Confusion Hill

Established by George Hudson in 1949, Confusion Hill is a mystery house that invites visitors to explore the unknown and consider how a single experience or phenomenon can challenge one's perspective of the world. The roadside attraction features optical illusions and experiences that make it appear as if the gravitational pull within certain parts of the house are different from what the user expects and scientific reality. Confusion Hill also features a variety of unique artifacts including a popular statue of Bill Cipher, the villain in the fictional series Gravity Falls.

Confusion Hill has been a popular roadside attraction in the California Redwoods For over seventy years, and in 2010, the mystery house was added to the list of California Points of Historical Interest, a category designed for unique places that do not qualify as official historic landmarks and have not been included on the National Register of Historic Places. Attractions include the Gravity House, the Redwood Shoe House, the Ripley's Believe It or Not "World's Tallest Free Standing Redwood Chainsaw Carving," and the unique miniature Mountain Train Ride.

George Hudson built Confusion Hill in 1949, after WWII. Hudson was inspired by the Oregon Vortex and the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot to find his own special place. While science suggests that magnetism and gravity are laws of nature, Hudson was intrigued with the possibility that there could be places in nature that define their own laws. He thought that at these specific locations, these two forces, "magnetism and gravity," can combine in a way that changes our perception of the world around us.

One of Confusion Hill's most popular landmarks is a statue of the villainous Bill Cipher, a character in Disney's Gravity Falls series which was created by Alex Hirsch. The series follows 12-year-old twins Dipper and Mabel Pines as they spend the summer in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, with their “Grunkle Stan” Stanley Pines. The characters in the show experience all kinds of supernatural events and meet different creatures, including Bill Cipher, a pyramid-looking inter-dimensional demon with a mysterious demeanor and sadistic sense of humor.

The inspiration for this show came from Hirsch's own childhood experiences and his relationship with his own twin sister growing up during their summer vacations. The inspiration for the Mystery Shack in the show was taken from Confusion Hill. In fact, Alex Hirsch managed to help save Confusion Hill when the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for the location to make any profit. Alex Hirsch helped provide publicity for Confusion Hill’s fundraiser, ensuring it met its goal.

In the final episode of the series, a real-life statue of Bill Cipher was briefly shown. This was the start of Gravity Falls ARG called the Cipher Hunt, a search for the statue that took place over the summer of 2016 after Gravity Falls ended. Clues were found all over the world, hidden in code in places such as a cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia, a shrine in Japan, and a roadside attraction in California known as Confusion Hill, where the statue eventually found its permanent home after the Hunt ended. Eventually, one fan traced the clues to Reedsport, Oregon, where Bill Cipher was found on the ground in a forest on August 2, 2016. The winner of the scavenger hunt was dubbed the “Mayor of Gravity Falls” and received a sash saying so as a prize.

The next day, local police took the statue because of a property dispute over who owned the land where it had been placed. Within a few days, it had found its new temporary home in Reedsport’s Bicentennial Park – without its hat, which had been lost at some point during the dispute. Finally, it was removed again, with a sign saying, “BILL WAS HERE” at his Bicentennial Park Location. It was moved to Confusion Hill in Piercy, California, where it, along with a new hat, remains to this day as a permanent part of the attraction.  

Confusion Hill: Is Seeing Believing?, Confusion Hill. Accessed September 17th, 2022. http://www.confusionhill.com/.

Confusion Hill: HIstory, Confusion Hill. Accessed September 17th, 2022. http://www.confusionhill.com/history#:~:text=Confusion%20Hill%20was%20built%20by,that%20defied%20its%20own%20LAWS..

Soberman, Matthew. Real-Life Inspiration for “Gravity Falls” Mystery Shack Saved Thanks to GoFundMe Campaign, WDW News Today. April 24th, 2020. Accessed September 22nd, 2022. https://wdwnt.com/2020/04/real-life-inspiration-for-gravity-falls-mystery-shack-saved-thanks-to-gofundme-campaign/.