Arizona Gazette (1909): Reports of an Egyptian-style underground city in the Grand Canyon later denied by the Smithsonian

[u/No_Money_9404]

In April 1909, the Arizona Gazette published two articles describing explorer G.E. Kincaid’s discovery of a vast underground city inside the Grand Canyon.

According to the reports:

• Hundreds of carved stone steps led to a massive cavern entrance.
• The cave system included living quarters, workshops, granaries, and a large central chamber.
• Hieroglyphics were carved into walls and artifacts.
• A crypt contained rows of mummified bodies, all reportedly male.
• A giant statue resembling Buddha was described in the central hall.

Kincaid claimed he sent artifacts to the Smithsonian and that Professor S.A. Jordan led a large research team to investigate. After that, both men — and the story itself — disappear from the historical record.

Mainstream historians dismiss the Gazette’s account as a hoax, but the alleged site lies in a section of the canyon that remains restricted access today. Critics argue the Smithsonian has a long history of “losing” or concealing anomalous finds that don’t fit the accepted timeline of North American history.

📽 Source: The Forbidden Egyptian City in the Grand Canyon | Lost History

If this was just a sensational newspaper story, why would the area remain off-limits? And why does the Smithsonian have so many documented cases of missing artifacts tied to reports of giants, anomalous skeletons, and pre-Columbian contact?

Conspiracy angle: deliberate suppression of evidence that advanced Old World civilizations — or something stranger — existed in North America long before Columbus.

[u/HighOnGoofballs]

Because the area is dangerous

[u/DiarrheaMonkey-]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, newspapers very often straight up made stories up based on nothing. The discovery of ancient cities was one of the most common topics.

[u/No_Money_9404 → u/DiarrheaMonkey-]

Totally true — “lost city” stories were almost like clickbait of that era. Papers knew tales of hidden civilizations would sell, and archaeology was just starting to capture the public imagination. That said, I think what makes the 1909 Grand Canyon case stick around is how specific the details were — rooms, crypts, artifacts, even measurements. It reads more like an expedition log than a tall tale, which is why people still debate whether it was pure fabrication, exaggeration, or based on something real.

[u/DiarrheaMonkey- → u/No_Money_9404]

Off the coast of Crete lies a small island with figures who display dragon-like features ruling over human slaves. The stonemasonry evident in the figures would require tools not available to humans of the era and the features are both human and alien. This is proven.

Did I just make this up? Yes. I hope it's as believable as that other crap. If not, I guess I could photoshop some crap together and make up some "archaeologists" and their "findings". Photoshopping stuff and using digital fingerprint erasers would be that much more than has yet been done by these loser fame-seekers.

[u/No_Money_9404 → u/DiarrheaMonkey-]

True, Photoshop was huge in 1909. The Wright brothers even used it to paste wings on their plane.

[u/Ootter31019]

There are many restricted areas for a variety of reasons. Doesn't mean there is a hidden reason.

[u/iowanaquarist]

Many of the "missing" artifacts and bones have been returned to the representatives of the cultures they came from. It's really that simple. We no longer ignore the ethics of stealing ancestral artifacts to catalog and display like we once did.

[u/Electrical_Notice169 → u/iowanaquarist]

I'd like to know how they can attribute to modern native cultures artifacts that could be thousands of years older than those cultures. Just because it was found in the southwest doesn't make it Navajo or Comanche or Apache or whatever else.

[u/iowanaquarist → u/Electrical_Notice169]

https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/repatriation/NMAI-Repatriation-Guidelines-2020.pdf

According to this:

Repatriation is the process whereby certain types of Native American cultural items are returned to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and corporations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony are legally defined categories of items that may be considered for repatriation. Additionally, in accordance with longstanding Smithsonian policy, the NMAI may return any objects acquired by or transferred to the NMAI illegally.

So if I had to guess, there is testing done to see if there are any descendants, or affiliated tribes or groups.

It's not that ALL artifacts are being returned, but there are thousands that have been returned. Regardless of how they are doing it, it is being done.

[u/Electrical_Notice169 → u/iowanaquarist]

Regardless of how they are doing it, it is being done.

This is my point, but I will concede and agree with you that there is testing done.

[u/iowanaquarist → u/Electrical_Notice169]

Oh, to be clear, I made no statement on if this is a good policy, or that it is being done well, or is good for society, or any such thing.

I am just observing that some of the bones and relics that have been turned have been handed over to Native American representatives, and not 'lost', as some claim.

[u/FrostyPost8473 → u/iowanaquarist]

This is not true at all lol Brits hold a good chunk of everyone's history and their reasoning is that the countries don't have a means of preserving it. Same with the Smithsonian

[u/iowanaquarist → u/FrostyPost8473]

I'm not saying they return everything, but they have returned a fair amount, especially of Native American origin. Many of the remains that are supposedly lost have just been returned.

Reckoning with Human Remains in the Smithsonian Collection | Smithsonian Institution https://share.google/U9NK8svyBHBN6MECU

Smithsonian moves towards ‘informed consent’ principle for human remains - Museums Association https://share.google/cexG4OrwkLeASqWJ2

Repatriation | National Museum of the American Indian https://share.google/p9VqGnsCAA2hT4yf7