A Land of Illusion: The Oregon Vortex
Can you imagine being in one spot on the earth where the normal laws of gravity seem to change, creating illusions that cannot be seen anywhere else in the same area? The Oregon Vortex is one such place. Located in Gold Hill, Oregon, this rather unique spot of land can create all kinds of visual illusions for visitors. Some of these illusions include: making people’s height change, round objects roll uphill, and straight lines appear slanted. Short of being labeled as part of the supernatural realm, the Oregon Vortex has become a tourist attraction for those who like to experience the weird and unusual.
The history of the Oregon Vortex began when a gold mine company built an office in the location of where the vortex is during the nineteenth century. Heavy rains and a major mudslide caused the building to slide downhill and wind up sitting at a bizarre angle right next to a large tree. It was this little office that eventually gave birth to an idea that two businessmen would capitalize on and create the now famous Oregon Vortex house.
Ever since the Oregon Vortex opened in 1930, visitors have been amused at the illusions that occur there. There is no magic in the stage sense that causes objects to move or make people appear taller or shorter than they really are. Being inside the vortex reputedly causes people to feel dizzy, as if they are at a tall height looking straight down, even though they are standing on the ground. Things like this happening usually make people think of a carnival illusion house, where replicas have been made. The “bent mirror” effect is probably the most common object thought of in one of these houses. But with the Oregon Vortex, this is something different, not man made but completely natural, causing the natives to originally avoid entering the vortex at all costs. It is worth noting that even animals will not enter this area.
As with other supernatural phenomena, a ghost is also involved with the Oregon Vortex – the ghost of a John Lister, the gentleman who stumbled across the area in the 1920’s an conducted a series of tests to confirm that bizarre occurrences were indeed happening, and not just stories that were hearsay. Some visitors to the vortex have claimed to see his spirit hanging around the old gold mine office, as if to welcome them to his secret lair. Lister’s ghost is considered friendly to curiosity seekers, since he was once a curiosity seeker himself.
The Oregon Vortex is located at 4303 Sardine Creek L Fork Rd in Gold Hill, Oregon.
Image Credit: James Wellington from Cottage Grove, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
