- Nothing will ever be the same after you witness this awe-inspiring sight.
If you head out of Chicago on State Route 71, you’ll soon enough reach the small town of Ottawa, Illinois. But just before you get there, you’ll pass a small man-made lake on your left.
In the middle of that lake is a tiny islet. On that island sits its lone resident — a Volvo sedan.
How on earth did some hapless driver manage to pull that off?
This isn’t the result of a talentless driver, though. Volvo Island is the creation of local Scott Mann, who purposefully put the car on the island.
The Volvo has spent more than a decade on its small perch, surrounded by water. It has become a small legend among travelers looking for bizarre roadside attractions.
But why did Mann place the car on its island? And how did he pull it off?
This is the strange story of Volvo Island.
From Mine to Lake
Our tale begins long before the Volvo, its island, or even the lake existed. The immediate area around Volvo Island is, in fact, an old strip mine.
Eventually, the mine closed down and was abandoned. As time went on, the old mine pit flooded, although we couldn’t find out whether that was intentional or not.
With that, we have our lake. It doesn’t have a name or anything; it’s just kind of there.
The lake and its surrounding property came to be owned by Scott Mann. He’s the proprietor of two local car repair shops, so he has access to plenty of non-running automobiles.
And that finally brings us to the Volvo.
Making an Island
The car placed on the island is a 2001 Volvo S80 sedan. As with why the mine pit flooded, we couldn’t confirm whether it’s functional or not.
That said, considering Mann has left it sitting on the island instead, you know, selling it, we’d bet money on it being essentially scrap.
And that’s probably why Mann decided to place it on the island in the first place. However, originally, there was no island.
Instead, what today is the Volvo Island was at first a Volvo peninsula. It consisted of a long ridge of gravel and dirt stretching toward the middle of the lake.
Mann towed the Volvo to the tip of the ridge in 2012. After securing it in place, he then used an excavator to get rid of the connecting land bridge.
After he had completed his efforts, the peninsula had transformed into an island. Looking at the lake from eye level, you’d never guess the land connection was ever there.
However, when viewed from the air (such a on Google Maps), you can still clearly see the remnants of the ridge underwater.
A Contest that Never Was
But why would Mann create Volvo Island? For the single reason businessmen do most things — he figured it would help him drum up more business for his car repair shops.
“We were thinking of a contest to see who could figure out how the car got there,” Mann’s then-office manager Tiffany Warren told The Drive.
Honestly, making Volvo Island wasn’t uncharacteristic for Mann. According to Warren, the man “has a lot of crazy ideas” to promote his businesses.
In the end, however, the “guess how the Volvo got on an island” contest never materialized. Thinking about is more closely, Mann and Warren realized that the contest could put the public in danger.
The water around Volvo Island is up to 40 feet deep, and the lake bottom is strewn with boulders and loose rocks. If somebody tried to swim to the island to get a closer look at the Volvo, they could get hurt or even drown.
And that’s certainly not good for business. Thus, Mann decided to leave the Volvo on its pile of sand as a funky tourist attraction.
It’s not like he could tow the car away anymore, anyway.
‘A Religious Experience’
For the past 13 years, the Volvo has sat on its island. It has indeed become something of a local celebrity.
Passersby who notice it often stop to gawk at the Volvo. And they sure can’t help wondering how it got there.
The strange sight is a recommended tourist stop, too. On Google Maps, for instance, it boasts a 4.9/5 rating — quite respectable reviews.
“I’ve travelled far and wide, up and down the country. I’ve seen the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. None, however, can hold a shred of beauty this island holds!” one Austin Johnson wrote in the reviews.
“I visited this sacred monument on National Volvo Day. I was on the verge of tears,” another wrote.
Others have found the island to be truly and wholly spiritual.
“The meaning of life will be revealed to you when you visit. It’s a religious experience. You will sit for hours and many times days, unable to move or even speak,” wrote William Schweitzer.
Really, if you haven’t been to Volvo Island yet, go now. Your life will never be the same.
If you’d like to explore Google Maps a bit more, here are 11 weird things you can find on the service.