Traveling on an unpaved road in Northern California near Crescent City high above the Pacific Ocean, my husband and I chanced upon a small weather-beaten marker along the side of the road. Stopping to investigate, we learned that we had found a National Register of Historic Places.

Peering over the steep embankment, we saw nestled on a plateau, before a sheer drop off into the ocean, "The Farm That Wasn't". It appreared to have been a working farm complete with a farm house, a barn and an outbuilding.  The outbuilding was actually a privy with two stalls.

Appearances are not always what they seem to be. This certainly wasn't. This "farm" had a much more remarkable function during the time it was active. Built by the United States government, it was designed to protect the mainland from enemy attack.

After the devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the Federal government knew they could no longer assume the country was impervious to assault from enemy forces. "The Farm That Wasn't" was built to camouflage an early warning radar military base.

Radar was first invented in the early 1900s and the development continued through the 1920s and 1930s. Just before the beginning of World War II, early warning radar systems were invented but they were large and primitive. To prevent detection and be effective against the country's foes, these huge systems had to be hidden from sight. "The Farm That Wasn't" came into being.

Military personnel lived at the "farm" and manned the radar 24/7. Forty Army Air Corps men worked shifts watching for any unidentified objects heading toward the U.S. coast. Planes, ships, blimps and other craft were reported to a communications center located in Berkeley, CA. United States fighter planes were called to action if any of the spotted craft were determined to be hostile.

The "farm" had its protection from intruders, too. Military personnel carried rifles and atop anti-aircraft mounts were two 50-caliber machine guns. Military police, accompanied by dogs, patrolled the grounds and surrounding areas.

By the end of WWII, technology of early warning radar devices had far surpassed the need for places like the "farm". Now, unmanned ballistic missiles with intercontinental ranges and complex jet bombers could do the job of guarding the U.S.

Stationary coastal early warning radar systems were no longer needed. "The Farm That Wasn't" had served its purpose. It was an antique and left to fall into disrepair. Because it was so unique and still mostly intact, historians in the 1970s rescued it by placing it on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nine years after discovering The Klamath River Radar Station, I still marvel at the serendipity that led us there. It makes me wonder how many relatively unknown, out-of-the-way historical places are waiting to be stumbled upon. Places of note, that deserve to be recognized and appreciated for the historical service they rendered during the era they were active, are there. We just need to find them.