McCray died in 2001 Bruce Prather died in 2015. The McCray family was photographed for the Life magazine spread on the Mystery Spot for their November 15, 1948, issue. Prather died in January 1946 his son Bruce inherited the land and continued running the Mystery Spot with his father's business partner Vaden McCray. Tour guides lead visitors through the attraction and perform various demonstrations to showcase the site's unusual effects. He built a 'crazy house' and opened the site to the public in June 1941. The newspaper also reported that during further exploration of his property he found his compass jittering. According to a newspaper report, Prather bought three acres on the hill in 1940 after he felt slightly dizzy while walking and was interested in his dizziness. Prather was inspired to open the site by the popularity of the Oregon Vortex, which opened to the public in 1930. One of several roadside attractions that opened after World War II for new automobile owners, the Mystery Spot was featured on Art Baker's television show You Asked for It. He owned a welding shop and repair garage in the area before he opened the Mystery Spot. He was born near Fresno and moved to Santa Cruz in 1920. Prather was an electrician, mechanic, and inventor before he opened the Mystery Spot.

The Mystery Spot was discovered by George Prather in 1939. One of the many optical illusions at the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot.

Mystery spot santa cruz