When the weather is right, Lake Whitney State Park in Texas is a wonderful place for outdoor weekend athletes to get their fix. From boating, fishing, scuba diving and water skiing, the lake offers it all.
But with Texas locked in a record setting drought, the sinking water levels have turned the lake into something Indiana Jones would love. Texans have recently uncovered 8,000-year-old secrets, reports WFAA Dallas.
Both fossils and Native American tools have turned up at Lake Whitney. You have to go back at least 20 years since anyone has seen the formerly remote underwater caverns that have been exposed by the historic drought. For some visitors it has been exciting and new. But for others it has been a lesson in criminal law.
It's against Texas and federal regulations to remove Native American artifacts from archaeological sites. But WFAA reports burial sites from ancient times have been disturbed.
The 955-acre park is located near the ruins of Towash Village, an early Texas settlement named for the chief of Hainai Indians, who moved into the region in 1934.
So far, law enforcement has arrested 30 people for committing the crimes against history. Each was fined thousands of dollars and placed on probation.
Some of the dig sites have been repaired at a huge cost -- as much as $30,000.
