I have a patch of dirt that had some compost tossed on it. There, a bunch of squash-like sprouts came up. At first I thought they were volunteer squash from the compost, but now I'm wondering if there might be some weeds common in these parts that look squash-esque?
The only other thing that I know of that looks somewhat like them is the western wild cucumber (Marah macrocarpus). It is said to have an enormous root, up to 100 lbs, and "can be processed for a soap-like extract".