There are numerous regions around the world accompanied by mysterious phenomena that have no scientific explanation, with the most famous being the Bermuda Triangle, where ships and planes disappear without leaving any trace. Despite the difficulty in accessing such places, there are other locations on Earth that people can easily visit and experience these phenomena themselves. One of these is located in the state of Oregon, USA, and is known as the Oregon Vortex. Visitors entering this cabin immediately notice a disturbance in gravity, with balls rolling uphill and brooms balancing at unusual angles without falling. Photographs even reveal the presence of invisible light beams. Some visitors, according to the owners, experience relief from back pain, while others feel seasick inside the cabin, and a person’s height either increases or decreases depending on where they stand.
The “Oregon Vortex” is situated near Gold Hill in southern Oregon, in the Sardine Creek area. This spot has existed since the Earth’s formation and is surrounded by legends. Native Americans referred to this site as a forbidden land, and travelers passing through it often noted that their horses refused to enter. Over the years, a gold mining company set up operations in the area, constructing a wooden office in 1904. Soon after its construction, the building began to slide and tilt at strange angles, much like the funhouses found in amusement parks. In 1914, the area was rediscovered by a prospector named William McCulloch, who convinced his geologist and engineer friend John Litster to come from Scotland to the United States to investigate the strange phenomenon. After conducting several studies, Litster proposed a few explanations, attributing the phenomenon to scientific causes such as the area being located within a spherical magnetic field with a diameter of about 50 meters, half above ground and half below. He also considered fluctuating gravitational forces or twisted atoms as possible explanations, while others speculated more fantastical causes, such as a powerful underground machine left behind by ancient pre-historic beings.
Regardless of the true cause, Litster capitalized on the phenomenon and developed the area into a tourist attraction, officially opening it to the public in 1930 under the name “Oregon Vortex.” It drew thousands of curious visitors and scientists eager to study the phenomenon. After Litster’s death, his wife sold the site in 1960 to a couple, Ernie and Irene Cooper, whose daughter Maria has since maintained the site as a famous landmark in the state. Visitors continue to be amazed by the strange occurrences, with some attributing them to spiritual reasons, claiming the place is haunted, a gateway to heaven, or an interdimensional energy transfer point.
Despite these bizarre phenomena and claims of spiritual significance, science offers a different perspective. According to scientists, what occurs at the “Oregon Vortex” is nothing more than an optical illusion known as “forced perspective.” In this illusion, the brain processes spatial frames incorrectly, creating a deceptive understanding of the environment. This phenomenon isn’t unique to the Oregon Vortex, as similar illusions have been documented elsewhere and confirmed using photography and mathematical equations. However, Maria Cooper, the current owner, acknowledges these scientific explanations but insists that certain phenomena, like the height changes experienced by visitors, remain unexplained. She also points out that these anomalies are most intense during a full moon.
