Sunday, October 02, 2005
On July 9, 1997 my uncle was hiking in a wooded area around Indian Lake, New York. He tripped on what he thought was a tree root sticking slightly above ground. When he looked back he noticed the corner of this box above ground. The fact that he was far from any marked path or road, and was in an area that few if any usually hike, sparked his curiosity. The box was sticking up by only 2 or 3 inches, and from the look of the ground around the box, he figured it had been there quite a while. With only sticks to dig with, it took him a while to pry it from the ground. The 3 shapes on the top of the box (an upside down triangle and two circles), where only apparent after it was later cleaned up. The box had no lock on it and was easily opened. Inside the box my uncle found 21 water-damaged photos, 3 8mm home movie reels, and various documents. Most of the photos are of children which led my uncle to fear the worst… that he had stumbled upon evidence of a crime involving children. He mentioned that his blood ran cold when the began reading the documents also found in the box. He indeed had stumbled upon a crime involving children, but instead of some child molester, it seemed that these children were all part of some United States Government experimentation. Those experiments where known as the I.L.P or the Indian Lake Project.
In 2002, my uncle died. This box was given to me shortly before he passed away. He was afraid of the contents in the box, and wished he had never found it. I feel it is my obligation to share it’s contents, and the truth behind what had been burried for 50 years.
posted by John at 11:56 AM
This is the metal box found near Indian Lake, New York.
I am in the process of scanning the contents of the box and will post those scans as soon as posible.
posted by John at 1:18 PM
Here are some of the photos from the metal box showing part of the I.L.P. Military Base. It was a non permanent government installation located deep in the woods around Indian Lake, New York. Based on documents found in the metal box, it was in operation from 1952-1955 and was used in part by Army, Naval, and Air Force Intelligence officers throughout those years. It’s existence was highly classified, and very few other than essential personnel even knew of the base or of it’s location.
posted by John at 1:25 PM
Above are 2 picture also found in the metal box. They show military personel with I.L.P. (Indian Lake Project) children. Although no writing was found on the photographs to indicate who is pictured, it appears both boys and girls where housed at the base.
posted by John at 5:53 PM
“Roger”, “Sam” and “Sally” are the quoted names (along with numbers) printed on the face of the photos. These are obviously not the children’s real names, but assigned names. As I looked at the names and numbers the first time my uncle showed them to me, I didn’t quite grasp what it meant. I remember what my uncle had told me, ” ‘Roger’, was probably one child out of 837 (based on his number) kept at the camp.” His word “kept” struck me as both, erie and accurate.
posted by John at 6:11 PM
The numbers circled in red on both “Sally” and “Roger’s” photographs are, I believe, the age of the children at the time of placement.
posted by John at 7:25 PM
Take a close look at these 2 pictures. Are these two little girls one in the same? Was the second picture taken a year or two after the first? If so, that would further illustrate that the camp’s children were raised by military personnel.
posted by John at 7:35 PM
There is so much to still piece together, but there is much that has been learned by studying the contents of the metal box. There are not many days that I don’t think about the I.L.P., it is like a giant mystery and I am the only one who knows about it. It’s not like you can just find the answers in a history book, because this history was kept hidden. Was the metal box buried to hide the past forever, or was it buried by someone hoping that someday the horrid truth would be exposed? Who buried it and why is a question I ask myself everyday.
posted by John at 10:12 PM
I don’t know why but I am not convinced. Mainly because of the pictures of the three children. I myself like to edit photos and I recognize some of the effects on the pictures. They look like modern photos to me that have just been edited.
The fact that you won’t allow examination of the film is very convenient in creating mystery. Why not transfer the film to DVD and then duplicate it for others to see on, say, You Tube? Oh, yes – it could be dangerous because…the government is out to get you! I’m certain that if you gave me a few days I could solve many of the questions raised by this box found in the woods – if, of course any pf the story is real. Indian Lake is the least populous town in the area, and for a military installation to go unnoticed is absurd. It would have been well-documented and big news for that little town. Either reveal your evidence for independent examination or go home.
Obvious fake is obvious.
I’d say next time get an old Diana Mini with the square shot frame and some Lomography Earl Gray B&W 100 film. Maybe add a flash to give it contrast. You can develop the film locally, but if it does not look good enough B&H or Lomography can adapt the negative in the lab.