Mysterious monolith structure appears, then disappears, from Pinawa Dam

Silver structures known as monoliths have mysteriously appeared around the world from Utah to Romania, and now Manitoba. 

On the weekend a new monolith was found standing just over three metres tall on a mountain of rocks at the bottom of the decommissioned Pinawa Dam. 

The triangular prism first started gaining notoriety on Sunday when it was posted on Reddit. 

By Monday, Manitobans were quick to take up the search for the object that is a replica of similar structures spotted around the world. 

"We came out to check the monolith, hopefully. We saw it on Reddit there maybe 24 hours ago," said Jayde Ross, who showed up at the dam with his grandfather.  

However, those looking for the structure on Monday were already too late. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

The only evidence left of its existence are sleigh tracks, tree debris, and photos left on social media. 

CBC tracked down the creator of the Manitoba monolith, who says that the goal of the installation is simply to have fun and provide a small distraction from the constant worry of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

They say that they aren't sure who took the monolith down but aren't upset because for a moment they sparked curiosity in others.

The Manitoba monolith isn't the first one to be taken down. The original monolith found in Utah was also mysteriously removed.  

That structure was believed to have been placed in the desert around five years ago, and was only discovered last month by a state helicopter. 

Last week another monolith was found in on top of Pine Mountain, in California.

The work of aliens or artists, perhaps?

The monoliths have sparked the imagination of people around the world, leading to theories that aliens placed them, while others attribute them to artists inspired by movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

For Niel Ross and his grandson, looking for the Manitoba monolith was a good excuse to get out of the house. 

Even though they didn't get a chance to see the structure in person, they were able to catch something else magical: an otter on the ice fishing.

"Maybe that's the appeal of it, to just get people to step outside their homes for a little bit to see something a little different. Who knows!" said Ross. 

Missing Manitoba monolith

4 years ago

Duration 2:20

On the weekend a new monolith was found standing just over three metres tall on a mountain of rocks at the bottom of the decommissioned Pinawa Dam. Then it was gone.