Solid Muldoon

The entire figure, according to Conant, was embedded in hard clay which required the use of a pick-axe to remove, and was entangled in the roots of a cedar tree.

Closer examination quickly dispelled the notion that the Solid Muldoon was a "petrified man"; instead, it was taken to be an ancient work of art, sculpted by an unknown primitive race.

[3] The hoax was eventually revealed to the New York Times as a man-made figure of modern origin, "with a knowing smile on his face as if enjoying the joke", one reporter noted.

The figure represented by the Solid Muldoon is approximately seven feet, six inches tall, and lies on his back, with one arm crossed over his chest and his other hand resting upon his leg.

[8] In 1976, almost a century after the original was crafted, an art student recreated the Solid Muldoon out of an iron beam, molded stucco wire and plaster, to celebrate the centennial of Colorado's statehood.