Right Reverend
Monsignor James Savage (pictured at left) was born on January
8, 1846 in Sylvan Township in Washtenaw County. He was
ordained on July 2, 1869. On the 50th anniversary of his
ordination Pope Benedict XV named him a Domestic Prelate in
His Holiness' household carrying the title of Monsignor.
In addition to Monsignor Savage's accomplishments within the
Roman Catholic Church, he will be forever associated with
Michigan's, and even the United States' greatest and
longest-running archaeological hoax. The Michigan Relics,
also known as The Scotford-Soper-Savage Michigan Relics, is
a name for supposedly ancient artifacts that claimed to prove that
people of an ancient Near Eastern culture had lived in
Michigan.
Clay Cup
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In 1890, James Scotford, a sleight-of-hand performer turned sign
painter, claimed that he had found a number of artifacts in
Highland Park, Detroit's Palmer Park and Big Rapids: a clay cup
with strange symbols and carved tablets with symbols that looked
vaguely hieroglyphic. He put them forward as evidence that people
from the Near East or Europe had lived in America.
Archaeologist and historians quickly concluded that the objects
were forgeries. However, Scotford joined forces with Daniel E.
Soper, a former Secretary of State for the State of Michigan. A
syndicate was formed for sale to the highest bidder of thousands of
objects made of various materials, supposedly found in 16 counties
all over Michigan. They included copper crowns allegedly found on
the heads of prehistoric kings, coins, pipes, boxes, figurines, and
cuneiform tablets that depicted various biblical scenes including
the delivering of the Ten Commandments, the diary of Noah, plans
for the Tower of Babel, and the crucifixion of Christ.
Despite the fact that many authorities and collectors declared
the objects fraudulent, Scotford and Soper had a large number of
believing customers. One of Scotford and Soper's most ardent
supporters and customers was Reverend Savage. Historians and
archaeologists today believe Savage, who became the most avid
collector, was not privy to the scam, but was duped to give the
finds credibility.
Reproduction of Father Savage's Study
from the Michigan Historical Museum Exhibit
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Savage believed the artifacts
were left by the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel or a colony of
ancient Jews. Many of the artifacts were united by the same
symbol IH/ (pictured at right), which was similar to the
IHS used to represent Christ. In fact, Father Savage used the
IH/ symbol on his stationery. Savage died still believing the
Michigan Relics were genuine. He bequeathed his large collection to
the University of Notre Dame.
Expedition in Search of Artifacts in
Michigan circa 1911 from Mormon Church Archives. Father Savage is
second from the left and the expedition leader Daniel E. Soper is
fourth from left.
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In the early 1960s, Milton R. Hunter, a General authority in The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS Church or
Mormon Church), who researched the historical accuracy of the Book
of Mormon learned of Father Savage's collection at Notre Dame.
Based on Hunter's interest, the University ultimately gave the
collection to him. Hunter attempted to decipher the inscriptions
without success. Before his death in 1975, his collection which
included artifacts purchased from Soper's son, was bequeathed to
the LDS Church.
Tablet showing a temple scene was proved
fraudulent in part due to it use of perspective which was an
artistic technique not used until the 15th Century
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In 1977, the church asked Richard Stamps, a Mormon and Oakland
University archaeology professor, to examine the relics. Stamps
also concluded they were fakes. The copper relics, he said, were
made from ordinary commercial copper stock and had been treated
with chemicals to make it look older. Interest revived in 1984 when
a series of authors began writing about the relics, attributing the
engravings to Zoroastrian, Christian, and other Old World
influences. In 1998-99, Stamps again studied the relics in the
Mormon collection and reached the same conclusion.
Stamps was quoted as saying, "Poor Father Savage. I feel so
sorry for this Catholic father. I think Scotford was cranking these
things out and slipping them into the ground, and I think Savage
didn't have a clue." Through Stamps, the Mormon Church decided
in 2003 to donate its collection of 797 artifacts to the Michigan
Historical Museum in Lansing.
This geocache is located in the
Waterloo State Recreation Area under Michigan Department of
Natural Resources (MDNR) Permit No. PRD-083-2008-024 pursuant to a
blanket permit with the Michigan Geocaching Organization. A vehicle
permit is required to enter the Waterloo State Recreation Area.
