The Expletive Cairn
According to legend, a bored weatherman stationed in the far north of Canada during the 1950s used a bulldozer to move earth and rocks to spell out a massive, four-letter expletive that was visible to planes passing overhead.
Is there any truth to the legend?
Well, the story traces back to some correspondence from anthropologist Edmund Carpenter that was printed in The Realist magazine in November 1964. Carpenter had lived for years in the Canadian Arctic. So he was a knowledgeable source of info about the region.
However, if the expletive cairn does exist, then, to date, no one has been able to locate it.
More info: Straight Dope message board
Is there any truth to the legend?
Well, the story traces back to some correspondence from anthropologist Edmund Carpenter that was printed in The Realist magazine in November 1964. Carpenter had lived for years in the Canadian Arctic. So he was a knowledgeable source of info about the region.
However, if the expletive cairn does exist, then, to date, no one has been able to locate it.
More info: Straight Dope message board
Comments
Dr. Carpenter's discussion of the history of the F word reminded me of the song "F Is Not A Dirty Word", by David Peel & The Lower East Side. It's on their famous album "The Pope Smokes Dope". I still have my pre-recorded cassette tape of this album, which I purchased in 1972. Lots of great songs on this album, especially the title track, which was quite popular on underground FM stations during that era.
Posted by Fritz on 03/11/21 at 06:37 AM
Given that THE REALIST was the publication of Paul Krassner, famous beatnik/yippie prankster, who upon JFK's death published a piece which asserted that LBJ had sex with JFK's corpse, I'm going to guess this was fake from the get-go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Krassner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Krassner
Posted by Paul on 03/11/21 at 12:45 PM
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Category: Landscaping | Swears