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Mystical Horizons is an astronomical-themed site located near Carbury, North Dakota on North Dakota Highway 43 near the North Dakota and Manitoba border. The attraction contains a working solar calendar built from granite pillars, intended to represent a 21st-century Stonehenge, and other instruments intended to explain astronomical phenomena and principles.

History and description

A plaque at the site reads "dedicated to Jack Olson's vision of a Century 21 Stonehenge". The concept was the vision of Jack Olson, an aerospace engineer and designer.^[1] Though Olson died of cancer in 2001 before construction began, the community raised funds to make his dream a reality, along with partnerships including the North Dakota Forest Service, North Dakota Department of Transportation, and the city of Bottineau.^[1] Mystical Horizons opened on October 21, 2005.^[2]

Mystical Horizons includes multiple components designed to connect visitors with the cosmos:^[3]

six walls with slots that act as a solar calendar, with direct sunlight passing through the slots only on the winter and summer solstices and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes,^[1]
a sighting tube in fixed position demonstrating the location of Polaris,^[4] and
a human-sized sundial.^[5]

Each instrument is accompanied by information about how to use the devices and explanations of the scientific principles demonstrated.

A panoramic view of the Turtle Mountains, as well as the surrounding valley, is available from the site.^[4]

Mystical Horizons site (2020)

Conceptual Designer

John (Jack) Olson was an aerospace engineer and inventor. He was born on a farm near Bottineau on October 24, 1922.^[6] Olson served in the Army Air Forces during World War II as a B-24 instructor pilot.^[7] In 1950 he joined Brown & Bigelow as the chief designer in metal and plastic products, receiving 120 mechanical and design patents and designing the Tupperware party favor "the pickle plucker".^[7]

Olson worked for Boeing from 1958 to 1984, working on projects such as the Boeing Jetfoil and the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system.^[8] He was also part of the engineering and design team for the landing pads for the Apollo Lunar Module and the Lunar Landing Vehicle.^[9] He held a seat on the National Space Society Board of Governors.^[8] Olson was also an artist of illustrations of space exploration, and 21 of his space paintings were displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.^[8] He earned a diamond badge from the Soaring Society of America, demonstrating advanced gliding skills, and held a master-photographer certification from the Photographic Society of America.^[10] Olson was the author of a book about his life growing up in the Turtle Mountains published posthumously in 2009: Once In The Middle Of Nowhere: The Center of the Universe: A Collection of Turtle Mountain Tales.^[3]

In his retirement, Olson spent time in Bottineau, creating a series of community projects, including making plans for Mystical Horizons.^[6] He died in Normandy Park, Washington, on August 28, 2001.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Frolicking in the forests". The Dickinson Press. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ "Mystical Horizons". Turtle Mountain Guide. Transcript Publishing. 30 September 2017. p. 14. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Mystical Horizons, North Dakota". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b "2017 GeoFIT: Environmental Perspectives, Final Report" (PDF). [GeoFIT newsletter]. North Dakota Forest Service and North Dakota Geographic Alliance. August 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ "Notable North Dakotans". North Dakota Night Sky. State Historical Society of North Dakota. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b Wagar, Scott (27 August 2013). "A guide in elevation for the Turtle Mountains". North Dakota Newspaper Association. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "John (Jack) Jacob Olson". 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "National Space Society Governor Jack Olson Biography". National Space Society. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ "North Dakota connections to Apollo 11 mission". KFYR-TV. Bismarck, North Dakota. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
^ Whitely, Peyton (12 September 2001). "'Jack' Olson, 'a visionary'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 25 May 2020.