G. Warren Shufelt
Born
George Warren Shufelt

(1886-08-11)August 11, 1886
Waterville, Ohio
DiedNovember 17, 1957 (1957-11-18) (aged 71)
Los Angeles
NationalityAmerican
Occupationmining engineer
Known forsearch for gold

G. Warren Shufelt was an engineer and inventor who claimed to have discovered a series of gold-laden ancient tunnels situated underneath downtown Los Angeles, [1] with his invention, a "radio X-ray" device, capable of visualizing radio returns.

The story is today considered to be a hoax, after repeated excavations failed to discover any tunnels or treasure.

Previous Searches

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He was first contracted to use his machine to locate treasure, [2] by Roy Martin, who claimed to have an old Spanish map showing the location of buried Spanish treasure, in catacombs under Fort Moore Hill.[3][4] A lawyer named Rex I. McCreary was also assisting in the search.

A man named C. R. Brown later joined the search, claiming the three were digging in the wrong place.[5]

They were eventually denied permission to dig deeper than 50 feet (15 m).[6]

Lost City

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Shufelt claimed to have discovered a series of branching tunnels deep underneath downtown Los Angeles.[7]

Shufelt said he learned of the purpose of the tunnels from a Hopi chief named "Little Chief Greenleaf" who lectured under the name L. Macklin.[8]

Macklin claimed the tunnels were one of the three lost cities of the lizard people, having been dug out about 5000 years ago after a great fire from the southwest.[8][9]

A shaft about 250 feet (76 m) deep was dug on North Hill street overlooking North Broadway, Sunset and Spring streets[10] in search of the "Key Room" which contained the cities records, written on tablets of gold.[8][11]

After that depth, technical restrictions halted the digging (the depth is under the local water table) and the hole was filled in.[12]

Later, a religious group called the Kiva Lodge claimed they were in connection with the remnants of the city builders and hoped to use the tunnels to survive an atomic deluge. The group claimed inspiration from Joanna Southcott and her mysterious box.[12]

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An SCP file, SCP-088 "The Lizard King"[13] is based on his story, with the proviso that the story was real and has been suppressed by the SCP Foundation. The being in question is an ancient reptilian humanoid that can transform humans into loyal creatures that resemble him.

Personal life

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Shufelt was married and had two daughters.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Bosquet, Jean (January 29, 1934). "Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted". Los Angeles. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Dig For Gold In Los Angeles". Burlington Daily News. 27 February 1933. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Claim Gold In Tunnels Under City". The San Bernardino County Sun. 27 March 1933. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Catacombs Mapped Under Los Angeles". Blackwell Journal-Tribune. 27 March 1933. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Another Wishes Try At Hidden Treasure In Fort Moore Hill". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. 11 April 1933. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Underground City Of Lizard People Sought". The Daily Messenger. 29 January 1934. p. 1.
  7. ^ Harnisch, Larry (April 18, 2009). "Gold Hunters Dig for Lost Underground Empire of the Lizard People!". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "Lost City of 'Lizard People' Is Hunted Under Los Angeles". El Paso Herald-Post. 29 January 1934. p. 3.
  9. ^ "Hunt For Lost City In Heart Of Los Angeles". Dixon Evening Telegraph. 29 January 1934. p. 7.
  10. ^ "Did Strange People Live Under Site of Los Angeles 5000 Years Ago?". Los Angeles Times. January 29, 1934. p. 5.
  11. ^ Bruce Walton, ed. (1985). "The Fate of The Lizard People". Mount Shasta : home of the ancients (1st ed.). Pomeroy, WA: Health Research. pp. 50–54. ISBN 9780787313012.
  12. ^ a b "City of Psychopathic Angels". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 1955. p. 31.
  13. ^ "SCP-088 - SCP Foundation". scp-wiki.wikidot.com.
  14. ^ "$50,000 Sought In Soda Death". Oakland Tribune. 10 December 1935. p. 20.
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