Guest Submission from Solo Amerigo: When a Solve Fails but the Clues Survive

 

When a Solve Fails but the Clues Survive: Yerkes Observatory and the Search for a Lion’s Share Mechanism

By Solo Amerigo

The problem facing many Lion’s Share searchers may not be a lack of clues. It may be a lack of understanding about how the clues are meant to work together. Like most searchers, I began by looking for destinations. A name pointed to a place. A place pointed to another place. A historical reference suggested a region. A line in the poem seemed to confirm a direction. The work felt cumulative, and in one sense it was. The book produced connections, and those connections produced more connections. The trouble was that many of them seemed to stop just short of becoming useful. They formed chains, but the chains did not always lead to a final place. They created density, but not necessarily direction.

The Lion’s Share material in There’s Treasure Inside contains an enormous amount of seemingly unrelated information. Searchers have found historical references, geographic references, astronomical references, institutional references, literary references, mythological references, and personal-name clusters that appear meaningful without being obviously decisive. It is easy to treat this as excess, misdirection, or simple puzzle noise. Yet the book also contains repeated chains of connection that look too deliberate to dismiss. They are not all in one place. They do not all belong to one subject. They often do not resolve where one expects them to resolve. Still, they appear constructed. Many of us suspect the missing piece may not be another clue. It may be a mechanism.

After my time searching Yerkes Observatory, this idea merits further consideration. Yerkes Observatory entertained an unusually strong body of clues. Every chapter had a direct tie to either Wisconsin, Lake Geneva, Willian’s Bay, or Yerkes Observatory. Granted, I might have done some creative research to come up with a few of the clues, but every chapter had something. Even Picasso. Did you know the year he made the Jacqueline pendant, 1956, that big things were happening in the astronomy world at Yerkes Observatory? Milky Way mapping. Moon mapping. In fact, the Apollo 11 mission to the moon used Yerkes Observatory to map and recommend the moon landing sites. Astronomy, telescopes, Apollo, the moon, exploration, observatories, scientific achievement, names in the book, even Star Trek pointed directly to Yerkes Observatory. With “blueprint” dropped all throughout the book, it did not surprise me that the observatory blueprint and the starship Enterprise blueprint looked so much alike.


And then there’s the missing page 90 with the weird face carved into the wall in the Chavin chapter. Yerkes Observatory is covered with

carved faces. See any resemblance here?

Yerkes Observatory looked exactly right from a clue standpoint, but ended up being exactly wrong. At the same time, it was uncannily Joy Serenade-ish. Who of us has not pondered stanza three:

“Use will’s straight edge, as the turning square or any arc may align at a proper point.”

Will? William’s Bay? Could the observatory be a tool? Yerkes Observatory certainly acts like a tool. The building has an east-west axis. The main entrance faces north. The telescope dome has an elevator floor to allow the astronomers to go with the dome as it rotates through the night. The whole contraption enabled astronomers to keep a pinpoint star in alignment with the telescope all night long as they photographed it. That Ockham guy knew his stuff—if William is the straight edge Joy’s Serenade is thinking about. Yerkes Observatory, or some observatory, might just be the turning square we have all been looking for. I had to check it out.

The Geography Framework, the Yerkes Instrument, and the Telescope Model of Reduction

I went from Yerkes Observatory is the place to Yerkes Observatory might be a waypoint to the place, which led to navigation as a means to a solve.

If a hand from space reached down and turned the observatory like a turning square on the globe, lines would be arcs. Plotting the cardinal directions using the observatory as the origin onto Google Earth at 1,000 miles out and also at 100 miles out, it looked like something I could use…somehow. It looked more like a transit, compass, telescope, or alignment device more than a treasure location per se.

The marks and cardinal direction lines centered on Yerkes Observatory certainly it looks like a tool that could be rotated on its axes.

Something else popped into view as I looked at the graphic. Was I seeing an overview effect? Are we supposed to be thinking high level and then graduating stepwise down to a closer and closer viewpoint until the target finally comes into view? Does the book support this idea?  I combed the book for every geography word and location and discovered something. The geography repeatedly moved from large locations to smaller locations, like this:

Southeast Asia → Khmer → Angkor → Angkor Wat

California → San Francisco Bay Area → Menlo Park → Bowers Museum

Arizona → Hopi Reservation → Oraibi → Hotevilla

California → Sacramento → American River → Sutter’s Mill

Peru → Andes Mountains → Chavín de Huántar

Broad areas reduced to regions and then to localities. The reduction structure repeated itself, space travel, then Mars, then Moon, then Apollo, then Neil Armstrong shouted to start big and end small. Geography too. We read in the book about continents, countries, regions, states, cities, museums. Could the geography in the book be teaching a principle of reduction. Even the foreign locations. South America, Colombia, two grey peaks and a plain, Chivor mine? My the number of occurrences in the book the named geography can hardly be accidental. Nor do the instructions in the book’s Introduction suggest it is accidental. Start big, move smaller is a key.

The Introduction to the book has an interesting sentence. “As our blue and green planet revolves around the sun, life on earth sketches out over 8 billion lifelines, all drawing out one huge map across its surface.”

Are we drawing a map from the information presented in the book? If so, could  the “compass rose” on the map make a grid whose origin sits at Yerkes Observatory and divides the country into search quadrants? Most certainly yes. Taking it one step further, viewed through the lens of population distribution, the contiguous states naturally separate into several major population regions:

• Northeast Megalopolis

• Great Lakes and Midwest

• Southeast

• Texas and South Central

• West Coast

Let’s lay down the grid using the observatory as the origin, and 42.5 N latitude as the east/west baseline, with 90W as the vertical axis. Then, lets think about how the book says the five boxes were distributed according to population density so that people throughout the contiguous United States would have a reasonable opportunity to search for one near their home.

The natural population regions of the country roughly correspond to areas in the following circles:

• Great Lakes and Midwest

• Northeast Megalopolis

• Southeast

• Texas and South Central

• West Coast

Next, superimpose the observatory instrument and the Surveyor Transit Model and the Telescope Model of Geographic Reduction really starts to take shape. The 100 mile radius is almost entirely inside the Great Lakes and Midwest population center. The Northeast Megalopolis and the Southeast population density circles split the southeast quadrant in half on each side of the Southeast radian at the 1,000 mile mark. The Texas and West Coast circles stand alone, each on a radian at the 1,000 mile mark. This suggests that the model operates from large to small.

→ United States

→ Population Sector

→ Region

→ State

→ Area

→ Locality

→ Target

The next step is to test it.

The 100-Mile and 1000-Mile Radius Tests: Yerkes Observatory as a Surveyor Transit

To test this, two separate radius studies were performed, the 100 mile and the 1,000 mile radius tests. Using the observatory as a fixed reference station, eight great-circle bearings were projected outward (as pictured in the graphic above) along the cardinal and intercardinal directions: North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest. Two separate scales were then examined. The first projected the bearings approximately 100 miles from the observatory to identify the immediate geographic environment surrounding the instrument. The second projected the same bearings approximately 1,000 miles from the observatory to examine national-scale geography. Locations, institutions, landmarks, and clue-associated places from the Lions Share geography dataset were then compared against these corridors. The objective was not to find a destination directly, but to determine which directions accumulated the greatest concentration of clue-related geography and how those concentrations aligned with the major population-density sectors of the contiguous United States. The 100-mile test was interpreted as a calibration exercise that revealed the local observational and institutional systems surrounding Yerkes Observatory, while the 1,000-mile test was interpreted as a search-sector exercise that highlighted broader candidate regions and geographic reduction pathways. Together, the two tests were used to evaluate whether Yerkes Observatory functions as a navigational instrument capable of reducing a national search space into progressively smaller geographic targets.

The 100-Mile Radius Test

The first test examined the area immediately surrounding the observatory. A one-hundred-mile radius roughly encompasses:

• Southern Wisconsin

• Northern Illinois

• Portions of Indiana

• Portions of Iowa

• Portions of Michigan

The objective was to determine what the instrument “sees” when focused locally. The strongest results were not treasure regions. Instead, the local field repeatedly highlighted institutional and observational systems. The most significant cluster was:

→Yerkes Observatory

→ Chicago

→ University of Chicago

→ World’s Fair connections

Additional support appeared through:

• Illinois

• Scientific institutions

• Transportation networks

• Purdue University

• Aviation-related clues

• Astronomy-related clues

What emerged was a geography centered on observation, education, innovation, and infrastructure. This is notable because these systems align closely with the interpretation of Yerkes as an instrument. The local field appears to emphasize mechanism rather than destination. In other words, the one-hundred-mile test identifies the calibration zone. A surveyor first establishes the instrument. Only afterward are distant targets measured.

The 1000-Mile Radius Test

The second test expanded the search field to approximately one thousand miles from Yerkes. At this scale the instrument begins to observe much larger portions of the United States.The resulting geography changed dramatically. Instead of institutions and observatories, the dominant clusters became major population regions and repeated clue geographies. Several candidate regions emerged.

→North Carolina

→ Statesville

→ Hiddenite

→ Chapel Hill

→ Asheville

→ Bakersville

→ California

→ San Francisco Bay Area

→ Menlo Park

→ Sacramento

→ American River

→ Sutter’s Mill

Additional support appeared in:

• Tennessee

• Atlanta

• Tuskegee

• New York

• Washington

These regions align closely with the population-sector model derived from the five-box architecture. Rather than identifying the instrument, the one-thousand-mile field appears to identify candidate search regions. This distinction proved significant.

The Telescope Model of Geographic Reduction Interpretation

The differing results of the two tests may initially appear contradictory. However, they align remarkably well with the Telescope Model of Geographic Reduction. A telescope operates differently at different magnifications. A low-magnification view reveals broad regions. A high-magnification view reveals local detail. The same pattern appears in the Yerkes framework. At one hundred miles, the instrument focuses on itself and the systems immediately surrounding it. At one thousand miles, the instrument begins identifying broader search sectors. The result is not inconsistency but scale-dependent behavior. This is exactly what would be expected from a navigation instrument.

The Calibration Zone

The one-hundred-mile study suggests that the region surrounding Yerkes Observatory serves a special purpose. It repeatedly highlights:

• Astronomy

• Universities

• World’s Fair connections

• Transportation

• Observation

• Scientific institutions

These systems explain how the puzzle works rather than where the treasure is hidden. The calibration-zone hypothesis therefore proposes that the local field around the observatory teaches the method. The observatory, the University of Chicago, and related institutions form a cluster centered on observation, alignment, and measurement.

The National Search Zone

The one-thousand-mile study appears to serve a different purpose. Instead of teaching the method, it identifies the areas to which the method should be applied. The strongest candidate regions emerging from this test include:

• North Carolina

• California

• Tennessee and Georgia

• The Northeast institutional corridor

These locations survive multiple stages of reduction and repeatedly appear throughout the geography dataset.

The Surveyor Transit Model

Taken together, the two tests suggest a layered interpretation. The one-hundred-mile field identifies the instrument and its operating principles. The one-thousand-mile field identifies the regions to which those principles should be applied. The resulting framework becomes:

→ Yerkes Observatory

→ Calibration Zone

→ Compass Rose

→ Population Sector

→ Region

→ State

→ Area

→ Locality

→ Target

This structure mirrors both the Telescope Model of Geographic Reduction and the graduated geography chains found throughout the clue book.

Working Conclusion

The 100-mile and 1000-mile radius tests suggest that Yerkes as an instrument instead of a solve location behaves more like a surveyor’s transit than a destination. At close range, the observatory identifies the systems that teach observation, measurement, and alignment. At large range, the observatory identifies candidate search sectors and geographic reduction pathways. The fact that the two tests produce different results supports a Navigation Solve. A genuine navigation instrument should reveal different information at different scales, which the tests indicate is happening. The local field should explain the method, which the tests again indicate is happening. The national field should reveal the search space. Under this interpretation, the purpose of Yerkes is not to point directly at the treasure. Its purpose is to establish a coordinate framework through which the treasure can eventually be brought into focus.



Raw Geographic Data Collected from the Book and Used in the Tests
Geography Master Document (Chapters 1–23)

Chapter 1 — The 120-carat Sapphire
Subtitle: A Plan that Changed the World

Geography:

• Los Angeles
• San Francisco Bay Area
• Menlo Park, California
• Bowers Museum

Chapter 2 — The 100 Gold Rings of Tuyet Nguyet
Subtitle: Don’t Wing It

Geography:

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Southeast Asia
• Vietnam
• Angkor
• Angkor Wat
• Vatican City
• Rome
• Ancient Greece
• Khmer
• Champa

Chapter 3 — A Puzzle Box, A Magnifying Glass & A Mysterious Egg
Subtitle: Joy is in the Details

Geography:

• Japan
• Tokyo
• Hakone
• Los Angeles
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Bakersville, North Carolina
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• North Carolina
• Midwest United States
• London, England
• America

Chapter 4 — The 96 Carat Chivor Emerald
Subtitle: Blaze the Path

Geography:

• Hiddenite Emerald Mine
• Columbus, Ohio
• Columbus Rock and Mineral Society
• Cincinnati
• Illinois
• Chivor, Colombia
• Europe to New World
• Spain
• Ship Route to Asia
• South America
• El Dorado
• Andes Mountains
• Plain of Llanos
• Dense Forest
• Foot by Foot
• Road Less Traveled
• Road Not Taken
• Two Jagged Grey Peaks
• Rock Towers
• Green Rolling Plains
• Rough Red Dirt Embankment

Chapter 5 — Masterworks by Art Smith
Subtitle: An Exercise in Faith

Geography:

• Morgan’s Pass, Jamaica
• Kingston
• Cuba
• New York City
• New York World’s Fair
• Cooper Union
• Greenwich Village
• Ancient Egypt
• Tribal Africa

Chapter 6 — Rubies to Wear
Subtitle: Inspiration is Welcome

Geography:

• Ancient Burma
• Thailand
• Sukhothai, Thailand
• Brooklyn, New York
• Atlantic Ocean

Chapter 7 — Amelia’s Autograph
Subtitle: Explore More

Geography:

• Londonderry, Ireland
• Purdue University
• Harvard University
• Mexico City
• Washington, DC
• New Jersey
• Canada
• Great White North
• Newfoundland, Canada
• New Horizons
• Beyond Boundaries
• Past the Next Tree Line
• Over the Next Rise
• Around the Next Corner

Chapter 8 — Beauty’s Bespoken Treasures
Subtitle: Know the Past, See the Future

Geography:

• Oraibi
• Native American Settlement
• Badger Clan
• Hopi Reservation
• Arizona
• Museum of Modern Art, New York City
• Scottsdale
• Princeton
• Netherlands
• Hotevilla
• Alcatraz
• Treasure Island
• Grand Canyon

Chapter 9 — The Golden Chalice
Subtitle: Confirmation Bias

Geography:

• Andes Mountains, Peru
• Over 10,000 Feet Elevation
• Chavín de Huántar
• 45 Foot Walls
• Spain
• Highland Civilization
• Statesville, North Carolina
• Formed a Circle
• Meteoric Highs
• Cratering Lows

Chapter 10 — Jackie Onassis’ Diamond Sapphire Brooch
Subtitle: Welcome the Good and the Bad

Geography:

• Statesville, North Carolina
• Washington Times
• White House
• New York City
• Grand Central Station

Chapter 11 — Treasures from a Famous Shipwreck
Subtitle: The Temptress Greed

Geography:

• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Main Dirt Road
• Ragtag Port
• Anchored in Bay
• Spain
• Buenos Aires
• Lima
• Santiago
• Río de la Plata
• Montevideo, Brazil (as written)

Chapter 12 — Massive Gold Rush Nugget
Subtitle: Make Good Choices

Geography:

• California
• Parts of California
• Mexico
• Sacramento
• Sutter’s Mill
• American River
• Fifth Largest Economy
• San Francisco
• Ghost Town
• South America
• Australia
• Brazil
• River in Californian Desert
• The California Star
• China
• Northeast
• Transcontinental Railroad

Chapter 13 — The Best of its Class Jordan Rookie Card
Subtitle: Be Like Mike

Geography:

• Chicago Bulls
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Not Too High or Too Low

Chapter 14 — Tiffany’s Furnace and Thoreau’s Fire
Subtitle: Fail Forward

Geography:

• United States of America
• Pioneered in America
• Travel Across the Globe
• Tiffany & Co.
• Paris
• Egyptian
• Flowers Along the Way to Treasure
• Walden
• Concord
• Largest Forest Fire Ever
• Fairhaven Bay
• Harpers Ferry

Chapter 15 — 1960 Rome Olympic Gold Medal
Subtitle: Don’t Give Up

Geography:

• Rome
• Athens
• Clarksville, Tennessee
• Nashville
• Meharry Medical School
• Tuskegee, Alabama
• Tennessee State College
• Seattle, Washington
• Melbourne
• Texas
• Atlanta

Chapter 16 — 1996 Olympic Gold
Subtitle: Defy Expectations

Geography:

• Atlanta
• Nigeria
• England
• Cairo
• Egypt
• Hungary
• Japan
• Brazil
• Tallahassee, Florida
• Mexico
• Argentina
• Origin of the United States

Chapter 17 — George Washington’s Jelly Glass
Subtitle: Share Your Story

Geography:

• French and Indian War
• New York
• Delaware River
• British
• Germany
• No Bridges to Cross
• Sheet of Ice
• Monmouth
• Atlantic Ocean
• Philadelphia
• Mount Vernon
• Broadway

Chapter 18 — Andrew Carnegie’s Emerald
Subtitle: The Science of Giving

Geography:

• Colombia
• Statesville, North Carolina
• Dunfermline, Scotland
• Western Union
• Pennsylvania Railroad
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Sesame Street
• Mount Wilson Observatory
• Milky Way (Space)

Chapter 19 — Moon Rocks & Meteors
Subtitle: The Next Frontier

Geography:

• Mars
• Statesville, North Carolina
• Western Sahara Desert
• Moon
• NASA
• Central America
• Desert Flat Expanses
• Costa Rica
• Australia
• Colonize the Moon
• Peer at Earth
• Milky Way

Chapter 20 — The Six-Figure Birthstone
Subtitle: Choosing a New Perspective

Geography:

• Tanzania
• Chivor
• Tiffany & Co.
• Several Acres of Park Terrain
• Sight Extends Above
• Shift Vantage Point
• New Standpoint to Form a Complete Picture

Chapter 21 — Antiquities of Alexander
Subtitle: Make it Make Sense

Geography:

• Ancient Greece
• Macedonia
• India
• Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Chapter 22 — Picasso’s Pendant
Subtitle: A Love Story

Geography:

• Spain
• Madoura, France

Chapter 23 — Sing Your Own Special Song
Subtitle: Finding Treasures Along the Way

Geography:

• Egypt