George Prather and the Mystery Spot

George Prather was the son of a farmer, born near Fresno in California. He had a natural affinity for working with machinery and electricity, and that brought out his God-given talents. Known for being a talented electrician, mechanic, and inventor, George moved his family to Santa Cruz where he opened up a welding shop and auto repair garage. 

George Prather also had five separate patents, the most notable one is for a device used to align the front wheels of automobiles.

Then on October 21, 1940, George purchased three acres of steep redwood forest, where for a brief moment in time he became an architect of sorts — he built an anomaly! Using the redwood trees along the creek, he milled those redwoods for its lumber, and on the actual hillside tucked in the redwoods, he built the “shack.”

The shack was a plain single wall structure, which consisted of two rooms, all built of redwood. The shack was built on a level, then lowered into its current location. What made this “shack” so unique was that it defied the laws of gravity. This shack was to be known to the world as the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, which was and still is the most successful roadside attraction for over 70 years. 

His timing for building this roadside attraction was perfect since the train stopped transporting through the mountains and people started taking their cars. This single action made the Mystery Spot a great place to stop for passersby.

The heyday of postwar Golden age was the 50’s and 60’s when American families hit the road for Sunday drives, which made the Mystery Spot a popular spot. 

As time went on, the Mystery Spot had its ups and downs, but it withstood fuel shortages, as well as big tourist attractions such as Magic Mountain, Legoland, and Disneyland. The simplicity or complexity (depending on your persuasion) of the Mystery Spot compared to major tourist attractions and how it still attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year is in itself an anomaly. One can say the Mystery Spot has some pull (no pun intended). 

In August 2014, the Mystery Spot was declared a California Historical Landmark #1055. So grab the family, get in the car, and drive to this nostalgic roadside attraction, where time stopped since very little has changed in the last 70+ years.

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