. In the opposite corner of this cross-hall were found tools 
of all descriptions, made of copper. These people undoubtedly knew the lost 
art of hardening this metal, which has been sought by chemists for centuries 
without result. On a bench running around the workroom was some charcoal 
and other material probably used in the process. There is also slag and stuff 
similar to matte, 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.
"Among the other finds are vases or urns and cups of copper and gold, 
made very artistic in design. The pottery work includes enameled ware and 
glazed vessels. Another passageway leads to granaries such as are found in 
the oriental temples. They contain seeds of various kinds. One very large 
storehouse has not yet been entered, as it is twelve feet high and can be 
reached only from above. Two copper hooks extend on the edge, which 
indicates that some sort of ladder was attached. These granaries are rounded, 
as the materials of which they are constructed, I think, is a very hard cement. 
A gray metal is also found in this cavern, which puzzles the scientists, for its 
identity has not been established. It resembles platinum. Strewn 
promiscuously over the floor everywhere are what people call 'cats eyes,' a 
yellow stone of no great value. Each one is engraved with the head of the 
Malay type.
The Hieroglyphics.
"On all the urns, or 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.
The Crypt.
"The tomb or crypt in which the mummies were found is one of the 
largest of the chambers, the walls slanting back at an angle of about 35 
degrees. On these are tiers of mummies, 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.
"Among the discoveries no bones of animals have been found, no skins, 
no clothing, no bedding. Many of the rooms are bare but for water vessels. 
One room, about 40 by 700 feet, was probably the main dining hall, for 
cooking utensils are found here. What these people lived on is a problem, 
though it is presumed that they came south in the winter and farmed in the 
valleys, going back north in the summer. Upwards of 50,000 people could 
have lived in the caverns comfortably. One theory is that the present Indian 
tribes found in Arizona are descendants of the serfs or slaves of the people 
which inhabited the cave. Undoubtedly a good many thousands of years 
before the Christian era a people lived here which reached a high stage of 
civilization. The chronology of human history is full of gaps. Professor 
Jordan is much enthused over the discoveries and believes that the find will 
prove of incalculable value in archaeological work.
"One thing I have not spoken of, may be of interest. There is one 
chamber the passageway to which is not ventilated, and when we 
approached it a deadly, snaky smell struck us. Our lights would not penetrate 
the gloom, and until stronger ones are available we will not know what the 
chamber contains. Some say snakes, but others boo-hoo this idea and think it 
may contain a deadly gas or chemicals used by the ancients. No sounds are 
heard, but it smells snaky just the same. The whole underground installation 
gives one of shaky nerves the creeps. The gloom is like a weight on one's 
shoulders, and our flashlights and candles only make the darkness blacker. 
Imagination can revel in conjectures and ungodly daydreams back through 
the ages that have elapsed till the mind reels dizzily in space."
An Indian Legend.
In connection with this story, it is notable that among the Hopi Indians 
the tradition is told that their ancestors once lived in an underworld in the 
Grand Canyon till dissension arose between the good and the bad, the people 
of one heart and the people of two hearts. Machetto, who was their chief, 
counseled them to leave the underworld, but there was no way out. The chief 
then caused a tree to grow up and pierce the roof of the underworld, and 
then the people of one heart climbed out. They tarried by Paisisvai (Red 
River), which is the Colorado, and grew grain and corn. They sent out a 
message to the Temple of the Sun, asking the blessing of peace, good will 
and rain for the people of one heart. That messenger never returned, but 
today at the Hopi villages at sundown can be seen the old men of the tribe 
out on the housetops gazing toward the sun, looking for the messenger. 
When he returns, their lands and ancient dwelling place will be restored to 
them. That is the tradition. Among the engravings of animals in the cave is 
seen the image of a heart over the spot where it is located. The legend was 
learned by W. E. Rollins, the artist, during a year spent with the Hopi 
Indians. There are two theories of the origin of the Egyptians. One is that 
they came from Asia; another that the racial cradle was in the upper Nile 
region. Heeren, an Egyptologist, believed in the Indian origin of the 
Egyptians. The discoveries in the Grand Canyon may throw further light on 
human evolution and prehistoric ages.