Giants & Nephilim

On Oct. 16, 1869, the ‘‘discovery’’ of a giant in the earth touched off what was one of the greatest hoaxes in America, and Fort Dodge was part of it. On that day, a 10-foot, 4 1/2-inch tall, 2,990-pound ‘‘petrified man’’ and the ‘‘eighth wonder of the world’’ was found on a farm in Cardiff, N.Y. According to David Parker, director of the Fort Museum and Frontier Village, the origins of the hoax started in the spring of 1866 when George Hull of Binghamton, N.Y., was in Ackley visiting his sister. ‘‘There was a tent show revival, and the preacher quoted text from the Bible, Genesis 6:4, that ‘There were giants in the earth in those days,’’’ said Parker. According to Parker, Hullwas an avowed atheist, and got into a discussion with the traveling preacher.

‘‘Hull decided to have fun with the guy,’’ said Parker. In the summer of 1868, Hull was in Fort Dodge and asked about gypsum rock quarries, according to Parker. According to a May 23, 1958, story in The Messenger, Hull and a Mr. Martin of Cedar Rapids tried to quarry a slab of gypsum themselves, but failed. They hired Michael Foley, of Fort Dodge, to do the job for them. Foley managed to cut out a slab that weighed about 5 tons and was 20-feet long, 3-feet wide, and 18-inches thick. ‘‘The chunk of gypsum was sent to a railhead in Boone, then on to Chicago,’’ said Parker. According to the Messenger story, the size and weight of the slab presented a problem for Hull — the roads of the day were not in the best shape. About 1,200 poundsof material was hacked off the slab. ‘‘In Chicago, sculptors who were sworn to secrecy were hired to carve the block of gypsum into a shape of a reclining giant, holding his stomach as if he was in great pain,’’ said Parker. Parker pointed out that sulfuric acid was used to ‘‘age’’ the giant, and that needles were used to simulate skin pores in order to make the giant as realistic as possible. The giant was then put in a box and shipped to Union, N.Y., where Hull retrieved it on Nov. 4, according to the Messenger story. By then, Hull had concocted a story on how the giant would be found. Hull had a cousin, William ‘‘Stub’’ Newell, who lived outside of Cardiff. The plan was to bury the giant on Newell’s farm and to leave it there for about a year. According to Parker, the area was a hotbed for paranormalactivity...