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I like to read about local legends to areas--for example, the Jersey Devil, MoMo the Monster--tales that have a specific 'pinned place' to them, not the urban legends of 'the calls came from inside the house' (and everybody claims that happens in *their* town).
Something I was thinking on was that it seems the East Coast of the United States has a *lot* more of these types of legends, but they seem to 'thin out' the farther west you get. This isn't to say that the west *doesn't* have these legends, it just seems that the ratio drops a lot more (for example, maybe Maryland has 20 local legends, but Nevada only has 5.) Do you think it's because the West is largely 'newer' than the East, or because it's not as densely populated (the Rocky Mountain region in particular), or a combination of both?
I grew up in Rock Island a few blocks from the Mississippi, and before they finished the lock and dam in the 1800s it's said a guardian spirit lived in a cave at the base of Arsenal Island:
There were stories about divers around the lock and dam searching for bodies and refusing to go back into the water after encountering gigantic fish. Regarding the paranormal, we had a number of haunted locations and an "angel of death" in a cemetary that was supposedly cursed (there was also one in a cemetary in Iowa City IA, where I did my undergrad degree). There were also stories of various cryptids inhabiting the bottomlands along the Mississippi and Rock Rivers.
The other possibility (in addition to population density and age) is that there are plenty of legends further west, but reportage has focused more on the east coast because that's where the authors of books on the subject lived. i've found as I've traveled around the country that most areas have a local historian who has collected and published these stories locally - there may be more of them floating around than you'd think.
I grew up in Rock Island a few blocks from the Mississippi, and before they finished the lock and dam in the 1800s it's said a guardian spirit lived in a cave at the base of Arsenal Island:
There were stories about divers around the lock and dam searching for bodies and refusing to go back into the water after encountering gigantic fish. Regarding the paranormal, we had a number of haunted locations and an "angel of death" in a cemetary that was supposedly cursed (there was also one in a cemetary in Iowa City IA, where I did my undergrad degree). There were also stories of various cryptids inhabiting the bottomlands along the Mississippi and Rock Rivers.
The other possibility (in addition to population density and age) is that there are plenty of legends further west, but reportage has focused more on the east coast because that's where the authors of books on the subject lived. i've found as I've traveled around the country that most areas have a local historian who has collected and published these stories locally - there may be more of them floating around than you'd think.
I remember back in the 90s, I heard stories from a local dam where divers also encountered HUGE fish near the bottom. I cant recall exactly, but it seems like they were saying there was catfish and other 'bottom-feeders' in excess of 15-20ft long, and could swallow a man.
Im not sure if these stories are true, but at the same time, who knows whats in these big rivers, something this large could go unseen very easily.
Shucks, I am in Cali and we have more than I can remember. I am a paranormal skeptic but like to pop in here because I conversely LOVE local legends.
The Bay area, the LA area, the deserts, the far North all have their own. I would venture to say Cali has as many as any other two states combined. A few off the top of my head:
Bigfoot- the phenomenon started here.
The Winchester House- One of the coolest places in the world
The Rengstorff Mansion- Supposedly haunted. Looks like the haunted mansion in Disneyland and visiting is encouraged.
The Haunted Toys'RUs in Sunnyvale: Sadly, probably closed no, but once featured on THAT'S INCREDIBLE
THe Moss Beach Distillery- beautiful place on a cliff by the ocean, haunted by a "blue lady."
Jack London Park- suppossedly haunted by the literary figures he created.
Mount Diablo- Yep, got its name because the local Indians supposedly summond witchcraft against the Spanish
Black Diamond Mines- one of the coolest hiking areas in the the world. Old restored mines you are encouraged to go into. A miner's cemetery on the hill. And allegedly a "white witch" that haunts the palce. I am more afraid of the rattlers.
Mission San Jose- Actualy, several have the reputation of being haunted.
Niles Canyon Road- all the local know of the vanishing hitchhiker. Very cool and spooky road.I am a skeptic, but it should be haunted.
Bodie- Scary ghost town.
Calico Ghost Town- Same as above
Disneyland- just look it up on Youtube.
Golden Gate Bridge- Haunted by all of the suicides.
Bay Bridge- Unlike the Golden Gate, there is suppossed to be a very speciifc haunting here, a pahntom police officer
Alcatraz- Al Capone and many others are said to haunt this place
Golden Gate Park- Phantom police officer
Nob Hill Inn- don't remember the details but this place SHOULD be haunted, as it looks like something out of a Dario Argento film.
Queen Ann hotel- forgot details
Sutro Baths- the natural caves underneath the wreckage are suppossed to be haunted. Very beautiful place to look at and explore.
USS Hornet- haunted by the ghosts of those who served
Pacheco Pass- Suppossed to be a Vortez of negative entegy with crime, accdients, UFOs and a musterious "Green Man." I am a skeptic but this place does indeed inspire some nasty and strange events.
Holy City- there is a Satanic cult in the Santa Cruz mountains off the 17. This one kind of, sort of, has some basis in truth, and a Nazi sympathizer once had a cult of about 300 people.
Hicks Road- a community of evil Albinos attacks people who travel on Hicks road in San jose.
LA Lizard People- and we are not just talking about the Hollywood types.Allegedly, there is a city of lizard people beneath the city.
And on and on. I could literally go on for days, but google it, and you will find literally hundreds more. I concentrated on the Bay area, but SoCal probably has even more. Also, it depends how deep you want to get into it, because all the local cities and spots in the bay area have their own.
Hope you get out here one day. LOTS to see. Just don't take it too seriously.
Last edited by cachibatches; 05-27-2018 at 10:57 PM..
Shucks, I am in Cali and we have more than I can remember. I am a paranormal skeptic but like to pop in here because I conversely LOVE local legends.
The Bay area, the LA area, the deserts, the far North all have their own. I would venture to say Cali has as many as any other two states combined. A few off the top of my head:
Bigfoot- the phenomenon started here.
The Winchester House- One of the coolest places in the world
The Rengstorff Mansion- Supposedly haunted. Looks like the haunted mansion in Disneyland and visiting is encouraged.
The Haunted Toys'RUs in Sunnyvale: Sadly, probably closed no, but once featured on THAT'S INCREDIBLE
THe Moss Beach Distillery- beautiful place on a cliff by the ocean, haunted by a "blue lady."
Jack London Park- suppossedly haunted by the literary figures he created.
Mount Diablo- Yep, got its name because the local Indians supposedly summond witchcraft against the Spanish
Black Diamond Mines- one of the coolest hiking areas in the the world. Old restored mines you are encouraged to go into. A miner's cemetery on the hill. And allegedly a "white witch" that haunts the palce. I am more afraid of the rattlers.
Mission San Jose- Actualy, several have the reputation of being haunted.
Niles Canyon Road- all the local know of the vanishing hitchhiker. Very cool and spooky road.I am a skeptic, but it should be haunted.
Bodie- Scary ghost town.
Calico Ghost Town- Same as above
Disneyland- just look it up on Youtube.
Golden Gate Bridge- Haunted by all of the suicides.
Bay Bridge- Unlike the Golden Gate, there is suppossed to be a very speciifc haunting here, a pahntom police officer
Alcatraz- Al Capone and many others are said to haunt this place
Golden Gate Park- Phantom police officer
Nob Hill Inn- don't remember the details but this place SHOULD be haunted, as it looks like something out of a Dario Argento film.
Queen Ann hotel- forgot details
Sutro Baths- the natural caves underneath the wreckage are suppossed to be haunted. Very beautiful place to look at and explore.
USS Hornet- haunted by the ghosts of those who served
Pacheco Pass- Suppossed to be a Vortez of negative entegy with crime, accdients, UFOs and a musterious "Green Man." I am a skeptic but this place does indeed inspire some nasty and strange events.
Holy City- there is a Satanic cult in the Santa Cruz mountains off the 17. This one kind of, sort of, has some basis in truth, and a Nazi sympathizer once had a cult of about 300 people.
Hicks Road- a community of evil Albinos attacks people who travel on Hicks road in San jose.
LA Lizard People- and we are not just talking about the Hollywood types.Allegedly, there is a city of lizard people beneath the city.
And on and on. I could literally go on for days, but google it, and you will find literally hundreds more. I concentrated on the Bay area, but SoCal probably has even more. Also, it depends how deep you want to get into it, because all the local cities and spots in the bay area have their own.
Hope you get out here one day. LOTS to see. Just don't take it too seriously.
The underground Lizard people thing actually is very credible, Im sure you have seen the newspaper article about the find decades ago, Some of the stuff they claimed to find was very strange.
I realize the whole lizard people conspiracy sounds way too crazy to be true, but I think there may be something to it. There are just too many stories, reports and encounters with these things for it to be completely false.
Moss Beach Distillery? TAPS found the whole place was rigged. It may or may not be really haunted, but when you dig a place like a funhouse? That’s just wrong.
And unnessecary. The location is gorgeous and the food is really good. At least the last time we were there, the food was good.
I realize the whole lizard people conspiracy sounds way too crazy to be true, but I think there may be something to it. There are just too many stories, reports and encounters with these things for it to be completely false.
That's like saying a search for "bat boy" on Bing returns 11,300,000 hits, so there must be something to it. There's even a musical about him.
Shucks, I am in Cali and we have more than I can remember. I am a paranormal skeptic but like to pop in here because I conversely LOVE local legends.
The Bay area, the LA area, the deserts, the far North all have their own. I would venture to say Cali has as many as any other two states combined. A few off the top of my head:
Bigfoot- the phenomenon started here.
The Winchester House- One of the coolest places in the world
The Rengstorff Mansion- Supposedly haunted. Looks like the haunted mansion in Disneyland and visiting is encouraged.
The Haunted Toys'RUs in Sunnyvale: Sadly, probably closed no, but once featured on THAT'S INCREDIBLE
THe Moss Beach Distillery- beautiful place on a cliff by the ocean, haunted by a "blue lady."
Jack London Park- suppossedly haunted by the literary figures he created.
Mount Diablo- Yep, got its name because the local Indians supposedly summond witchcraft against the Spanish
Black Diamond Mines- one of the coolest hiking areas in the the world. Old restored mines you are encouraged to go into. A miner's cemetery on the hill. And allegedly a "white witch" that haunts the palce. I am more afraid of the rattlers.
Mission San Jose- Actualy, several have the reputation of being haunted.
Niles Canyon Road- all the local know of the vanishing hitchhiker. Very cool and spooky road.I am a skeptic, but it should be haunted.
Bodie- Scary ghost town.
Calico Ghost Town- Same as above
Disneyland- just look it up on Youtube.
Golden Gate Bridge- Haunted by all of the suicides.
Bay Bridge- Unlike the Golden Gate, there is suppossed to be a very speciifc haunting here, a pahntom police officer
Alcatraz- Al Capone and many others are said to haunt this place
Golden Gate Park- Phantom police officer
Nob Hill Inn- don't remember the details but this place SHOULD be haunted, as it looks like something out of a Dario Argento film.
Queen Ann hotel- forgot details
Sutro Baths- the natural caves underneath the wreckage are suppossed to be haunted. Very beautiful place to look at and explore.
USS Hornet- haunted by the ghosts of those who served
Pacheco Pass- Suppossed to be a Vortez of negative entegy with crime, accdients, UFOs and a musterious "Green Man." I am a skeptic but this place does indeed inspire some nasty and strange events.
Holy City- there is a Satanic cult in the Santa Cruz mountains off the 17. This one kind of, sort of, has some basis in truth, and a Nazi sympathizer once had a cult of about 300 people.
Hicks Road- a community of evil Albinos attacks people who travel on Hicks road in San jose.
LA Lizard People- and we are not just talking about the Hollywood types.Allegedly, there is a city of lizard people beneath the city.
And on and on. I could literally go on for days, but google it, and you will find literally hundreds more. I concentrated on the Bay area, but SoCal probably has even more. Also, it depends how deep you want to get into it, because all the local cities and spots in the bay area have their own.
Hope you get out here one day. LOTS to see. Just don't take it too seriously.
Growing up in the Bay Area, I remember many of these places. My mom absolutely HATED driving through the Pacheco Pass when she was commuting back and forth to CSU-Fresno. I think she only did it a couple of times. She never said why she refused to drive it. I'll have to ask her about it. She hated it so much, she would go north to 580 (from Milpitas) and come down 99 or I-5 (I can't remember off-hand which one goes through Fresno) and add miles to the trip.
There was another place in the Santa Cruz mountains I remember hearing and reading about - off Hwy 9, Brookdale(?). I think the hotel is haunted or something about the town is, anyway.
Yes, California has quite a few local legends and tales. I don't know about the other areas out west, but if they're anything like California, then I would say they don't have fewer tales, just that folks may not be as familiar with them.
Moss Beach Distillery? TAPS found the whole place was rigged. It may or may not be really haunted, but when you dig a place like a funhouse? That’s just wrong.
And unnessecary. The location is gorgeous and the food is really good. At least the last time we were there, the food was good.
I remember that episode! They were really mad when they found the speakers in the ceiling and other trickery. It's such a beautiful area, why the owners felt they needed to fake a haunting to attract customers is beyond me. I mean, if it's not truly haunted that is.
Last edited by pnc66; 05-28-2018 at 03:47 PM..
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