Nuclear Jet Bunkers of the Quehanna Wilds - The Real Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Come along and explore the Nuclear Jet Bunkers of the Quehanna Wilds and hear the Real Story of what they were and what happened to this area.
The area has a sordid history of nuclear contamination and other toxic elements. Perhaps it is more wild than you even realize.
MERCH - scottsoddyseey...
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Actually the last land grab in Pa wasent the walking purchase.
It was actually the one former Gov Leader along with numerous other leaders did in Pa.
Are you aware there were over 300 homes and camps located within the Quehanna area ?
Our camp located at the head of Panther run was just one of them.
Reactor road of coarse didnt exist at that time, and it has recently been renamed to Lost Run Rd.
Lost run rd was a road which started at the end of Riddle Rd. and thats where the reactor was located.
I can remember hearing the roar of those engines running on those pads from a long distance away.
The nuclear facility was taken over by Penn State university after Curtis Wright ceased operating.
Curtis Wright actually only purchased about 350 acres, the rest being leased to them by the corrupt polititions who stole the land from original owners and lease holders.
The whole thing only lasted about six years or so, but the area was closed for a total of about ten years before it was opened for public use again.
His arrogance the late US senator Joseph Clark lost his senate seat as a result of the Curtis Wright scandel.
Im currently 87 years old and reside in Florida, but still own land and a share in a family owned camp near Driftwood.
Thanks you for your input on the history!
Ernie,
Thanks for sharing. Would be curious to hear more about your take on the history of this area. Fascinating
Was just up in driftwood today
Been there many ,many times ...My Dad took me when I was I kid & still go there to this day .my Dad started hunting iaround that area since the late 60'd & we still hunt around that Area ...some of those cement slabs are for gun turrets...also those fields are blue berry bush's & huckleberry berry ...those Newts were there when I was a kid & yes those small ponds are full of them & frogs ...I've taken my grown kids there .Beautiful Country.
Been there many times. Last journey you couldn't enter the test bunker as seen in your video. The openings on the bunker like mentioned above as time past the glass to see out was breaking apart and you could see the many layers from front to back. Before the cleanup in doing research at the Shaw Library in Clearfield in the old newspapers diagrams of roads and such but after being on foot like jumping down rabbit hole of the JFK assassination what was reported to the paper and where certain things said to be located ended up in the opposite direction for example another road. The town of Karthaus across the bridge towards the crossroads had entire community built for the initial project when CW came to the area. A school, fire house and housing which I don't know the term but it resembles at least two ranch style homes connected which to date are still there all lined up one after another. I remember my parents telling me who transplanted from NYC before the end of the Curtis Wright era on the West Side of Clearfield many families from different countries sent by their respective governments on assignment to obseve and learn came from two in particular West Germany and Thailand which my parent became very good friends with. After the Curtis Wright project came to an end one family who came with CW from New Jersey stayed. This gentleman was a photographer and an expert in many different types of photography specializing in aerial. This gentleman after the CW closing opened a camera store and portrait studio. He's since passes but in the late 80's while investigating the facility my father suggested he would mention what Iwas up to and see if I could ontain any photographs of the area. After some time and thanfully the timing right the gentleman was about to retire. I've met him before but in handing over a big envelope with 8x12 photo's he gave me this stare and asked what do you plan on doing with these? My personal collection ended up with shot of the entrances and guard housed manned with military rifles, aerial shots and pictures of inside the reactor. Back then they during the night may not have been CW but items from the machine shops and other things not to be handeled encased in different precious metals. Also one of the last employees to get his discharge papers gave me some pointers and I will say this not being one of them stumbled across a 55 gallon drum that the ground rejected only to partially force it out of the ground and the lid and rim being eaten away was a cobalt blue. Many good times there's
@@stevenkempner3912 thank you for adding to the history and sharing that story!
it is about 50 miles away, had uncels worked as gard in the 60s,
salamander is sign of good water.
Yeah... Salamanders and non-deformed frogs.
This video reminds me of the Saxton Nuclear Experiment Station. As a kid I remember in the mid 70's while fishing on the Raystown Lake walking onto the recently decommissioned site. All the buildings where still there, I still have the memory of placing my hand on the domed reactor building.
Is any part of that station still around, Jim S? (Saxton is just a jump from the ODDySEEY HQ)
I did get your other comment. TH-cam blocks comments with URL's in them. Thank you for the response :)
We had a camp up on the mountain top between Driftwood and Emporium growing up. My dad took us to this site around 1969-1970ish I was only about 6-7 years old. My brother remembers more than me (two years older). We both watched this and remember the bunker with the thick glass, but it was intact back then. My question for you is, "Did you ever think of taking a Geiger counter there?" Just found your site and have been watching your videos. I was a Marine Corps recruiter in Clarion in 1987-1989and did not even know the Clarion Tressle was there!!
Geiger Counter... I wish I had the $$ for one or a donation from someone... I am also in the market for a better air detector for when I hit caves/holes/tunnels. Right now I trust my eyes, ears, nose, and gut (LOTS of trust in my gut instincts) in order to make an "educated" guess at safety. In the end, I am also of an age where certain cautions get tossed to the wind (like asbestos, which takes 15-20 years to form cancerous tumors... which is longer than my remaining lifespan... so for me it is safe :D ).
Scott, I really like how you transitioned into Eisenhower's speech in this video. Another good lesson. Thanks again. Have a great day!
;)
We visited the two bunker sites in summer 2022. We used a $500 alpha/beta/gamma geiger counter by the pool, the test stand, and in the bunker. No signs of elevated radiation. We didn't visit the reactor road site - I suspect that might be a bit hotter.
It's possible that they never actually ran reactors at the jet sites, and only tested regular fuel-burning jet engines in prep of nuclear engine development, but the program was shuttered before it could get to that point.
I still would not trust the water. They were disposing of all other kinds of toxic stuff, like beryllium.
Lots of Berylluym. I would be afraid to turn the earth. Thanks for radiayion check! Awesome stuff.
Good video. I only ever made it as far as the gate then chickened out and turned back. I was always told the area was under tight security but that is not the case.
I never heard about security at this site... I could see how they would have wanted to stop potential graffiti or destruction of the buildings... but I was actually encouraged to visit this site by trail and state park officials. I hope you watch more of my videos and find them enjoyable (and SAFE to visit).
While we are at it... hit that SUBSCRIBE button... it helps keep the channel going and it costs you NOTHING. I promise!
We hiked up there 2 or 3 years ago, at that time the door was welded shut . Thanks for all the info you shared!
Oh wow!
I drive past those sites almost every weekend for the last 30 years . Growing up in St Mary’s , we were always at these sites messing around . The scary part is how they buried the barrels of waste with dirt randomly thought out the Forest . Go back by the airstrip and take a walk around . Miles of large mounded dirt piles . Defiantly not natural .
In the late 90s , my wife and I were driving past Reactor Road about 1:00 am heading home . The first little field on the left had a lot of big construction lights there and about 30 men in white bunny suits and respirator hoods on . Multiple military tanker trucks parked along the road with them. What were they doing ??? Don’t know , but sure was freaky !! Just like in a horror movie .
I cannot "CONFIRM" (but am confirming) what you say about the waste in that area. I have had a lot of side chats with a LOT of former "grounds" keepers and there are a LOT of secrets hiding under that entire area.
Sounds like an X-Files episode. I'm heading up there next week on my way to camp. I've been there a few times, but there's more I want to explore.
Outstanding informative video! I have been here in the late 60's or early 70's when I was 9 or 10 yrs old.
Well... as you can see, it still stands. I wonder how much more of it was there when you were younger?
Rewatched this video.. odd how the woods can look so beautiful and well, natural but at the same time hide dangerous chemicals.. seems like an all too familiar story in Pennsylvania unfortunately
We just gotta pretend its not there. Remember the disappointing reality that there is nowhere in PA that you can tread where man has not only cut down a tree, but turned over the earth.
Thanks! I always wondered what it looked like! Im a half mile off the Quehanna about 12 miles away! Im glad there are fish there. Did you have a dosimeter or geiger counter? I dont understand that if the red area on the map exists, why was the state released by the nuclear Regulatory Commission? Whats there? Is it tested? And are the cooling ponds safe for animals to drink? Thats prime PA Elk habitat
I had a cheap dosimeter... but it only registers non-nuclear (or non-man made) levels of radiation. I was going to pick up a Geiger (I had one from the CC back in the day that I sold on eBay for $30) but they are so frickin expensive now it is crazy (hundreds of dollars). So... the reason for the "state release" of an area is based on rules set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Now here is where it gets interesting... back when Fukishima went meltdown (which it is STILL DOING) the amount of bad radiation in the food products from the sea and in the air particles landing on California soil is about 10 times above what is considered "non hazardous" to humans. SO THE GOVERNMENT INCREASE WHAT IS CONSIDERED NON HAZARDOUS TO HUMANS IN ORDER TO SAVE THE CALIFORNIA AND FISHING INDUSTRIES ECONOMIC PRODUCTION.
IN addition to the other questions regarding "cooling ponds" etc. They fixed it by "burying" it there under about 10 feet of dirt. I chose NOT to go out to the Nuke site, but as you saw in the video, the area around the Bunkers is absolutely CLEAR of any viable natural habitat except for those knee high brush. By now there should be tons of trees and tons of grass, etc.
@@ODDySEEy there is another pond! I went there with my dad about 6 years ago it’s a much larger pond that is rumored to be too deep to measure back in the day. There’s bald eagle reserves all around it as well. Definitely not anything at the bottom…
We just visited the jet engine test sites with a mid-grade ($500) alpha/beta/gamma detector. Radioactivity was completely at baseline at both bunker test sites. We tested by the pond, the test stand, and in the bunker. We didn't visit reactor road.
I'm skeptical reactors were ever operational at either of the northern sites. I think they planned to, and tested some regular jet engines, but the project got cancelled before it got "hot".
That's not to say there isn't any chemical contamination at the site. I didn't let my dogs drink the water.
Your walking into wykoff run natural area , its around 1400 acres . Its a great place to hunt .
It is a beautiful and flat wood. It also seems to be mostly traversable with ease (except a few areas of stranglehold Mountain Laurel groves).
Really enjoy seeing the bunkers and your story telling all what once was
I hope it adds to any sites you visit after watching.
Interesting video. By the way, there wouldn't be any bats there right now. Those are "summer homes" for the bats. Bats couldn't hibernate over winter in those bunkers because it would get too cold and they would freeze to death.
Makes sense. Thank you for that information.
Always great content Scott. Did you uncover the truth behind the numbers carved in the rocks along Quehanna highway? I always thought they were mile markers from the reactor but they count down instead of up.
Campground Markers added by the State in the early 70's
They're mile markers. The road goes both ways.
The markers go past where the reactor was . They start at the Piper plant .( now the boot camp)
Have you located any additional info or pictures on the quehanna jet engine test sites? There is supposedly an abandoned dirt runway airport, built in the Curtis Wright era, located in that area.
No... have not gotten any more info. BUT... the runway is still visible. It was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA - Similar to CCC but hired both men and women over the age of 25) BEFORE the bunkers were put into place. It was done as an emergency air strip for the Trans Continental Airmail service.
BUT... I have it on realy good authority about it being used for military aircraft as well as some "secret" bunkers buried on the property as well.
When I investigate that "deep state" stuff, I will make sure I tag you in it, because we wouldn't want to miss out on that one. :D
@@ODDySEEy Thank you.
@@ODDySEEy Do you know if the runway that is registered with FAA is the original built back in the 50s? The current runway is apparently privately owned and registered with the FAA as PN12. I've always had an interest in the Quehanna area and wondered if the Department of Energy ever told us the truth about it.
In the 50's the runway was... Military Use. ;)
@@ODDySEEy I'm very interested in this runway would like some direction on where to start with research
Have you read the book by the late Ralph L Harrison? “Quehanna, The Blemished Jewel Restored” We have hiked this area many times and enjoyed your video.
Nope, but I have it on my list of books to pick up. Thank you.
Great video! Can't wait to get out to western PA and experience this place for myself
Do some more digging... I am finding out there is sooooo much more in the Wilds. I can't wait to go back :D
Hey Scott, big fan! Love your videos. A young fellow PA explorer. Gonna go explore Frick's lock sometime soon!
Fricks Lock... great site. East Coventry. Let me know through email a few days before you head and maybe we can meet up.
I lived in Clearfield n never went here. Now living I'm farther east n have to see it.
That was part of the inspiration behind these videos. Nobody seems to truly understand or know about the things in their own back yards.
I was thinking of going up there Saturday when I was thinking where to hike, now I'll have to make that this weeks hike. Did you go down where there reactor used to be?
Not the whole way. The field is empty and in a "hot" zone, and I was also going to hit Kunes camp and Table Falls
This was awesome thanks a bunch. Well done.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Did you see the Elk there everywhere you can find sheds this time of the yr up there
No :( Lots of Scat and we were ON the man trails, not the animal trails. There was some bleating in the background too.
Have u ever been up there in saxton pa where they had a nuclear power plant?
On my list once I get some more information.
there is an interesting boundary line shown on openstreetmap - seems like a fence.
No fence, but area controlled by EPA.
I did not know there was this up there just thought it was all wilds
Wilds, Mushrooms, BIG ROCKS, and now I am finding out that there is even more interesting things that the military and others have left behind. :D
Make me wonder if you could file a FOIA request for info/pics
I have been working with some people on that... but they are a bit hard core about not "digging up the past".
Scotty, do you not have radiation counter of any type?
@@WPAPi3.14 not a working one, unfortunately. Had a nice Victoreen CDV at one point, but it walked on me.
Those gates of dictatorship really piss me off on our mountain roads. They have no right keeping us citizens off any roads in Pennsylvania, especially since we are a Commonwealth so we all literally own all public land equally.
I agree completely.
I am sure this place is still Radioactive ?
I didn't have a Geiger Counter with me... I need to get a nice portable one or maybe one of those old fashioned yellow box ones.
@@ODDySEEy specking of the geiger counter i kept hearing a clicking in your background and thought you had one but then i realized it was something you have on you buping or hittinng something. I also thought it could have been the elk far off making some kind of sounds.
Neither of the bunker sites were radioactive as of summer 2022. Didn't visit the reactor road site but I've heard it's slightly hot.
Geiger counter?
I WISH I HAD ONE. I use to have one, but lost it in a property separation dispute.
i'll invite ya out, the next time my band comes and jams inside south bunker \m/
That will be GREAT! I will drop the hair and windmill for the band :D
Cameron County has a high number of folks with Cancer..... not surprising
I wonder if it is from all the Beryllium.
@@ODDySEEy Im not sure, maybe other isotopes were created / used in the various research and things going on there. There was talk that the tiles for the space shuttles were made in Quehanna also because extremely high temperature was needed to make them ( a nuclear reactor ). We used to have a joke that said: " we can hunt deer at night in Quehanna because they glow in the dark " :-))) Back to the Cancer..... many of the folks in the county who are passing away from Cancer are mostly young folks who were born and grew up through the 60's and beyond. Cameron County has a rich industrial history, logging / sawmills, dynamite plants, brick works, coal / iron mining, coke ovens, blast furnaces for iron production and probably things i have forgotten. there are remnants of some of things still around that i have littering the forests. The coke ovens can be view along Rt 120 coming in to Emporium from Sinnamahoning. There is also an old Indian carving in Sterling Run which should still be there if kids havent destroyed it.
Sorry for rambling.
@@ODDySEEy I found another link you might want to persue.... an article about the jet engine test sites.... in the comment section at the end of the article one person says he has old 8mm film of the engines running at a test site. ( his father worked there ) might be interesting if you could contact him and get an interview or at least get a look at the film.
@@checker2194 Can you post the link? I've always had an interest in the facility. My camp is near there.
@@ODDySEEy i dont kknow if you know this but there is an abandoned nuclear airplane lab in ga. Ive lived here my whole 41 years and only found out about it this last year.
Did you head down reactor road?
Yeah. It is just a field with a fence and a warning sign. Nothing else down there at all.
Excellent 👍👍
Thank you 👍
Galin Winsor
I was at north bunker last summer and there was a large lock on door where is second or south bunker located go to my face book page to see photos
You have some really nice photos on your page, Bob. Took some time scrolling though (maybe drop them into "groups/folders"). Thank you for commenting... OH... and your photos of Kunes look sooooooo coooooold. By the way, hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you can get my videos to show up on your TH-cam feed when you log in (notifications if you want an email alert). That way you can see the condition of sites I am hitting and it may give you some more sites to hit for your photography :)
Interesting and informative. It's cool they're repurposing that bunker for nature
The one bat box was active, but not "very" active. The little ones were really not doing anything. Makes me wonder if the "repurposing' is really doing anything impacting. Would be great to make them fully working and habitat functional because there is a LOT of standing water... so probably a LOT of "skeeters" out there. Speaking of which, on the way we had to cross Mosquito Creek. The number of PA Hillbilly jokes of "Skeeter Crick" that went back and fourth in the truck was just too funny.
What trail is this on
Just off the Quehanna Hwy
“The United States” sounds so weird when you’re talking about the late 1770s
I fully concur. Lots of time I have to revisit what I wrote to keep things straight.
I went to prison at Quehanna and heard stories of nazi and nuclear waste
NAZI is unfounded. Nuclear Waste... mmm... COULD BE. But there ARE other secrets beneath the surface that I hopefully will reveal at a later date. ;)