Every piece of land in America is hiding a time machine under your feet. Before you search your own house or school, work backward through four clues on one of Oregon's most inspiring pioneer homesteads.
Oregon is OR-ih-gun • Willamette Valley is wih-LAM-it (like 'damage' without the -age) • Bob Zybach is ZIGH-bahk.
| Shot | Time | Visual | Dave's Spoken Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot 1 | 0:00–0:18 | Selfie shot in Douglas-fir woods | "Hi, I'm Dave Sullivan, here in Oregon's Willamette Valley—that's wih-LAM-it! If you look at the woods behind me today, it just looks like quiet forest. But every piece of land in America is hiding a mystery right under your feet." |
| Shot 2 | 0:18–0:38 | Walking trail along creek | "My friend Doctor Bob Zybach—that's ZIGH-bahk—is a forest historian who solves land mysteries by working backward in time. We start with what the land looks like today, peel back old airplane photos from ninety years ago, and then read the handwritten notebooks of the first surveyors who walked here with an iron chain in the eighteen-fifties." |
| Shot 3 | 0:38–0:58 | Holding 1853 survey map | "Right below this video, you can try it yourself on one of Oregon's most amazing places: Soap Creek Valley. In four quick clicks, you'll peel back the trees, find the valley's eighteen-fifty-three Survey Birthday, and uncover the true story of Letitia Carson—a brave Black pioneer woman who went to court in the eighteen-fifties and won." |
| Shot 4 | 0:58–1:15 | Pointing to map and search bar | "Once you solve the four clues at Soap Creek, type in your own house, your school, or a family farm, and run the exact same time machine on your land. Or, if you want to search your own address right now, just click the search bar at the top. Let's get started!" |
Today Corvallis is home to Oregon State University, bustling downtown riverfront paths, and historic residential avenues.
In 1936, sawmill log ponds lined the Willamette River while Oregon State Agricultural College grew with red-brick quadrangles.
Surveyor Dennis Hathorn mapped this township in September 1852, recording Joseph Avery's Donation Land Claim #53.
Joseph Avery settled here in 1845. In 1853, the name was changed from Marysville to Corvallis, from the Latin phrase meaning 'heart of the valley'.
Donation Land Claim #53 Patent.
The Chepenefa band of the Kalapuya had a permanent winter village near the confluence of Marys River and the Willamette River for thousands of years.
Section 16 in Township 11 South Range 5 West was dedicated to public elementary school funding.
You've earned the Junior Land Detective Badge. You proved how laser ground scans [Lidar] reveal hidden pioneer roads, how 1930s airplanes map forest change, how 1850s surveyors marked witness trees, and how Letitia Carson won justice in the Oregon territory.
Compare your square mile and witness trees with classmates using a private 6-letter class code. Zero personal names or private addresses are shared.