TONGUE & GROOVE

Landers, CA– 20 miles North of Joshua Tree National Park, atop a concentrated magnetic field- rises an acoustically perfect wooden structure based on the design of Moses’ Tabernacle and the writings of Nikola Tesla.

The Integratron, a mystical, extra-terrestrial looking white dome was born from an intergalactic exchange. Venusians, specifically. During a silent night, under a full moon of August of 1953- desert dweller, aeronautical engineer and meditator George Van Tassel claims to have been woken up by a flying saucer. From his first hand account he notes,

“…about a hundred yards away, hovered a glittering, glowing ship, around eight feet off the ground. The man said, “My name is Solgonda, I would be pleased to show you our craft.”

So the story goes, once invited on board, the aliens generously provided him, telepathically (natch), with a formula for a proprietary frequency for rejuvenating living cell tissues. Upon his return to earth, he began building a structure in which to realize the rejuvenations–dubbed “The Integratron” by his friends from Venus.

George lived nearby with his wife Eva and three children at Giant Rock, where together they ran the Giant Rock Interplanetary Airport and a restaurant, the Come On Inn, known for Eva’s hamburgers and spiced apple pie. They also became hosts of the Interplanetary Spacecraft Conventions– attended by thousands of fans of weird science, and UFO enthusiasts alike.

Today, the dome is still the only one of it’s kind.  38-foot high, 55-foot diameter. It’s so acoustically perfect that sound is amplified to an incredible degree. Now owned an operated by the Karl sisters, the public is welcome to experience the magic and mystery of George Van Tassel’s vision. The Integratron offers sound baths,–60 minute sonic healing sessions, during which a sequence of quartz crystal singing bowls are played, each one keyed to the energy centers or chakras of the body, where sound is nutrition for the nervous system.

Possibly not the level of rejuvenation that the Venusians were going for, but it’s close. The Integratron’s creator passed away suddenly in 1978. According to the Integratron timeline:

His epitaph read, “Birth through induction, death through short circuit.”

George Van Tassel’s proprietary electronic equipment, notes and diagrams disappeared from the property shortly after his death and have not surfaced to date. His FBI file is still classified.

 

Caitlin Mociun explores in pictures, above.

Text by Aja Pecknold