Jekyll2022-06-15T10:06:39-07:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/feed.xmlUnfamiliar LandYour guide to the strange, hidden, and curious places that are all around us.Marc CharbonneauBigfoot Trap2022-06-15T00:00:00-07:002022-06-15T00:00:00-07:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/bigfoot-trap<p>No mythical beast has captured the American imagination like Bigfoot. In the 1960s, legends dating back to the mythology and oral traditions of Native people mixed with science (or perhaps pseudoscience) and changed American lore forever. When the iconic Patterson-Gimlin film recorded shaky footage of an ape-like animal walking through the forest, it kicked off a national obsession to find proof of its its existence. For one group, trying to glimpse a Bigfoot in the wild wasn’t enough. They planned instead to capture one of the creatures.</p>
<p>The border between California and Oregon is known for dense old-growth forest and remote, rugged mountains. Hike into the backcountry of the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest and you might not see another person for days. It’s the perfect place for a Sasquatch sighting.</p>
<p>In 1969, that’s what happened.</p>
<p>Perry Lovell was a miner living on the Applegate River in Southern Oregon. While he worked his mines in the nearby mountains, he became convinced that there were large creatures roaming the forests at night near his house. On several occasions he saw something moving just beyond the trees, and heard noises he couldn’t explain. One morning Lovell awoke to find footprints in his garden. He described them as 18 inches long, human-like, with a stride he estimated at around six feet.</p>
<p>Lovell’s claim was met with skepticism, until he met with a group in Eugene, Oregon known as the The North American Wildlife Research Team (NAWRT). Despite their official sounding name, the NAWRT was a citizen volunteer group composed mostly of Bigfoot believers. The organization had one goal, to find credible proof that Bigfoot existed. The stories Lovell told convinced them to build a trap near the river they hoped would finally provide the evidence they were looking for.</p>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The outside and steel door of the Bigfoot Trap.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The outside and steel door of the Bigfoot Trap.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view from inside the Bigfoot Trap.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The outside and steel door of the Bigfoot Trap.</figcaption>
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<p>The trap was a ten foot by ten foot wooden structure. A special use permit from the Forest Service was required before construction could begin. Telephone poles framed the corners, and the walls were made from thick planks of wood. At the front a large steel door was suspended above the entrance, ready to spring shut if anything should enter the trap. Members of the NAWRT baited the trap with rabbit, goat and other carcasses they hoped would lure a Bigfoot inside. When the trap was sprung an alarm would sound at a nearby watchman’s cabin. A volunteer from the NAWRT maintained a constant vigil at the cabin. Their plan was for the watchman to tranquilize, photograph and tag the Sasquatch, which would then be released back into the wild.</p>
<p>The NAWRT maintained the trap for six years. According to legend, it caught two bears, a hippie, and “one pissed-off hunter”.</p>
<p>Today the Applegate River is less remote than it used to be. A dam project was completed in 1980 that brought paved roads and new opportunities for recreation. The Bigfoot trap was abandoned and nearly forgotten. In 2005, volunteers working alongside the Forest Service made repairs to restore the structure. They replaced damaged and rotted wood, and welded the steel door open for safety. It’s an easy hike for visitors from the nearby Collings Mountain trailhead.</p>
<p>Though the trap isn’t going to catch a Bigfoot any time soon, it’s possible visitors who spend enough time in the Pacific Northwest might still catch a glimpse of one on their own.</p>Marc CharbonneauIn the forest near the California and Oregon border, hikers can find a strange artifact — the ruins of a trap meant to capture Bigfoot.USS Plainview (AGEH-1)2021-02-16T00:00:00-08:002021-02-16T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/uss-plainview<p>The 1960s held a promise of nearly unlimited scientific advancement. The modern world was being invented through space travel, nuclear technology and computers. In the Navy, the USS Plainview was part of this vision. The ship was one of the Navy’s first experimental hydrofoils — made to skim across the water on three winglike fins, powered by twin turbojet engines.</p>
<p>At the time it was built the Plainview was the world’s largest hydrofoil. Popular Mechanics magazine deemed it “the biggest, fastest flying boat yet!” It was commissioned as a research ship, with design cues taken from advanced supersonic jet aircraft. The three foils on the Plainview’s sides and stern were kept folded in until the ship reached open water. When the foils were extended it could achieve speeds of over 50 knots, even in rough seas. The design allowed for additional upgrades which would have made upwards of 90 knots possible.</p>
<p>As the Cold War escalated, anti-submarine warfare was increasingly important. It was thought that hydrofoil tactics might give the U.S. Navy an advantage over Soviet nuclear subs.</p>
<p>The project faced budget overruns and delays from the beginning. The Plainview wasn’t delivered to the Navy until 1970, three years after it was scheduled to be completed. Although the ship performed well in trials, the Navy’s fascination with hydrofoils didn’t last long. In 1978 the Plainview was inactivated, and less than a year later it was stripped of its major components and sold for scrap.</p>
<p>The hull of the Plainview was purchased by a private party in 1979. The buyer owned a fleet of salmon fishing boats in Alaska, and intended to convert it into a floating fish processing plant. This retrofit never happened. The financial aspects of the plan turned out not to be feasible, and so the ship continued to sit.</p>
<p>Today the Plainview lies on the edge of the Columbia River, partially submerged in mud. It’s visible from the road, but not many people who drive by notice it or know of its significance.</p>
<p>Once a vision of the future, the USS Plainview has been forgotten and left to decay in the elements.</p>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Inside the USS Plainview’s partially submerged engine room.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Inside the USS Plainview’s partially submerged engine room.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view above deck of the USS Plainview, including the hydraulic arm that once raised and lowered the ship’s winglike foils.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The interior of the USS Plainview’s bridge has already been stripped.</figcaption>
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<p>Additional reading and photos can be found at the <a href="http://archive.foils.org/pv.htm">International Hydrofoil Society</a> and the <a href="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/curio/popular-mechanics-dec-1968.pdf">December 1968 issue of Popular Mechanics</a>.</p>Marc CharbonneauOnce the world’s largest hydrofoil, this experimental Navy research ship lays forgotten along the banks of the Columbia River.Bosco Ramos Statue2021-01-31T00:00:00-08:002021-01-31T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/bosco-ramos-the-mayor-dog<div class="gallery-container">
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A statue of Bosco, the dog elected mayor of Sunol, California.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A statue of Bosco, the dog elected mayor of Sunol, California.</figcaption>
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<p>Bosco Ramos was elected mayor of Sunol, California in 1981. Bosco is remembered not for what he did in office, but for who he was — a mix of Black Labrador and Rottweiler, and the first dog to be elected mayor of an American town.</p>
<p>At the time he was elected Bosco was already the town’s unofficial mascot. During the day he had free rein to roam around town and visit Sunol’s residents. His favorite place to pass the time was at the town’s pub. He’d wait for someone to order food, and growl at them until they shared a bite.</p>
<p>It was at the bar where his campaign for mayor began. Two of the regulars were arguing about the upcoming mayoral election, when Bosco’s owner interjected that Bosco could beat either of the candidates. He turned out to be right. Once word got out, the town’s residents wrote his name in and Bosco won by a landslide.</p>
<p>Allegedly he ran as a member of the “re-pup-lican” party.</p>
<p>In 1984 the NY Star tabloid wrote a short piece about Bosco, declaring Sunol “the wackiest town in America.” For the rest of the decade his fame grew, first in the US and then worldwide. By 1990 news of Bosco had reached China. The People’s Daily newspaper wrote about him as an example of the failure of Western democracy. “There is no distinction between people and dogs” in America, the newspaper claimed.</p>
<p>For context, the pro-democratic protests at Tiananmen Square had occurred only a year earlier, in 1989.</p>
<p>When a group of Chinese American students from Stanford University and UC Berkeley learned about the People’s Daily editorial, they felt compelled to respond. With the permission of his owner they took Bosco to the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco where they held a 30 hour protest against communism and the Chinese government. One of Sunol’s residents described Bosco as “a symbol of democracy and freedom.”</p>
<p>Bosco passed away from natural causes in 1994. The town hasn’t forgotten his legacy. A statue of Bosco stands proudly next to the Sunol post office. Across the street, the pub where he used to spend his days re-opened in 2005 as <a href="https://www.boscosbonesandbrews.com/about">Boscos Bones and Brews</a> with Bosco as its mascot. The bar proudly features a taxidermy black lab that dispenses beer when the bartender lifts its leg. It’s not the real Bosco, but it does resemble him. Sunol’s residents are divided as to whether it’s in poor taste or a very funny joke.</p>
<p>Then there are the pups in Sunol that bear a resemblance to Bosco. It hasn’t been proven, but residents believe Bosco had a number of girlfriends he would visit on his evening walks home from the bar.</p>
<p>Being the mayor had its privileges.</p>Marc CharbonneauBosco isn’t the only dog to be elected town mayor, but he’s the only one at the center of a diplomatic incident between the United States and China.Velkristan’s Nirvana2021-01-18T00:00:00-08:002021-01-18T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/velkristans-nirvana<p>Glimpses into the <a href="https://kcymaerxthaere.com">Kcymaerxthaere dimension</a> can be found all over the world, from major cities to the mountains of Nepal. Finding a commemorative marker is always in the back of my mind when I travel. The one closest to me is <a href="https://kcymaerxthaere.com/marker/velkristans-nirvana/">Velkristan’s Nirvana</a>. The plaque reads as follows:</p>
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<p>Here on this spot shone the Velkristani paradise, a comfort of sweetness and light not just for those who are gone. Even today the pure of heart can glimpse the Velkri Cane Springs pouring purest sugars from the earth in endless glowing flow, as beloved creatures, human and otherwise (but known only to the witness), are sustained and thrive. To devout Velkristanis, this place was heaven on another earth.</p>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A marker commemorating Velkristan's Nirvana, where the pure of heart can glimpse the Velkri Cane Springs.</figcaption>
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<p>There’s more about Kcymaerxthaere at <a href="/adalanta-desert/">Adalanta Desert</a>.</p>Marc CharbonneauArtifacts from the Kcymaerxthaere dimension can be found all over the world. The closest to me is Velkristan’s Nirvana, a place where the pure of heart can glimpse the Velkri Cane Springs.Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge2021-01-16T00:00:00-08:002021-01-16T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/sumpter-valley-gold-dredge<p>For a few brief years the town of Sumpter was at the center of the gold rush in Oregon. Like so many other boom towns in the late 1800s, the promise of gold drew in thousands of residents before another strike was discovered and they moved on to the next, more promising destination. A fire that destroyed much of the town in 1917 hastened their departure.</p>
<p>Today Sumpter stays afloat on tourism. The town’s mining history is on display here. At the center is the Sumpter Valley Dredge, a mining barge that’s been restored to pristine condition. The dredge has a long history, and its own ghost legend.</p>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Looking up at the dredge’s ore conveyer buckets.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view of the restored Sumpter Valley Dredge.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Machinery inside the Sumpter Valley Dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-dredge-007.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Machinery inside the Sumpter Valley Dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Machinery inside the Sumpter Valley Dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-dredge-008.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Machinery inside the Sumpter Valley Dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Machinery inside the Sumpter Valley Dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-dredge-009.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A view from the back of the Sumpter Valley Dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view from the back of the Sumpter Valley Dredge.</figcaption>
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<p>The Powder River is what drew many of the miners to Sumpter Valley. Prospectors found gold here, although extracting it from the riverbanks was another matter. Twenty miles away at the Ah Hee Diggins site near Granite Creek, hundreds of Chinese laborers hauled away rocks and processed ore by hand. This was exhausting, backbreaking labor for very little pay, and white miners generally did not consider it worth the trouble.</p>
<p>In Sumpter, industrial machinery was built to do the job instead.</p>
<p>The Sumpter Valley Dredge is a floating barge, built to be anchored in shallow water while systematically working away at the riverbanks. At the front is a chainsaw-like conveyer with 72 ore buckets weighing one ton each. These buckets would tear through rock and soil, hauling it aboard to be processed while at the same time digging a new river channel for the dredge to move forward.</p>
<p>Ecology wasn’t a concern. Although the wetlands of Sumpter Valley have partially recovered, the dredge left scars on the earth that will remain visible for thousands of years.</p>
<p>After sitting unused for decades, the dredge was restored in 1995. Today it’s anchored near the center of town. Oregon State Parks offers tours and gold panning demonstrations, and at certain times of the year visitors can watch the Sumpter Valley Railroad’s steam engine make a run through town.</p>
<p>Towns like Sumpter are guaranteed to have a ghost story or two. The Sumpter Valley Dredge is known for “Joe Bush,” a tale that’s been featured in the <em>Skeleton Creek</em> book series and paranormal TV show <em>Ghost Mine</em>. But even the most eager ghost hunters will admit it’s tough to believe. There’s no record of anyone named Joe Bush who worked on the dredge, much less died there.</p>
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<p>Sumpter’s history is preserved in time, but things are different in the hills outside of town. Out here history is slowly being lost to time and the elements.</p>
<p>On a recent trip to the area I followed a 1900s historical map, searching for traces of former mining operations. I walked along old rail lines, finding mine entrances and what’s left of wooden structures. Many of them have deteriorated to the point where they’re barely identifiable, if there’s anything left at all.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-001.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The remains of an ore processing facility outside of Sumpter, Oregon. Rail tracks once connected it to several nearby gold mines." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The remains of an ore processing facility outside of Sumpter, Oregon. Rail tracks once connected it to several nearby gold mines.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-002.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Another view of the ore processing facility, looking down at the road to Sumpter." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Another view of the ore processing facility, looking down at the road to Sumpter.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A cabin I found in the woods, not far from the location of a former gold mine." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A cabin I found in the woods, not far from the location of a former gold mine.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-004.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A cabin I found in the woods, not far from the location of a former gold mine." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A cabin I found in the woods, not far from the location of a former gold mine.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-005.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The buried entrance to this gold mine is still barely visible." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The buried entrance to this gold mine is still barely visible.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-006.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Buildings near a former mining operation." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Buildings near a former mining operation.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-mining-relics/small/sumpter-valley-mining-relics-007.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The remaining traces of a mining building lost to time." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The remaining traces of a mining building lost to time.</figcaption>
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<p>The Sumpter Valley Dredge is one of three mining dredges that once operated in the area. The remains of the second one is a short distance down the road next to a railway museum, but the third is harder to find.</p>
<p>I spent an evening studying satellite photos, and eventually found what I was sure had to be the dredge. A few miles outside of town I parked on a forest service road, crossed the river by foot and saw it with my own eyes.</p>
<p>If I didn’t know what I was looking for it would have been tough to imagine it resembling the restored dredge in Sumpter. The machinery and most of the structure were all removed, either scrapped or re-used when the Sumpter Valley Dredge was built. The frame of the hull is really all that’s left, and even that’s slowly rotting away, but the shape of it is unmistakable.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-001.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Looking through the trees at an abandoned mining dredge outside of Sumpter, Oregon." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Looking through the trees at an abandoned mining dredge outside of Sumpter, Oregon.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-002.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The stern of the mining dredge. It appears one side was weighted with boulders when it was decommissioned." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The stern of the mining dredge. It appears one side was weighted with boulders when it was decommissioned.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The view inside the dredge, looking towards the stern." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The view inside the dredge, looking towards the stern.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-004.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A view from the bow of the dredge. In the background is a pile of stones (tailings) left behind as the dredge worked the riverbanks." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view from the bow of the dredge. In the background is a pile of stones (tailings) left behind as the dredge worked the riverbanks.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-005.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Unlike the restored dredge in Sumpter, this one has been abandoned to the elements." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Unlike the restored dredge in Sumpter, this one has been abandoned to the elements.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-006.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A view inside the abandoned dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view inside the abandoned dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-007.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A view inside the abandoned dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view inside the abandoned dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-008.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Rotting wooden beams inside the abandoned dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Rotting wooden beams inside the abandoned dredge.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge/small/sumpter-valley-sunken-dredge-009.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A view from the bow of the dredge." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A view from the bow of the dredge.</figcaption>
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<p>There’s a certain sense of mystery and untold stories from what remains here of the dredge. In another generation or two even that will be gone. If there are any ghosts from Sumpter’s mining past still haunting this area, I think this is the dredge they’d prefer.</p>Marc CharbonneauSumpter is a town filled with relics of the gold rush era, including three mining dredges. One is restored and preserved in time. The other two were left to decay in the elements… if you know where to look.International Outbreak Museum2020-12-02T00:00:00-08:002020-12-02T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/international-outbreak-museum<p><em>800 Oregon Street</em> seems like an entirely unremarkable government office building at first glance. But up on the 7th floor, tucked away into a cramped office space, you’ll find the world’s only museum dedicated to outbreaks of foodborne illness and infectious disease.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.outbreakmuseum.com">The International Outbreak Museum</a> was created by the late Dr. Bill Keene, a senior epidemiologist who had a remarkable impact on the field of food safety. Dr. Keene was known around the world for his persistence, curiosity and enthusiasm for fieldwork. In the 23 years he worked for the Oregon Public Health Authority he and his team were able to trace the origins of numerous foodborne illnesses.</p>
<p>It’s not a stretch to say that he was responsible for saving hundreds, or potentially thousands of lives.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-001.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The International Outbreak Museum is located on the seventh floor of this government office building." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The International Outbreak Museum is located on the seventh floor of this government office building.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-002.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A sign on the office door outside the International Outbreak Museum." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A sign on the office door outside the International Outbreak Museum.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The view from inside the International Outbreak Museum." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The view from inside the International Outbreak Museum.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-004.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A display of raw milk containing E. coli 0157:H7." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A display of raw milk containing E. coli 0157:H7.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-005.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Bottles of tattoo ink infected with Staphylococcus aureus." loading="lazy" />
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-006.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="An exhibit of ground turkey infected with Salmonella Heidelberg." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">An exhibit of ground turkey infected with Salmonella Heidelberg.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Burial instruction cards from an outbreak of Ebola in Africa.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-008.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Playing cards from a bridge tournament at the center of a Norovirus outbreak." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Playing cards from a bridge tournament at the center of a Norovirus outbreak.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Different examples of raw sprouts that were infected with Salmonella.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">An exhibit from the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterrorism attack in The Dalles, Oregon.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Different items linked to a Hepatitis B outbreak at an adult bookstore.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-012.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A display of cookie dough products linked to an E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A display of cookie dough products linked to an E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/the-international-outbreak-museum/small/the-international-outbreak-museum-013.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A contact tracing map from an outbreak in Minneapolis–Saint Paul." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A contact tracing map from an outbreak in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.</figcaption>
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<p>Dr. Keene’s museum began with the evidence he collected during these investigations. Often just a scrap of food packaging or receipt from a store, these items filled the bookshelves in his office for years. At some point he decided to turn his collection into a museum. As it grew, so did the effort he put in. If he couldn’t find a good representation for an exhibit he’d purchase a replica, or figure out how to craft it himself. After one outbreak of salmonella, he put together an office fundraiser until he had enough money to purchase a realistic fake, raw whole chicken.</p>
<p>Most of the exhibits in the International Outbreak Museum are related to foodborne illness, but viral and bacterial infections transmitted through other means also have a home here. The museum even includes an exhibit from Oregon’s famous 1984 Rajneeshee bioterrorism attack.</p>
<p>Dr. Keene passed away in 2013. His collection is still in his office, now run by The Northwest Center for Foodborne Outbreak Management, Epidemiology, and Surveillance. It’s kept up by volunteers to inform and educate, but also out of respect and remembrance for a man who made a lasting impact in public health.</p>
<p>The museum is open for tours by appointment only. Visitors will learn a lot about Dr. Keene and his work, although they might never look at fast food, cookie dough ice cream, or frozen pizza in the same way again.</p>Marc CharbonneauInfectious material, foodborne pathogens and bioterrorism artifacts. The International Outbreak Museum is one scientist’s personal collection of everything contagious.Devil Boat2020-09-13T00:00:00-07:002020-11-23T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/devil-boat<p>At first glance Arco, Idaho seems about as unremarkable as any other small town in America. That’s why it’s a surprise to see a submarine sail rising from the ground at the edge of town, emblazoned with the numbers ‘666’.</p>
<p>Nicknamed the “Devil Boat,” this is not an occult art installation or commentary about military spending. The sail was part of an actual submarine, the USS Hawkbill (SSN-666), which served 16 deployments over 29 years. It’s remembered best for its research expeditions to the Arctic Ocean. The Hawkbill was capable of breaking through three feet of solid ice when it surfaced (often to the excitement and delight of the crew). It was the first submarine to operate in the Bering Straits during winter, and made history when it surfaced alongside two other submarines at the North Pole. After the Hawkbill was decommissioned, a group of volunteers along with the Naval Historical Society arranged for its sail to be placed in Arco during the 2003 annual Atomic Days celebration.</p>
<p>Arco’s proximity to the Idaho National Laboratory has made nuclear research a fundamental part of the town’s history. It wasn’t far from here that the first nuclear submarine prototype was developed during the Cold War, and over 40,000 Sailors were trained in nuclear operations. The Devil Boat exhibit is a celebration of this history, and perhaps it will be the cornerstone of a future atomic energy museum the town hopes to build.</p>
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</div>Marc CharbonneauArco seems like an unremarkable small town at first glance. That’s why it’s a shock to see a submarine sail rising from the ground, emblazoned with the numbers ‘666’.Kan’ei-ji Temple Insect Memorial2020-09-13T00:00:00-07:002020-11-23T00:00:00-08:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/kanei-ji-temple-insect-memorial<p>Tōeizan Kan’ei-ji Endon-in is a beautiful temple filled with nearly 400 years of rich history. It’s where generations of shōgun rulers are buried, and where a civil war concluded at the Battle of Ueno. There’s also a curious memorial hidden here. If you look carefully, you can find a monument dedicated to insects that died in the pursuit of science.</p>
<p>Japan’s Edo period was characterized by a strict social hierarchy. Those at the top devoted their time to the advancement of art, science and culture. One of these elites, Sessai Matsuyama, commissioned an anatomical study of insects known as the Chuchi-jo. The final work contained hundreds of drawings of dissected insects, both scientifically accurate and beautiful. The Chuchi-jo was the first of its kind in Japan, and the drawing style continues to serve as an inspiration for artists today.</p>
<p>After the Chuchi-jo was completed, Matsuyama had a monument placed at the Kan’ei-ji temple to commemorate the insects that were killed in the process. It’s designated as a historical monument by the Tokyo City government, and might just be the only memorial of its kind in the world.</p>
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</div>Marc CharbonneauThere’s a curious memorial hidden at the Kan’ei-ji temple. Look carefully and you'll find a monument dedicated to insects that have died in the study of science.Orenco Woods Nature Park2020-09-04T00:00:00-07:002020-09-04T00:00:00-07:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/stickwork-sculptures<p>The stickwork sculptures by <a href="http://www.stickwork.net">Patrick Dougherty</a> would be mildly terrifying if you stumbled across them in the middle of the forest. In their home at the Orenco Woods Nature Park, they’re simply an art project bringing unique character to an otherwise unassuming suburb.</p>
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</div>Marc CharbonneauThese stickwork sculptures would be mildly terrifying if you stumbled across them in the middle of the forest.Inside the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex2020-05-14T00:00:00-07:002020-05-14T00:00:00-07:00https://www.unfamiliar.land/the-stanley-r-mickelsen-safeguard-complex<div class="gallery-container">
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The Missile Site Radar (MSR), one component of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex.</figcaption>
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<p>A dark pyramid looms over the farming town of Nekoma. This was once the Missile Site Radar, one part of a cluster of anti-ballistic missile sites that sprawled throughout North Dakota. This complex was known as the Safeguard Program — famously, it was only fully operational for a single day before the House of Representatives voted to have it decommissioned. Today it remains as a monument to military overspending, a museum of Cold War era technology, and potentially a survival bunker for one man and his family at the end of the world.</p>
<p>During the height of the Cold War in the 1960s, Nixon announced an anti-ballistic missile system designed to protect <a href="https://www.unfamiliar.land/oscar-zero-missile-alert-facility/">Minuteman nuclear missile silos</a> from enemy attack. This was an evolution of earlier systems built to intercept and destroy incoming threats, giving the U.S. time to launch a retaliatory strike. It was intended to be deployed in three locations, although only one was completed — The Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, in North Dakota.</p>
<p>Safeguard had three primary systems. At the edge was the Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR), which detected incoming ICBMs as they crossed over the North Pole. If a threat was detected, the Missile Site Radar (MSR) took over tracking and directed the four Remote Sprint Launcher (RSL) sites to launch. These sites held silos with short range Sprint missiles. They were one of the most technologically advanced, top-secret weapons of the time. A Sprint missile was able to reach Mach 10 in seconds, a speed so fast the air around it turned to plasma. Each one contained its own nuclear warhead, designed to knock enemy missiles out of the sky.</p>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A close-up view of the Missile Site Radar (MSR), one component of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The Missile Site Radar (MSR), one component of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex.</figcaption>
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Wind turbines now share the land with the Missile Site Radar facility.</figcaption>
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<p>The MSR and surrounding land were sold at government auction in 2012 to the Spring Creek Hutterite Colony, a religious farming community. They’ve farmed the nearby land, but allowed the structures to fall into decay… a point of contention with the town, where residents took pride in the jobs that were created when Safeguard was built. In 2017 the Cavalier County Job Development Authority purchased a portion of the land that included the MSR and administrative buildings. Their goal is to preserve the site and open a historical center, but it won’t be safe for public tours anytime soon. There’s extensive damage, and the buildings are heavily polluted. For now it sits behind locked gates, under 24 hour video surveillance.</p>
<p>Each of the four Remote Sprint Launcher missile facilities were also sold at auction to private parties. One of these, <a href="https://rsl3.com">RSL-3</a>, is now open for public tours — but it’s unlike any other Cold War museum I’ve been to.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-outside/small/safeguard-rsl-3-outside-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="This poster describes the three components of the Safeguard complex: the Perimeter Acquisition Radar, Missile Site Radar, and Sprint missile silos." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">This poster describes the three components of the Safeguard complex: the Perimeter Acquisition Radar, Missile Site Radar, and Sprint missile silos.</figcaption>
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<p>RSL-3 is a mix of roadside attraction, living space and decay. Mel Sann purchased the site in 2013. He claims he’s not a prepper, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I met him. Mel isn’t unintelligent or mentally unstable, and his views of the world are based in true facts like climate change and the refugee crises. But where he differs from most people is that he believes these events are just the beginning of the coming apocalypse, and he purchased RSL-3 to protect his family when it happens.</p>
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<p>“When you get labeled – I don’t like being labeled liberal, conservative, nothing. I am an American and I stand for freedom,” Sann said. “They put a slant and an angle on it as a category – the reality is we’re here to survive and reproduce. Some people don’t have the foresight to say, ‘You know what? It probably wouldn’t hurt to have five, six months of food on hand.’”
— <a href="https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/going-underground-man-among-dreamers-drawn-to-old-cold-war-military-bunkers-in-north-dakota/article_22973d68-f35f-5358-abf6-963ff8d93129.html">Mel Sann</a></p>
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<p>Mel says he decided to offer public tours after visitors began showing up unexpectedly while he was working, curious about what was there. He’s put a lot of work into them since. The tour begins with a video explaining the history and purpose of Safeguard, including vintage military footage of Sprint missile tests. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the film wasn’t bad. After I watched the 20 minute video, Mel himself took me through the guard room (which doubled as a bedroom), launch control bunker, and the missile field outside.</p>
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<p>I was already excited to be there, and the feeling grew as I walked down the underground ramp, past massive blast doors into the bunker. A main corridor runs through the facility, branching off into various rooms. It’s a large structure. Some of the rooms look like they haven’t been touched since the day RSL-3 was decommissioned. They’re covered in rust and flaking paint, with wires ripped out of the wall. Others have been repurposed as storage rooms for half-completed projects. They’re filled with construction materials, gym equipment, bedroom furniture and other objects with no clear purpose.</p>
<p>As we walked Mel explained what each room was originally for. He described top secret targeting computers, the security desk where armed guards were ready to shoot on sight anyone without proper authorization, and the massive shock absorbers that protected the site from a nearby nuclear blast. He’s put up informational signs on each of the doors that gives it the feeling of a museum, but in a haphazard, half-done way.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-001.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="An empty room in the RSL-3 underground bunker. Shock absorbers protect the facility in case of a nearby nuclear detonation." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">An empty room in the RSL-3 underground bunker. Shock absorbers protect the facility in case of a nearby nuclear detonation.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-002.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="This room once connected the RSL-3 underground bunker to the nearby Sprint missile field." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">This room once connected the RSL-3 underground bunker to the nearby Sprint missile field.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A room in the RSL-3 underground bunker. I wasn’t able to discover where the ladder leads to." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A room in the RSL-3 underground bunker. I wasn’t able to discover where the ladder leads to.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-004.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The RSL-3 underground bunker’s battery room." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The RSL-3 underground bunker’s battery room.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-005.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A storage room in the RSL-3 underground bunker, filled with a random assortment of furniture and workout equipment." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A storage room in the RSL-3 underground bunker, filled with a random assortment of furniture and workout equipment.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-006.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="An emergency escape hatch in the underground bunker." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">An emergency escape hatch in the underground bunker.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-007.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Double blast doors at the entrance to the RSL-3 underground bunker." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Double blast doors at the entrance to the RSL-3 underground bunker.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2/small/safeguard-rsl-3-underground-2-008.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A room in the RSL-3 underground bunker." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A room in the RSL-3 underground bunker.</figcaption>
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<p>Once we were back outside, Mel led me through another security fence and into the Sprint missile field. He told more stories, about a farmer on a neighboring plot of land who used to antagonize the base’s security detail by eating his lunch next to the fence, and about a woman who snapped a polaroid of the entrance gate, prompting an investigation by the FBI who showed up at her house later that evening.</p>
<p>There are 16 missile silos at RSL-3. Each one is marked by a steel blast door. One of these has been cleaned and re-painted, so Mel can offer to take your photo for a souvenir while you stand next to it. He explained that while the silos have supposedly been decommissioned, he hasn’t actually been able to open any of them to see what’s inside. That’s one of his next projects.</p>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-001.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="A missile silo at the RSL-3 museum." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">A missile silo at the RSL-3 museum.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-002.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-003.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Missile silos at the RSL-3 museum." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Missile silos at the RSL-3 museum.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-004.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-005.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">The missile field at the RSL-3 museum. Each silo once held a Sprint missile with an enhanced radiation nuclear warhead.</figcaption>
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<img src="https://wildwood.unfamiliar.land/galleries/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field/small/safeguard-rsl-3-missile-field-006.jpg" class="small" itemprop="thumbnail" alt="Missile silos at the RSL-3 museum." loading="lazy" />
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<figcaption itemprop="caption description">Missile silos at the RSL-3 museum.</figcaption>
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<p>At the entrance to RSL-3 there’s a life-size replica Sprint missile that Mel had custom made. It cost him $20,000, nearly as much as he paid for the facility itself. When he talked about it there was excitement in his voice. Mel is proud of his museum, and has big dreams for it in the future. And in spite of how weird it is, I had a great time visiting.</p>
<p>Both the MSR and RSL-3 are decaying relics, slightly creepy but exciting to explore. They’re a strange part of history in an otherwise unremarkable part of the midwest. It was hours out of my way to visit, but worth the trip.</p>
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<p><em>Are you interested in atomic tourism and cold war relics? There’s more to see at <a href="/a-trip-to-an-abandoned-cold-war-nuclear-research-facility/">The Abandoned Nuclear Lab Deep in Georgia’s Woods</a> and <a href="/atomic-tourism-in-americas-southwest/">Atomic Road Trip Through America’s Southwest</a>.</em></p>Marc CharbonneauA mysterious pyramid, an abandoned missile field, and a survivalist’s underground bunker. These are what remains of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex — one of the most technologically advanced projects of the Cold War.