While I hope someone does find a true skunk line, or the building blocks ect. I have serious doubts, it will be found.
Consider I very first saw skunk, in 1978. Also, Im from NE-KY-Appalachian Foothills. Where Skunks, are like DEER.
Consider, Skunk was already in existence, who knows how long before that?
IMHO, MANY/MOST of all those Land Based Originals, Especially top grade Mexicans, are mostly long gone. Though I have also read, Mexican, was hybridized with Lebanese, in the 60s. But, I have no idea.
But, starting around 1970 Nixon, started using Paraquat on the fields in Mexico.
I started smoking weed, in 1967, and live next to a park, where aloo the "Hippies" used to congregate, and many of them, were my older sisters friends.
But, up until 1974, there was always good weed around. Mainly Mexican, but in 1970, our area started to see some Panama Red, Columbian, a buddies older brother brough back weed from Vietnam, in 1971. A footlocker full. Stuffed.
But starting in the late spring of 1974, we had a huge weed drought. Chemicals were still plentiful. LSD-Pink Tab PCP. Quaaludes, Tuinal, Desoxyn, Black Beauties. Other things.
But, not until early Fall, did we start to get any weed. and, drought, was in most of the whole region. Cincinatti-Detroit-Pittsburg-Atlanta-Miami. All of them, for all intents and purposes, were hit. First place it started coming back from, was Detroit.
Then, when weed started to come around, it was Columbian Gold-Red. Previously, Columbian, was not as prevalent vs Mexicans. It was around, but Mexican, was everywhere. And much of it, was very very good. Seeded, but very good. And, in 74-75 when some shitty weed came in, it was always called Mexican, which is why, IMHO, why Mexican brick weed, has a bad name, to this day.
One day my buddies and I were out riding around, 1975, and one guy rolled a joint. He called it Cat Food, because it did smell like cat food. I wouldnt smoke it. But, when he fired it up, after about 5-6 hits, the fucker burst into flames!!!
Same for some other shit he came up with. This shit, is the first stuff I ever heard called Diesel Weed, and I can tell you right now, the name does not denote a desirable note, with the stuff he had. It straight up smelled like Diesel Fuel. In a bad way. And I wouldnt smoke that shit either. For me, if it doesnt look/smell like weed, I aint smokin it. The Diesel Weed, also looked funky. Dark.
I also suspect the cat food, was paraquat.
From then-1974 on, until now. Ive never seen the top quality Mexicans, that were a dime a dozen, in the early 70s.
Then, in the 80s, Columbian took a big hit, when they started importing, and growing Coke, vs Marijuana. When Reagan Federilaized Marikuama Crimes, the cartels started using the cargo space for coke vs weed. One can get way more $$$s worth of coke, in the same space as weed. So, along with military intervention, in columbia ect, and not growing weed like they used to, many of the true original columbians, were also lost.
Also consider the Skunk, was bred by guys that would most likely now be 80 years+ old in most cases.
I know the guy we got ours from, started collecting seeds, in the 60s. He was born in 1944, and passed away, in 2020. He would be 80 years old.
My buddy grew hundreds and hundreds of Sk1 plants, when it was first released. NEVER have I seen/smelled a SKUNK plant come from it. EVER. Though, I have seen some killer plants come from real Sk1, just never any found skunk odors. I never bought anything, from any seed breeder ect, that had any resemblance to what smells like a real skunk.
IMO, the original genetics, and those that created Skunk, are for the most part, long gone.