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Providence Canyon GA
Rebecca McCandless
Culture > News

The Saga of the Mysterious Utah Monolith

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

The year 2020 has had a lot of strange ups and downs. Headlines have been filled this year from events such as Australia’s raging fires in January to developments in the COVID-19 pandemic to the 2020 presidential election. The news cycle does not seem to quit this year. However, the strange stories appear to be getting stranger, and even alien. On Nov. 18, a mysterious monolith made of metal was discovered in the deserts of Utah.

detective board with evidence
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko from Unsplash

The discovery was made by public safety officers during a routine wildlife mission. No one was quite sure what it was. One of the officers, Pilot Bret Hutchings, believed it to be a “new wave” art installation standing “between 10 and 12 feet high.” Pictures of the installation have been circulating on Twitter to the surprise, fear and piquing the interest of several folks.

However, that was not the end of the story. About 10 days later, the mysterious monolith was dismantled and removed from the desert. Some people believed it was alien activity. However, the San Juan County Sheriff had announced that it was “declining to investigate the case.” Rumors about the disappearance continued to move through social media channels.

The case was closed by a photographer, Ross Bernards, who said he was visiting the monolith when he saw a group of men around 8:40 p.m. come out to the desert, push the structure over and over until the monolith fell over. They then carried it away in a wheelbarrow. Bernards detailed the encounter with some stunning photography on his Instagram.

Since the removal of the Utah monolith, similar structures have been popping up across the world. On the day of the Utah removal, another structure was discovered across the Atlantic in Romania at Batca Doamnei. The metal structure was similar to the one from Utah—tall, silver and reflective—however, strange looping scribbles appeared across its surface. However, the structure has since disappeared from the hill. No one is yet sure who removed the statue in Romania.

Although the origins of these structures are still unclear, it is certainly a trend that is continuing, perhaps a modern art installation that is spreading across the globe. Much like crop circles in decades past, these structures have caused a lot of talk on Internet boards such as Reddit and 4chan. Some people are claiming the monoliths to be signs of aliens on Earth, or perhaps a sign from God. Others think that the monoliths are nothing more than a pretentious art installation.

As of Thursday, Dec. 3, another one was found in California, on the top of Pine Mountain by resident Gary Lyons. “I guess this is a thing now,” Lyons said in his video showing off the object. Several pairs of eyes are watching their Twitter timelines for the next structure to appear. These three-sided structures are catching a lot of attention in the news and on the Internet. It is a matter of time before another one appears. Who knows where it will show up on the map next time?

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Although I'm born and bred in Florida, my heart and my feet take me wherever I feel. That's what gave me such wonderful experiences as my journeys to New York City, my summer spent at the Blue Ridge Summer Institute in Sweet Briar Virginia, and even across the pond to the Netherlands and France. A writer at heart, I also foray into other artistic pursuits such as drawing, playing music, and singing (mostly in the shower.) When I'm not busy with classes, I'm often watching a good show on Netflix, or playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons with some other fellow nerds.
Her Campus at Florida State University.