An 1868 newspaper article trumpeting the discovery of a giant skeleton continues to mystify the city of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota.
The strange story, which featured the headline "Wonderful Discovery!," claimed that a group of quarry workers unearthed a massive 10-foot-tall human skeleton.
A follow up article in the paper one week later alleged that the skeleton had been secretly stolen and sold to the circus.
The tale was relegated to legend shortly thereafter as reports about the skeleton ceased.
Nearly 150 years later, townspeople still do not know if the story was real or merely fiction, leading to spirited debate over the veracity over the tale.
Museum director Mary Ostby argued to the St. Cloud Times that the detailed reporting of the skeleton's measurements suggest it was a true story.
"They couldn't have got the details they got as a hoax," she told the paper.
However, other townspeople are not so certain.
Longtime museum volunteer Fred Joesting suggested the tale could be similar to an 1869 giant 'skeleton' discovery in New Jersey that was revealed to be a wooden carving.
"The odds are much higher that it is a hoax," he told the St. Cloud Times regarding Sauk Rapids' legendary lost skeleton.
Unless some piece of the pilfered giant is discovered, chances are the story will remain a point of contention among Sauk Rapids citizens for years to come.
Source: St. Cloud Times