Buffalo Bill’s Grave and Museum

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Buffalo Bill’s Grave and Museum on Lookout Mountain in Golden is steeped in ghost stories. Some say Buffalo Bill himself haunts the area. Specifically, a cowboy resembling Buffalo Bill has been seen in the gift shop. I have been to the gift shop countless times (I grew up in the area) and have never seen the specter myself.

 

There is a story of a woman who fell and died on the grounds surrounding the grave and museum. I am not sure when the story started, or if there is any basis of truth to it, but the ghost of a woman can be seen in the area. This one stinks of urban legend like the lady in white from Riverdale Road.

People say souvenirs fall or fly off the shelves in the gift shop. Once again, this isn’t something I have personally witnessed. I can say that the shop doesn’t feel level in some places, and may give off the fun house feeling. Patrons may accidentally bump the merchandise and knock it down themselves.

I think the main reason Buffalo Bill’s Grave and Museum gives off that creepy feeling is due to the cell towers and things on the mountain. There are reported high EMF fields, which anyone who watches Ghost Hunters knows can cause a variety of side effects including disorientation, the feeling of something watching you, dizziness, and even hallucinations depending on how sensitive you are.

While Lookout Mountain may or may not be haunted, it is a great place to visit. The views are spectacular, and it’s a great place to, ahem, park if you get my meaning. There are also some neat hiking trails in the area, and it’s a fun escape from the city without having to wander too far.

Bottom line: I don’t believe Buffalo Bill’s Grave and Museum is haunted, but it does make for some cool ghost stories. What do you think? Haunted or not?

Curiouser, and Curiouser

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To quote little Alice, Things are getting “curiouser, and curiouser” around here. My unseen friends made two appearances last night. Once for me, and once for my husband.

Last night, while rinsing conditioner out of my hair, I noticed a shadow cross along the shower curtain. I thought my husband came in the bathroom. I even said something to him. When I didn’t get a response, I pulled the curtain aside, and discovered an empty bathroom.

After dressing and returning to our bedroom, I found my husband in bed watching TV. I told him what I saw, and he told me he saw something as well. He said he swore he saw something walk by our bedroom door while I was still showering.

Talk about eyebrow-raising occurences. I am going to try to contact whatever it or they are. Hopefully, I’ll have something to report back.

Silver Cliff Cemetery: Ghost Lights

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Photo by Doug Welty. Courtesy of Legends of America

Silver Cliff Cemetery is located in the town of Silver Cliff about three hours south of Denver. Silver Cliff itself is a small town with a rich mining history. It’s namesake is The Silver Cliff Mine. The Cemetery is like many cemeteries located throughout many of the small towns in Colorado. There is evidence of its western heritage, it’s small, old and a lot of the markings on the stones have been washed away; victims of the elements. For all the similarities, Silver Cliff is very special. It has documented “ghost lights.”

The ghost lights are bluish orbs that seem to dance among the headstones of Silver Cliff Cemetery. Many people have seen the lights and they have been featured in National Geographic, and you can see an article here from the local paper about the phenomenon. I believe this may be one of the truly haunted popular paranormal sites in the state.

A close friend of mine has seen the lights more than once. Each time he passes through Silver Cliff, he stops to see the lights.

There doesn’t seem to be a rational explanation for the lights. Research proved it isn’t from another light source, and there seems to be no source for the light to reflect from.

The only other explanation I’ve heard for the Silver Cliff Cemetery that isn’t ghostly is that the cemetery is built on a sidhe (pronounced shee.) A sidhe is a fairy mound, (where, according to legend, fairies live, or maybe a portal the world of the Fae) and the lights could be compared to Will ‘O the Wisp. I’ve heard stranger things, but I’m not sure how much I buy into the lights actually being fairies.

What do you think causes the ghost lights? Ghosts? Fairies? Headlights? Or something else?

 

Big Foot?

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With the Ogopogo video making the rounds on the web right now, I was inspired to share a “monster sighting” story.

Photo courtesy of Coloradodirectory.com

This story happened in the late 80s near Ruedi Reservoir located near Basalt, Colorado.

While on a camping trip, the story-teller (he wishes to remain anonymous, so we’ll just call him Bob) was out on a hike with family and friends. The hiked through the woods surrounding the reservoir as dusk neared. A rock flew through the trees as if it was thrown. “Bob” and family didn’t see anyone around. There weren’t even very many people camping at the reservoir. It was as alone as one can get on a camping trip here in Colorado without going off the beaten path into the back country.

While they peered into the trees trying to find the source of the tossed rock, one of “Bob’s” family members saw what he thought was a large animal running away. It was bigger than your average person and moved on two feet instead of four. It looked like it had long red fur.

When I first heard this story, I couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed way too ridiculous to be true. The sincerity of “Bob” while he told the story got to me though. He is a trusted source of information, so while I don’t believe he saw Big Foot I think he saw something that day.

What are your thoughts on Big Foot? Is it a monster, or maybe an animal that hasn’t been classified yet? Fodder for paranormal enthusiasts, or something better let for Cryptozoologists?

Here is a link for Big Foot sightings in Pitkin County (the general area of Ruedi Reservoir.)

 

Isn’t Halloween Over?

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I don’t think whatever lurks in my home got the message. Halloween is over! Pack it in! Go home! Go where ever it is you belong until next year!

I couldn’t sleep last night and ended up wandering the house at 1:30 AM after watching Bill Maher. (See, I wasn’t even watching anything scary!) The house was dark except for the night lights in the kids’ rooms. I didn’t turn any lights on, so there wasn’t a source of light to throw any shadows. I saw shadows anyway. Two of them to be exact. One in the dining room and one in the living room. They had the outline of a head an shoulders, but kind of faded away where there were supposed to be feet. I really need to carry my camera around all the time, so I can catch evidence of the little buggers.

They aren’t frightening or aggressive, just there. Have you seen shadow people before? What do you think of them?

Third Bridge (Ghost Bridge)

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This is one of those stories that begs the question: Does the ghost story make the ghost, or does the ghost make the ghost story?

The Third Bridge is out on County Line Rd., east of Aurora. To me, the surroundings around the bridge are creepy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, and surrounded by twisted old Cottonwood (I think?) trees. There are a couple of houses nearby, but it feels like you are the only person alive out there. I was there in the middle of the day when I drove out to check it out, and it may be my urban roots showing, but I was unnerved by the silence.

The original story of the Third Bridge is that of a Native American massacre. It is said one can hear drums that get louder the longer you sit on the bridge. There are also stories af a ghost rider in the trees or riding along the bridge. I can’t find any information to support either of those stories, but that doesn’t stop people from driving out there looking for a cheap thrill.

The desire to see the ghost rider and hear the drums is what may have caused the real tragedy at the Third Bridge. In June, 1997 a horrific car accident happened on the bridge. Two cars, holding 15 teens and one pre-teen between the two of them, raced into the night to go see the area. The first car crested the hill, lost control and smashed into the guard rail. The driver of the second car, after seeing the first car wreck, tried to stop, but accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the break. They also lost control and smashed into a tree. In the end, two teens were killed and the driver of the first car is permanently disabled.

The Third Bridge or Ghost Bridge is primed for a haunting after the horrific tragedy to happened there in the summer of 1997. I don’t know whether or not it is actually haunted, because I have not spent much time out there. What do you think? Do the ghosts of those teenagers still hang around the bridge? Are there really any Native American spirits? What about the ghost rider? If the bridge is indeed haunted, it is doing a good job keeping its’ secrets.

 

Heritage Square

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Heritage Square, located in Golden, is a neat shopping village/amusement park designed for families. It’s the home of the Alpine Slide and the Heritage Square Music Hall. It may also be home to a ghost or two. There doesn’t seem to be much solid evidence to suggest a haunting, but there are many stories.

Star Crossed Lovers

The most popular story is of a young man falling in love with a Native American girl. Her tribe passed through the area and the man fell instantly in love. Tribe elders forbid the girl from seeing the young man. The story comes to its tragic end when the young man chases after the tribe in a horse-drawn wagon, and ends up dying. It is unknown whether his death was an accident, or if the story has a more sinister ending. People report hearing the sound of galloping hoofbeats and hearing a male’s voice yelling for someone to wait.

Orbs and EVPs

One of my favorite local paranormal groups investigated Heritage Square years ago (early 2000s maybe?) and used to have their findings of their investigations posted on their website. Unfortunately, they have overhauled their site and all the evidence of their old investigations was removed. I remember them having a few cool orb pictures and one disturbing EVP. It sounded like a little boy. Just thinking about it gives me chills.

Spider Mansion

While you may not be able to catch a real ghost out at Heritage Square, you can definitely get scared. Spider Mansion is the haunted house open every October on the property. It’s not the most chilling haunted house out there, but it’s not shabby.

Final Thoughts

I believe there may be some sort of paranormal activity at Heritage Square, but I don’t necessarily believe the Native American/pioneer love story. It stinks of an urban legend to me. What do you think?

Ghostly Visitors

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Well, they’re back. My ghostly visitors have returned to my house. The activity isn’t alarming, but it’s steady. I know I can smudge my house with white sage to clean it out again, but I am curious what my visitors want, if anything. Are they just passing through? Do they come here for a reason? Are they lost? I plan to find out. They can stay as long as they don’t start scaring anyone! I’ll give you a rundown of what I’ve seen and experienced so far.

1. Shadow People

The shadow people are back. They’re in the living room and on the stairs. I haven’t seen them anywhere else yet. They aren’t “scary” at all. It feels like they’re just watching.

2. Smells

My garage sometimes smells like pipe tobacco and that mildew-y moist smell of basements in humid climates. I live in the dry-as-bones suburbs of Denver, so the smell doesn’t make sense. Nobody in my household smokes a pipe. Neither do the neighbors. I am starting to believe my Grandfather is hanging around my garage. He died 16 years ago. He smoked a pipe and had a small room off the garage at his house in Maryland he called the Eagle’s Nest. It was his space that nobody was allowed in, unless they were invited. The Eagle’s Nest was his own private club house, and he spent a lot of time in there. Our garage smells exactly like his pipe and the funky smell of the Eagle’s Nest.

3. Stuff Moving Around

I’m not saying this points to ghosts, because I may be the most scatter-brained person on the planet, but small objects are moving around my house. Things like a pen I swore I left on the dining room table just a minute ago turns up in the basement on the floor. Objects on the kitchen counter are all moved just a bit. Not enough to be very noticeable, but enough for me to have the feeling that something isn’t quite right.

4.  Ball of Light

Now this one is my biggest experience to date. I was in bed watching TV late one Saturday night. My husband was in bed and already asleep. There was a flash of light to my right (my hubby’s side of the bed) and when I looked over, it was like the beam from a flashlight about two feet above the bed by the wall. There isn’t anything reflective for the light of the TV to bounce off of, and all the lights in our room were turned out. I actually jumped out of bed and turned on the overhead light. The ball of light gave me the willys! That was a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t seen it since. I hope whatever that was decides to stay out of my room from now on!

What do you think? Can you explain away any of these experiences?

Red Rocks Ampitheatre

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Red Rocks Amphitheatre, located in Morrison, CO, is a world-renowned natural amphitheatre. It is one of the most beautiful places for outdoor concerts; the sound is great! Many believe, along with being an entertainment venue, it is haunted.

Red Rocks has a rich history for hauntings. There is the spirit of a man who haunts the amphitheatre itself and is most often seen beyond the rails in the “restricted” areas. He is most often described as wearing prospector garb. That is believable considering Colorado’s long mining history. I have heard he isn’t a friendly ghost. I have not encountered him myself, so I can’t say one way or the other what this spirit’s disposition may be.

What I find the most interesting is the stories of the ghosts at the Trading Post . The location has all the classic elements of a haunt. Footsteps, cold spots, moving objects, and a general feeling of creepiness all happen at the Trading Post. Whatever lurks there isn’t dangerous as far as employees are concerned. I think the spirits that hang around the Trading Post are mischievous at worst and curious at best. Maybe they just want to let others know they are there.

Here is a link to a news story about the Trading Post at Red Rocks:

Is Red Rocks Haunted?