The Haunted West

Our third and final field trip with the TMCC Paranormal Series was held on October 30, the night before Halloween. We were scheduled to investigate the St. Mary's Art Center (SMAC). The Daughters of Charity, also known as the Sisters of Charity, served the mining town of Virginia City from 1864 to 1897. Led by Sister Frederica, Sisters Xavier and Mary Elizabeth traveled to the Comstock in 1864 with the directive to open a school and hospital in Virginia City. Other sisters soon followed. The Sisters of Charity established a small boarding school and orphanage that constantly struggled to keep up with the demand of the community. Within the first year, occupancy of the institution rose to 25 residents and 112 students, all the while maintaining a small number of sisters, only sixteen in 1880. The orphanage largely subsisted on contributions from local citizens who donated money, food, and clothing to the convent. In 1876, along with the support of Father Patrick Manogue, the ...

I'm seriously behind on my blogging, so I sat down at the computer with all good intentions of catching up. I wanted to check on a few historical facts relating to one of my blogs, and the next thing you know, I'm surfing the web! Amazing how one can get swept away. Needless to say, I never did find what I was looking for. I did however, find some information on a couple of paranormal events happening in our area in the new year. I'm posting two of them to illustrate how these sort of things have become quite a money making venue for some. The first event I ran across caused my jaw to drop. It is a 4 day event, advertised as "A Paranormal Interest Retreat". It is limited to 30 guests, all who will be staying at the St Mary's Art Center (SMAC). Other investigation sites include The Old Washoe Club, Piper's Opera House, and the Peace Officer's Museum. Sounded interesting, until I saw the cost...close to $400! Yikes! Now in defense, the organizer p...

What's with all the vampire movies and television shows nowadays? Don't get me wrong, I love vampire movies. Like every other girl in the world, I like horses and the sexy undead. However, I prefer the Anne Rice/Brad Pitt sort of vampire. Eric Northman on True Blood is pretty hot too. (Getting the idea that this girl likes bad boys?) The Twilight movies and the Vampire Diaries TV series are a little too teen crush for my tastes, what with all that "noble young vampire wanting to be good" story line. (Gag!), but then again, the books were written for a juvenile audience. Still I feel that to truly appreciate the full scope of vampirism, one needs to check out the earlier vampire flicks: Bella Lugosi and later, Christopher Lee. Now those dudes were truly horrifying as well as compelling. Here's the thing, the idea of eternal life, and the severe costs that come with it: the monstrous acts they are forced to commit to sustain themselves, the long lonely...

My friend and fellow ghost hunter Mona grew up in Truckee, California. She has interesting (and eerie) stories to tell. Truckee began as a supply stop along the transcontinental railroad that was being built in the 1800s. It has a compelling history. Many buildings built back in the 1800s still stand today, and ghost stories abound. Mona had caught some interesting pictures while exploring the Summit Tunnel No. 6, one of the most difficult portions of the railway built. She asked if Paula and I were interested in joining her to investigate the tunnel further. Not knowing much about the history of this area, I went online and found out more about this incredible feat of engineering. A HISTORY Constructing a railroad 88 miles over the rugged Sierra Range between Newcastle and Truckee, California, took 12,000 men 3 years and 2 months (February 1865 to April 1868). The Sierra crest, the most challenging section, required 14 tunnels to maintain a maximum grade of 105 feet to ...

Went to see the movie, "Paranormal Activity" this week. It's low budget; made for something like $11,000 and is shot in the fashion of "The Blair Witch Project" complete with weird camera angles, nostril shots and hand held camera jitters. If you have a propensity for motion sickness, take your dramamine before going. The story line is this: A young couple begins hearing strange noises in their house, so the boyfriend goes out and buys a video camera and begins carrying it around and filming their activity during the day, while at night, he sets up the camera at the foot of the bed to film while asleep. The girlfriend apparently has had episodes of paranormal encounters throughout her life, and is a reluctant partner in her boyfriends ghosthunter wannabe activities. Like "The Blair Witch Project", stuff begins to happen and the couple's fear builds to a shocking climax. Again, like "Blair Witch", the best, and scariest part of the mov...

What would school be without a field trip? As a part of the Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series, we have been scheduled for 2 field trips in Virginia City, Nevada. The first one was on October 10. The next one is scheduled for October 30, the night before Halloween. There were probably about 45-50 people signed up for our first field trip. We all met at the Silver Queen Saloon where we we were divided into groups of 7-9, including a tech specialist and a psychic. There were seven in our group: Mona, Jill, Kelly, Cheryl, Paula, myself, and our psychic, Pride. Originally our team included Karen and Gail from the ongoing class, but an emergency prevented them from coming. Gail was to have been our tech specialist, but because most of our group had already been on investigations, we figured we could just wing it. Paula was not slated for our team, but since we were short, we jumped on getting her switched to our team. It wouldn't have been the same without my girl, Paula. ...

No spirit guide for me. Nada, Zip. I spent a few minutes every night for the past week trying to center myself and visualize stuff. I visualized my car, my bedroom, my workplace. I couldn't quite visualize circles of protection, or grounding ropes. I became distracted by the TV or sleep. By Tuesday night, I wasn't so sure I would be able to conjure forth a spirit guide, and I didn't. Oh well. I'm not that disappointed.

Sometimes I get into too much of a rush, especially when I am excited about something. I'm one of those people that tear off packaging and throw it, along with the instructions, away in my rush to play with a new toy. Invariably, I'm also one of those people that you see digging through the dumpster later on in an attempt to retrieve soggy, coffee-ground stained directions. When I signed up for the ghost series, I was in a rush. What I thought I read as "Tools for Ghost Investigating" was actually "Psychic Tools for Ghost Investigating". Um...big difference. I'm not a particular fan of psychics, mediums, clairvoyants and what have you. I admit, I'm prejudiced in that way. I lump them all together with palmists, tarot card readers and shady old ladies with crystal balls seeking to part you with your hard earned money. So, while I try to keep an open mind about things, I approached this class with reserve.  Maureen Hepner, the instructor for this cla...

This past Saturday was the second class of the Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series offered by TMCC. The first session of the class involved a preliminary investigation of the Silver Terrace Cemetery in Virginia City, Nevada. There were about 15 students signed up. We all met at the Miner's Park, a short walk away from the cemetery. Here we got our instructions from Janice Oberding, divided up into 3 groups of 5; each group having a dowser and at least one person with psychic sensitivity. We introduced ourselves to the others in our group, filled out our investigations logs and proceeded to the cemetery. Ten cemeteries actually make up the Silver Terrace Cemetery: Masonic, Oddfellows, West End, Firemen's, Silver Terrace, Wilson and Brown, Improved Order of Redmen, Knights of Pythias, City/County, and Catholic. The population of the cemetery is at least triple the population of modern day Virginia City. It's a reminder of the towns glorious past...

Paula takes great exception to being referred to as a "tech whore". She's says that while, yes, she is addicted to paranormal gadgetry, she wouldn't necessarily sell herself for for a piece of equipment. Okay Tweaker, I won't call you a whore anymore, if you promise to stop scratching yourself every time you browse the surveillance camera aisle of the local spy shop.

When I first signed up for the TMCC's Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series, I really didn't know what to expect. I've been on ghost tours before, usually around Halloween, when most people's curiosity in the paranormal is peaked. I've been to a few lectures and I've visited a few places online, read a book or two and explored a few local spots. I don't consider myself outlandish or weird, and if asked, I would say I am a skeptical believer in the existence of hauntings. I believe most claims can be debunked, however, my own personal experiences have led me to believe that there are some things that just cannot be explained away. Most people, upon hearing that I seek out places that might be haunted, give me a look of disbelief, followed by, "REALLY?", a nervous pause, then a change in subject. Ghost hunting has become my guilty pleasure, not discussed with most co-workers and friends. So, when I showed up for the first lecture, I was ...

TMCC is offering a series of eight classes this Fall for the fledgling paranormal investigator, beginning this month and running through October. The series includes: Paranormal Investigator I on Sept. 12, Paranormal Investigator II on Sept. 19 and 26, Psychic Ghost Hunting Tools on Sept. 22 and 29, EVP Recording the Voices of the Dead on Oct. 3, Downtown Virginia City Ghost Hunt on Oct. 10, Scientific Tools to Evaluate the Paranormal on Oct. 22, Religion and the Paranormal on Oct. 27 and the St. Mary's Arts Center Ghost Hunt on Oct. 30. The instructor for Paranormal Investigator I and II will be Janice Oberding: historian, author and paranormal investigator. I attended a lecture she gave about the history of the Cal-Neva Lodge. She is an interesting and knowledgeable lecturer, and for that reason I went ahead and signed up for the series. I am unfamiliar with the other instructors, but it's all good. One can never have enough knowledge or a different ...

Here it is, the end of another beautiful summer. What better way to end the season but by spending a few days investigating a Nevada ghost town? Paula and I tossed around a few possibilites. We've been wanting to get out to Leadville, and Unionville sounded pretty good too, but in the end we settled on Humboldt City; and what a great choice it turned out to be. Humboldt City is located some 33 miles east of Lovelock, Nevada. The town is situated in a spring fed canyon at the base of the Humboldt Range, nestled among old strands of cottonwood. Remnants of firepits, and adobe and stone buildings dot the landscape. It is a quiet oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert, and one is struck by the quietness of the place-during the day, that is. The mining settlement of Humboldt City was founded in 1860. Within its short lifespan of 9 years, over a 1,000 silver discoveries were made in the Humboldt City area before its abandonment in 1869. Louis Barbeau was the first m...

It is August 11 th , night of the Perseids meteor shower. G. and I have made plans to revisit the Geiger Grade lookout for the event. Mariah wants to investigate the weird creature story, and to tell the truth, I am a little curious myself. Will it still be hanging around there after all these years? As we're getting ready for our little excursion, Levi and 5 of his buddies show up and spread out on the deck. G. tells them the story of the creature we saw so many years ago. After a lot of boasting, posturing and shouldering each other, the guys decide that they want to search for the creature too (one of them even made the claim that he would catch it and eat it!). Ah...to be 18 again. We head out around 12:30 a.m. It takes us about 45 minutes to reach the lookout. There are several vehicles there, other astronomy enthusiasts, scanning the night sky. Our group, 9 in all, head out across the clea ring to the far end and up to the stone seat. As luck has it, we have the lookout sea...

Looking at the calender, I am reminded of an incident that happened ...oh, more than 20 years ago. My longtime companion and I had just started dating. He came by late one evening and asked me out for a drive. It was a beautiful clear night in August, and right around the time of the Perseid meteor shower. We decided to get out of town, away from the city lights and take in the show. We headed south on 395, then left onto 341 toward Virginia City. About 4 1/2 miles up the grade, we pulled into the Geiger Grade turnout. The Geiger Grade is named after Dr. Davidson M. Geiger, a local physician who financed the building of the original road back in 1862. The road allowed the movement of gold shipments, supplies, and stagecoaches to and from the Comstock. Because of its many twists and turns, it was a popular spot for robberies. The road was rebuilt in 1936, and the turnout area with its stone walls and seating was built as a dedication to D.M. Geiger. It affords a spectacular view of the ...

Okay, so I'm on vacation from my job right now, and I've yet to complete any of the projects I had planned to do, or read any of the books on my summer reading list. I've pretty much just zoned on the couch, ate way too much junk food, watched far too much SciFi (excuse me, SyFy) and Discovery Channel, and logged a bazillion hours on the Internet. Should I clean out the storage closet like I planned? Reorganize my office? Catch up on over due bills and correspondence? No. No...I don't think so. What I need to do is get out of the house completely. I want to go exploring. Go on an adventure. Delve into the rich history of the Old West. In other words, do a little ghost hunting. What to do, where to go... I don't know. I'll have to think on it.

A couple of things we learned from our previous visit to Gold Hill, come early if you want something to eat, and the chance to explore the Silver Terrace Cemetery; which is larger than it first appears, and closes at dusk. With this in mind, Paula , Jessie and I met at the Gold Hill around 3 pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We checked into the cabin, unloaded our gear, and set off to the Silver Terrace Cemetery. Driving through Virginia City on this trip was a completely different experience than we had when we were up here in February. The good weather had brought out the bike enthusiasts by the hundreds. The town was hoppin '. We drove to the north east edge of town to the cemetery. There were quite a few visitors exploring the cemetery. Paula wanted to see if she could find any tombstones of miners of the Comstock Era that had died around the same time as the Yellow Jacket fire. No such luck. While there are some impressive marble to be found, I believe that miners, being of the...

In the 1800's, the large mines of the Comstock employed anywhere from 500 to 1000 men working in shifts around the clock to mine the precious ore. These mines were like ant colonies of underground activity. The men dug and blasted their way down into the earth, using forests of lumber to shore up the walls and work areas, called "cribs" with massive wooden beams and planks. The cribs were interconnected by miles of tunnels and wooden staircases, which in turn, interconnected the levels. Mines extended down hundreds of feet below the surface. Tons of dirt and ore were continually being moved through these pathways by means of chutes and winzes . Scores of wooden flues were constructed through out to dissipate the tremendous heat and to pipe in breathable air. The only light source came from candles or oil filled lanterns. It was a dangerous existence. Fire and cave-ins were a constant threat. Newly discovered ore veins needed to be blasted open and the wooden supports hol...

The Oscar party was winding down when we made it back to the hotel. We met the resident cat who took it upon herself to act as our unofficial escort as we wandered around the outside of the hotel. We stopped for a quick peek into the the hotel bar. Every inch of the ceiling and walls of the bar is covered with dollar bills. Most of them decorated and signed by patrons, I imagine. Around 10:00 pm, most of the party goers had gone, and things were quiet enough for us to begin our investigation. We turned on the camcorder and digital recorder in room 5, turned out the lights, closed the room, and went next door. While Paula turned on the camcorder in room 4, I once again did an EMF sweep. I didn't find any changes from earlier readings. We placed a K2 meter on the bed, we turned out the lights and began our EVP session. I took a few photos, none of which turned up any thing. Neither Paula or I got the impression of paranormal activity in this room. After about 50 minutes, we tha...