It is the only site in the Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places that is described as the fusion of art, science and magic. Today’s Z107.7 historical highlight looks at Landers’ most unusual structure. Reporter Mike Lipsitz puts on his tin foil hat to bring us the story of the world-famous Integratron…
The Integratron began taking shape in the mid-1950s about 20 miles north of Yucca Valley in present day Landers. George Washington Van Tassel created the structure claiming it was based on the design of Moses’ Tabernacle, the writings of inventor and futurist Nikola Tesla, and telepathic plans Van Tassel received during his two abductions by extraterrestrials. An aeronautical engineer by trade, Van Tassel claimed the almost 2,000 square-foot domed electrostatic generator was designed with a dual purpose: facilitate time travel and rejuvenate the human body. In 1978 Van Tassel died suddenly, taking with him plans needed to complete the all-wood structure.
The location of the Integratron is an essential part of its functioning. It was built on an intersection of powerful geomagnetic forces that, when focused by the unique geometry of the building, concentrate and amplify the earth’s magnetic field. Magnetometers read a significant spike in the earth’s magnetic field in the center of the Integratron.
The Karl sisters, Joanne, Nancy, and Patti, purchased the Integratron from Van Tassel’s widow more than 30 years ago. Their focus has been to restore and preserve the structure while sharing its acoustical properties with the world via their sonic healing demonstrations aka the “sound bath.”