All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.Hidden.America.S03E02.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_track3_[eng]

[narrator] A war hero's
odd Alaskan invention.

It's phenomenal
that one guy built it all.

An old guy with a dream.

[narrator] An Alabama
ghost town

where a revolutionary leader
made hell on earth.

There's so many secrets here
yet to be dug up.

[narrator] And an Oregon fort

that mysteriously
refused to defend the nation.

[Martin] If the Japanese
torpedo had succeeded

in bringing down
the Golden Gate Bridge,

that image
would have been burned
into the American psyche.

[narrator] Scattered across
the United States

are abandoned structures

and those who know
their stories.

These forgotten ruins
reveal the past

of this land and its people.

These are the secrets
of hidden America.

[narrator] In Alabama,
there's a deserted town

where a revolutionary hero
caused an economic disaster.

So many people love this place
for different reasons.

History is hidden
in the landscape everywhere.

[Michele] We're right next
to Selma.

In recent times,
it's most famous
for its civil rights history.

[narrator] Ten miles
outside of town,

a network of roads hints
at an ambitious past.

[Martin] This is strange.

You've got a grid of roads
that are laid out
under the forest.

Where are the people?

[narrator] These roads
are not alone.

Hidden in the undergrowth
are abandoned structures.

This is weird. It's lots
of different buildings

of different eras.

[narrator] This place tells
one of the most twisted tales
of the South.

There's all these clues
that something incredible
once happened here.

We remember him
as the savior
of the Revolution.

The visit was earth shattering
to the people that lived here.

[narrator] But fake news began
a spiral of events here

that ended
in nationwide tragedy.

To this day, it remains
the greatest maritime disaster
in American history.

[narrator] For over 38 years,

Linda Derry
has been uncovering
the secrets of this place.

[Linda] There is something
very special about this site,

but it's hard to put
your words around it.

It's very magical
and mysterious.

[narrator] This 850-acre plot

is littered with clues left by
its previous inhabitants.

[Linda] You can read
the landscape

just like you can read
a history book.

Out of the corner of your eye,
there's a tree
that doesn't belong

or there's
a little chimney base.

[narrator] At its peak,
this was one of

the richest towns in America.

But it was born
out of bloody conflict

when the indigenous people
got caught in the crosshairs
of warring nations.

[Greg] In the early
19th century,

this area
is still under control
of Native Americans.

But they're starting
to come into conflict

with European powers

and with the newly formed
American government.

Sadly, things did not end well
for the indigenous people,

and the land fell
under control
of the United States.

[narrator] The change in power
allowed for this region

to experience one of
its most momentous days.

On December 14th, 1819,

Alabama became America's
22nd state.

At the confluence
of two major shipping rivers,

this became
its first state capital.

This is Cahawba.

This was the capital,
but it was a frontier capital.

[narrator] Jonathan Matthews
has spent the last 20 years

studying Cahawba's
layers of history.

[Jonathan] During that period,

there was log cabins,
wood frame structures.

But the statehouse was
a two story brick structure.

[narrator] Just six years
after incorporation,

the prominence
that this building
brought to Cahawba

attracted a celebrity
from overseas.

A European noble who had
helped shape this nation.

[Jonathan] In 1825,

Cahawba welcomed
Marquis de Lafayette,

this famed
revolutionary war hero

who helped America
secure its independence.

Marquis de Lafayette
was a French aristocrat,

off his own back, came to
the United States in 1777.

[Martin] Lafayette was
a kid when he came.

Washington nevertheless
embraced him.

And they employed him
as a general
in the Continental Army.

[narrator] Fast forward
nearly half a century,

and he was back
in the United States,

charged with
a very different task.

[Martin] Lafayette was making
this 50th anniversary
hurrah tour

to remind people
of the principles,

the ideology that began
the American Revolution.

[narrator] The climax
of his tour in Alabama

was a party here in Cahawba.

The party to welcome Lafayette

was the party
to end all parties.

He was really
a rock star from that era.

They had Jamaican spirits,
rum, uh, Spanish cigars,
Madeira wine.

[Linda] They had 13 toasts
for the 13 colonies,

and they would fire a cannon
or some sort of gun

after every toast.

By the end of the day,
there were some injuries.

In fact, one death.

But other than that,
they had a lot of fun.

[narrator] Despite
the good times,

as the sun rose
on the morning after

Lafayette had left behind

far more than just
the spirit of the revolution.

To welcome Lafayette,
it cost $17,000.

How much was that at the time?

More than it cost
to build the statehouse
in Cahawba.

[Linda] In fact,
it sort of bankrupted
the state's treasury.

So he left a little
poverty wake... [chuckles]

...in his travels
here in Alabama.

[narrator] Yet going bankrupt

was only the beginning
of Cahawba's troubles.

Rival cities in Alabama
vied for its role
as the state's capital.

[Jonathan] In 1826

rumors of flooding
plagued Cahawba,
fake news from the era.

They were spread by
the good newspapers

of Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.

[narrator] Born from jealousy,

these tales of destruction
were a plot

by Cahawba's rivals
to steal the state capital.

The worst flood stories
came from Tuscaloosa.

And in 1826,
they voted to move it there.

So they actually ended up
with the statehouse.

[narrator] But in
an ironic twist,

with the politicians gone,
Cahawba prospered,

thanks to
a unique natural resource.

Cahawba was built
on a part of Alabama
known as the Black Belt.

[Martin] We call it black
because this dark, rich earth

produces some of
the best cotton harvests
in the United States.

[narrator] Due to
this nutrient rich soil,

for the next three
and a half decades,

cotton was king in Cahawba.

It had
the fourth wealthiest...

per capita income
in the whole United States.

[Jonathan] It had reached
its Gone with the Wind era
with beautiful mansions.

[narrator] But these riches
didn't just come from cotton.

Cahawba has a dark side
to its history.

It's wealth literally came
from enslaved labor.

[Jonathan] That's who we call
Cahawba's silent majority.

Cahawba was 60, 70 percent
African American.

[narrator] This
silent majority
would soon be liberated

as civil war
ripped across the nation

and another set of people

found themselves
incarcerated here.

Just imagine
what that was like.

Shoulder to shoulder
with 3000 men

in floodwaters up to the waist
and you all have diarrhea.

[narrator] In Alabama,
the town of Cahawba

had prospered
from cotton production
and enslaved labor.

But in 1861,

as the nation's civil war
played out across
the Confederate South,

it became a place
of torment and torture.

One of their cotton warehouses
was converted into a prison

for captured union soldiers.

[narrator] This prison
became known as Castle Morgan.

Even though it's not standing,

you could still
trace the walls.

It was the most crowded prison
in the Civil War.

It was only a 150 feet wide
and 200 feet long.

And there were as many
as 3000 prisoners in there.

[narrator] But in early 1865,

overcrowding was the least
of the problems

that the prisoners faced here.

The Alabama River flooded,

pouring water into
the confines of Castle Morgan.

[Linda] They were standing
waist deep in floodwaters,

and all they had was cornmeal
most of the time.

And if you eat raw cornmeal,
it gives you diarrhea.

So they're basically standing
shoulder to shoulder

in an open cesspool.

[narrator] On April 9th, 1865,
the suffering at Castle Morgan
came to an end

when
the Confederacy surrendered

and the prisoners
were released.

Yet in a cruel twist,

their reprieve
was short lived.

[Jonathan] The POWs were sent
to Vicksburg, Mississippi,

where they were boarded
on a boat called the Sultana.

[Martin] It was transportation
back to the north.

This steamer was built to hold
376 passengers comfortably.

And instead it's transporting
over 2000 people.

[narrator] What
the union soldiers
didn't realize

is that prior to picking
them up in Vicksburg,

the Sultana
had run into trouble.

Sultana was having problems
with one of her boilers.

The captain authorizes
a quick patch up.

The ship proceeds upriver.

[narrator] Desperate
to get home,

the POWs boarded the ship.

But little did they know,

its boiler had become
a ticking time bomb.

When it's seven miles north
of Memphis, Tennessee,

the boiler explodes.

That explosion causes a fire.

The thousands of people

who were on board
are either trapped
on a sinking steamer

or thrown into the cold waters
of the Mississippi River.

[narrator] It's estimated
up to 1800 passengers
and crew died.

The Sultana is
the largest maritime disaster
in US history.

[narrator] Despite
the tragedy,

in the aftermath
of the Civil War,

Cahawba got
a new lease of life.

Cahawba becomes a place
where a large number

of emancipated
African American former slaves
began farming.

[narrator] But the real driver
for the South's economy

after the Civil War
bypassed this town.

The railroads came in
in force,

and they went to Selma.

[narrator] After this
transportation revolution,

many of Cahawba's businesses
also moved to Selma.

In the following months
and years,

due to a lack of jobs,

those who
had stayed in Cahawba
were forced to move away.

By 1870, there were only
300 people left living here.

Cahawba didn't die overnight,

but it did transform
in a slow dying fashion.

[narrator] By 1900,

the last resident left

and Cahawba
became a ghost town.

Today, over a century
after its demise,

Cahawba is
a state archaeological park

where Linda works
as the site director.

Cahawba is the history book
still being written.

There's so many secrets here
yet to be dug up.

[narrator] By studying
the remaining buildings
and landscape,

Linda and her team
are piecing together
the town's history.

[Jonathan] Cahawba is a place
that some have called
the antebellum Pompeii.

There is literally
a lifetime's worth of work
to be done.

For me, Cahawba is pretty much
the center of the universe.

It does have my heart.

[narrator] Where
the Columbia River
meets the Pacific Ocean,

a set of structures is central

to one of America's
greatest military mysteries.

[Corina] This is
the coast of Oregon.

A beautiful place
with pine trees,
rocks and beaches.

[Katherine] Along this expanse
of unspoiled coastline,

one object sticks out
like a sore thumb.

This spooky shipwreck.

We're only seeing
a section of the remains here.

This must have been
an enormous vessel,

hundreds of feet long.

[narrator] This ship
is not alone.

[Martin] Just
a stone's throw away

you have these massive
concrete structures.

This place looks
old and creepy.

The doors are these
thick, rusting metal doors.

The concrete
has begun to crack.

It's classic
military fortifications.

[narrator] Despite
their ominous appearance,

when these beaches
were under attack,

the guns here stood silent.

[Adrianna] This is where
the mystery really began.

The infamous call
not to attack back

came from
within this room.

[narrator] On Oregon's
west coast,

a shipwreck stands out
against the sandy beach.

This is the Peter Iredale,

once a proud merchant vessel
from England.

On October 25th, 1906,
tragedy strikes.

The ship hit
some very thick mist.

And then
between the strong winds,
and the rising tides,

it was dragged
on to the beach,
where it shipwrecked.

[narrator] This cargo ship
has been grounded on the beach
for over a century.

But for
the 27 people on board,

their story didn't end here.

Park Ranger assistant
Adrianna Nickerson

has walked
in their footsteps many times.

The people that were
on the Peter Iredale

were eventually found
and brought here.

[narrator] These structures
gave the sailors shelter

until they were able to leave.

They had been
constructed in response

to recent new threats
to America on the high seas.

[Sascha] The end
of the 19th century

saw a revolution in metallurgy
and marine technology.

New armor belted warships
could easily bypass
the old type

of coastal artillery.

By 1897, the United States

had faced
a couple of critical threats
from the Kingdom of Spain,

and as a result of that,
we were more concerned
than ever

that it was necessary for us

to improve
our coastal defenses.

[narrator] Built on Oregon's
most northern point,

these structures were part
of this fortification process.

This is Fort Stevens.

It was designed
to protect the nation
from European threats

attempting to attack America
from the Pacific Ocean.

The genius of its design
is that it's not visible

from either
of those locations.

So a ship making its way
up the coast

wouldn't know
it was under attack
until it was too late.

[narrator] The secret behind
the fort's stealth attacks

was a set
of disappearing guns.

At the time, this was a state
of the art military equipment.

The guns were
on disappearing carriages

so there would be
a counterweight

that would drop down,
bringing the rifle up.

And then as it was shot,
the recoil would bring it
back down

and bring the weight back up,

like a Whac-A-Mole
sort of game for attackers.

[narrator] For over
four decades,

during the early 1900s,

this fort succeeded
as a deterrent to intruders.

But that quickly changed

when America
was pulled into World War II.

December 7th, 1941,

the Imperial Japanese Navy
launches a surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor,

destroying several
important ships

and killing
thousands of seamen.

[narrator] This infamous
sneak attack
was just the beginning

of Japan's reign of terror
on America's western edge,

which would explode here,
at Fort Stevens.

[narrator] On the mouth
of the Columbia River,

Fort Stevens
was built to defend
America's West Coast.

But after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor,

it was in Japan's crosshairs.

The Japanese embark
on a campaign

of naval interdiction.

They used
their submarine fleet

to blockade American harbors.

[Katherine] These submarines
were spread out
all along the West Coast,

meaning that no matter
how ships tried

to cross the Pacific,

they were going to encounter
this channel of death.

One of them
was stationed in the waters

just outside of Fort Stevens.

[narrator] But an offensive
wall of submarines

along America's western ports

was only the first step
in a bigger plan.

[Sascha] The plan hatched
was for the submarines

to simultaneously attack
coastal targets.

These submarines
were going to begin an attack
on Christmas Day.

[Sascha] Imagine just as
Americans across the country

are tucking into
Christmas dinner,

a flash over the radio,

"West Coast attacked
by the Japanese."

[narrator] Yet with
everything in place,

just three days
before the attack,

the commander
of the Japanese Navy
got cold feet.

[Katherine] Admiral Yamamoto
started to get second thoughts

about conducting an attack
on Christmas Day.

He was worried that his German
and Italian Christian allies

might not support him.

[Martin] The attack
is postponed
to the 27th of December,

a date less meaningful
to Japan's allies.

[narrator] But an error
in the Japanese calculations

forced this attack
to be called off.

By that point,
many of the submarines
were running low on fuel

and the order was given
for them to return to base.

But one submarine decided
it wasn't gonna give up

without firing a single shot.

And he goes
towards San Francisco.

It fired one Type 93
Long Lance torpedo

toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

But luckily it missed,

and the great landmark
was saved.

[Martin] If a torpedo had hit
one of the bridge supports,

that could have potentially
brought it down.

And I can't think of anything

that would crush
American fighting spirit

greater than the image
of a collapsing
Golden Gate Bridge.

[narrator] On returning
to Japanese waters,

the submarines were reassigned
to new missions,

and in June 1942,

one assignment brought
the I-25 back
to American waters

into direct conflict
with Fort Stevens

and the 2500 men
stationed here.

[Corina] On the night
of June 21st 1942,

one of the most bizarre events

in American history
happened here.

The Japanese submarine
suddenly surfaces

and opens fire
on Fort Stevens.

As the Japanese shells
began falling
around Fort Stevens,

the entire post goes
under full alert.

Men come stumbling out of bed.

Some men still
in their underwear

report to their duty stations,
and they're prepared to fire.

[Sascha] Here's where things
get really weird.

With all the guns
ready to fire
on the Japanese sub,

the order comes down,

"Hold your fire."

And the personnel
are even threatened

with court martial
if they disobey.

[narrator]
With the I-25 bombarding
the American mainland,

hundreds of confused soldiers
on duty stood silently

by their guns.

[Sascha] Here's
a real mystery.

The veterans were adamant

they could have hit
and sunk that sub

if they'd received the order.

[Adrianna] The Japanese
submarine attack lasted

about 20 minutes,
letting off 17 shells

and hit in different points
all around the fort.

The damage done to the fort
was minor, to say the least.

The only thing
that got destroyed,
was the backstop

on the fort baseball field.

[Adrianna] This was
the only time in World War 2

where a mainland
military facility
was attacked.

The craziest thing is,

we didn't do anything
to defend ourselves.

[narrator] Despite the damage
being inconsequential,

the I-25 scored
a psychological victory.

It rattled both Fort Stevens
and America.

Following this attack,

the American government
weren't taking
any more chances,

and they installed barbed wire

right along the coast,

including within it,
the shipwreck.

[narrator] Today, the mystery
of why the colonel here
refused to fight back,

lives on.

There's lots of theories

on why he may not
have engaged.

But the number one reason is,
that he didn't want to give up

specific coordinates
of where we were.

[narrator] But some believe

giving away
the fort's position,

would have been
a minor consequence

in defending
the United States.

[Sascha] If serious damage
had been done

or lives had been lost,

one could imagine
there would have been
an inquiry

into why the fort
had not returned fire.

[narrator]
Adding to the mystery,

the official report
of the attack has disappeared.

[Sascha]
Without the official record,

was it the result
of some strange cover-up?

We don't know.

[narrator] Although questions
around this attack

still linger today,

Fort Stevens'
military service came
to an end

just two years after America

and its allies defeated
the Japanese.

In 1947,

warfare was evolving.

The artillery that they had,

the equipment they were using
was far out of date.

We're entering the Cold War
and the age of missiles.

[narrator]
Despite sitting silently
for seven decades,

today, Fort Stevens
is serving the nation

in a very different way.

[Katherine]
Fort Stevens has become
the centerpiece

of a 4300-acre state park.

People come to visit the area

to camp, to enjoy
the great outdoors,

and also to learn about

this incredible part
of American history.

[narrator]
In the Sunshine State,

an unassuming set
of buildings stand as a relic

to the city's silver screen
golden age.

[Devan] It's almost hard
to really encapsulate
this place, because it's...

it has such strong meaning

for multiple avenues
of history.

[Philip] We are
in Jacksonville, Florida,

in the Arlington neighborhood,

which has an extremely rich
and exciting history.

[narrator]
A forgotten site sits
tucked away

among the trees.

You see a dignified
white building.

It almost looks like
it could be a schoolhouse
or a town hall.

And then behind it are
several small outbuildings.

Clearly, this was some kind
of community.

Architecturally,
they're certainly
of a distant past,

but they look
very well-preserved,
almost renovated.

And that makes me think

that this must be
an important site.

[narrator] Inside,
years of deterioration
have taken their toll,

but hints
of a departed industry
still remain.

You see a bunch
of rusty old canisters
of film,

and there's a torn
movie screen.

So, perhaps it was
some kind of theater.

Everybody else went
to California.

[chuckles softly]

All the African Americans,
they came from near and far
to be a part of this.

[narrator] These buildings
in Jacksonville, Florida,

have sat dormant for years,

their historical significance
all but forgotten.

But Devan Stuart Lesley knows

the incredible legacy
this place holds.

It's important
to our city's history.

But most importantly,
it's an amazing,

but largely unknown part
of civil rights history.

[narrator]
Jacksonville's glory days
go back to a time

when a brand new industry
was taking the world by storm.

[Linda] In the early part
of the 20th century,

New York had
established itself

as a center
for the silent film industry.

But New York was
also really difficult
to film in

during the winter.

[Devan] It was cold,
the starlets didn't want
to be outside. And also,

it would sometimes cause

the film stock
to freeze together.

And it would cause,
like a staticky look on it.

[narrator] In search
of year round sunshine,

the industry began
to look south.

Some filmmakers had already
staked out spots in Hollywood,

but LA was really far away.

Jacksonville, Florida,
provided a nice alternative.

It was easy to get to
on the trains,

and it had great weather.

[Philip] In 1908,

the first
silent film studio opened.

And it led to 30 other
film studios

opening up in Jacksonville,

one of which
was Metro Pictures,

which today, we know
as MGM Studios of Hollywood.

[narrator] It wasn't long
until Jacksonville
became known

as the "Winter Film Capital
of the World."

It would even birth
one of the biggest names
in show business.

[Philip] Oliver Hardy,

of Laurel and Hardy,

got his start in Jacksonville.

[narrator]
But of all the movie studios
in this town,

one had very ambitious ideas.

This collection of buildings
were built in 1916

by Eagle Studios.
Now, this was a...

a film outfit,
and they had big plans

to turn this whole area
into their set.

But they soon ran out
of money.

[narrator]
From the ashes, would rise
a revolutionary studio

that would do things
differently and cater
to a brand new audience,

when it fell into the hands
of a young filmmaker,
ahead of his time.

[Philip] In the early 1920s,

Richard Norman purchased
the buildings.

[narrator]
This is Norman Studios.

Here, Richard Norman
would cement his legacy
as an iconic filmmaker,

having first cut his teeth
in an early genre
largely lost to history.

Norman was
from Florida originally.

But for many years,
he traveled around
the country,

making what were known
as "home talent" films.

[Devan] He had a script
and footage of a train wreck.

He shot in, uh,
different cities,

same film over and over,

and invited the... the locals
to... to be in that film.

[narrator] This proved to be
a very profitable venture.

Naturally, everyone in town

would want to come
see themselves
and their friends

in the movie.

Norman would keep 60%
of the profits himself.

And 40% would go to the town.

[Meigs] One thing
the "home talent" movie era
shows us,

is what a novelty movies were.

It was such a thrill just
to go see moving pictures
on its screen.

It was almost like going
to a magic show.

[narrator]
By the time Norman finished
his "home talent" movies,

and was settling
into Jacksonville full time,

local resentment toward
the film studios had spread.

Things like shooting
a bar scene on a Sunday

did not set well
with a very
conservative crowd.

And also, they did some things

that were
a little bit dangerous.

[Meigs] One time,
some filmmakers

were shooting a brawl.

And somehow, they sparked
an actual riot.

[narrator] This led to a vote
that would put Jacksonville's
film industry under threat.

[Meigs] The good citizens

of Jacksonville elected
a mayor,

who ran on
an anti-movie campaign.

[Linda] A number
of studios decided to pack up
and leave to another city

that seemed to be
a bit more amenable

to what they were doing,

Los Angeles.

[narrator]
But Richard Norman chose
to stay in Jacksonville,

where he could retain
his independence.

As local resident,
David Williams, knows well,

the movies he would make here
would be a source of pride

for the city for years
to come.

[David] He could have
very easily said,

"You know what? I'm doing
what everybody else is doing."

But when you have a dream
and you have a goal,

you have to go with it.

[narrator] He decided
to court an audience ignored

by his rivals.

[Devan] Mr. Norman,
he was a white filmmaker,

but he had a heart
for race relations.

He also saw a wide-open,
growing niche market

for African Americans.

Norman devoted
the next few years of his life

to what were called
"race films."

They included
a predominantly Black cast,

and it was made
for a Black audience.

[narrator]
Norman's films proved
to be a welcome antidote

to the depictions
that were coming
out of Hollywood.

The mainstream
media's portrayal

of African Americans

was an abomination.

-[muffled screaming]
-It was an embarrassment.

We were depicted as villains,

servants, mammies, buffoons.

And some Hollywood movies cast
white actors in blackface,

which even at the time,

was considered
pretty offensive.

[narrator] Norman would draw
from the widely untapped pool
of local Black talent.

The actors who worked
and lived here,
they played doctors,

they played lawyers,
they played investigators.

They played
the beautiful heroine

and the hero.

[David] It was letting
African Americans

at that time,
know that there were
other African Americans

that were holding
some incredible positions

in life.

[narrator]
Norman would make movies
across all genres,

from comedies to thrillers
and westerns.

His most famous film was shot
in this very location.

The Flying Ace,
it was inspired
by Bessie Coleman.

She was, uh, the first Black
female aviator in America.

[narrator] But making
these films

in the segregated South,

was a risky business.

[narrator]
In 1920s Jacksonville,

Richard Norman would have
to work against dark forces

to make
his groundbreaking movies

starring African Americans.

[Devan] This was
a Klan stronghold back then.

African Americans,
who served not just in front
of the camera

but served as crew as well,
and would stay here.

They sat down
at the table and had,

you know, breakfast,
lunch and dinner
with the Normans.

This was not heard of,
you know, back then.

[narrator] But race relations
would not be what derailed
Norman Studios.

Instead, a failed attempt
to harness the power
of synchronized sound,

would prove Norman's undoing.

Norman came up
with his own system

to link a sound recording

and image recording on film.

[Devan] He sold
about half a dozen of them

until along comes
Thomas Edison,

and he figures out how
to put sound on film.

Mr. Norman's system,
and all those like his,

were immediately obsolete.

[narrator] Richard Norman
was forced to spend

the last years
of his career focused
on distribution

and corporate training films.

He died in November, 1960.

And like the pioneering movies
it produced,

Norman Studios faded
into obscurity.

Today, many years on,

the city of Jacksonville
is determined to preserve

this crucial part
of its history.

Devan Lesley is part of a team
turning Norman Studios

into a silent film museum
and learning center.

This is one
of the first places in America

where films were made,
starring Black actors

who played the good guys
and the bad guys.

And that is something
that we as a city
can be very, very proud of.

The history is just...
incredible.

I think once... once people
do find out about it,

they'll feel the same way
that I feel about it.

[narrator] In a remote part
of the United States,

a unique passion project led

to one of the most
bizarre buildings
in the last frontier.

[Brad] You can go anywhere
in Alaska

and everybody knows it.

But, what the story
was behind it,
is pretty phenomenal.

[Bell] We're in Alaska,
about halfway

between the cities
of Anchorage and Fairbanks.

And when people talk
about being in the middle
of nowhere,

this is exactly
what they mean.

[narrator]
Next to the highway,

a set of abandoned structures

is the only sign
of habitation for miles.

[Kyle] There's a building here

that was clearly a part
of a gas station.

But the real feature,

is this massive white dome.

[Bell] This must be one
of the weirdest-looking,
abandoned buildings

I've ever seen.

But if there's one thing
I know,

weird looking buildings

often have weird storage
behind them.

[narrator] Inside,

the level of craftsmanship
is unexpected.

This place is beautiful.

It is a wooden cathedral.

[Dr. Davis-Hayes]
This type of place

would only be built

if you truly loved it.

So, why would it
only be half-built?

This place represents a dream.

He was a...
a tough, old Alaskan.

He was a little bit genius
and a little bit crazy.

[narrator] For many,
the Alaskan wilderness
is known for amazing wildlife,

stunning views and gold,
but not much else.

Yet for Brad Fisher, it's home

to a bizarre set
of buildings close
to his heart.

[Brad] When I first
came up here,

I was 18 years old.

So, to me, I thought,
"What crazy person would want
to live up here?"

Now that I'm in my 60s,

I'm thinking maybe
I might have become
that crazy old guy, too.

[narrator]
This 105-foot-wide structure
was built to cash in

on one of America's
greatest natural wonders.

This is right next
to a national park,

which contains Denali,

which used to be known
as Mount McKinley,

America's tallest mountain.

[Brad] It was a hotel
and a convenience store

to catch the tourists.

[narrator] This is Igloo City.

Its story begins
with a reclusive soldier.

After fighting
for his country abroad,

he returned to the US
in search of a place

to get away from it all.

This place was the dream
of Leon Smith,

a World War II veteran
who fought the Japanese

in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

[Brad] Leon was
a very stubborn old man,

a typical Alaskan old guy

that had been...
spent too much time

in the wilderness,
as far as I'm concerned.

But... [laughs]

But he was nice,

and we became
real good friends.

[narrator] After failing
to find somewhere to settle

in the Lower 48,

in the 1960s,
Leon moved to Alaska.

On arrival, he bought
a parcel of land
in a remote area.

This larger piece
of property is 40 acres.

And I think he just fell
in love with it.

[narrator]
But little did Leon know,

that this land would start
an obsession

that would eventually
bring about his downfall.

[narrator]
After returning home
from World War II,

veteran Leon Smith found
a piece of land

in the Alaskan wilderness,

where he could get away
from the commotion

of the Lower 48.

But the remoteness wasn't all
that attracted him here.

When he moved here,

the highway hadn't
been built yet,

but he knew

that it would be soon.

He knew there was going to be
a lot of people here,

and, uh, he was going to
take advantage of that.

[narrator] Leon's plan was
to build a one-stop shop

for weary travelers driving
through Alaska.

[Bell] Knowing that trucks
would need
to fill up with fuel,

he decided to open up
this gas station.

[narrator] Next door,
he began building
this themed hotel

to attract another type
of visitor.

[Kyle] Leon wanted this hotel

to become a destination spot,

somewhere that hikers
and skiers would stop.

And he just happened
to shape it after one
of the most iconic structures

of Alaskan history,

an igloo.

[Dr. Davis-Hayes] Igloos are
traditionally linked

to the local Inuit population,

which were structures made
out of snow

to protect them from the cold

during hunting expeditions.

[narrator]
But this igloo was built

out of a very
different material.

[Dr. Davis-Hayes] All the wood
you see inside,

is said to be worth

at least $2,000,000 today.

[Brad] It was
originally supposed to be

a 20-room hotel.

Leon built all
the woodwork himself,

all the brackets
and everything.

[Bell] Leon sank
any spare dollar he had
into this place.

He was once quoted as saying,

"Anytime I get enough money,
I build another room."

[narrator] Despite Leon
spending decades building
this one-man passion project,

in the late 20th century,

a visitor forced it
into the limelight.

[Bell] In 1989,

a 32-year-old man
was hiking just

half a mile away
from here,

when he was surprised
by a grizzly bear.

[Kyle] It bit him on the head,

lifted him up into the air,

-and threw him around.
-[growls]

Amazingly, the man survived.

[Bell] A passer-by
on the road saw the hiker

and brought him
to this gas station.

It's crazy to think

that had Leon Smith
not built this place,

that hiker would probably
have died.

[narrator] Shortly after
this grisly headline made news
across America,

Leon had
his own tragic accident

when he fell from a height.

[Brad] He just never had
the balance after that.

He didn't connect
with his legs as well
as he used to,

but he didn't trust himself
on a ladder or anything.

[narrator] Yet, it wasn't
the end for this igloo.

Leon became keen
on selling the Igloo,

and he did find
potential buyers.

But he had to take
the igloo back,

because they did not
actually have the funds.

[narrator]
With his time running out,

in 1996,

Leon turned to a man
he knew he could trust.

And he finally
just got tired of it

and walked in my office
one day. And he says,

"I need to sell the igloo
and I want to sell it to you."

And says, "Well,
I don't really need an igloo,

so this is all
I'm going to offer you."

Him and his wife said,
"We'll take it." [chuckles]

[narrator] Three years later,
Leon Smith passed away.

But his legacy lived on,

with Brad
and his partner keeping
the gas station open.

We actually fixed it up a lot,

cleaned up the gas pumps,

put the canopy up.

[narrator]
Yet the Igloo remained empty.

And despite
the gas station struggling on,

eventually, rising costs
forced it to shut down.

[Brad] In about, like, 2007,

the price of fuel got up
to about $5.

We couldn't afford that.

We closed it.

I felt sad.

[narrator] Today,
Igloo City is still an oddity

on the side
of the George Parks Highway.

Ironically, despite never
officially opening,

it attracts visitors
from around the world.

Dale F. Chouinard is working
on regenerating the site,

and knows this firsthand.

[Dale] We have people,
while we're working out here,

stop every day,
pull into the parking lot

and take pictures.

[narrator]
With Brad's blessing,

Dale and his nephew
have now closed
the site to visitors,

and are revamping the Igloo
for an ambitious new use.

Our plan for the property
will be to start

a micro distillery there.

And we will have a bar
and restaurant.

[Brad] And I told him,
"It's rough.

It needs a lot of work."

I think that Leon

would like the idea
that it's being used,

people are coming again.

I think we'll be able
to keep Leon's legacy.