THEY'RE BAAAACK: Prospector's return to California's Ghost Towns

Excerpts from BBC News' Joining the California Gold Rush by Rajesh Mirchandani:

In America, record prices are fuelling a new Gold Rush - 160 years after thousands descended on California, seeking riches.

"You can pay your bills, if you live meagrely," says John Gurney, who gave up his job six months ago to become a full-time gold prospector. John is standing in a shallow river in Jamestown, California, in the heart of Gold Country: in 1849, the same dream brought hundreds of thousands of people to towns like this.

He is panning for gold: he shovels rocks and dirt from the river bed into a bucket, sifts out the bigger pieces, transfers what's left into a ridged plastic panning bowl, and then, using a light movement back and forth, shakes the bowl, separating the lighter material from the heavier, including gold.

"It's not a lot of money," John says, "but it adds up quite a bit... But you never know - you may hit the jackpot sometime." The original 49ers - as they've become known - used this technique, as well as mining. Fortunes were made - and lost - in the wild towns that sprang up almost overnight along 200 miles of central California, an area they called the Motherlode.

Places like Jamestown and Coloma - which, in its heyday, nearly became California's state capital - have been mining tourists ever since. But now these ghost towns are stirring again, as more and more amateur prospectors try their luck.

Brent Shock wears a huge gold nugget as a ring; with his long leather coat and wild eyes, he has clearly seen a thing or two in his 25 years of gold mining.

He runs gold-panning tours in Jamestown and says it is busier now than he has known it for years.

"You've got a tremendous amount of interest from people now," he tells me, "because gold's at $1,000 an ounce."

Near San Francisco, a city that boomed thanks to the first Gold Rush, Mike Dunn recently opened a shop selling prospecting equipment. You can buy anything from plastic goldpans all the way up to floating dredges at $3,400, with long plastic hoses for sucking up large amounts of material from the river bed.

In the studied atmosphere of the What Cheer Saloon in Columbia, Ben the barman wears period costume but serves modern drinks. A sign outside offers sarsparilla (an old type of root beer). All along the main street in fact are shops and signs from a bygone age - Columbia is a living museum to its glittering past.

"It's good for this place because it brings tourism," Pat Narry says. "Tourism has always been gold!"

Bob Beck tells me: "Areas have been milked dry but with the rain and the seasons the gold comes to the surface... so they're praying. At $1,000 an ounce, they're praying!"

Back at the creek in Jamestown a group from the east coast are trying their hand at gold-panning.

Just like in 1849.

Spirits with Spirits: June 13th, 2008

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. Spirits with Spirits is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts!

THE DATE: June 13th, 2008 (Friday the 13TH)
THE PLACE: The Library Bar (located in the haunted lobby of the Hotel Roosevelt) map

THE GHOSTS:

This hotel is as famous for the list of celebrities who have stayed there, as it is for the ghosts that continue to stay there, including a couple of celebrities who are also ghosts (or vice-versa). Most famously, Marilyn Monroe is said to haunt a mirror that hangs in the lobby near the elevators. Witnesses have claimed to have seen her phantom reflection smiling back at them. Legend has it that the mirror was one of her favorite possessions in her private poolside suite.

The lobby is also the home for two other ghosts. First, there is the unidentified “man in white” who walks along the mezzanine level of the lobby, eventually disappearing as he steps through the solid, locked doors on the north-east corner of the building... Many believe he is connected to the first Academy Award ceremony, which was held in that room. Perhaps, he is a forgotten celebrity from the silent era of movies.

Second, there is the ghost of a little girl seen playing in the lobby who is solid as can be one second, only to vanish into thin air the next. Could this be the ghost of Shirley Temple, who used to practice her dance routines in this very space?

Also, haunting this famous Hollywood landmark is Marilyn Monroe’s co-star from her last completed movie, Montgomery Clift, who is said to occupy Room 928. Over the years, people have claimed to have heard him pacing and practicing the trumpet (for his role in “From here to Eternity”). Some even believe the dark shadows seen moving in that hall are connected to his troubled spirit.

Other celebrity ghostly guests seen over the years include Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and Harry Lee (who committed suicide by jumping of a fire escape). Maintenance workers, while on the rooftop, have felt invisible hands pushing them towards the edge. Could this energy by connected to Harry Lee's death? Perhaps, he was pushed, and his spirit will not rest until the true cause of his death is known.

In addition to those celebrity guests, Housekeeping and patrons have reported voices from empty halls and vacant rooms. Lights turning on and off by themselves, phone receivers that would lift from their cradles by an unseen force, telephones from vacant rooms calling the front desk, bedspreads that move off the beds, a typewriter in an office that types by itself, cold spots in the ballroom, and even one housekeeper that was shoved into a supply closet by invisible hands. Could this be the handy work of other temperamental stars that need attention? What ever the answer, one thing is for sure… The Hotel Roosevelt provides the best accommodations for ghosts with discerning tastes.

It is also worth noting, that across the street from the Hotel, at the world famous “Chinese Theater,” the ghost of TV star, Victor Killian, has been seen strolling along the side walk. It is said, that in death, he is repeating that last walk from the Roosevelt’s bar (his regular hang-out) to his Hollywood apartment, where he was murdered.

6th Annual California Ghost Hunters Conference to be held in Sutter Creek, CA

The Ghost Trackers proudly present the 6th Annual California Ghost Hunters Conference to be held in the haunted gold mining town of Sutter Creek, California.

The Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group affiliated with The Center For ParaPsychical Research presents the California Ghost Hunters Conference. Again, setting a precedent in selecting the finest venues for paranormal conferences, the Ghost Trackers have picked Sutter Creek, California. They will be bringing their attendees here for three days to descend upon this small gold mining town with its' wonderfully haunted history.

The small gold mining towns of Northern California made a lot of money for those who owned mines while enduring years of heartache for those miners who dug in them. Sutter Creek has a wonderfully haunted history in its' small town and we will be investigating some haunted areas which includes a delapidating, dangerously scary, three story castle that lies hidden among the gold mining hills!

The Ghost Trackers will be holding a cocktail reception on Friday evening with an investigation following at the haunted Sutter Creek Inn. On Saturday, we will have hands-on workshops that will teach the beginner how to be a ghost hunter as well as the advanced researcher tips and techniques followed by an investigation in the vast stories and rooms of the castle.

The event will be held at the Days Inn - Sutter Creek.

The price for this event is $150.00 per person and includes the cocktail reception, hands-on workshops and haunted venues.

Join the Ghost Trackers and many other people from around the country as we descend upon Sutter Creek and enjoy its' charms and its' haunts. Please visit our conference page for further information at:

http://www.ghost-trackers.org/2008_conference.htm

Catalina Island's Ghosts of the Past

Excerpts reprinted from article by Julie Miller in the Australia's Sydney Morning Herald:

The woman from the gift shop at Catalina Island's Casino is convinced the building is haunted. She animatedly tells me how, just two days earlier, a clock fell from the wall of the shop for no reason. She then launches into other tales of the unexpected from the building's history: of the hapless worker trapped in cement during construction of the Art Deco masterpiece; of a pipe organ playing on its own; and of a period-clad apparition disappearing through the wall near the popcorn machine. All proof, Lynette believes, that this landmark is an epicentre of paranormal activity on an island crawling with phantoms.

Just an hour's ferry ride from Long Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island is a Mediterranean-style retreat that provides a welcome escape from the madness of Tinseltown. Once the playground of the rich and famous, it now attracts tourists in search of a fun daytrip or tranquil weekend away, a place with a quite different view of the Californian lifestyle.

Gorgeous as it is, however, there is admittedly something a little eerie about this island. Catalina - and in particular its main port of Avalon - feels trapped in time, a vestige of a once-glorious past. And as the chilling Pacific fog rolls in, as it does on a regular basis, shrouding the dramatic coastline in white, it's easy to understand why so many believe the island is the haunt of entities other than just tourists.

Catalina had been occupied for thousands of years by Native Americans but its modern history began 150 years ago when tourists began discovering "the Capri of the West". In the 1920s, the island was purchased by the chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who built roads, constructed hotels and shops and erected the $2 million dance pavilion known as the Casino (a misnomer, as gambling was banned in the building). Wrigley also brought his baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, over for spring training, placing the island in the social spotlight for the first time.

During its heyday, Catalina was where Hollywood came to play. Western novelist Zane Grey had a home here; Charlie Chaplin and his wife Paulette Goddard were frequent visitors; while movie director Cecil B. De Mille said Catalina was "the only place where I can get away to work amid real inspiration". The Casino Ballroom, which held 3000 patrons, drew big name bands led by Glen Miller, Bennie Goodman, Ray Noble and Jan Garber and it became the hub of Hollywood nightlife.

The sounds of the big bands may have long ceased but today the Casino is still used for private functions. Visitors can also look inside the building on walking tours that run several times daily. Completely restored a few years ago, the building retains its original style, with rose-hued walls, black Art Deco reliefs, an arching 15-metre ceiling with five Tiffany chandeliers and its famed elevated stage. Not to mention several spooks, just to keep you on your toes.

Most of the 19,000-hectare island is preserved wilderness area. However, the quaint village of Avalon bustles with life and is the starting point for tours of the island and surrounding waters.

Most daytrippers, however, are content with soaking up the sun as they stroll along the town promenade, eating ice-creams and famous fish tacos on the beach, exploring the steep hills in a golf cart (the most popular mode of transport on the island) or admiring the signature beach shacks that line the streets.

If time is limited, the best way to get a taste of the surrounds is to jump on an open-air trolley that potters around the back streets, past all the landmarks and up the hills to lookouts with sensational views of the coastline. Accompanied by a droll commentary, this informative tour is a great way to familiarise yourself with the sights before exploring further on a Catalina Limo (the cute local name for rental golf carts).

Beyond Avalon is another world - hectares of rolling wilderness, inhabited by wild boar, foxes, bald eagles and bison, introduced in the '20s during production of a western movie. There are several tours available to explore inland or you can rent bicycles if you want to do it the hard way.

Those with an interest in Hollywood history may also be drawn across the island to another place of notoriety - the secluded bay near Two Harbours where the actress Natalie Wood drowned in 1981.

Some people say her ghost still wanders the nearby beach, a lonely figure spotted during the winter months. Perhaps she is searching for clues to the mystery of her early demise or perhaps her spirit is simply content to linger in a place of rare beauty and tranquillity, an eternal haven from the hustle and bustle of the mainland.

TRIP NOTES

Getting there: Catalina Express departs from the Long Beach Downtown Landing several times a day. A round trip costs $US59 ($63) or $US79 for a Commodore's Lounge upgrade, which includes pre-boarding, a comfortable lounge area and a drink.

Attractions: The Avalon Scenic Tour on the open-air trolley costs $US16.

Source: The Sun-Herald

Beyond Avalon is another world - hectares of rolling wilderness, inhabited by wild boar, foxes, bald eagles and bison, introduced in the '20s during production of a western movie. There are several tours available to explore inland or you can rent bicycles if you want to do it the hard way.

Those with an interest in Hollywood history may also be drawn across the island to another place of notoriety - the secluded bay near Two Harbours where the actress Natalie Wood drowned in 1981.

Some people say her ghost still wanders the nearby beach, a lonely figure spotted during the winter months. Perhaps she is searching for clues to the mystery of her early demise or perhaps her spirit is simply content to linger in a place of rare beauty and tranquillity, an eternal haven from the hustle and bustle of the mainland.

TRIP NOTES

Getting there: Catalina Express departs from the Long Beach Downtown Landing several times a day. A round trip costs $US59 ($63) or $US79 for a Commodore's Lounge upgrade, which includes pre-boarding, a comfortable lounge area and a drink.

Attractions: The Avalon Scenic Tour on the open-air trolley costs $US16.