Urban Exploring at ISU

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oskyclone

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This is one of the most entertaining (and pseudo-educational) thread CF has seen in years.

I'm assuming this is beyond the scope of access anyone here has ever had, but I've heard pretty substantial (and consistent) rumors that Gilman (or some part of that building-complex) goes much further underground than most people realize, and that most of those bottom levels are high-security controlled access. It's usually said that it's related to secret-ish research at the Ames Lab. Anyone know about a secret underground military super-lab underneath Gilman/Ames Lab?


This is really weird because just last week my roommate was talking about this. It's even weirder because he is in the military and said there were lots of building below basement level and he was pretty serious about it. He says go to the bottom of a building like carver and you will find doors, but no way to get in. Kinda creepy even if it is false..

This thread is also strange because my other roommates told me about the shriner the other day. They are all from Ames and said it's creepy and the guy really does have a shotgun and has had it shown to them....so I believe everyones stories so far...

Rumors usually have some truth behind....
 

Together2813

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Mar 29, 2006
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gary-busey.jpg

You know, that is kind of what I was picturing or the guy in the movie "The Great Outdoors." I've been hit in the head 50 50 50 50 56 times with lightening!
10890989_tml.jpg
 

cstrunk

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This is one of the most entertaining (and pseudo-educational) thread CF has seen in years.

I'm assuming this is beyond the scope of access anyone here has ever had, but I've heard pretty substantial (and consistent) rumors that Gilman (or some part of that building-complex) goes much further underground than most people realize, and that most of those bottom levels are high-security controlled access. It's usually said that it's related to secret-ish research at the Ames Lab. Anyone know about a secret underground military super-lab underneath Gilman/Ames Lab?

I've been in the basement of Gilman, and I've seen an entrance like what you describe. It's been a couple of years ago, but I think you needed to have security clearance to go through. There were glass windows and if I remember correctly, there is an office on the other side, probably to help control access. If anyone wants to see it, go in the basement and head towards the north end of the building (towards Pammel).
 

cstrunk

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Also, near the laundry room in the basement of Friley on the west end, there is a ventilation duct big enough to crawl through. My girlfriend and a few other girls who lived on her floor in Murphy discovered it and crawled through it. Nothing crazy happened. There's just cobwebs and dust in it, but I never went in. I think it goes from the laundry room to the boys restroom in Dodds.
 

4VR4CY

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Aug 28, 2007
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Crazy stuff about the Ames Lab. Hilton and Spedding did not get along very well from what I read. Looks like Hilton made the lab adopt ISU policies and pay scales which had a mandatory retirement at 65 which forced Spedding to retire.
 

4VR4CY

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For those of you who have not been to the top of the Campanile.....

Need some fun in between the end of semester blues?

The annual Winterfest celebration takes place this Wednesday,
December 3. The full schedule can be viewed at:
Winterfest 2008 - Student Activities Center: Iowa State University

This year Winterfest will feature the illumination ceremony
at 5:30 on the steps of Curtiss Hall. This will include
Tin-Shi Tam playing the bells of the campanile, singing from
a cappella group "All in Moderation", and the lighting of
central campus. There will also be tours of the Campanile
from 4:30-5 and 6-6:30.
After the illumination ceremony,
horse-drawn carriage rides will take students around
central campus. Pick up will be in front of the Memorial
Union from 6-8pm. Don't forget about Freshmen Council's
Jingle Jog (Freshmen Council @ Iowa State University).

Numerous other events will take place in the Memorial Union
throughout the day and night. The full schedule is listed below

Bring all your friends and enjoy a day of fun! We look forward
to seeing all of you at this year's Winterfest!
 

Warder60

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Jun 2, 2006
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Can anyone guess where this picture was taken?:wink:

I was gettin caught up on this thread, saw your picture back on pg 10...
Is that the power plant?

I got to tour the ISU plant, pretty neat.
I also got to go all over Coover hall when I worked for the EE dptmnt. Got up on the roof a few times too. Other than seeing rarely used sections (the 4th floor...) nothing too exciting. I was working in a lab and discovered a mains short. Too bad the breakers worked, coulda gotten a brand new building instead of the renovation. :cool:
 

jaretac

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Nov 26, 2006
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I've been in the basement of Gilman, and I've seen an entrance like what you describe. It's been a couple of years ago, but I think you needed to have security clearance to go through. There were glass windows and if I remember correctly, there is an office on the other side, probably to help control access. If anyone wants to see it, go in the basement and head towards the north end of the building (towards Pammel).

Your not talking about the access to TASF are you?

I was gettin caught up on this thread, saw your picture back on pg 10...
Is that the power plant?

I got to tour the ISU plant, pretty neat.
I also got to go all over Coover hall when I worked for the EE dptmnt. Got up on the roof a few times too. Other than seeing rarely used sections (the 4th floor...) nothing too exciting. I was working in a lab and discovered a mains short. Too bad the breakers worked, coulda gotten a brand new building instead of the renovation. :cool:

It wasn't the power plant. It is part of the X-ray reactor. I've never been a big fan of the Coover roof. Durham has a good view, but my favorite is the roof of Science 2.
 

CyForPresident

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Cornlands of Ayuxwa
I've also heard that during the 50's and 60's the university had to remove soil from several areas around campus due to radiation. The soil was removed in the middle of the summer when it was already hot and the soil would be glowing green and over 150 degrees. This soil also caused some of the trees to grow awkward and twisted.

I don't know how true it is but it is still freaky.

I lived in Freeman and BWR and never saw anything extremely weird. Freeman is a creepy building when its empty though.
 
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MaxPower57

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Mar 30, 2006
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I've also heard that during the 50's and 60's the university had to remove soil from several areas around campus due to radiation. The soil was removed in the middle of the summer when it was already hot and the soil would be glowing green and over 150 degrees. This soil also cause some of the trees to grow awkward and twisted.

I don't know how true it is but it is still freaky.

I lived in Freeman and BWR and never saw anything extremely weird. Freeman is a creepy building when its empty though.

Doesn't the elusive "El Chupacabra" inhabit Freeman 444?
 

Flag Guy

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Mar 2, 2007
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Your not talking about the access to TASF are you?


Yeeeeeeeeeah... that sounds more like it to me

I've also heard that during the 50's and 60's the university had to remove soil from several areas around campus due to radiation. The soil was removed in the middle of the summer when it was already hot and the soil would be glowing green and over 150 degrees. This soil also caused some of the trees to grow awkward and twisted.

I don't know how true it is but it is still freaky.


I've heard that and i"m pretty sure there are some places where the grass still doesn't grow because of that (Try over by the ASC)
 

jaretac

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Doesn't the elusive "El Chupacabra" inhabit Freeman 444?

I see it down in the Campus cr., between Freeman and the East parking deck, from time to time- in fact, I got a video of it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmHmnfgON4A]YouTube - El Chupacabra[/ame]
 

KneeGusto

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May 13, 2006
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S̶q̶u̶a̶w̶ Ioway Creek
I was commenting about this thread over Turkey-Day dinner to my family. My father made a comment about certain areas in the bowels of Gilman and Physics that people should not spend a lot of time in. He made some comments about the "encased" areas that were dug out after '46.

We talked about Spangler Lab and how we why myself and floormates were met at the entrance in '82 with armed guards during a wrong turn during a Kaleidoquiz Treasure Hunt.

Then I asked him more about the sub-ground level stuff at Gilman and Physics halls. He assured me that nothing was "probably" left by the time I got there in the 80's.

To shore up older buildings, some wall fortifying was done in the 80's - and some walls were temporarily opened and free to exploring in the basements and sub-basements of Gilman and Physics. I was one of those explorers. I pulled out my proof and showed it to my father Thursday. It's been on my key chain since 1984. My dad was rather excited about it.

To me, it's a cool old relic. We found a TON of rather odd equipment in the "crevasse". Much of it was just storage devices - cardboard containers that were 40 years old and 1950's tech plastics so brittle it had no value except for half life dating practice. But there were the science barrels - which held all sorts of equipment and weird stuff. None of it glowed so nothing can kill ya when you are 22... right?

But we had to investigate - why would anyone seal off tons of equipment with a concrete wall?

aectag1.jpg
 
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cstrunk

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My roommate and I drove by the "Sun Park" this afternoon to take a look at it in real life. Seeing it in person is even scarier than I thought it would be. It's like you're in some kind of scary movie. Even scarier was the fact that the old man was right in his driveway working on his old brown car as we drove slowly past.

I screwed up by not bringing a camera though. I will some day.
 
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