Lost Treasure: Walnut Grove Dam, Arizona

 

On the night of February 22, 1890, the Walnut Grove Dam broke, sending a 40-foot wall of water through a tiny mining town where residents were sleeping.

It was considered at the time the largest disaster in the Arizona Territory. Sadly, the messenger sent to warn the people living along the waterway had a long dusty ride and decided to get a drink at the little tavern where he proceeded to get drunk and no one believed his story.

Somewhere in the river was an iron safe containing $5000 worth of gold (today worth around $1,175,000)

As well, there were gold coins stored in a ceiling that were worth $1500 then (today around $350,000 today.

After mapping it out - I found target area for that little mining town in Arizona - 

Take the 60 to Wickenburg and outside of Wickenburg it is the 93. Take this toward Congress on 89N. Go through Congress and Yarnell, through Peeples Valley to Kirkland Junction. Turn right on Wagonner Rd. About a mile down the road, it begins to curve gently. Then, in about a half a mile, it takes a fairly sharp left turn. It then goes east and slightly southward. At one point, a forest road cuts off to the left. Ignore it and continue south. You will go over some hilly areas and some buildings in a compound like configuration. Keep going on the road past it. 

34°11'34.63"N112°31'48.99"W 

This was my target area for the search as there appears to be remains of some sort of buildings and it was in a critical location to the flood waters from the dam break. 

As always, adhere to no trespassing and private lands. Be sure you are outfitted well, as the desert is a killing location. 

Everything Halloween: Why We Love Halloween!

 

Happy Halloween! It feels like we wait all year for this very day, but when it's over, we refocus on the other holidays ahead. But, in our hearts, it's always Halloween. Let's look at why Halloween is so freaking awesome that we wait all year!

Halloween Memorial for John Wolfe

    

I have been very blessed to know some amazing bloggers, but one who was very dear to my heart was my good friend, John Wolfe. He ran the blog Season of Shadows and embodied all things vintage and true Halloween. 

John would begin early in the year designing elaborate home haunts and sharing on video how he went about designing them. He did lots of volunteer work and was always available for anyone. 

He sought to understand the spiritual and the other side. In fact, as he was dying, he said he would contact me through EVPs. And, he asked me to write his memorial which I did and he read it and approved of it before his passing at much too early an age in his 30s. Each Halloween (since 2012), I have posted his memorial here. Halloween is his season, his paradise, and I miss him something awful every October. I'd like to share him with you now -

"Sleeping Dog" Documentary Reviewed: HUGE Disaapointment!

 

Prime was offering "Sleeping Dog' documentary for free.

I see why.

Real-Life Horror Movie Locations

  

Bodega Bay, CA
"The Birds" 

You ever wonder about locations of horror movies and if they were a set, if the buildings are gone, or if you can drive by and take a pic? Well, here's just some of the biggies that still exist -

Skinwalker Ranch and Blind Frog Ranch: Hitchhikers - a Bad Thing?

 

The term "hitchhiker" has been used a lot lately in terms of locations of high strangeness, like the infamous Skinwalker Ranch and Blind Frog Ranch in Utah. What is this phenomenon and is really dangerous? 

The Clown Panic of 2016

 

In 2016, the clown costume might have been the most hated look. While Spirit Halloween was playing up clown props, folks were cringing at them out on the streets, showing up like silent tormenters.

Most Unusual Phobias and Philias

 

Fear of writing with shaky hand

Most of us known the most common phobias; snakes, heights, airplanes, public speaking, tight spaces, spiders.... But, there are some truly original and unusual ones out there too. Maybe you have one or two of them? 

Alone in the Dark: A Transition Space

 

In our daily lives, we often don't face darkness until we turn out the bedside lamp and hunker down. In those moments before we fall ito sleep state, our minds whirl with what happened that day, what might happen tomorrow, worry over bills, children, friends, family, the future.... It is truly the only time we weren't distracted that day and can finally check in. Here it is, days away from Halloween, and perhaps the best therapy for us is to, well, be alone in the dark. 

Traditional Classic Halloween Was the Scariest!!

 

Several decades ago, Halloween celebrations were classic, like classic rock. They never become outdated, but manufacturing and retail would like us to forget it and move on each season with new items. Let's review why traditional classic Halloween rules!

Bonfire Nights: Indoor and Outdoor Atmosphere

  

It's that time of year when you're drawn to the fireside on cool nights. Whether you cozy up in the backyard, in front of the fireplace, or in an apartment, you can achieve that ancient desire to huddle with fire. Amazon figured out the implements of your joy, no matter the location. 

Aztec Death Whistle and Black Obsidian

 

Aztec death whistle

I came across this item on Amazon (above) and smiled. For decades I've wanted to pick one up. The idea of carrying it around for use against assailants (believe me, it works!) was rather badass and that it is made of black obsidian (reason below) made it a MUST HAVE!

Fun Pet Costumes!

  

You know it's irresistible. You dress up yourself, you dress up the kiddies, but some of us can't help looking at our pet as a potential Halloween prop. Here's some of the more hilarious ones - 

Photographs of Giant Mummies: Where Did the Giants Go?

  

Martindale Mummy

California

I thought it would be fun to share some giant mummies photographed around the world. Some may be legitimate, others have been touted as fakes, but given how much the giant culture was driven out of the books and information for the public, I'd guess at minimum 3/4 of these are true finds.

Scariest Things Found in Caves

 

Man has been using caves as shelter for hundreds of thousands of years. They came to terms with the darkness and the creatures that hide within, but there is still to this day a reticence, a caution at the thought of being enclosed in a shelter that could hide just about anything without our knowing. Let's explore some of the scariest finds in caves - 

Cave Monsters

 

Sure, we imagine the creatures on other planets and the ones deep in the oceans, but what about the ones in the dark and forgotten caverns of earth? Let's explore the monsters in the caves - 

Free Streaming Horror Movies Right Now

 

If you hit saturation with the horror movies you have access to, either ones you own, rent, or are on a paid-for streaming service, it might be time to see the refreshing possibilities on free streaming channels right now - 

Halloween Night Movie Marathons by Theme

 

There is nothing like sitting down for a series of movies with the same theme. Halloween can bring about an appetite for certain themes. Here, I line up ideas for thematic choices for three movies to marathon on a dark and cool evening - 

The Best of Halloween Home Yard Haunts!

 

I used to enjoy at Christmastime when local papers and sources listed homes that were magnificently decorated. Then, over the decades, Halloween became a holiday we decorate and, oh boy, did all us closet horror fans have a blast! Today, they list the best houses decorated for Halloween, Spirit Halloween stores show up on every corner, and Haunted House attractions are more popular than roadside carnivals! Let's look at some of the magnificence that is Yard Haunts!

Why Are Bedrooms Stages for Unexplained Encounters?

 

my investigation gear Hummer vest

As an investigator, I have to say, bedrooms are where the most people encounter unexplained, horrifying, unsettling things. There's many reasons that make the bedroom the most likely time to encounter something scary - 

Abandoned Cemetery in the Woods - Autumn

 

I grew up on an abandoned cemetery. Sounds creepy, huh? Aspen Grove was a historic Civil War hospital in Northern Virginia. At one point it was used by both the North and South as a place to treat wounded soldiers. The wood floors had the stains of their blood. The property was filled with artifacts of war in the ground, and everywhere ghosts wandered the halls and the hillsides. I wrote about this in my book Growing Up With Ghosts, where I conveyed my own and my family's encounters. 

All of this made me fascinated with abandoned sites and graveyards. Let me share some autumnal abandoned cemeteries - 

Fear of Dolls

 

It's intriguing how we humans react to facsimiles. I suppose on some level, it's rather like a dog reacting to a stuffed dog animal. Let's examine dolls to such a level that even the most phobic might be over their creepy crawlies - 

Hitchhiking Ghosts and Haunted Roadsides

 

Nearly every town has some legend of a hitchhiker getting into a car and then revealing they are a ghost. The Haunted Mansion theme in Disneyland aside, this is a real reported incident, over and over again.

Pumpkin Mania!

 

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Everywhere! Here's some surprising and fun things to do with them!

Entrances to Hell?

   

Caves and entrances to Hell, they seem to be inextricably connected. Hell Cave (Jama Pekel) in Slovenia is one such supposed entrance to the underworld. Many locations have been called the entrance to Hell. Let's check some out - 

Gigantic Halloween Props

     

12-foot skeleton

I noticed at Spirit Halloween store that they embraced the gigantic animatronics even more than the previous year. The previous year, local stores mentioned that the gigantic clown sold the first day they were open and they needed more. 

Does size matter when it comes to Halloween figures? 

Death Masks and Post Mortem Photos: Victorian Era Traditions

 

Abraham Lincoln

It may seem morbid today to think of people making a mask from a dead body's face or taking photos of the dead in caskets, but in the Victorian Era, perhaps influenced by the Civil War and the rise of manufacturing work, and city living, it seems that folks got kind of, well, focused on death.

How to Make a Variety of Halloween Ghosts

 

If you want to amp your Halloween themes, consider some DIY ghost projects - 

Hollywood:The Easy Bake Oven of Horror Films

Hollywood is bulimic. It has a way of regurgitating established films because of inbreeding among its gang, resulting in short-sighted creativity.


In Tinseltown, they eat their young.


Here's some great horror movies for you Halloween season, but be sure and see the original versions cause....sloppy seconds ain't your style.






The Haunting - 1963
Suspiria - 1977
The Thing From Another World - 1951
The Fog - 1980
Halloween - 1978
The Wolf Man - 1941
Prom Night - 1980
Mummy 4 - 1932
Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1956
Friday the 13th - 1980
The Wicker Man - 1973
Poltergeist - 1982
Psycho - 1960
BTW, it's freakin' groundhog day. I looked up the upcoming horror movies being pooped out of the film collective capital -
Scream 7
Insidious: Out of the Further
Resident Evil
Wolf Creek: Legacy
The Revenge of La Llarona
The Exorcist: Martyrs
Parnormal Activity 8
A Quiet Place Part III
The Blair Witch Project 4
Evil Dead Burn
The Conjuring: First Communion
Amityville
The Blair Witch Project Reboot
28 Years Later
Fall 2: Deadpoint
Scary Movie 6


There have been 8 episodes of "Child's Play." Need I say more? At this point, it should have been a streaming series for the sad saps from the 90s who iss their fix, `cause none of the rest of us want to revisit this crap!


The truth is, a little fresh minds in the field of filmmaking and original and unique, transcending, and classic offerings for horror would revive the genre.


In the 70s, horror involved a lot of vulnerable minds and insanity.


In the 80s, slashers game was on! They couldn't make teens getting killed in more unique ways.


In the 90s, serial killers were showcased, but this time with some mental challenge instead of mindless teen killings, i.e. "Silence of the Lambs." And twist endings like "Sixth Sense" gave some breath to the corpse.


Then, with the start of the 21st Century, it seems horror has been circling the drain with remakes and new installment reboots. It is rare something unique comes to our attention.


As I am in the final edit of my horror screenplay, I have spent a lifetime studying horror, studying screenplays and scripts, going out on ghost investigations, wandering dark forests, exploring abandoned sites and cemeteries. I grew up in a very haunted Civil War hospital in Fairfax, Virginia.


I have trained my whole life to give horror films some CPR. I am reviving the genre with a film that is what everyone has ached for - all audiences, not just teens, but everyone.


There will be updates as I am allowed to talk about this film, but right now I am gaining my inspiration from the time of year, the location, the possibilities. This is field research, not done over oat milk lattes like the Hollywood types who want to spend the budget to go to St. Barts with their young girlfriends, and hand it off to a hack writer who does version #9.


More and more, Hollywood is becoming a stain and not a landmark. It is becoming redundant, corrupt, and, well, redundant.


Keep watching - film is getting a revival in 2027 that will shock and awe!

Curating a Halloween Decor Theme

 

One year when I was downsizing my life, I had to go through everything I owned and sold or donated 4/5ths of what I owned so I could fit in a one bedroom size space. It was then that I had to confront my Halloween addiction and really rethink it.