I grew up in Nevada, a place filled memories of stagecoaches, cowboys, rodeos, and herds of wild horses. Scattered across the barren deserts of Nevada are cluttered fragments of the old west found in towns like Virginia city, Carson, Tonopah and Goldfield. Driving through Goldfield was like being in a time warp. Everywhere I looked was a piece of history. Broken down railway entrances, an old school, hotel and even a stagecoach. But despite its run-down appearance, it has a history worth writing about. Goldfield is 247 miles southeast of Carson City along highway 95 in the eastern part of Esmeralda County. It was a boom town in the first decade of the 20th century. Gold was discovered there between 1903 -1940 and the gold mines produced more than $86 million {prices at that time} But on July 6th, 1923, a moonshine still caught fire on Main Street. The hotel proved impervious to the blaze, but the town did not.
The Goldfield Hotel has quite the reputation, it's been featured in several films and television shows because of the creepy stories that surround it. The popular show called Ghost Adventures has made but four visits to investigate the paranormal activity, and there's something going on and it's not for the faint of heart. Many of those who live in Goldfield say they've seen the supernatural with their own eyes. "It seemed like something was coalescing in my head saying 'Harry, Harry' which I didn't like it all. So, I took the only rational approach and ran. Former Esmeralda County District Attorney Harry Keuhn.
I had a few ghostly encounters as a teenager, while living in Carson City, Nevada { founded in 1858} My dad and I lived in apartment a few blocks from the cemetery. One night, just before I fell asleep something touched me on the shoulder. When I turned over there was a hazy image of man wearing a three corner hat, knickers and black knee-high boots and reminded me of a pony express rider. The pony express traveled through Carson City on their way to Sacramento California. So, could that hazy image that scared me speechless been a pony express rider? Maybe! After that odd things began to happen. My record player would mysteriously stop in the middle of a song and books would fall off my shelf. I don't know where the ghost came from or why he was there, but he left as mysterious as he showed up. What a relief, no more nighttime visitors or ghostly taps on the shoulder.
There's a lot of stories, about haunted mansions, hotels, lighthouses, and graveyards all across the United States. No one really knows why certain places are haunted or why the ghosts remain. But regardless of the reason for their lingering presence, people seem to love a good ghost story. Especially,on a dark, stormy night with branches scratching against the window, the moan of the wind and a sudden slam of a shutter against the house makes us wonder what might be lingering outside the window. I never believed in ghosts until the night I saw one, but there's a lot of things in this world we can't explain, and ghosts seem at the top of the list.
Have you ever had a ghostly encounter?
Add comment
Comments