wheel-spoke track near Black Butte, CA?
July 10, 2017 8:33 AM Subscribe
I'm trying and failing to imagine what this wagon-wheel-looking track or landform is for. It's right next to Black Butte, near Mount Shasta in northern California. Does anyone have any information, so I can expel this pebble from my mental shoe?
I think it's just motocross/4WD trails.
posted by humboldt32 at 8:56 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by humboldt32 at 8:56 AM on July 10, 2017
That looks similar to a defunct navy radio site near Chicago. It was different, but similar in fashion to this.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:21 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:21 AM on July 10, 2017
The area to the bottom right of this is a dump, so my guess is your wagon wheel is related to that. I'd be surprised if anyone wanted to ride OHVs next to a dump. They often smell pretty bad.
posted by cnc at 9:44 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by cnc at 9:44 AM on July 10, 2017
The USGS historical maps site for the 1986 version shows that area as part of the "borrow pit" (for excavation) for the landfill. In fact, you can see the outline pretty well on the satellite photo due to the vegetation change. There was nothing noted before that map.
It's possible that the "spokes" could be related to either the excavation process itself (draglines, roads, conveyors, etc.), some kind of mitigation for that or possibly even some kind of groundwater/gas testing for the landfill (though I find it odd that the vegetation along the "spokes" look dead or dying). If you look in the upper left hand quadrant of the "wheel" there look like old overlapping arcs (small) from the excavation - deposits from sorting or something like that.
I'd also slide onto the table that whatever is going on might not be done yet - due to the browning vegetation and "the freshness" of the dirt in the spokes, and there's what looks like heavy equipment around the large buildings on the Springhill Dr. in the photo (or that might be the recycling place noted somewhere - but there is a direct dirt road down to the "wheel") - maybe related to the landfill. Or, I dunno, maybe something like solar power? You might keep an eye on it!
posted by barchan at 10:42 AM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's possible that the "spokes" could be related to either the excavation process itself (draglines, roads, conveyors, etc.), some kind of mitigation for that or possibly even some kind of groundwater/gas testing for the landfill (though I find it odd that the vegetation along the "spokes" look dead or dying). If you look in the upper left hand quadrant of the "wheel" there look like old overlapping arcs (small) from the excavation - deposits from sorting or something like that.
I'd also slide onto the table that whatever is going on might not be done yet - due to the browning vegetation and "the freshness" of the dirt in the spokes, and there's what looks like heavy equipment around the large buildings on the Springhill Dr. in the photo (or that might be the recycling place noted somewhere - but there is a direct dirt road down to the "wheel") - maybe related to the landfill. Or, I dunno, maybe something like solar power? You might keep an eye on it!
posted by barchan at 10:42 AM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Whatever it is, it's not there in the Bing satellite imagery for the site.
posted by brianogilvie at 10:48 AM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by brianogilvie at 10:48 AM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
Good catch on comparing the Bing image.
Besides the wheel spokes and rim, there's a lot of stuff on the ground that doesn't appear in the Bing image. Two boxes at the center. A henge about 200 feet northeast of the center, with slightly taller stones(?) at the cardinal points. A whole pile of stuff just south of the henge. Something that looks like a rectangular fenced in area between the southwest point on the rim and the house on Spring Hill Rd., with what looks like a lot of vehicle tracks around it.
posted by Bruce H. at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Besides the wheel spokes and rim, there's a lot of stuff on the ground that doesn't appear in the Bing image. Two boxes at the center. A henge about 200 feet northeast of the center, with slightly taller stones(?) at the cardinal points. A whole pile of stuff just south of the henge. Something that looks like a rectangular fenced in area between the southwest point on the rim and the house on Spring Hill Rd., with what looks like a lot of vehicle tracks around it.
posted by Bruce H. at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Looks like it appeared sometime between September 2014 and August 2016. There's another circle (made of rocks or something?) in the northeast quadrant.
Siskiyou County doesn't have parcel data available for free, or I'd check ownership.
posted by asperity at 11:07 AM on July 10, 2017
Siskiyou County doesn't have parcel data available for free, or I'd check ownership.
posted by asperity at 11:07 AM on July 10, 2017
The Bing map is from August 2010, according to this tool: Bing Aerial Imagery Analyzer for OpenStreetMap. (Enter "black butte, ca" in the "Find" box upper right.)
posted by notyou at 11:12 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by notyou at 11:12 AM on July 10, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks, everybody! I will ping the Forest Service, and if they get back to me, I'll post an update.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:16 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:16 AM on July 10, 2017
There are several Mt Shasta Vortex tour guide companies in the area, some touting Black Butte vortex tours and star seed gatherings and such. Maybe a connection there?
posted by notyou at 11:18 AM on July 10, 2017
posted by notyou at 11:18 AM on July 10, 2017
Response by poster: I just got off the phone with a nice person at the Mount Shasta ranger station. She said they know about it, and were just checking it out the other day, and that they have "no idea" what it is.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:22 AM on July 10, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 11:22 AM on July 10, 2017 [13 favorites]
This is how nvidia, in collaboration with Umbrella Corp, calibrate their satellites.
This is a sort of flippant answer, but my mind first flew to the popular video game Resident Evil and the fact there are real large scale fingerprint type structures made to orient satellites.
posted by adept256 at 12:09 PM on July 10, 2017
This is a sort of flippant answer, but my mind first flew to the popular video game Resident Evil and the fact there are real large scale fingerprint type structures made to orient satellites.
posted by adept256 at 12:09 PM on July 10, 2017
It seems to align with compass points. I wasted an hour in google earth trying to find and place a compass overlay to check (and unfortunately, fiddly work that pays is calling).
posted by notyou at 2:01 PM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by notyou at 2:01 PM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
sandettie light vessel automatic, I just want to say that now that we know it's an actual weird mystery this is officially my favorite AskMeFi. Who's gonna take the road trip to Shasta with me?
posted by peppercorn at 3:10 PM on July 10, 2017
posted by peppercorn at 3:10 PM on July 10, 2017
Looks like it might be a transfer/recycle station, i.e., dump.
posted by The Tensor at 3:11 PM on July 10, 2017
posted by The Tensor at 3:11 PM on July 10, 2017
Response by poster: I am already wondering when I can make my way up there, peppercorn.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 3:21 PM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 3:21 PM on July 10, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: When you use the ruler tool in Google Earth, a line drawn south-to-north along the north-south axis gives a heading of 359.85 degrees, which is enough for me to think that whoever made it cares about cardinal directions.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 6:35 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 6:35 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
This is some spooky-ass SCP shit
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:36 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:36 PM on July 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm getting way too into this.
It was hard to find, but I figured out how to get the siskiyou county parcel ownership data here:
Here is the public data available for that parcel:
Owner Name DUNLEVY DAN TRUSTEE
Situs Address No Information
APN 021071110000
Mailing Address 1589 S MAIN STREET, SPRINGVILLE UT 84663-9451
Deed 20150001319
Deed Date 2015-02-18
Approximate Size 39.9 Acres
Land Value 263,965
Improvement Value 0
Total Value 263,965
Use Code 590
Use Description VACANT RURAL LAND
LCA Enrolled No
None of this means anything to me. And I'm still not sure what this thing could be.
I was able to learn from the GIS data that the wagon wheel is its own parcel, in its entirety, and doesn't seem to be related to the surrounding parcels. It's separate from the dump and the park and the other things around it, which all have different ownership.
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:03 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
It was hard to find, but I figured out how to get the siskiyou county parcel ownership data here:
Here is the public data available for that parcel:
Owner Name DUNLEVY DAN TRUSTEE
Situs Address No Information
APN 021071110000
Mailing Address 1589 S MAIN STREET, SPRINGVILLE UT 84663-9451
Deed 20150001319
Deed Date 2015-02-18
Approximate Size 39.9 Acres
Land Value 263,965
Improvement Value 0
Total Value 263,965
Use Code 590
Use Description VACANT RURAL LAND
LCA Enrolled No
None of this means anything to me. And I'm still not sure what this thing could be.
I was able to learn from the GIS data that the wagon wheel is its own parcel, in its entirety, and doesn't seem to be related to the surrounding parcels. It's separate from the dump and the park and the other things around it, which all have different ownership.
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:03 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
And here are the property transfers:
TRANSFER HISTORY
Last six transfers since 1999, if any. Indicated Sales Price based on Documentary Transfer Tax.
Event Date Document No. Transferor Name Indicated Sales Price Multi-Parcel
02/18/2015 20150001319 MOGHADAM CHRISTINE $260,000 No
08/03/2011 20110009547 HARRIS CLARK P TRUST $0 No
08/13/2003 20030014224 HARRIS CLARK P $0 No
05/12/2003 20030007762 HARRIS TERESE MAUREEN $0 No
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:06 AM on July 11, 2017
TRANSFER HISTORY
Last six transfers since 1999, if any. Indicated Sales Price based on Documentary Transfer Tax.
Event Date Document No. Transferor Name Indicated Sales Price Multi-Parcel
02/18/2015 20150001319 MOGHADAM CHRISTINE $260,000 No
08/03/2011 20110009547 HARRIS CLARK P TRUST $0 No
08/13/2003 20030014224 HARRIS CLARK P $0 No
05/12/2003 20030007762 HARRIS TERESE MAUREEN $0 No
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:06 AM on July 11, 2017
Following up on that ownership info, I'm starting to think that this is some sort of quarter-million-dollar, 40-acre Ouija board. Not sure what to make of this.
posted by asperity at 9:25 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by asperity at 9:25 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Dan Dunlevy on Meetup.
posted by notyou at 10:29 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
I feel honored that our group has been invited to this special ceremony. Dan is one of our members. He works energetically and spiritually to support healing and change for the highest good for all beings.Mt Shasta draws a lot of folks into crystals and healing and etc (it's said to be a power vortex), and so maybe Dan's moving his practice to be closer to the action.
This ceremony will be held within the stone circle that Dan constructed in his pasture!
posted by notyou at 10:29 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Alas, the mystical pasture in question is in Utah, not in Siskiyou County, CA. The directions to it are listed at the bottom of that post.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:34 AM on July 11, 2017
posted by mudpuppie at 10:34 AM on July 11, 2017
That said, the owner (not typing his name because I don't want to Google bomb him) "has extensive training and experience in several disciplines, including 11 years of afterlife exploration, soul retrieval and contacting deceased persons for The Monroe Institute."
The Monroe Institute conducts frequent excursions to Shasta, which is supposed to be known as a vortex. Some weird man-made Stonehengian crop circle thing near Mt. Shasta would certainly fit in with their raison d'être.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Monroe Institute conducts frequent excursions to Shasta, which is supposed to be known as a vortex. Some weird man-made Stonehengian crop circle thing near Mt. Shasta would certainly fit in with their raison d'être.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Not the first time someone has wondered....
posted by mudpuppie at 11:05 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by mudpuppie at 11:05 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Alas, the mystical pasture in question is in Utah, not in Siskiyou County, CA. The directions to it are listed at the bottom of that post.
Right, but the address in TurkishGold's comment is also in Utah, which is maybe a connection here. Maybe that guy moved his practice from Utah to Black Butte, CA. (I might have made that more clear in my comment above.)
posted by notyou at 11:36 AM on July 11, 2017
Right, but the address in TurkishGold's comment is also in Utah, which is maybe a connection here. Maybe that guy moved his practice from Utah to Black Butte, CA. (I might have made that more clear in my comment above.)
posted by notyou at 11:36 AM on July 11, 2017
Best answer: This dude's Utah address has two similar circular things in his backyard. I'm thinking we figured out everything we need to know and are just being kinda creepy and invading privacy now.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1589+S+Main+St,+Springville,+UT+84663/@40.1462555,-111.6077266,88a,35y,336.73h,45.01t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x874dbda2942a6e7d:0x4206bf2f69b2db07!8m2!3d40.1470709!4d-111.608144
posted by TurkishGolds at 11:49 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1589+S+Main+St,+Springville,+UT+84663/@40.1462555,-111.6077266,88a,35y,336.73h,45.01t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x874dbda2942a6e7d:0x4206bf2f69b2db07!8m2!3d40.1470709!4d-111.608144
posted by TurkishGolds at 11:49 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I have to concur with TurkishGolds on "we may be over a line, now". Thank you all so much for your curiosity and legwork.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 12:28 PM on July 11, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 12:28 PM on July 11, 2017 [4 favorites]
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posted by showbiz_liz at 8:53 AM on July 10, 2017