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<h1>That’s Just a Theory, a Name Theory</h1>
<h2>WRITTEN BY MATTHEW PATHEW | MARCH 9, 2001</h2>
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<h1>Founder Theory</h1>
    <p>The next theory, while as straightforward as the last, remains highly contested to this day. According to the Founder Theory, West Finford is named after the woman who founded the town, Winona Finford.</p>
    <p>Locals in favor of this theory readily accept this as fact, as it is not uncommon for places’ namesake to be important figures related to it. However, academics and historians alike seemingly cannot agree on one thing: did Winona Finford even exist?</p>
    <p>Before the advent of the digital age, archiving the town’s records was nearly impossible. The constant shifts in leadership paired with the unstable climate rendered any physical documents useless, either being lost due to negligence or destroyed by natural disasters.</p>
    <p>The only surviving evidence of Winona Finford is a barely legible document signed ‘W.F.’ dated around the same time the town was supposedly founded. Still, there is great speculation on whether this is enough evidence or even evidence at all.</p>
    <img src="./photos/articles/name-theory/003.jpg">
    <label>Recovered documents</label>

<h1>Occult Theory</h1>
    <p>A lesser known—yet long withstanding—theory alludes to the town’s ties with the occult. It is believed that before West Finford became a bustling town, a small, isolated village was in its place. Much like other villages back then, settlers survived through agriculture and livestock while at the mercy of nature.</p>
    <p>It is said that the village had a dedicated group perform rituals of all sorts. One of which was a sacrificial ritual carried out every dozen moons to ensure prosperity, protection, and a good harvest. While it is speculated that the cult used livestock in this ritual, cynical theorists believe that sacrifices were more of the human variety.</p>
    <p>Rumors say that the village referred to this cult as the ‘Finis Fordus’, roughly meaning ‘death and birth’ or ‘end and beginning’. This implied that the cult’s goal revolved around revival or renewal through these various rituals.</p>
    <p>Eventually, as the village evolved, these rituals fell out of practice and the occult slowly became forgotten. All that was left was the name ‘Finford’, although some do believe that the cult itself may have prevailed as well.</p>
    <img src="./photos/articles/name-theory/004.jpg">
    <label>Fragments of ritual paraphernalia</label>

<h1>Extraterrestrial Theory</h1>
    <p>Lastly, but certainly not least, a fringe group of people believe that the town’s origins are not confined within the rural state of Sequoia, or even within the world. This theory suggests that West Finford was built and was once inhabited by beings from outer space.</p>
    <p>The intricacies of this theory are particularly complicated and often diverge, making it unclear where the original theory ends and baseless conspiracy begins. Though, some would argue that those lines were already blurred in the first place. Regardless, believers seem to concur that the name West Finford came from a mistranslated passage written in an alien language.</p>
    <p>Moreso, this theory supposedly gives credence to the abundance of strange artifacts and anomalies present in West Finford. These are touted to be abandoned alien technology or residual effects of their presence.</p>
    <img src="./photos/articles/name-theory/005.jpg">
    <label>Popular photo "evidence" circulating conspiracy forums</label>

<h1>Conclusion</h1>
    <p>Admittedly, there is no satisfying conclusion as to the true origins of West Finford’s namesake. Even the most straightforward and believable theories are just that: theories.</p>
    <p>Nevertheless, as fun as it is to speculate and debate, West Finford offers so much more. There are sights to see, places to explore, and even more mysteries to solve! Who knows? Perhaps more theories will come to the forefront, along with evidence credible enough to turn theory into bona fide history.</p>
    <p>Until then, these are just theories, name theories.</p>
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West Finford

Museum of Natural History