Item #: SCP-2397

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Provisional Site-193 has been established in order to contain SCP-2397. The anomalous area, as well as a buffer zone of 100 meters on all sides, is currently enclosed by 4.5-meter tall chain link fencing on all sides. Signs are to be posted around the site's perimeter warning of physical hazards relating to the area's history of mining activity. Any civilians found approaching or within the fenced area are to be interrogated, administered Class-C amnestics, and released.

Description: SCP-2397 is a square region of land, 1.3 kilometers to a side, located several miles outside of the small town of █████, Alaska, near the side of Alaska Route █. Human subjects within SCP-2397 invariably perceive it as being a part of the US state of Iowa. Subjects' perception of SCP-2397 appear to be otherwise normal. Observers standing outside of the item's perimeter do not experience any of its effects. In addition to this perceptual anomaly, other abnormal phenomena sometimes occur within SCP-2397. In the past, these phenomena have included:

Small patches of Andropogon gerardii and other prairie grasses not normally found in the region

The regular appearance of corn husks within the northeastern corner of SCP-2397

The sound of Carduelis tristis (American goldfinch) calls. No physical or visual evidence of the species' presence within SCP-2397 has been detected.

A strong urge among human subjects to "go home" or to speak with family members

Feelings of a sense of vastness and distance, often described as uncomfortable

The land within SCP-2397 consists largely of tundra. A rudimentary dirt road runs through SCP-2397, terminating at the collapsed remains of a small house near the region's center. Examination of the house has revealed no anomalous properties. Several open mining shafts, suspected to date from the brief 189█ mining efforts in the area, have been found within the area. A Foundation investigation of these shafts on ██/██/199█ revealed a set of heavily decayed men's clothing, consistent with 1970's fashions, at the bottom of one of the shafts. At the time of recovery, twenty-three Discus macclintocki (Iowa pleistocene snail) shells were found within the hood of the parka.

Identification for an Alaska resident by the name of Kevin S████ was recovered along with the clothing. Records confirm that a Kevin S████ had resided within the town of █████, working at the local convenience store until his disappearance in 1973. Local residents reported being unsurprised by Mr. S████'s disappearance, often expressing the belief that he had "finally" returned to Iowa, where he claimed to have been born. Foundation investigations have revealed no records of Kevin S████ prior to his arrival in Alaska Territory in 1948.

Addendum 2397-A: Incident 2397-1

On ██/██/199█, during a routine survey of SCP-2397, Agent McConnell reported hearing a man crying, and began transcribing what appeared to be a series of messages (See Document 2397-1). No other personnel in the area reported any anomalous effects, and audio recordings do not reveal any unusual sounds. After writing for approximately five minutes, Agent McConnell wrote down the address of a location in █████, Iowa, before resuming normal behavior and expressing confusion regarding her previous actions.

Investigation of the address provided by Agent McConnell revealed it to be the home of one Ryan S████. Mr. S████ claimed to have no knowledge of a Kevin S████, and did not appear to possess any information about SCP-2397. Despite the content of the messages transcribed by Agent McConnell, records reveal that Ryan S████ was born with an unknown father, and appears to have been cared for exclusively by his mother, Karen S████, until her death in 1947. A single undercover agent has been stationed in █████, Iowa, in order to monitor Ryan S████ for unusual behavior.

Addendum 2397-B: Document 2397-1

I'm sorry, son. This wasn't how I wanted it. I was scared. But I'm just an echo now. Come back to me, as I can't to you. You'd like it here. It's never home but there's a semblance. Come back, son. Fly here and join my dust. It is quiet and calm and I see the plains stretching infinite in the beyond below my feeble eyes. Breathe.

Addendum 2397-C: Incident 2397-2

On ██/██/200█, Junior Researcher Li spent twenty consecutive hours within SCP-2397, the longest period of continuous exposure to the object on record. Near the end of this period, Researcher Feng, the only other individual within SCP-2397 at the time, reported that Junior Researcher Li had become panicked and had begun to speak incoherently about her home town of ██████, Wisconsin. After several minutes of this behavior, Junior Researcher Li approached one of the open mining shafts within SCP-2397 (later identified as the same shaft within which Mr. S████'s clothing was originally found) and stared down into it, refusing to move or speak. At this point, Researcher Feng forcibly removed Junior Researcher Li from SCP-2397.

Upon exiting SCP-2397, Junior Researcher Li appeared disoriented, and continued to express a need to "check up" on friends and family in her hometown. This effect appeared to subside, but not vanish, over time. Coworkers report that Li had stopped making phone calls to her family after the incident, and refused suggestions to take a vacation to visit them, despite her professed desire to do so. Due to the distraction that these effects have provided from Ms. Li's duties as a researcher, she has been reassigned from SCP-2397 and is currently to meet with Foundation counselors on a weekly basis. Human testing with SCP-2397 has been suspended pending further evaluation.