How a Volvo Got Stuck on a Tiny Island in North Central Illinois

I don't know how I could've lived 20 minutes away from this eclectic little oddity for an upwards of four years and never have heard about it.

Nestled in the heart of North Central Illinois, in Ottawa, IL, is a unique, man-made point-of-interest that Google bills a "place of worship." It's a sacred little enclave where people go to take pictures, videos, amuse themselves, and even meditate! Its history is as bizarre as its existence, and it's slowly becoming a trending attraction on TikTok!

It's a place known as "Volvo Island," where a lonely 2001 Volvo S80 sits on a small bed of rocks surrounded by roughly 40 feet of standing water in Ottawa, IL. The water around the vehicle is not part of a lake or river, but rather, has engulfed an abandoned stripmine. The vehicle itself has sat on a bed of rocks since around January 2012.

So How Did a Volvo Get in the Middle of a Flooded Strip-Mine?:

The answer to this question can't be answered easily. According to the website "The Drive," the private property as well as the flooded mine/resulting lake are owned by Scott Mann, who also owns and operates two local car repair shops.

One day, Mann got the idea to tow the 2001 Volvo to the end of a previously existing peninsula. Because the area was strip-mined, there once was a small inlet of land that led out to the middle of the water. Following that, Mann called upon an excavator to dig the dirt away from the car. That's how a man-made island was born.

Mann was originally conceiving a contest of who could retrieve the Volvo from the island. However, you could write another piece entirely about the liability and property damage that could cause, not to mention the life-threatening consequences due to the water being nearly 40-feet deep.

The contest, obviously never happened, but there the Volvo still sits, in the middle of a rock-bed, in the beautiful little town of Ottawa, IL.

According to The Drive, and Auto Evolution, Mann originally planned to order sand and spread it around the rocks to look like a real island. He also at one point conceived it as a free piece of advertising space for his businesses. Ultimately, neither plan came to fruition.

Ultimately, I am glad nothing did. No contest, no beach, and no advertising billboard or anything of that nature. Volvo Island is sacred. It is pure. That's one reason it gets so much attention, and has earned itself a place in Ottawa and Illinois Valley history.

Read more about Volvo Island on The Drive's website.