[shadowlands1960]

Yes... they were meant for public consumption. Most historians give them a lot of credence... mostly because he was posing as a ‘plain spoken man of the people.’ He surely would have mentioned this obstacle if he had overcome it. Most likely he didn’t deem it important if he even knew of it.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Or he never got there or he took one look at it and Noped right out.

Or it possibly was abandon before he got there.