Wonders - Vol 2 No 1 - 1993

Magazine Overview

WONDERS, Vol. 2 No. 1, March 1993, is a quarterly publication from Mark A. Hall, based in Bloomington, MN, USA. The magazine's tagline is 'Seeking the Truth in a Universe of Mysteries.' This issue's cover story is titled 'GIANT BONES,' accompanied by an illustration of men examining a large skull and bones.

Editorial: The Crest of Opportunity

The editorial, 'The Crest of Opportunity,' written by Mark A. Hall, reflects on the current era as a time of tremendous opportunity to advance knowledge by tackling humanity's oldest mysteries. Hall emphasizes that while technology has advanced, many profound mysteries remain unresolved, often relegated to the deep oceans, space, or the structure of matter. He argues that modern tools and accumulated knowledge provide unprecedented access to information, urging readers to apply these resources to solve enlightening problems rather than waste this inheritance. The editorial warns against succumbing to ignorance and fear, which could lead to a future realization of missed opportunities.

GIANT BONES by Mark A. Hall

This feature article delves into the interest surrounding reports of 'giant bones.' Mark A. Hall proposes that 'True Giants,' primates exceeding 15 feet in height, known across Europe, Asia, and North America, might be the living descendants of Gigantopithecus. He acknowledges that not all large skeletal remains necessarily belong to True Giants, suggesting other types of man-like mysteries might also exist. Hall stresses the importance of preserving and examining any new finds of unusual bones to determine their reliability, referencing the Piltdown hoax as a cautionary tale for physical anthropology. He notes that professional scientists may be hesitant to endorse findings that fall outside current expectations.

The article discusses the common argument against the existence of hairy beings like Bigfoot, which is the lack of fossil finds. It references a 1991 textbook on physical anthropology by Harry Nelson and Robert Jurmain, who attribute such reports to misidentification of bears or the influence of imagination. Hall critiques their sources as outdated and their generalization that all North American reports relate to a single 'Bigfoot' type as potentially uninformed. He lists numerous books published in the last 20 years that offer more recent research on the Sasquatch phenomenon, contrasting with the textbook's limited citations.

Hall criticizes the anthropological approach of Nelson and Jurmain, suggesting they overlook the varied cultural uses of the 'Bigfoot' concept, from scientific inquiry to commercial exploitation. He argues that their statement that 'anything is possible' is followed by a dismissal of evidence, such as footprints and the Roger Patterson film, without proper consideration. The core of their argument, according to Hall, is the lack of fossil finds, particularly for hominoid species in the New World, with Gigantopithecus being their primary candidate for Bigfoot.

Reasons for Scarce Fossils

Hall presents six reasons for the absence of fossil evidence for Gigantopithecus and Paranthropus (another candidate for Bigfoot) in North America:

1. Rarity of Fossils: Fossils of these primates are rare even in Asia, their likely continent of origin, with only teeth and partial jawbones often found. Fossilization is a rare event for many hominoids.
2. Cultural Context in Asia: The discovery of Gigantopithecus in Asia was facilitated by a cultural regard for fossil bones (e.g., sold in apothecary shops as 'dragon bones'), a practice not paralleled in North America.
3. Focus on Homo: North Americans are primarily looking for Homo sapiens fossils, not those of other primates like Paranthropus.
4. Population Size: The populations of other primates in North America may never have been large, making fossil finds less likely.
5. Geological Dynamics: North America has been recently scoured by glaciers, grinding away much of its prehistory. Hall also mentions the hypothesis of a shifting planetary crust, suggesting areas like Cuba and the Caribbean might be better for finding moderately aged fossils.
6. Lost or Discarded Finds: Hall suggests that finds of 'giant bones' in the New World may have slipped through fingers, with accounts existing but the bones themselves being lost or discarded.

He argues that Nelson and Jurmain miss the significance of primatology and geological history in explaining the scarcity of fossils. He finds their conclusion that such subjects are beyond 'the realm of science' to be an attempt to belittle the topic, asserting that their own study is what falls outside scientific rigor.

Records of Giant Bones

The article then turns to specific accounts of giant bones, categorizing them into:

1. Bones Recently Found and Lost: An example is the Minaret Skull, found in August 1965 by Dr. Robert Denton in California. The skull, unusual in size and shape, was passed to a pathologist and then to UCLA archaeologists who later denied any knowledge of it, leading to its disappearance.
2. Bones Found Early in this Century and in the 19th Century:
* A familiar account to Sasquatch followers involves bones found by a woman in British Columbia about 20 years prior to the article's writing (around the 1970s), including a jawbone large enough to fit over her face. These bones were kept for ten years until the house burned down.
* Stephen Franklin's mid-century summary of the B.C. Sasquatch mentions accounts of giant bone discoveries, with some reported to have been lost in transit or ordered tossed into turbulent waters.
* Dana and Ginger Lamb reported finding two skeletons, one small and one gigantic, in a Mexican mound in the 1940s. The gigantic skeleton's finger bones were twice the length of Dana Lamb's, and the shin bones were twice as long, suggesting a person 8 feet tall. The mound was likely washed away by the river.
* Borden Burleson of Arizona recounted in 1974 that his family, who had lived in Mexico for three generations, claimed his grandfather had dug up 'human skulls' comparable to basketballs in the western Sierra Madre region in 1898. Yaqui and Tarahumara Indian legends also speak of giant Indians.
* The magazine DOUBT published in 1951 a collection of old claims from Minnesota, gathered from newspapers and sources like 'The Aborigines of Minnesota.'
* The North Jersey Highlander reported in Spring 1973 three references to giant skeletons and teeth in New York, citing newspaper reports from the 1930s in The New York Times about giant finds in Sonora (Mexico), Nicaragua, and Florida.
3. Bones Found Centuries Ago:
* Edmond Temple writes about the 'Giants of Tarija' in Bolivia, where the province was 'particularly celebrated for bones and even whole skeletons of prodigious size' found in ravines and on banks.
* Accounts of European finds, such as 'giants' bones' turning out to be extinct elephants or the headless remains of an Irish elk, are mentioned as examples of how claims can be mistaken identity.

Hall acknowledges that not all claims are correct and that truth requires close examination. He cites the example of Richard Harrington, who pursued an old account of fossil whale bones found in 1906 and located them in a barn loft, emphasizing the value of pursuing old accounts.

He reiterates that while some claims might be mistaken identity, it is equally unjustified to assume they are all genuine giant primates. The oldest accounts, while least useful for direct evidence, indicate the absence of such finds is not a given. He notes that in South America, giant bone finds are claimed in Ecuador and Bolivia.

Hall sees no contradiction in discussing the scarcity of fossils while also highlighting the frequency of claims. He suggests that in other parts of the world, such bones may have been found but never cataloged. He concludes that opportunities in the New World to identify remains of giants have been squandered. He states that primatologists only look for Gigantopithecus in Asia, while in the New World, only Homo is sought. He calls this the 'seventh reason why no non-human and recent primate fossils have been verified in the New World,' attributing it to professional anthropologists being 'paralyzed by fear.'

This fear, explained by a teaching assistant named Robert Lynch in 1968, was linked to the Piltdown hoax, which had embarrassed British anthropologists. Lynch advised that scientists were hesitant to investigate 'Bigfoot' claims.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the persistent mystery of 'giant bones' and the related phenomenon of Bigfoot. The magazine critically examines anthropological skepticism towards such claims, contrasting it with historical accounts and anecdotal evidence. The editorial stance, as articulated by Mark A. Hall, is one of open inquiry, encouraging the pursuit of truth even in the face of scientific resistance and the challenges of verifying extraordinary claims. Hall advocates for a thorough investigation of historical accounts and a willingness to consider possibilities beyond conventional scientific paradigms, while also emphasizing the need for rigorous examination of evidence. The issue highlights the difficulties in validating anomalous finds due to lost evidence, professional bias, and the inherent challenges of paleontology and anthropology.

Title: WONDERS
Issue: March 1993
Volume: Vol. 1
Publisher: WONDERS
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of WONDERS magazine, dated March 1993, delves into a variety of mysterious phenomena, from historical hoaxes to contemporary unexplained events.

The Piltdown Skull: A Hoax Unveiled

The issue opens with a discussion of the "Piltdown Skull," illustrated by a reconstruction. It is revealed that "Piltdown Man," unveiled in 1912 and included in textbooks as a significant find in human evolution, was actually a hoax. In 1953, it was exposed as a composite of a recent human skull and the jaw of an orangutan. References are provided to books by Ronald Millar and Frank Spencer that detail this scientific forgery.

The End of Sky-Lines

The cover story, "The End of Sky-Lines" by Mark A. Hall, investigates the phenomenon of "sky-lines" that first appeared in 1969 over Caldwell, New Jersey. These were described as strands of plastic stretched taut high above people's heads, sometimes slackening, breaking, or coiling up. Initial observations identified the material as nylon or a copolymer. Similar incidents were reported in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, and Elberton, Georgia. The article notes a concurrent interest in UFOs and "electric helicopters" in eastern Pennsylvania during the early 1970s. The mystery seemed to shift to Greensburg, Ohio, in 1978, where thousands of feet of fishing line dropped into townships, later attributed to a kite launched by Richard Walker. The article suggests that kite-fliers in New Jersey, Georgia, and New York likely shared the desire to fly kites as high as possible, potentially using fishing line, and may have been hesitant to admit it due to pollution concerns and Federal Aviation Administration regulations limiting kite altitudes.

Other Publications and Regional Mysteries

The magazine also includes sections highlighting articles from other publications and regional magazines. These cover a range of topics, including:

• "Seeing Serpents" by Jessica Maxwell, about sea serpents in the Pacific Ocean.
• "Has the Cat Come Back? Updating the Catamount Legend" by Stephen Mease, concerning cougars in Vermont.
• "New Age Dowsing" by Chris Bohjalian.
• "The Mystery of the Menehune" by Jama Kim Rattigan, about the Hawaiian "Little People."
• "The Melungeon Mystery Solved" by N. Brent Kennedy, exploring the origins of an ethnic community in the Appalachians.
• "The Spell of Enchanted Rock" by Laura Black, about a granite dome in the Texas Hill Country.

Additionally, "In other publications" mentions updates on fossil primate finds, including "A New African Ancestor" and "New Middle Pleistocene Hominid Crania from Yunxian in China." It also features "Strange footprints" and stories of the "mehti" from Nepal.

Books of Note

This section reviews "The Book of Chinese Beliefs: A Journey into the Chinese Inner World" by Frena Bloomfield, noting its availability in paperback. It also highlights DeLorme Mapping's state atlases, mentioning recent releases for Alaska, Wyoming, and Utah, with upcoming atlases for Maryland/Delaware and Arizona.

Authors

The issue provides biographical sketches and bibliographies for two authors:

• Edward Rowe Snow (1902-1982): Known for writing 97 books primarily about the sea and New England, covering topics such as ships, sailors, pirates, ghosts, monsters, and mysteries. His publisher was typically Dodd, Mead & Company.
• Bruce Stanley Wright (1912-1975): A naturalist and cryptozoologist who focused on the survival of the cougar in northeastern North America. His notable works include "The Ghost of North America" and "The Eastern Panther."

Coming in Future Issues

Future topics for WONDERS are announced, including "Why the World is Full of Wonders," "Mysteries in Southeast Asia," "Menehune, the Other Hawaiians," and "The Indian Rope Trick."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores unexplained phenomena, historical mysteries, and fringe topics, often drawing from regional folklore and scientific curiosities. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, seeking to uncover truths behind mysteries, as indicated by the tagline "Seeking the Truth in a Universe of Mysteries." The magazine encourages readers to explore these subjects and provides extensive references for further research.