The following information is proven factual by many scientific studies. Prehistoric mankind arrived in the Great Basin near the end of the last major Ice Age. The melting glaciers and moist climate of the time created Ancient Lake Lahontan and a vast network of lakes and marshes teeming with fish and waterfowl. The early human inhabitants lived along the shores of the lakes and marshes, fishing and hunting mammoth, mammals and the abundant waterfowl. Archaeologists and anthropologists have determined that about 7,000 years ago, this entire region entered a period of hot, dry weather that lasted over 2,000 years. Scientists refer to this period as the “Altithermal" stage. During that time, drastic climate changes caused some of the human population to migrate away from the area. This was climate warming on a scale we cannot imagine in the modern world. More about the ancient climate changes in Nevada can be found in my book, “Preserving Traces of the Great Basin Indians.” Once the Altithermal stage set in, changes occurred that significantly altered the lifestyle of the scattered bands of human inhabitants. The human population was no longer able to depend upon the water and wildlife associated with the marshes, lakes and rivers for their survival. An incredibly harsh desert environment emerged where game was scarce or nonexistent and vegetation ceased to survive. During this time, Lake Lahontan, Walker Take, Washoe Lake, Great Salt Lake and others completely dried up. Pyramid Lake shrank to a dangerously low level, since there was no water flowing down the Truckee River. Even Lake Tahoe dropped several hundred feet during this lengthy dry cycle. Evidence of this is the underwater forest of tree trunks that divers have seen and photographed on the bottom of Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake. This forest grew when the level of the lakes was so far below the rim that no water flowed down the Truckee River for over 1,000 years. The events in this hot, dry period in our ancient history have been studied and documented as scientific fact by the Desert Research Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno and by other leading scientists. As we look back on this horrible time in the history of the region, who can we blame for causing this drastic climate change to occur? We could speculate that the campfires the human population used to keep their caves warm and cook their food emitted vast amounts of greenhouse gasses. We could surmise that there was enough flatulence released into the atmosphere from the herds of buffalo and wolly mammoth to pollute the air with methane. Now, I am going to deviate from proven facts and dedicate this next satirical segment of my article to the "Squad of Global Warming experts” in Congress. I have made a discovery out on a remote hillside between Lovelock and the Black Rock Desert that seems to explain this phenomenon in terms even the squad can understand. What I discovered and photographed with me seated at the controls appears to be the remains of a prehistoric SUV. As we all know, modern vehicles such as this are blamed for modern global warming. Now, I have discovered evidence of prehistoric vehicles that must have caused the Altithermal stage 7,000 years ago. The vehicle is mostly intact with doors, windows and remnants of dashboard and control mechanisms. Obviously, thousands of these crude vehicles spewed forth the greenhouse gassed required create the worst global warming in the history of the ancient earth. This article is by Dayton Author and Historian, Dennis Cassinelli. You can order his books at a discount on his blog at denniscassinelli.com Just click on “order books.”
