NOTE for major media - Lermanet.com has much additional information we have yet to web, in hopes of getting it used in a major story, contact webmaster see CONTACT page.

OVERVIEW of Scientology's "Mother Church" The Church of Spiritual Technology, Incorporated - LINK

Jump to MAPS of CST Properties

LINK or Click image for News Article

Sherman Lenske CST Director - Affidavit in RTC vs Lerma

Church of Spiritual Technology, CST in Sunday Times Magazine LINK

CST Claims Court Filing (long) 1990 LINK

Sherman Lenske, CST Director, Declaration, 1990 Claims Court Filing LINK (.rtf)

Declaration of Lyman Spurlock for CST LINK

Watch a video of the Trementina New Mexico CST Facility HERE

Washington Post's Richard Leiby "A place in the desert for new mexico's most exclusive circles" LINK

Trementina Notes:

Land owned here by the Church of Spiritual Technology, was acquired from the Estate of Simona Padilla by Grant Deed dated 2/3/1984. The reported purchase price was $250,976.

Construction began on the property about 1984-1985, including a road to the site and preparation for the vault excavation. The vault was started about 1986. It was the subject of the first published article about a CST vault, in the local “Las Vegas Optic” newspaper on September 30, 1986. CST President Russ Bellin was quoted stating that the vault concept, was based on the Mormon Church vault (of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, excavated 1958-1963), and that the sites were chosen where they were away from the “pollution” of major cities and where they were “not likely to be a nuclear target.” (A reporter connected to that newspaper, later stated that there were incidents considered harassment, committed by local Scientologists, apparently in response to the publication of that article).

A briefing by a project engineer described installation of 3 separate vault doors, as well as a door intended to deter vandals. The vault doors were stated to weigh about 6,000 pounds, and to be made of concrete and stainless steel. The hinges were also made of stainless steel, and were coated with a “space age” lubricant. These preparations were intended to ensure the vault doors would be maintenance-free and would last for 1000 years. (This 1000-year interval, may reference the 1,000 year reign of the evil alien "Psychlo" race on Earth, as written in the L. Ron Hubbard 1982 science-fiction novel "Battlefield Earth")

Controversy followed in 1987, as it was discovered that the CST road crossed a parcel of property held by the federal government. In the course of an investigation, the FBI was consulted, to determine CST official Lyman Spurlock’s relationship to the Church of Scientology.

After encountering some difficulty from unanticipated rock fissures, the vault was finished in the late 1980’s and a large nearby luxury residence was completed in the early 1990’s. Newsphoto negatives, from photos taken of structure interiors, were acquired by CST officials (presumably to ensure secrecy).

Details about this vault were supplied to the US government, as part of CST’s 1983-1993 applications for a tax exemption. Additional parcels were transferred from the federal government, following a land swap in 1992 and an acquisition in 1995.

Despite rumors to the contrary (on Wikipedia and other websites), the vault site has never been moved or transferred to the government.

This vault was the subject of additional news articles in 1990, and 1994, and by TV news coverage in 1998 (ABC 20/20) and 2005 (KRQE-TV, CNN). A quote in 1994 by former Scientologist Robert Vaughn Young, compared the vault to a “tomb for the pharaohs” and said that the goal of CST was “tax deductions” and that the intent of Scientology was “world conquest.” Seen here in aerial photographs, are a long mountaintop airstrip and the CST logo carved into the earth (said to resemble “crop circles”).

Local County officials are said to have seen the vault, in the course of invitations to visit. The most recent visit was scheduled in a news report of December 2005. The reported caretaker, Chuck Dunigan, has been active within San Miguel County government.

San Miguel County, New Mexico Deeds:
Book 229, Page 6527 (2/3/1984) Original Grant Deed
(Grantor Simona Padilla Estate, died 6/21/1983, Probate Case #83-22PB)
Book 234, Page 2510 (8/24/1992) US Land Patent #30-92-0118
Book 236, Page 6 (1/3/1995) US Land Patent #30-95-0010

San Miguel County Assessor Parcel Numbers/ID Numbers
(In "2-A" book, under "C"):
1-132-088-060-445 (ID #610890)
1-131-087-200-310 (ID #600280)
"640 Acres transferred to #658864" Section 23
Tax Exempt Status per #SM12-0029-94
Improvements and Value over $2.925 Million
1-131-086-400-350 (ID #658864)
Section 26 + Others,
1-131-088-132-320 (ID #610885)
Section 14, Value $37,500.
1-130-088-340-132 (ID #610846)
Section 15, Value $37,500.
1-131-086-110-445 (ID #610884)
Section 26, Value $124,690.,"Transferred 43 acres to 1-131-087-200-310"
1-132-089-264-132 (ID #610868)
Section 12, Value $37,500.
1-130-087-132-132 (ID #610847)
Section 22&23, Value $37,500.
1-130-087-330-330 (ID #610845)
Section 23, Value $37,500.
1-131-089-390-132 (ID #610844)
Section 11, Value $37,500. (includes 1-132-088-364-030 & 1-131-089-390-132)
Also:
1-133-089-060-130 (T15N/R23E/Sec 7) East part, ID #650651)

US Patents:
1992: Patent #30-92-0118
(400 acres in T15N, R22E, Sections 14, 22, 23, 27)
Followed a "land exchange" for adjacent sensitive ecological property,
acquired by CST from "Sedillos".
In the acquisition, the US government retained mineral rights and mineral
access.
APN 1-131-087-066-330 (Sec. 23 Value $22,000.), APN 1-131-088-460-330 (Sec.
14),
APN 1-130-087-330-460 (Sec. 22, Value $7,333.)
APN 1-131-088-460-330 (Sec. 14, Value $22,000.)

1995: Patent #30-95-0010
(40 acres in T15N, R22E, Section 27)
APN 1-130-086-132-440

Location:
USGS Topographic Quadrants
Canon Olguin
Cerro De Corazon

Approximate GPS coordinates of vault:
(Source: earth.google.com)
35º30’58.20”N
104º34’37.92” W

Internet Links:
Roadside Views (from road location East of vault site):
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1087803#50554256

News Articles:
Las Vegas (NM) Daily Optic, September 30, 1986, "Church Building Archive
Depository"
Santa Fe New Mexican, January 28, 1990, “Scientologists' tunnel project
raises doubts”
Albuquerque Journal, January 23, 1994, “Mountain of Mystery”
Washington Post, November 27, 2005, “A Place in the Desert for New Mexico's
Most Exclusive Circles”
Albuquerque Journal, December 11, 2005

Architect: Mazria Associates of Santa Fe (Ed Mazria)
Tunnel Construction: Denman & Associates (Burke Denman)
Engineer:Underground Support Assistance, Santa Fe (John Pye)

Quotes:
“Some of the church officials on the scene were armed and spoke a languagehe could not identify.” (onsite workman)
"If you've got God on your side, why do you need guns?” (neighbor)
(CST officials were) "absolutely paranoid" (news media professional)
“These people make my hair stand on end” (County official to news reporter)

18 August 2007 Note on What is known as The Trementina Land swap

In early 1989, the Church of Scientology, through it's Church of Spiritual Technology arm, proposed to the BLM to acquire certain BLM lands to allow it to, among other things, extend the runway at its Trementina Base.

They had negotiated informally with the BLM as to how to acquire the necessary land and reached an understanding that if the CST were to acquire lands owned by a man named Orlando Sedillo, that the BLM would then trade to the CST the land that the CST wanted in exchange for the lands purchased from Orlando Sedillo. The CST did NOT own the lands traded to the BLM until the BLM had agreed, in principle, to the exchange and therefore the land traded to the BLM was not the land improved by the CST via the construction of the vault, runway and residential facilities. As late as June of 1990, the traded land was still the property of Orlando Sedillo. The CST paid for an appraisal and a "cultural inventory" of the lands, the BLM agreed to the trade and the land was then purchased and traded to the BLM, with the actual transfer of the land to the BLM occurring on August 24, 1992.

The following documents have been added to document the above:

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-01.jpg
Request for land exchange

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-02.jpg
CST reply

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-03.jpg
Memo from CST to BLM

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-04.jpg
Signature page for above

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-05.jpg
Copy of Warranty Deed

http://www.lermanet.com/CST/BLM-06.jpg
Letter to Governor King of New Mexico

MAPS OF CST PROPERTIES

Click image for high resolution PDF

Creston, California CST Ranch map,
site of L Ron Hubbard's death
aka Creston Ranch (New - May 8.2007)

Crestline / Twin Peaks

Triple Jay Ranch

Petrolia

Washington Post article by Richard Leiby: "A Place in the Desert for New Mexico's Most Exclusive Circles" LINK to Washington Post article - read Rich Leiby's other articles about Scientology LINK

Google Maps - follow road to the left to goto the double circles - LINK

Toulumene (The old Lady Washington Gold Mine)

Trementina

Also See the Wiki entry HERE