Well, this is my last post before you wander down the dimly lit corridor of Halloween. I don’t have any advice other than “don’t talk to strangers” and “a pumpkin spice jello shot is never a good idea.”
Are you going on a trip somewhere scary? Are you hosting a party for close friends in a graveyard? Are you locking the door and pretending it’s Thanksgiving and gorging yourself? Whatever path you may be taking, I hope you have a wonderful ghostly experience. I will be going to Tombstone and asking everyone who will make eye contact with me if they know where the “ghost section” is located. We all have our own unique paths!
May your Halloween be spooky and fun as hell!
Related: A Haunting Good Time: Your Guide to 5 Ghostly Cities Across America
It’s no wonder that so many ghosts haunt the lonely trails, mountains, and landmarks of the forbidding Sonoran Desert. Desert lore, stories, and quests for loot and gold have made men greedy. Gunfights, murders, and death from starvation and dehydration have left many dead on barren desert trails. Their ghosts still walk the mountain ridges, gullies, and deserted locations where they once traveled or lived, spirits with unfinished business, who cannot rest. Some guard buried treasures and lost mines while others battle perpetually until death, forever replaying their last moments of life.
The Ghost Lights of Borrego
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Borrego Springs area of southeastern California is notorious for the many legends, ghost stories, and unexplained phenomena occurring there over the years. The region of the Sonoran Desert is home to the Vallecito Stage Station, Yaqui Well, in addition to the mysterious “Ghost Lights” of Oriflamme Mountain.
The first account of the “Phantom Lights” of Borrego was reported in 1858 by a Butterfield Stage driver. Since then soldiers, prospectors, and explorers have reported seeing similar lights. The sightings have been reported near Oriflamme Mountain, over Borrego Valley, and other nearby areas. The occurrences are always slightly different but the general descriptions of the sightings are similar.
In 1892, a prospector by the name of Charles Knowles and two other men were camping near Grapevine Canyon at the entrance to the Narrows where they reported their sighting of “Fire Balls.” Knowles described the “lights” as balls of fire that rose up approximately 100 feet in the air and then exploded.
Related: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Badlands, Canyons, Mountain Peaks and More
Knowles compared the fireballs to fireworks. He saw three fireballs rise and cascade upon explosion before they stopped. About 30 minutes later the lights started again but this time they were different. The lights rose into an arch pattern returning to the ground without exploding. The light would then reverse itself and go back to the place where it started.
Haunted Tombstone
It probably wouldn’t surprise you that Tombstone is considered one of the most haunted towns associated with the Wild West. After all, with all of the lawlessness, the murders, and seedy behavior, it would be more surprising if Tombstone wasn’t haunted.
We’ve put together a list of the most haunted places in Tombstone. Some of them, you may be familiar with especially if you watch any of the Ghost Hunting TV shows like Ghost Adventures or Ghost Hunters. They’ve all been to Tombstone!
If the town’s name and wild past doesn’t convince you that this place is haunted then a tour through its neighborhoods might turn you into a believer. The Tombstone Gunfighter and Ghost Tour start at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, once the elegant Grand Hotel.
A stroll down Allen’s street takes tour-goers to sites of some of the bloodiest Old West gunfights; guests are advised to be vigilant for spirit sightings. Of course, the tour includes a stop at the infamous O.K. Corral, the place where lawmen led by Virgil Earp gunned down three outlaws in 30 seconds in 1881. Whet your whistle at Doc Holliday’s Saloon after a day spent walking with ghosts.
The Bird Cage Theatre may be the most well-known haunted location in Tombstone. Thanks to being featured on many TV shows, it seems like everyone who comes to Tombstone knows about the ghosts of the theatre.
In 1882, the New York Times declared that Tombstone’s Bird Cage Theatre was the “roughest, bawdiest, and most wicked night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.” 26 deaths and 140 bullet holes later, this American icon is packed with poltergeists (German for loud ghost or noisy spirit). Bird Cage Theatre’s most peculiar poltergeist is the “Woman in White.” This apparition is said to appear as a “proper lady,” a rarity for a brothel.
For the “Town Too Tough to Die,” Tombstone is ironically known for the dead. Gunslingers, sharp-shooters, stagecoaches, saddle bums: even the streets of this city conjure tales of the dearly departed.
Boothill Graveyard isn’t Tombstone’s first cemetery but it’s Tombstone’s most notorious. Named for those “buried with their boots on,” Boothill interred outlaws from 1878-1884. Notable markers include Marshal Fred White, killed by Curly Bill Brocius, and Tom and Frank McLaury, buried alongside Billy Clanton. Curly Bill and the McLaurys were lost to the “Gunfight at the OK Corral,” the famous 30-second shootout.
Travelers report spectral shadows, strange lights, and spooky sounds. If you make it over to Boothill, remember those two-bit criminals are known to still be around the boneyard. And I’d be ever so obliged to hear if you meet up with one.
Phantoms of the Lost Dutchman Mine
The old prospector of the Lost Dutchman Mine fame, Jacob Waltz, left quite a legacy when he died in Phoenix on October 25, 1891. His death marked the beginning of a period of mystery, intrigue, and myth about a rich gold mine in the Superstition Mountains, more commonly referred to by locals, as the Superstitions. Standing majestically at the forefront of this rough terrain is Superstition Mountain, a 3,000-foot high monolith that seemingly stands guard over the rest of its territory.
Related: Legend, History & Intrigue of the Superstitions
The mine has never been found despite many expeditions. Some believe the mountains are haunted by the spirits of the miners who died in search of the goldmine. Over a dozen men were killed in the 1800s in pursuit of this gold. According to legend, they may be the phantoms that still protect this treasure today.
So be forewarned modern-day prospectors―if the Arizona heat or the Superstition Mountains’ rugged terrain does not get to you, a ghost or two just might.
Related: Apache Trail: Canyon Lake, Tortilla Flat and Beyond
Worth Pondering…
I’m just a ghost in this house
I’m a shadow upon these walls,
As quietly as a mouse
I haunt these halls.
—Allison Krauss, Ghost in This House