WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan Back Roads) — This is a tale of skullduggery that didn’t begin in Michigan, but part of it ends here.

On October 16, 1869, workers in Cardiff, New York, unearthed what appeared to be the body of an ancient, 10-foot-tall petrified man. Over the next several months, people flocked to catch a glimpse of the so-called “Cardiff Giant.” Many hailed it as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 19th century.

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Believe it or not, there was some fakery involved.

I am told that the original is in upstate New York. I haven’t seen that one, but I have seen the fake. It was on display at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum at its old Farmington Hills location. Marvin’s has moved to West Bloomfield Township. I plan to check it out on my next visit to the area.

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