The Oregon Vortex
At a tilted wooden shack in Oregon, people seem to grow and shrink as they swap places, and balls roll uphill.
What was reported
The Oregon Vortex is a roadside attraction near Gold Hill, Oregon, built around an old leaning shack. Visitors are told the area has a strange force field: brooms stand on their own, balls appear to roll uphill, and when two people swap places on a level plank, one seems to grow taller and the other shorter.
The site has drawn visitors since 1930, and inspired many similar 'mystery spots' across the United States.
Explanations offered
The effects are optical illusions. The shack is tilted, and the surrounding slope hides what's really level, so the brain is fooled about up and down. The height changes come from a sloping setting that makes distances hard to judge, similar to an Ames room.
- When
- Open to visitors since 1930
- Where
- Gold Hill, Oregon, USA
- Witnesses
- Millions of visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Oregon