Haunted Places in San Diego

San Diego is filled with with haunted places!
Haunted places in Downtown San Diego
Haunted places in Carlsbad, San Diego County
Haunted places in  Escondido, San Diego County
Haunted places in Anza Borrego, San Diego County
Haunted places in Oceanside, San Diego County
Haunted places in Vista, San Diego County & more


Haunted Carlsbad Village
Carlsbad Village CA has many haunted locations. Perhaps its the mineral springs under the city. Underground water sources can have a major factor in paranormal activity because water is a conductor of energy.

Haunted Twin Inns Carlsbad Village
On Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive, stands the haunted mansion of Carlsbad. The Victorian mansion  is now home to offices and the Ocean House. For decades it was the hub of the Village and now stands watch over the paranormal city of Carlsbad. There have always been rumors that the Twin Inns was a haunted mansion with its trap-door tower and secret room.

Ghosts of the Haunted Carlsbad Mansion

Tenants say there are multiple spirts in and around the property. Strange unexplained noises are often heard at all hours of the day. A delivery driver was walking up the stairs to an office on the top floor. He passed an oddly dressed little girl sitting near the top of the stairs who smiled at him. When he delivered the package he told the two people in the office "cute kid". They said there where no kids around. The driver described the young girl who he stated was dressed in old fashioned clothing.

They looked at each other and then told him that he had seen one of the ghosts they have around here. Her spirit has been seen many times, throughout the mansion. Other apparitions include an adult woman who is seen looking out the very top windows of the building. People walking near the property have reported seeing a group of transparent little girls playing . One man stated "I saw a group of ghost children playing games like ''ring around the rosey'' near the courtyard fountain of the Carlsbad Village Faire on a early Sunday morning".

History of the Haunted Twins Inn Carlsbad Village
It was built in 1887 as the home of land speculator Gerhard Schutte, who was the president of the Carlsbad Land and Mineral Water Co. The German immigrant and Civil War vet (on the Union side) was not looking to be a city's founding father, but rather saw an investment opportunity. Land and water were prosperous ingredients in Western expansion and Carlsbad had both—and not only water, but artesian spring water similar to the world-famous Well No. 9 in Karlsbad, Bohemia (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic).                                                  

D.D. Wadsworth, a partner in the company, built his house as the mirror image to Schutte's; they were beach front homes at the time. (The Wadsworth house was torn down in 1950.) The properties went through a few owners until Eddie Kentner Sr. purchased the two homes on three acres in 1919. He and his wife, Neva, took over the matching houses 'the Twin Inns'.
This was the same year the 18th Amendment was enacted, but prohibition wasn't all bad for entertainment industries.

It was a boon for moonshiners and rum-runners, and it kept a steady flow of traffic streaming through Carlsbad. When alcohol was banned, many of Hollywood’s elite would come down to Agua Caliente to keep the '20s roaring. Roughly halfway between L.A. and Tijuana was the Kentners' Twin Inns, with its famous chicken dinners. Ed "Bup" Kentner Jr. says, "There was a call button on the back of the house for the bootleggers to use when they delivered. The Twin Inns had a standing crop of about 10,000 chickens, and about 1,000 were butchered each week.



Haunted Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort
The Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort lies catty-corner from the former Twin Inns.

Ghosts and Spirits of the Haunted Carlsbad Inn
The majority of paranormal activity takes place in the administrative offices. Night shift employees report lights being turned on only minutes after shutting them off almost every other night at the resort. There is also a strong feeling of being watched along with the presence of something standing directly behind you while alone in the offices. A large dark figure has been seen standing in the corner of the gift shop directly below the offices as well. In the courtyard an Ecto mist like cloud was seen floating around in a strange, almost intelligent like manor. The witness said it was a clear night with no fog or mist in the air.

History of the Carlsbad Inn
The Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort sits on the site of the former Royal Palms, which was a destination resort that included a charming wedding chapel. Over the years, this fell into disrepair, and in 1985, Watkins, a developer and CEO of Winners Circle Resorts International, bought the prime piece of real estate and built the Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort. Within the scope of his highly successful career as a real estate developer, Watkins built his first hotel in 1962 and subsequently specialized in resort development along the California coast. Appreciating the uniqueness of the property’s location and history, Watkins had the vision to try something different with the Carlsbad Inn, and it became the first ever mixed-use resort property with a portion of the units sold as vacation ownership condos, and the rest operating as traditional hotel rooms.




Haunted Carlsbad Village Train Station
This small train station has its share of paranormal activity. People have reported hearing strange noises from the upstairs & seeing a ghostly figure out of the corner of their eye.

History of Carlsbads haunted train station
Old Santa Fe Depot (400 Carlsbad Village Dr. on the National Register of Historic Places). The depot was built in 1907 (replacing the first built in 1887) by the Arizona Eastern Railway, and also served as a telegraph office, a Post Office, a Wells Fargo Express Office and a general store. It served in later years as a shipping point for local fruit, vegetables and flowers. Closed in 1960, it is now the home of the Visitor's Information Center.




Haunted Carlsbad Lagoon
The houses and apartment complexes that surround the lagoon have many cases of ghostly activity. This is probably due to the fact that the land across the lagoon was once Oceanside's Buena Vista Cemetery. The first known burial was in 1885 and the last known was in 1906. It's not known why burials stopped at Buena Vista; some people disinterred and moved their loved ones' bodies to the nearby Oceanside Cemetery. The land the cemetery was on was purchased by a schoolteacher in the 1950s. She wanted to preserve the view of Buena Vista Lagoon from her home located on Stewart Street. The land was later purchased by a developer who wanted to use the site for commercial properties. In January 1970, 17 bodies were disinterred and removed to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley while others went to other resting places.

The residents in the area report seeing ghostly apparitions in their backyards and along the lagoon.

One man who lives in an apartment complex said "Sometimes I can hear a mans voice mumbling or sometimes calling my name. The voice is sort of deep and I know it's not anyone upstairs or downstairs."



Haunted Plaza Cinema Carlsbad CA
In theater 3 a female usher was frightened by a trashcan rolling up the hall way while cleaning. The girl also heard a name being whispered in the theater. When she came out to see if it was another employee doing the whispering everyone else was busy. She then started crying and then quit the next day. Theater 4 has reports of objects falling from the ceiling.

Carlsbad abandoned house investigation, Carlsbad CA Case File 3

We arrived at the location at 11:36 PM on 9/10/2011. Our team of four, entered the house through the back kitchen entrance. We checked every area of the house with flashlights and EMF detectors for any persons, animals or high amounts of electricity that could contaminate our evidence. All was clear, so we decided to set up the equipment. It was a very old house that had been abandoned for ten or more years and had no utilities. The only thing unusual was what appeared to be blood on the walls, curtains and ground throughout the inside of the house. This could have been leftover from a practical joke, but we are still unsure of this and it looked very disturbing. We set up in the main bedroom where the air was thick and you had the feeling something was watching. Everyone all agreed, this would be a good place to start. It was the darkest part of the house and you could feel a presence toward the corner, where a small, add on bathroom, with no door was located.

This is where we started our EVP session. Three minutes into the EVP session both of the two female investigators experienced migraine like headaches on the left side of their head. We stopped the EVP session and made sure they were all right and the headaches ended as fast as they started. We then started taking photos of the area and went back to the EVP session. A few minutes later we heard a woman's voice come from the bathroom. All four investigators heard this, but none of us could make out what was said. I asked it again to speak and we heard the disembodied female voice, but still could not make out what it was saying although it sounded distressed. A second later we had heard a loud crash from the kitchen area. We looked around the kitchen but could not find anything or any reason for the noise. We started taking pictures of the entire house and we captured some amazing photos.

We recorded an EVP saying " NO" and then something else that we could not make out. When I said " if there is somebody here, speak to me now"at this exact time was when we heard a disembodied woman's voice speaking. The digital recorder did not record a woman's voice but appears instead to be the voice of an angry male. We also captured an orb with what appears to be a womans face in the hall bathroom (not the bathroom where we did the EVPs) that appears to be a ghost orb. We captured an orb floating a foot above the ground in another room. We left the abandoned house an hour later after no other paranormal activity took place. I took a few photos outside the house as we were leaving and captured a very large Orb following us off the property. The air outside was clear, with no fog, rain or wind was present during the investigation.

Conclusion
The womans face in the orb, the crash in the kitchen and the fact that both female investigators began having headaches in the same area, leads me to believe there could be a female ghost and a dark entity present. Also the fact that we heard a distressed,disembodied womans voice wailing for possible help and when we tried to communicate back. Something disrupted our EVP session.The loud crash in the kitchen makes me feel like a dark entity has trapped this poor soul and doesn't want anyone communicating with it. The dark entity appears to have some grudge against women as well. We still have some EVP's from this investigation currently being reexamined, so keep checking for updates. There is definitely paranormal activity at this location, possibly an intelligent haunting with two or more entities, and we will be back soon. We captured a photo of what we believe to be of a dark entity peering around the corner of a hallway. This picture is still being tested to determine its validity before we release it.



Haunted Locations in  Escondido, Del Mar, Vista & Fallbrook CA

Haunted Escondido CA
Haunted Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve (also called Harmony Grove)

This is a great place to hike, however these woods are extremely haunted. The White Lady is seen along the trails usually in broad daylight. Hikers report being touched on their shoulders and watch as she floats above the ground and passes through objects. Most see a smiling woman from a distance only to realize its a ghostly apparition. People driving along the dark, wooded road at night have reported seeing her floating in the woods as well.

Some people have reported seeing apparitions of Native Americans bodies hanging from trees. The native Northern Diegueno Indians once inhabited this land, dating back thousands of years. One theory is that this area could also be a Native American burial ground.

Locals say there are stone circles in the forest and that if you pass through them you will experience time lapses.

There was a sanitarium in this area that burnt down years ago. When the place caught on fire many of the patients were trapped and burned to death. Some ran into the woods on fire screaming in terror only to die from their wounds. There are reports of laughing, screaming and apparitions of these patients are seen lurking in the forest. Many people mistake this place with Quest Haven Retreat down the road. Questhaven Retreat has nothing to do with the sanitarium and is private property.

There are also rumors that Gypsy's lived in this area and cursed this land when they were forced to leave.

All this, and tales of a deadly cryptid giant white owl, along with stories of cults performing dark rituals, makes this place a creepy place to visit.

Strange History of the Harmony Grove
There is evidence that possible ancestors of the Northern Diegueno Indians lived in the Harmony Grove area. An archeological bonanza, many artifacts have been found and efforts to preserve others are underway. Mortars, metates, pictographs, and petroglyphs discovered there help shed light on the Uyman language they were known to have spoken and contribute to a clearer understanding of their primitive way of life more than 9,000 years ago. There are ancient petroglyphs in rocks at the extreme western end of Ninth Avenue. These are Indian symbols and have a connection with others found in Escondido, Hemet, Borrego, and Rancho Bernardo. They seem to be direction finders similar to the magnificent rocks at Stonehenge in England.

Spook's Canyon
In the 1880s, a Welshman named Spook homesteaded in the Elfin Forest valley. As recently as 1971, remains of his orchard could be seen. It is probably because of this man that we hear the term "Spooks Canyon," which has been a nickname our valley has had for years. The meetings of spiritualist groups in Harmony Grove provide another version of the origin of that nickname. The name also fits in well with the ghosts and legends that are also part of our area. The old stage coach route is haunted by the phantom stage of Carrizo. It is seen in the Anza Borrego State Park.
Before the turn of the century, the Butterfield Stage Coach Company used Harmony Grove Road as part of its route from Escondido to San Diego. The route went from Ramona to Escondido, followed the Escondido Creek, turned west to Encinitas and then south to San Diego. A man name Parkrider had a store near the junction of Harmony Grove and Elfin Forest Roads. The road was paved in the late 1950s and after the vacation ranch closed down in the1990s, even the few remaining bricks from the store disappeared.

The area's beauty - year round stream and shade trees, as mentioned earlier, led Dr. Harvey Urban, Jack Donnelley, and George Dew to buy twenty acres at the junction of what is now Harmony Grave and Elfin Forest Roads in 1959. They built a house and a dam to create a lake and began adding spaces for trailers, campers, and mobile homes. Additional land (for a total of 97 acres) was purchased and a grocery store was opened. It was referred to as the Elfin Forest Vacation Ranch. They provided boating, fishing, movies, and square dancing. When Dr. Urban opened those acres up to public camping, the campground and the valley around it became popularly known as Elfin Forest. The campground no longer exists.

  

More History

Until 1977, the community was sparsely developed. In addition to Questhaven Retreat, Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association, and the Elfin Forest Vacation Ranch, there were a few older homes in the surrounding hills. Many new homes were built between 1977 and 1980. Inflation caused interest rates to rise and home building slowed until late 1984. From 1985 to 1992, there was a boom in building in the area. It is estimated that the population of the area grew to 450 homes, with 15 to 20 homes being added each year. From 1992 to 1995, the economic slowdown in San Diego caused building to almost cease. 1996 saw a pickup in the economy with some new building. The population according to the last census stood at 1,000 in 1996 with a projected population of 2,156 in the year 2015.

In 1978, there were heavy rains in San Diego County. The Elfin Forest–Harmony Grove areas were severely impacted as torrents of water rushed down Escondido Creek causing a "40-year flood". The beautiful lake in the Vacation Ranch was swept away, the basin around it was severely flooded and the Ranch was devastated. Dr. Urban, who had plans to develop it into exclusive mobile home estates, died shortly afterwards, and his family was forced to sell the acreage. There were plans to develop the ranch into a "Lawrence Welk" type of mobile home park called Lake Elfin Forest, but the plans were not approved by the county.

The Elfin Forest Recreational Reserves main trail climbs 1200 ft and has many tributary trails. The Escondido Creek marks the trailhead. The main trail is a 1.6 mile which meanders up a wall then leads up to numerous trails of varying difficulties. There is a Botanical Trail well marked describing the various plant life in the area. One can also extend the hike about 9 miles one way over the mountain to Lake Hodges.





Haunted  Vista CA

Haunted Rancho Guajome Adobe Vista CA

Rancho Guajome belonged to the Couts family for several generations. Colonel Cave Johnson Couts was originally from Tennessee, but came to California with the military in 1849. Here he married Ysidora Bandini, who was born in Old Town, San Diego, in 1829. They are said to have met when Ysidora and her sisters had climbed onto the roof of their house to better see the handsome soldiers march into town, and Ysidora slipped and slid off the roof, landing on Cave Couts.


The couple had ten children, the eight youngest born at Rancho Guajome.Ysidora was a headstrong woman who had the family chapel built in spite of objections from the Catholic church. She let the priest know in no uncertain terms that she would have her chapel whether the church like it or not, and that if he wouldn`t come bless it, she would do so herself. Ysidora is said to haunt the chapel. It has been reported to hear a woman crying, when no one is around. Also the halls and courtyard are haunted by a male figure who roams the grounds, and will disappear suddenly into thin air. 

In the mid 1970`s when the Rancho was being restored human bones of a unknown male were found in the wall.

Haunted Fallbrook CA

North County Times Newspaper
This building is said to have multiple types of paranormal phenomena occur. There is a floating apparition of a little girl that scares employees, along with glowing white lights that fly around the establishment.




Haunted Del Mar

Haunted Del Mar Fairgrounds
Fairgrounds employees for years had been talking informally among themselves about strange happenings on the fifth floor of the grandstand, now private suites above the Turf Club. Furniture would somehow be in a different place than before. Patio doors would open and slam shut. The elevator one night wouldn’t stop on that floor, and its hallways would get unseasonably cold. An apparition was ever caught on tape.

Haunted Anza Borrego

Anza Borrego Ghosts, Spirits, Ghost Lights, Treasure & more


The Lady in White
The trip from Yuma to Vallecito was an arduous desert trek, long stretches of desperately dry sand and desiccated terrain. The stagecoach and its passengers staggered from one rancid, warm watering hole to the next, a bumpy jarring ride across baked and burning countryside. You moved at a crawl, with shuddering winds and sudden cloudbursts. Choking dust was the passengers' cruel and most steadfast escort. There were times where the road became so bad the passengers had to get out and push the coach. People went mad in the midst of this one-hundred fifty-mile trek. Some coined the name for this tract of the Butterfield Stage Coach line, "The Journey of Death." 

The most well-known ghost story of Vallecito is about "The Lady in White". Late in the 1850s, a young girl from the east arrived by stage at Vallecito. She was on her way to Sacramento to meet her lover, who had struck it rich in the Diggins. She was a frail young woman, worn with the hardships of travel and ill from improper food and doubtful water. She was carried from the coach and put to bed in the back bedroom and given the best care available. But nothing could save her and her fight was a losing one. Her journey came to an end in the dark bedroom of the Vallecito stage station.

Her baggage was examined and a brand new white dress was found. It was decorated with lace and sewn with a fine seam. It was to have been her wedding dress. They dressed her in this and buried her in the Campo Santo, a few hundred feet east of the station. They thought they had put her to rest, but on moonlight nights, she has been seen, down through the years, walking restlessly about the station. She harms no one but her presence is disturbing even to the most obstinate non-believer.

It is no wonder that so many ghosts haunt the lonely trails, mountains, and landmarks of the forbidding desert. The desert can be so unforgiving and, at the same time, unbelievably generous. Many travelers, prospectors and adventures have gone into the desert, never to return or be seen again. Others have returned with gold nuggets and treasures so rare and unique that we could only dream of being so lucky ourselves.

Desert lore, stories and quests for loot and gold have made men greedy. Gun fights, murders, and death from starvation and dehydration have left many dead on the barren desert trails. Their ghosts still walk the mountain ridges, gullies, and deserted locations 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 Phantom Stage of Carrizo

The Lady in White is not the only ghost story attached to the Vallecito Stage Station. Not far from Vallecito is Carrizo Wash where the Phantom Stage forges it way through the deep sand, pulled by a team of four mules on moonlit nights. The Phantom Stage is driven by a lone driver hunched over as if asleep. No passengers are seen in the Stage when it passes through Carrizo Wash, hesitating for only a moment, as if planning to stop at the place where the Carrizo Station once stood, but is now only a pile of mud. The Phantom Stage continues on past the old station until out of sight. In the morning one may think twice about actually seeing the Phantom Stage, until he sees the ruts carved from wagon wheels and hoof prints left behind by the ghostly stage that travels by on occasion, as if to keep the trail alive.

There is another story that coincides with the Phantom Stage. In the 1860s, before the stage line closed, a special stage set out from El Paso headed for San Diego with a box of coins. The stage that carried the coins had one driver and a guard. When the stage reached Yuma, Arizona, the guard fell ill and the driver continued on without him. That same stage was held up by robbers somewhere in the area where the route meanders into Carrizo Wash between the Fish and Coyote Mountains. The driver was shot during the robbery and the thieves stashed the coins on the south slope of Fish Mountain. The coins remain there to this day, they say, because there were too many soldiers passing by on the trail. It is said that after the robbery, the dead driver and the stage continued through Carrizo toward Vallecito Station, but the stage disappeared, never to be seen again.

The White Horse Ghost of Vallecito

Vallecito is famous for its ghosts. Its history contains many murders, deaths, robberies, and other wicked tales. One well known story involves a double-murder at Vallecito Station. It all started with a stage hold up that yielded $65,000 worth of loot to four men on horseback, who robbed the eastbound stage before it reached Carrizo Wash en route to Vallecito Station.
As the men fled the scene, the driver of the stage fired one shot, killing one of the four men. When he reached the thief he had shot, he found not one, but two dead bodies. The driver concluded that the leader of the band of thieves, had shot one of his own men so he would not have to divide up the loot.

The bandit leader and one other thief survived the robbery and rode on to rest at Vallecito Station. Shortly before they arrived at the station, they buried their loot in some nearby hills and rode on to the station for a drink and some food. It is said that the two bandits were arguing while having a drink in the station. One of the bandits, the leader, went outside to check on his horse promising to continue the discussion when he returned. He did return to the station, entering through the doorway mounted on his big white horse, and shot his companion.

As the wounded bandit was dying, he drew his gun and fired back at the leader, killing him dead from the back of his brave white mount. The white horse, spooked by the gun fire and death of his master, ran off into the hills. It is said that when someone is in the valley around midnight, near the location where the bandits buried their loot, the ghost of a White Horse will appear from nowhere, galloping through the sand and then disappearing without a trace.

The Ghost Lights of Borrego

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Borrego Springs area of California are 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 in other nearby areas. The occurrences are always slightly different, but the general description of the sightings is the same.

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. Knowles compared the "Fire Balls" to fireworks. He saw three "Fire Balls" 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.

Scientists have tried to determine a logical explanation for the "Ghost lights." One scientific explanation suggests that when the wind blows sand against quartz outcroppings, static electricity is created, which could look like bright lights or sparks on a dark night.

Some believe that the lights were signals used by bootleggers during prohibition or US Immigration for smuggling operations related to the Mexican Boarder. The only problem with these two explanations is that the sightings had been going on long before and after the time constricted by the events described above.
Another notion is that the "Fire Balls" indicate the location of buried treasure. There are stories that support this latter theory of buried treasure. One of the stories tells of a young man who found many gold nuggets in a gully within the Oriflammes. Another man by the name of George Benton found a boulder of rock, weighing a ton, that contained gold. He found the boulder in the Oriflammes.

The Eight-Foot Skeleton

If you find yourself out late in the desert night, somewhere between the Superstition Mountains and Seventeen Palms, you may see the apparition of an 8-foot skeleton with a lantern in his chest. A prospector by the name of Charley Arizona first saw the ghost about 4 miles southeast of Borrego.
It was a dark night and Charley had already set up camp and was settling down for the night. Not long after Charley turned in for the night, something disturbed his burros and he went to investigate. Suddenly, he saw a large human skeleton with a lantern light shining through its ribs. The skeleton walked in a crazy fashion, as if looking for something or as if it were lost. Shortly after Charley sighted the skeleton, it disappeared over a small ridge.

About two years later, two prospectors had a similar experience while camping in the Superstition Mountains. They caught sight of a flickering light in the distance and wondered what it was; it quickly disappeared. One of the prospectors thought it looked like a skeleton carrying a lantern, but they figured it was the fire reflecting off a rock.

The two prospectors didn't think much of the incident until a year later, when a traveler came into the Vallecito Station with the tale of a skeleton he saw wandering in the desert carrying a light. It wasn't long before news of the skeleton got around and two adventurers went out into the desert to search for this legendary skeleton ghost.

During their third night in the desert, they encountered the ghastly lit skeleton. One of the men shot at it with a gun, but the skeleton continued on unfazed by the gun fire. The two men followed the skeleton for three miles as it wandered in a strange and intermittent gait, over ridges and through valleys, before they lost track of it.
Many believe that the skeleton is the ghost of a prospector who discovered and worked the Phantom mine, which has been lost for many years. The skeleton is no better off than the rest of us, for he too continues to search for the lost Phantom Mine, wandering the dark desert nights looking for his final resting place.

Ghosts Dancers at Yaqui Well

Not far from the Phantom Mine lies another place where skeletons have been seen. During warm summer nights, when the moon is full, ghosts dance at Yaqui Well. The ghosts are said to be the spirits of three emigrants who were traveling from Yuma to California. In search of a shorter route through the desert, the emigrants arrived at Yaqui Well, exhausted and near death from lack of food and water. One of the three travelers drank from the well as much water as he could hold. He died shortly there after. The other two men also drank from the well, but survived.While moving their dead companion's body, the other two noticed some rock specimens that fell out of his pocket. The two men were excited to discover the rocks contained gold, but they did not know where their friend had found the samples. The two men became very excited about the gold and the excitement soon turned into a frenzy of greed and distrust. The two men began to struggle until one finally drowned the other in the muddy water of Yaqui Well.

An Indian watched these events unfold from a nearby hill. The Indian felt it was safe to talk to the one man who had survived, but the emigrant was still so excited as he described his story to the Indian, he entered a state of frenzy and ran off in to the desert yelling "Gold, Gold."

It is only during the hot summer nights of the full moon that the three emigrants return to Yaqui Well. One rises out of the muddy waters of the Yaqui Well, one emerges from the brush nearby, and the third arrives in a cool breeze out of the wash. The ghosts join hands and circle Yaqui Well in a dance. Soon after the twirling begins, they disappear, leaving only the good waters of the well and a slight chill in the air.
The desert holds many secrets of buried treasures, lost travelers and mysterious sightings. The stories shared with you on these pages are only a small sample of the tales and legends that have been spun for centuries. In the months to follow, DesertUSA Magazine will share more legends of lost mines, tales of buried treasures and more sad stories of heartsick strangers stranded on the desert sands.

Humanoid / Cryptid

TALL HUMANOID CRYPTIDS APPROACH CAMPSITE

Location: Anza Borrego State Park, California
Date: September 15, 2007
Time: 3:00am local time


Carl and his girlfriend had decided to go on an overnight backpacking adventure. Their destination was Mt. Laguna (unincorporated area of San Diego) however a forest fire in Julian closed off Route 78 therefore they took an alternative route and stumbled upon the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. They arrived at the park at 1700. He had never hiked, or backpacked at the park, therefore Carl went to the visitor center got the information he needed and set on his journey to Culp Valley Campground. Culp Valley campground is approximately 3500 feet in elevation. He pulled into the campground loaded their packs and set off. They only backpacked about 1 mile out due to night settling. They set up a tent about 20 feet north of the trail.

At around 0300am the night moon had sunk behind the mountains surrounding the desert, it was pitch black and Jeremy’s girlfriend was sleeping. Unable to sleep Jeremy just stares at the starry sky. Suddenly he heard a man’s voice, he looked into the direction it was coming from and saw a green light being waved back and forth. He immediately thought it was a park ranger. The light was about 50 yards east from his tent. He could tell that whoever it was using the green light to guide somebody on the trail. The green light was coming closer and closer to the tent...probably not directly to the tent but on the trail about 20 feet away.

The tent was set up on a small slope looking downward on the trail. The green light disappeared and Carl panicked. Suddenly out of nowhere a massive amount of light lit up the trail 20 feet from where he was. He was terrified, nobody was talking at this point and he didn’t hear footsteps just saw a massive amount of white light. The light was getting closer to the trail next to his tent. He immediately ducked down and laid low in his tent scared. He then peeked out of the tent and saw 12 to 15 humanoid figures that looked like people, but some were extremely tall and the rest were really very short with large bald heads. The tall figures appeared to be wearing white cloak-like outfits and the short figures appeared to be naked.

Terrified and his heart pounding Jeremy watched the beings walk very gracefully and slowly, turning their heads from left to right with each footstep. They were all holding metal rod like implements which emitted a powerful white light. They seemed to ignore the tent and walked “peacefully” by the tent. The witness remained laying down and quite as the beings “walked” by the tent. The light eventually faded as the beings continued down the trail and disappeared. Terrified he woke his girlfriend 10 minutes later because he didn’t want the beings to hear them talking.

He told the ranger the next day about what had happened and the ranger wrote it down in a report, suspecting it was some type of religious cult.

Lost Ship of the Desert

In the 1800’s, many stories began circulating throughout Southern California and beyond about a spectral ship lying half buried in the desert sands. Around that time, many migrants after Civil War passed through the desert on their way to California. Many reported that they saw a multi mast Spanish galleon. Multiple expeditions left looking for the ship, but none found it. Some claimed it was Noah’s Ark. Many more claimed that it was loaded with pearls, a fortune’s worth, millions of dollars worth of exquisite pearls.

In 1610, King Phillip III of Spain ordered Alvarez de Cordone to search the Western coast of Mexico and recover the pearls residing there. Cordone hired two other captains, Juan de Iturbe and Pedro de Rosales. He also hired sixty pearl divers and began having three ships build. By July 1612 they set sail to plunder the west coast of its precious oysters.

Over and over again the ship would pause in its travels so the pearl divers could jump off the ship and return with the oysters they discovered on the ocean floor. But the going was slow. Eventually they discovered a Native American village and stopped, meeting with the village leaders. They discovered that the Native Americans had baskets of the pearls just lying about and they formulated a trade of their rich fancy European clothing for the pearls. However, the Spanish swindled the Native Americans and traded them only rags and dirty cloths. The Native Americans outraged attacked the ship as it was trying to set sail. Cordone was hit by an arrow and lay ill. His ship was forced to turn around, but he ordered the other two on in search of more pearls, commanding them to look up the Gulf of California.

As they journeyed up the Gulf, Rosales’s ship struck a reef. The cargo was rapidly transferred to Iturbe’s ship and they continued on. One story says that Rosales’s ship was sunk in a terrible storm. With one ship remaining they sailed up the Gulf and eventually up the Colorado River and into the Salton Sea (or the Blake Sea or Lake Cahuilla as it may have been called long ago).

Here there’s some slight departures in the story. Some stories claim that Iturbe (or another Spanish ship) sailed into the Salton Sea to find the legendary Straits of Anian, an all water route from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Mexico. Some stories claim that the Salton Sea and the Colorado River were higher and filled with water at the time.

Supposedly this was during an unusual flooding season. Others claim that after Iturbe had sailed from the Gulf of California and into the Salton Sea, an earthquake happened, closing off what remained of the Salton Sea from the ocean. Regardless, when Iturbe or whatever Spanish ship had sailed into the Salton Sea, turned around to try and head back home, they were dismayed to find that it was closed off. In fact, with the outlet to the ocean blocked, the water their ship was currently in was rapidly evaporating. The water slowly receded and eventually the ship was beached on the California desert, many many miles from the ocean. The ship was abandoned, the crew grabbing what few supplies they could carry and they trudged west towards the water. Supposedly four months later the survivors were finally picked up

Other versions of the tale, involve a pirate ship loaded down with almost a million doubloons. Another story states that the ship is one of the ships from King Solomon’s navy, carrying the ten lost tribes of Israel to North America. Yet another claims the ship to be from a war like tribe formerly located in the Indian Ocean.
Another puts the Spanish galleon on Lake Cahuilla, supposedly another name for the large inland sea that eventually became the Salton Sea.

Lake Cahuilla existed in the 16th century and had a tribe of Native Americans living in the area at the time. Knowing that the Spanish were coming to take their treasures and probably hurt the tribe, the Cahuilla Indians instead ambushed the Spanish party that came ashore from the ship. Then the tribe mounted a full attack on the galleon and after a fierce battle, annihilated all the crew on board claiming the ship for the tribe. The Cahuillas began looting the ship of the clothes, foods, and exotic items that the Spanish had brought with them, but they could not move nor break into the heavy large iron chests that were in the hold. While they were debating what to do with the treasure chests a storm brewed up, and began attacking the galleon. The Native Americans were forced to desert the ship which broke from its anchor, driffted off into the storm, overturned and soon sunk into the sea taking its precious cargo with it. By the time the lake supposedly dried up, the ship had been long buried under tons of dirt, sand and silt.

Lastly, one story discusses a viking ship that could be found sticking out of the side of a mountain in the Tierra Blanco Canyon near Agua Caliente Springs. Legends of Native Americans speak of the arrival of the visitors that supposedly had a boat with the head of a snake on it. Sightings of the mysterious viking ship apparently ended after a 1933 earthquake.

How true could this story be? It is surprisingly possible that a flood occurred connecting the Salton Sea to the Gulf of California. Supposedly in the past the two were connected at one time. The area between the desert and the gulf has the potential to be hit with massive flooding. And it would have been plausible for a ship to get carried in on the waves and the stranded afterwards as the water receded. Additionally the waters there have been known in the past to have strange tidal bores that would sweep waves in land. A ship could have been carried inland by one of those.

However, it must be from the sheer number of stories and legends told by both Native Americans and frontiersmen, that makes this story quite possibly true.
In the 1800s the legends, stories, and failed expeditions began. Some claimed that the ship seen in the desert was haunted and could only be found at certain times of the year. Native Americans told tales about it, which was apparently good enough to confirm its existence. One group claimed that the ship came from 1862 when several people built a twenty-one foot single mast skiff mounted on wheels to transport themselves across the desert. Sadly when they reached the lowest point in the desert, they were forced to abandon the ship and continue on without it. They claim that the ship people saw in the desert was their abandoned wheel mounted skiff.

In 1870 several Indians reported seeing the ship, supplying a location of approximately 30 miles west of Dos Palmas and 40 miles north of the then San Bernardino - Yuma road.

1870 continued to bring attention to the ship in the form of a series of stories in the Los Angeles Star on November 12th and December 1st of 1870. The stories spoke of a man named Charley Clusker who claimed to have located the ship and was organizing several expeditions to return to it and bring back the missing ship which he claimed was filled with crosses and had broken masts. It was reportedly fifty miles or more from Dos Palmas in a region of boiling mud springs. Sadly there was nothing afterwards, and Mr. Clusker appears to have simply disappeared much like the elusive ship.

In 1878, three German prospectors saw the ship around sundown about 120 miles northwest of Yuma and 40 miles east of Indio. The two survivors reported seeing an immense ship under full sail, floating over the desert, sailing like a cloud into the sunset. One of the three prospectors went after it the next morning, but never returned. A rescue party eventually found him dead from lack of water and strangely naked. Later one old timer, reportedly spent several days camping inside the slowly rotting hull of the old galleon, completely unaware of the pearls and immense wealth that lay buried under the sand beneath him. Obviously, he was never able to relocated the derelict ship.

In 1905, a prospector named Butcherknife Ike, claimed to have discovered a fossile ship buried in the san dunes of Borrego Springs. And in 1915, a Yuma Indian arrived in one town paying for his merchandise with pearls. After being questioned, he claimed to have spent the night in a strangely shaped wooden house that was partially covered by sand. The people he spoke to offered him several hundreds of dollars plus a place to sleep for the night if he would take them back there in the morning. He agreed, collected his pay, agreed to be lodged for the night, and was no where to be seen come morning, having completely vanished.
In 1933, Antonio de Fierro Blanco wrote a book that discussed the story of Tiburcio Manquerna, a young mule driver who had apparently come across the lost Spanish Galleon. At the time Tiburcio was operating as a mule driver for Juan Baptista de Anza who was searching for a land route from Sonora to Alta California. He even went into the hold of the ship, saw the pearls, but was never able to relocate the evasive ship. These events occurred around 1775.

Even as early as 1949, three UCLA students, armed with old newspaper accounts, 1910 Imperial Irrigation District Maps, and old stories from Cahuilla Indians, went out to search for a Viking ship. The Los Angeles Times reported the undertaking, but sadly never told the results of the expedition, which leads me to believe that like so many others before, it too met in failure. Many treasure hunters have gone after the missing treasure of pearls. None has brought back evidence of finding it. One of the presumed reasons for this, is that the sands of the desert shift sometimes moving or obscuring or revealing the lost ship.

And of course a ghost story has sprung up around the incident. According to story tellers, the ship itself, now bleached white and desiccated by the whipping sands blown by the desert winds, has become a ghost. With an eerie otherworld glow and singing dead sailors, the skeleton of a ghost ship sails the desert. often being seen sailing into the sunset or along the moonlight. Of course, ghost stories are often in dispute, as another ghost tale places the phantom ship near Kane Springs, and the ship doesn't make a sound as it glides silently pass. Nor are any sailors in view.

Does the mysterious ship laden with a fortune in pearls still reside in the desert? Or is it simply a strange story that has been passed down through the decades? Does it still sail spectrally over the sands, heading off into the sunset? Perhaps one day, when the sands blow the correct way, we’ll be lucky enough to find out.

The Lost Viking Ship

Quite possibly buried in the 1933 earthquake, a lost Viking Ship apparently resides in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County . In 1933, near Agua Caliente Springs, Louis and Myrtle Botts from the small town of Julian under directions from a strange prospector they had met the night before, stumbled upon the forward half of an old viking ship sticking part way out of the mountains in Tierra Blanco Canyon.

Sadly shortly after they discovered it and before they could take any photgraphic evidence, a huge earthquake occurred and covered up the finding.
Strangely enough, Native American legends actually support the theory that a Viking ship made it all the way around Canada, through the Arctic Circle and down the west coast. The Seri Indians' legend states that the "Come From Afar Men" arrived in a long boat with a head like a snake. These men apparently all had yellow beards and hair. They were also accompanied by a red haired woman.

The Mayo Indians also have legends involving a possible Viking Ship. Their legend states that the ship sank off the coast and that the Mayo Indians took in the survivors. These survivors inter married with the tribe and this is the reason why even today occasionally descendants of the Mayo Indians are born with blonde hair and blue eyes.

So just like a lost Spanish Galleon loaded up with pearls, a lost Viking Ship buried under rubble might exist in San Diego County.



Haunted Star of India San Diego

Star of India Investigation, San Diego CA Case File 4

10/09/11 at 8:00 PM

The Star of India, originally named 'The Euterpe' is a mysterious ship with a long dark history. Built in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, England in 1863, it was one of the first ships made of iron as well as one of the fastest. On its maiden voyage it suffered a collision and a mutiny. On her second voyage in 1865, The Euterpe was forced to cut her masts in a gale and barley made it to Trincomalee and Calcutta for repair. Captain Story died and was buried at sea during the return voyage to England. In 1873 alone, the ship had 8 passenger deaths from various causes.

On 1884 a young stowaway that was put to work on the ship was showing off and climbed up the rigging and fell 100 feet. The young stowaway died 3 days later of his injuries. Shortly after, passengers and crew started to report the ghost of the boy touching them near the mast where he fell, making 'S' shapes on their bodies. This was how the game of tag was played during that period and was a favorite pastime on the long voyages. Many report hearing the giggling of a boy as well, along with cold spots. Another ghost of the Star of India, is reported to be of a Chinese crew member who was slowly crushed to death in the anchors chain locker.

The chain locker is reported to have a cold spot when the ghost makes its presence known. There is a tale of a captain who slit his own throat in a drunken, frenzied state. The ships physician stitched up the distraught gentleman, but he later pulled out his stitches and bled to death in the First Mate’s Cabin. This area of the ship is reported to have a dark presence felt and guests that sleep in the room are usually awoken by something touching them or ripping the sheets off in the middle of the night.

Other ghostly encounters have been reported on the lower deck of the ship where many sailors and passengers have died from diseases and injuries throughout its long history at sea. Some visitors report smells of freshly baked bread coming from the galley as well. Our team of 2 went aboard the Star of India at 8:00 PM for a quick investigation of this fascinating ship. We began on the top deck and worked our way down, taking pictures and checking EMF levels.

I personally felt a presence near the anchors engine. Perhaps this was the crew member who was slowly crushed to death by its chains? I took photos and did a quick EVP session, but unfortunately no evidence was gathered. We did capture some exciting orb pictures in other areas of the ship and after an hour and a half of investigating we decided to call it a night.


Conclusion

The personal experience I had on board the ship near the anchors engine and the orbs we captured leads Paranormalistics to believe there in some form of paranormal activity taking place. The unique design of the ship along with its dark history of tragedy and the fact that it is surrounded by water makes it a perfect environment for a haunting. We cant wait to come back to the haunted Star of India.

The Haunted Hunter Steakhouse Oceanside CA

This is one of Oceansides most haunted locations. Prior to the restaurant being built, the land was once Oceanside's Buena Vista Cemetery. The first known burial was in 1885 and the last known was in 1906. It's not known why burials stopped at Buena Vista; some people disinterred and moved their loved ones' bodies to the nearby Oceanside Cemetery.

The land the cemetery was on was purchased by a schoolteacher in the 1950s. She wanted to preserve the view of Buena Vista Lagoon from her home located on Stewart Street. The land was later purchased by a developer who wanted to use the site for commercial properties. In January 1970, 17 bodies were disinterred and removed to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley while others went to other resting places.

During the grading of the site for use, and during the creation of the ramp for the I-5 freeway, construction workers found human remains and coffins. These discoveries were swept under the rug by developers so the workers took it upon themselves to rebury any remains they found on the site.

Ghosts of the Hunter Steakhouse
The Hunter Steakhouse sits on a hill above the Buena Vista Lagoon. Patrons and employees have constantly reported incidents. The stairwell to the bar area appears to be the home of a female spirit. There is a storage room above the lower dining area and entrance. The room is constantly locked and hardly used. But for some reason the spirits prefer this location when the restaurant gets busy. There are three windows up there, and although they can`t be opened, people feel drawn to gaze at these windows. Also from the second floor an apparition has been reported moving across the room from the fireplace in midair. Several people have heard there names called by both male and female voices. Like many other locations of hauntings, objects moving and power surges have been reported as well. The submitter of this haunted places reports seeing a face of a male form out of the chimney, ever so briefly, but it felt welcoming. 

Paranormal Activity has also been reported at the nearby Amazon Bike Shop. The building was formerly a gas station and strange incidents were reported during that time as well.

A small reminder of the Buena Vista Cemetery remains in the form of a plaque near the entrance of the restaurant, donated by the Oceanside Historical Society. Part of it reads, "Dedicated to the memories of those who were buried at Buena Vista Cemetery. While some bodies were moved before and during construction on this site many remain here or nearby." The names of the people found on gravestones are listed on the plaque.

Haunted locations in San Diego

San Diego - Bonita - Bonita rd - Reports of an older man appears in the backseat of the witnesses’ cars. He is said to be the ghost of a man that was run over here.

San Diego - Bonita Vista High School - In the boys locker room, showers sometimes turn off and on by themselves. The boy's bathroom in the gym's front room has been reported to have loud whispering coming from it when no one is inside, and a malevolent force is often felt in the bathroom. In the gym, cold spots are often felt on the bleachers, and at times you can feel a hand grab your ankle or shoulder, even if you are alone.

San Diego - Brooklyn Elementary School - Janitors claim to see children running throw the hallways at night. and When the Janitors try to go home after there shift is over the doors wont open they say it feels like someone is on the other side pushing the door. They also say there’s cold spats and hear children crying

San Diego - El Cajon - One of the Mobil home spaces - In one of the spaces There is said to be an old man that appears occasionally in the house where 2 old people live; a women and a man. Once when the man who lived there was saying a prayer the ghost would get really mad and start throwing stuff off the shelf. Then when the man was out of the house the woman thought that he was back and she heard the doorknob starting to twist but not open so she went to look and no one was there. Another time was when the man was fixing up his car he saw the ghost and said hi because he thought that it was a person who lived in there park. He put his screwdriver down looked back at it and it wasn't there he looked down the street and up the street and the ghost was nowhere in sight. Still to this day they see the ghost he is very pale and you can only see his upper body.

San Diego - El Cajon - Rios Canyon - The ghosts of two cowboys can be seen at the back end of the canyon on the old dirt road. Some say "they’re looking for the lost gold".

San Diego - El Fandango Restaurant - a woman in white appears at a dark table in the corner.

San Diego - Horton Grand Hotel - Located in downtown San Diego has 1 or more haunted rooms. Temperature changes and sightings

San Diego - The Hotel Del Coronado - Kate Morgan reportedly killed herself. Her body was found on the steps leading to the beach. It was also thought it may have been murder. She is seen not only in her room, (which is now room 3312) but other areas of the hotel and grounds as well.

San Diego - Lake Morena Campground - Across from one of the campsites, in a wooded area, there appears the ghost of a young woman in a long white dress. There is a cold and eerie presence near the boulders that lie beneath the trees, and her apparition has been seen on two occasions by two different men. The first sighting occurred on a warm July night around 9:00 p.m. A group was setting up camp when one of the men ventured over to the dark area and found the young lady looking at him. He was startled and turned away. When he turned back, she had vanished but he could still feel her presence. The second sighting occurred around 3:00 a.m., a couple of days later. Another man from the same group of campers got out of his tent after being awakened from a deep sleep by an unknown presence. He looked over his tent and saw the lady pacing. She stopped, looked right at his face, then continued to pace as if she were waiting for someone. The man went to wake up his friends, but by the time he woke anyone she had vanished. Not being able to sleep after the sighting, he decided to stay awake with another camper and start a campfire. In the distance, they could hear the voice of a woman laughing and singing. There seemed to be no explanation for it at that time of the morning. On other occasions the same campers have heard heavy footsteps around their tents during the night that do not fade as if someone were walking away, but simply lift and disappear. In a photo taken of one of the campers in this area, there appears a large orb floating right next to him.

San Diego - McDonalds on Miramar Rd. - Strange things would happen during the dead of night while McDonald workers would be closing and preparing for the next day. Tubs of Mustard, straws, etc. would be thrown across and scattered the next morning. In one of the bathroom stalls, there would be a picture of the devil create from the wood grains of the stall door. The door has been replaced due to too many visitors wanting to see the "face".

San Diego - Mission Valley - Taco Bell - employees have reported whispers coming from the bathroom. Trash doors swinging one time at closing there was three closers one manager and two crew one of the crew members was washing dishes he seen some one who he thought was a employee walk behind him and go in the walk-in freezer" so the employee thought he would play a joke on the employee as he held the door tightly the door was moving like there was some one in there when three minutes went by then the employee let go of the door. he went to go see if the manager was coming but he was shocked to see both the manager and the employee was working he was really scared he had goose bumps.

San Diego - Montgomery High School - Floating lights can be seen late at night in the football stadium .Witnesses have heard screaming and then saw balls of floating lights came towards them. chasing them until they got to the front of school near the main office. Reports of voices in the bathrooms as well.

San Diego - Muirlans Middle School - The school was built in the early 50's. There was a girl that once went to the school in the 60's who died by bumping her head during a PE class. Ever since people have said of strange noises from behind them only to see that no one is there.

San Diego - NAS Miramar - Hangar 1 is haunted by the crew of a F-8 Crusader that crashed there in the late 60's.

San Diego - Nijiya Market - In this small Japanese grocery store an elderly customer suffered a heart attack and died in the store. Sometimes objects fall from the shelves on their own and with no explanation; one manager while there in the middle of the night heard strange noises and his name whispered several times.

San Diego - El Campo Santo Cemetery - Formerly posted as "Old Town Cemetery" - This was partially paved over with a road. It is said ghosts appear to be crossing that section of the road at night. - February 2004 Correction: The proper name of the "Old Town Cemetery" in San Diego is "El Campo Santo Cemetery." Among the numerous other spirits sighted at the location (including the paved portions under the adjacent sidewalk and streets), psychics claim that the site is to this day overseen by the spirit of the gravedigger whose own grave is near the cemetery's SE corner.

San Diego - Point Loma National Cemetary - just north of the city of san diego is a normandy-sized cemetary that was a favorite place for marines awaiting to leave for westpac ground forces.the marines used to go there on short liberties to lay amongst the grave stones,smoke and get drunk and near midnight witness souls rising from their graves to walk near the one thousand foot cliffs and look out over into the pacific ocean to see if their country was secure and then they would return to their graves.not to many young marines wanted to talk about this experience back at the old mainside of camp pendleton as the cemetary is the location of thousands of buried marines from the first and fifth marine divisions killed in action durring world war two.

San Diego - Presidio Hill (Old Town San Diego) - Locals call it witches tower. Its the "storage shed" in the parking lot adjacent to the mission. yet it has a huge pentagram built into cobblestones atop of this shed. Well the shed was used as a "cell" to hold prisoners. Visitors have seen apparitions such as, a guardian to the tower that looks like he is dressed in druidic clothing or a black cloak with glowing eyes. Reports of possession, & strange darting figures.

San Diego - Presidio Park - A little white dear can be seen running around but then it vanishes when it is spotted.

San Diego - Ramona High School - Students in the band room have reported instruments in cases being ejected out of lockers (locked with combination locks) And their cases being flung open during private tutoring sessions

San Diego - Screaming Tree - In the suburb of Lakeside, at the end of Willow Road, there is a narrow dirt road, down this road some distance (and after passing a slaughterhouse of some sort) there is a clearing with a tree, supposedly if one blasts one's car horn three times a ghost of a girl will start screaming. Mostly this area is a hangout for dubious characters so it may not be a good idea to go alone.

San Diego - The Star of India, originally named 'The Euterpe' is a mysterious ship with a long dark history. Built in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, England in 1863, it was one of the first ships made of iron as well as one of the fastest. On its maiden voyage it suffered a collision and a mutiny. On her second voyage in 1865, The Euterpe was forced to cut her masts in a gale and barley made it to Trincomalee and Calcutta for repair. Captain Story died and was buried at sea during the return voyage to England. In 1873 alone, the ship had 8 passenger deaths from various causes. On 1884 a young stowaway that was put to work on the ship was showing off and climbed up the rigging and fell 100 feet. The young stowaway died 3 days later of his injuries. Shortly after, passengers and crew started to report the ghost of the boy touching them near the mast where he fell, making 'S' shapes on their bodies. This was how the game of tag was played during that period and was a favorite pastime on the long voyages. Many report hearing the giggling of a boy as well, along with cold spots. Another ghost of the Star of India, is reported to be of a Chinese crew member who was slowly crushed to death in the anchors chain locker. The chain locker is reported to have a cold spot when the ghost makes its presence known. There is a tale of a captain who slit his own throat in a drunken, frenzied state. The ships physician stitched up the distraught gentleman, but he later pulled out his stitches and bled to death in the First Mate’s Cabin. This area of the ship is reported to have a dark presence felt and guests that sleep in the room are usually awoken by something touching them or ripping the sheets off in the middle of the night. Other ghostly encounters have been reported on the lower deck of the ship where many sailors and passengers have died from diseases and injuries throughout its long history at sea. Some visitors report smells of freshly baked bread coming from the galley as well.

San Diego - The Whaley House - haunted by Thomas Whaley & it is believed there are others. This house was once the city's courtroom. The haunting extend beyond Thomas Whaley and to a man hanged just outside the house. He was hung for stealing a boat. One visitor strongly felt the presence of a woman while touring the house, in one of the upstairs bedrooms. “It was not frightening...the presence was actually welcoming. There are tours in this place.

San Diego - U.S Grant Hotel - This hotel was built in 1910, and apparently a man walks the hallways of the hotel, and at times goes into the rooms and makes noises.

San Diego - Vagabond Motel near 5 Freeway & Garnet - Tangible feeling of dread, oppression, and sadness in room 325 and nearby hallway. Occasional glimpses of spirit of "Amanda", a tall blonde or red-haired young woman. Apparently, she was a former beauty queen and model who, depressed over her inability to conquer a drug habit, slit her own throat in that room. Apparently, she wants your prayers praying replaces the air of dread with an air of calm and peace and scent of jasmine, and you can feel her saying "thank you".

San Diego - Villa Montezuma - On K Street, near Barrio Logan. Built in 1887 for a musician named Jesse Shepherd. The house has a very dark, heavy feeling. After Jesse Shepherd’s death, the house went through a succession of owner's, all of which claimed bad things happened to them while in possession of the house. Shepherd had once enjoyed wealth and fame, but at the end of his life, he was very poor and emotionally unstable. The house is said to be haunted by Shepherd himself and an elderly widow who previously owned the house. She is seen looking out of the window in one of the towers. Reason for Shephard's haunting said to be the fact that Shephard was known for being able to "channel" famous piano players while playing and was once reported to be playing Mozart with one hand and Chopin with the other. It is believed that while channeling the great composers, he channeled some negative energy into the house. Beautiful stained glass portraying pictures of famous composer, writers, and artists. In some of these, hair seems to be turning gray and beards seem to be growing. Strong presence is felt, and reports of seeing scenes the past (1800s some time). It feels like something was actually looking out the window, through your eyes. It was a very uncomfortable, evil feeling. There are tours in this place.