Draft:Mount Shasta Hole
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The Mount Shasta Hole was a 60 ft (18 m) hole inside Shasta-Trinity National Forest, located in northern California. The origins and parties responsible for the hole remain unknown to local residents, which caused local rumors and conspiracy theories.
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In 2009, a US Forest Service officer found the hole within the Mount Shasta park boundaries. The hole was approximately 15 ft (4.6 m) wide and 60 ft (18 m) deep. Aside from a plastic Smartwater bottle, the hole was empty. Within weeks of discovery, the forest service filled in the hole, citing it as a safety hazard.
US Forest Service officer Carmen Kinch stated that she has identified the culprit and intends to press charges.[1]
In 2014, filmmaker Elijah Sullivan directed a documentary called The Hole Story. The documentary details the account of a man who helped dig the hole and theories on why the hole was dug.[2][3] In 2025, the weekly public radio program This American Life featured Elijah Sullivan and his documentary in episode #875, titled I Hate Mysteries.[4]
Theories
The Lost Continent of Lemuria
Lemuria is a hypothetical continent proposed by English zoologist Phillip Sclater in 1864. This continent is the supposed origin of human life. In the 1894 occult book A Dweller on Two Planets, author Frederick Spencer Oliver claims that survivors of the Lemuria continent were living in an underground city below Mount Shasta named Telos.[5]
Some Mount Shasta locals have claimed to see and talk with Lemurians. This has led to some locals attributing the Mount Shasta Hole to Lemurian activity.[6]
Native American Artifacts
Mount Shasta is a sacred location to the local Winnemem Wintu indigenous tribe. The tribe's leader, Caleen Sisk, as acknowledged the existence of the hole and stated that "we came out of that mountain, so we're obligated to be the watchers of the mountain."
Filmmaker Elijah Sullivan theorizes that the Mount Shasta Hole could be a product of looters searching for Native American artifacts, but no evidence of such activity has been found.[3]
Gold Prospectors
In recent years, there has been a new wave of mining activity across northern California, known as "The New '49ers", a reference to the 19th century California Gold Rush.[7][8] While many of these prospectors having been dredging in local rivers, it's possible that the Mount Shasta Hole could have been dug in search of gold.