Charles A. Stansfield Jr. - Haunted Northern California: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Golden State

For Diane, my one and only, the light of my lifea wonderful wife, superb mother, and most generous grandmother

Copyright 2009 by Stackpole Books

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FIRST EDITION

Design by Beth Oberholtzer

Cover design by Tessa J. Sweigert

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stansfield, Charles A.

Haunted northern California : ghosts and strange phenomena of the Golden State / Charles A. Stansfield, Jr.1st ed.

p.cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-3586-5 (pbk.)

ISBN-10: 0-8117-3586-9 (pbk.)

1. GhostsCalifornia, Northern. 2. Haunted placesCalifornia, Northern. I. Title.

BF1472.U6S732009

133.109794dc22 2009003157

Contents

Introduction

Ghosts are all around us, or so it would seem. Recent surveys indicate that about half of Americans either claim to have had a direct experience with the supernatural or have relatives or friends who sincerely believe theyve had encounters with ghosts, witches, vampires, or monsters. Add in the scores of millions whove witnessed UFOs and you have a clear majority of believers, or at least open-minded skeptics.

Contemporary Americans are not alone in their fascination with the supernatural. People always have expressed interest, if not total belief, in ghosts and goblins. Consider what has happened to Halloween in America over the years. What was once pretty much a childrens holiday, an excuse for the kids to dress up in costumes and gorge on candy for one evening, has become an occasion for ever more elaborate decorations on houses and lawns. Fake tombstones with witty epitaphs sprout from suburban lawns. Imitation cobwebs festoon trees, and orange twinkle lights join jack-o-lanterns in windows. Stores even sell a variety of greeting cards for the occasion, right down to Happy Halloween from my dog to your dog. It is no coincidence that ghosts, witches, vampires, and monsters of all types are enduringly favorite Halloween costumes for both children and adults.

Interest in the supernatural seems to be universal. Every human society that we know of has had traditions of ghosts, witches, and monsters. As fans of Dracula movies know, tales from Eastern Europe feature vampires transforming from humans into wolves or bats, known as shape-shifting. More than seven thousand miles away, in the southwestern deserts of America, the Navajo believe that witches can metamorphose from human form into wolves or owls. Is it pure coincidence that people of such different cultures, religions, languages, and races just happen to have almost identical legends?

In the ancient African kingdom of Ethiopia, it was customary for people to carry a fetish bag filled with small natural or handmade objects believed to have magical powers to protect them against evil spirits. Many Native American tribes also had the habit of carrying pouches filled with small quantities of magical herbs, plant pollen, and oddly shaped or colored pebbles to ward off witches and bad luck.

Belief in witches was so strong in Europe four and five centuries ago that scores of thousands of people were convicted of witchcraft and either hanged or burned alive. In England alone, thirty thousand people were killed because their neighbors thought they were witches. House cats were thought to be familiars, feline henchmen of human witches and in league with Satan. In an orgy of senseless violence, hundreds of thousands of cats were killed throughout Europe. Ironically, this led to a huge increase in rat populations, which helped spread the dreaded black deathbubonic plague. On the other side of the world, Japanese folklore contains stories of ghostly vampire catsa truly fearsome combination of supernatural threats.

Legends about monsters, both in the sea and on land, abound in every culture. Are they just legends, or could there be truth at the roots of these stories? For many centuries, sailors told about fantastic sea monsters whose many flailing arms were lined with suction cups, creatures equipped with huge, sharp beaks capable of tearing men apart. Were these just tall tales growing out of ignorance and isolation and fueled by rum? Such stories were once dismissed as impossible by scientists. How could there exist such animals, capable of attacking whales? But now we have abundant evidence that, yes, giant deep-sea squid more than thirty feet long are real.

Could Bigfoot actually exist? Native American legends say yes, as do the scores of people living in the Pacific Northwest who claim to have seen the creature. About 150 years ago, in the rainforests of central Africa, the locals told stories about the men of the forestgreat, hairy, manlike animals that were more powerful than humans. They were at the same time shy and curious about people and were pretty smart. Scientists classified these tales as mere folkloreuntil they finally came face-to-face with gorillas. Could an apelike animal live in places like Northern California? Why not? We now know that the great apes are not strictly vegetarians, as once assumed. Theyve been seen hunting and eating monkeys, as well as termites and other insects. They, like people, can consume a wide variety of food, both plant and animal. If they did live in the forests of the great Northwest, they would be able to find enough food. It has been observed that although most animal species may have originated in the tropics, many have successfully migrated to cooler climates. These animals even get larger in size the farther from the equator, as greater body bulk becomes a survival advantage. Siberian tigers and Alaskan Kodiak bears, for example, are larger than their cousins to the south.

So just because we dont see a Bigfoot in a museum or zoo yet doesnt mean it doesnt exist. There are still mysteries out there.

For believers and skeptics alike, any encounter with ghosts is not to be taken lightly. Even those who very seriously doubt the existence of ghosts express fear of them. Our fascination with ghosts, strongly evident in all forms of the media, is likely related to our deep-seated fears that the dead might return in spirit to harass us or do us harm. Consider the pyramids of ancient Egyptthe largest stone structures on earth. They were built to protect and preserve the bodies of dead kings so that they could succeed in traveling to the world of the spirits. The living went to great lengths to help the dead move on and not stay to haunt the living. Fear of ghosts built the pyramids.

Nine thousand miles west of Egypt, some Indian tribes living in the Colorado River Valley customarily destroyed or discarded all the personal possessions of the deceased, such as clothing, jewelry, and tools. This was done out of the belief that the spirits of the dead would remain to haunt the living who dared take over the dead persons possessions.

Ghost stories are both common and popular because they are a way of exploring the nature of life and deatha very serious, even disturbing question that we are uneasy confronting. Does some form of existence continue after the death of a body? Are we, in some way, immortal? Can the spirits of the dead somehow cross the barrier between the living and the dead?

Perhaps the gentle mocking of death at Halloween is a safety valve to diminish our fears about the end of life. We can joke about serious and complex concerns that we have by dressing up as ghosts and thus reducing their mystery.