Copper-Clad Ohio Giant

On December 17, 1891, Nature ran an interesting piece about the discovery of an enormous skeleton clad in copper armor in a mound in Ohio. The following article describes the Ohio giant:

"According to the “World's Fair Notes,” sent to us from Chicago, the party which, under the direction of Mr. Putnam, has been making excavations in the mounds of Ohio, made an important discovery on November 14. While at work on a mound 500 feet long, 200 feet wide, and 28 feet high, the excavators found near the centre of the mound, at a depth of 14 feet, the massive skeleton of a man incased in copper armour. The head was covered by an oval-shaped copper cap; the jaws had copper mouldings; the arms were dressed in copper, while copper plates covered the chest and stomach, and on each side of the head, on protruding sticks, were wooden antlers ornamented with copper. The mouth was stuffed with genuine pearls of immense size, but much decayed. Around the neck was a necklace of bears’ teeth, set with pearls. At the side of this skeleton was a female skeleton."

Discoveries of giant skeletons, often wearing copper crowns or copper armor, were commonplace in the 1800s, especially in the Ohio and Kanawha River valleys. In my book Giants: Men of Renown, published by Adventures Unlimited Press, I discussed a number of these finds as well as giant legends all over the world.

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