Calaveras Skull

The Calaveras skull is a human skull that was believed by many, in the later part of the 19th century and into the 20th century, to be evidence of Pliocene Man in North America. It was initially dated to the Pliocene yet after testing the date was found to be much younger. Years later, locals who were involved in creating the hoax helped begin to clear up some of the mystery and confusion that surrounded the skull. This, in conjunction with the help from scientists and researchers, determined that the Calaveras skull was a hoax.

History

The provenance of the Calaveras Skull is one of the aspects of the Calaveras skull that is debated. There are a few main trails of ownership that seem to be the most widely accepted.

Timeline One

The first starts February 25, 1866 when workers for James Mattison removed a skull from a mining shaft at Angel's Camp in Bald Mountain, Calaveras County, CA. James Mattison then gave the skull to R. C. Scribner who was a merchant and agent for Wells, Fargo and Company at Angel’s Camp. Scribner then passed the skull on to William Jones, a physician at Murphy’s, who, upon receiving the skull, notified J D Whitney, the State Geologist of California and a Professor of geology at Harvard University. The skull was encrusted with sediment so Whitney cleaned the skull with the help of Jefferies Wyman a comparative anatomist at Harvard. Whitney announced the discovery on July 16, 1866 at a meeting of the California Academy of Science

Timeline Two

The second starts sometime in 1865 with E. H. Schaeffle from Murphy's, CA. In 1901 he wrote to Putnam who, at the time, was at Angel's Camp restudying the skull's origin. Schaeffle claimed that in 1865 there were a number of Indian skulls that were being found during a dig the company did at a spring in Salt Springs Valley. One of these skulls supposedly went to Dr. James Kelley. Kelley had the skull in office on the Cap Hanford Lumber Yard for a time. This skull was black from the black earth that it was dug from. The skull disappeared from Kelley's office and eventually resurfaced in the possession of R. C. Scribner. In this timeline Scribner stole the skull and sent it to William Jones with the story of James Mattison finding it at Bald Hill. Jones then held onto the skull along with others that were found while mining until J D Whitney took the skull from the rest. Whitney wanted to look in the shaft it was supposedly found in and do further research because he believed the story that Jones was told and that the skull was proof of early humankind in North America.

Those in support and against the story of the Calaveras Skull

Supporters of Skull story

Whitney

Putnam

Dall

Holmes(earlier)

Meriam????

Wilson

Against the Skull story

Harte Many locals San Fran paper GF Becker-fossil Evening Star Blake Holmes(later) Schaeffle The Calaveras Prospect GJME d’Aquin

notes

The skull had been found 130 ft below surface and beneath a stratum of lava. Chemical analysis proved that the skull was fossilized. Gravel in the shaft (lava gravel) stained red blue and white not black

References

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