Forbidden Universe
Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on February 01, 2017, 11:14:59 AM
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Our Adventures On The Assassins Trail & The Old Auburn Cemetery - 1/28/17
Every year its so important that The Paranormal & Ghost Society starts it off with a bang and goes big. That way we can set the tone for how the rest of the year is going to play out. I had been getting cabin fever normally I go out fairly often to conduct research and investigations. But being I live in the mountains we have been slammed with earthquakes, floods and some pretty large snowstorms. Therefore, allot of roads are either out, impassable or inaccessible right now. So for me this weekends trek was about getting rid of some of that good ole fashioned cabin fever!
Due to all this winter weather this means that I may have to change my entire paranormal schedule and work more in the Sacramento Valley which is fine with me. The valley right now is like spring compared to the high sierras or the Nevadan frontier. I been doing this for so many years that ill explore or investigate just about anything as long as we keep on trucking towards truth seeking. I always keep our group active and have now for 16 years research is ongoing so is hard work. I wanted our first trip of this year to be in the ghost town of Tuscarora but its going to have to wait for awhile longer.
I chose two locations for us to investigate this past weekend the first location being the old Esoteric Fraternity. Other names are the Esoteric Publishing Company and also Our Lady Of Oaks Villa. More or less I called this place a colony or monastery because really that is what this location was which ill talk about further in my report below. This fraternity may have been the first metaphysical new age cult that based allot of their beliefs off the Zodiac. When they came to the American River in the 1800's they opened up a publishing company
When Hiram Erastus Butler metaphysical scholar came to Applegate from Boston Massachusetts with his Disciples they had literally had gotten off the transcontinental railroad journeyed to the top of a hill overlooking the American River and built a colony or sect. They cleared the trees to make room for gardens, corrals for livestock and used local clay to fire up bricks for a mansion and publishing company. Maybe some of you are aware but they published The Bible Review which was concurrent with the Christian Herald the most circulated religious publication in the world. Another works from his publishing company discussed the functioning of the digestive system and even The Cause Of Inharmonic In Marriage.
One of Butlers most famous works the sects leader was Solar Biology which may have been one of the first metaphysical publications that simplified astrology by basing horoscopes on sun and moon signs rather then complex planetary movements. Allot of today's newspaper horoscopes were modeled after Butlers formulas. Even today you can still buy this book and I recommend it!
The fraternity was a cult but in all the years they lived deep in the Tahoe National Forest on a secluded hill no more then 40 members joined this cult. They all lived up on the hill in homesteads praying, meditating and remaining celibate giving all their possessions to god. That is what it took if you wanted to be in this fraternity you gave up everything similar to the monks for example. Sex was not allowed but I read they have done other rituals or masked celibacy by performing tantric sex.
The property today sits above the Assassins Trail it was called that because one of the last disciples was tending to his cucumber garden up along this trail and someone shot him in the head with a 38 three times. The murder still goes unsolved and nobody knows why this individual was murdered. In theory I think that Mathew Alexander Bosek knew the individual and this was a crime of hate maybe even fear. Like so many of the cults followers many were from Russia and Bosek escaped the Bolshevik Revolution as a refugee. He lived on this land for over 50 years and was one of the last of the four fraternity members living up here at the time.
The trail to get up here was called this after Bosek was murdered since then it kind of has a bad rep years later a young girl was murdered by her boyfriend right along the trail and buried in a shallow grave. Its an intimidating place when you pull up with giant no trespassing signs even though the trail today is public and you can hike on it. The land was augmented by a land grant from President Grover Cleveland who in turn it belonged to a railroad magnate Leland Stanford who deeded the 500 acres to the sect in the early 1890's.
Today below the hill the publishing company site is now a Jesuit Lodge and Retreat. You can rent cabins here there is a lake its really serene. But the older stuff sits up on a hill above the river and above the retreat deep in the woods. Which most folks think this place is an old asylum for children and their is allot of urban legends. Trust me to all the kids going up here word of the wise its not a hospital and the main part of the colony is on the hill.
I learned about this place from a ghost group forum and it seemed recently allot of people have been going up here to see the place. Some have said a caretaker chased them with a gun others seem to exaggerate a bunch of ghost stories such as children in gowns and ghostly nurses running around the woods scaring them. So please do not get this place confused locally with the Weimer Institute which at one time before it became a school was actually a real sanitarium where people died of disease and were buried on the property.
The colony is an entirely different location and many ghost groups are simply not doing proper research which I find a bit disheartening. The two are a few miles away yes but the fraternity more or less had nothing to do with the hospital more or less it was a colony of cultist who built there own little community on one of the highest hills above the town of Applegate. You cant see this place from the road its in a forest of oaks and manzanita trees.The settlers here actually built a kiln on site to burn this wood so they could fire bricks. Other trees they cut down were used to build homesteads.
In recent times allot of homesteads been built below this hill even though there are three wagon roads leading to it one road goes through someone's yard, another one through a gate in front of a couple private homes and the last one is the Assassins Trail but its a much longer jaunt which was okay with me I love a good morning hike especially above the beautiful American River.
The fraternity lived in private for many years they were totally self sufficient grazing cattle, livestock, planting and harvesting crops. The fraternity had hoped that its followers would one day run a worldwide religious dictatorship sadly after the death and murder of one of its last disciples it kind of faded from history minus the structures which today still stand on the hill overlooking Applegate California. They even had their own private cemetery which I did not get to see due to a pack of dogs which probably belong to the caretaker who today live on site.
Besides my visit to the Fraternity and hike on the Assassins Trail we also would explore Old Auburn Cemetery. Its actually not far from Applegate and contains around 10k interments. Auburn is an early gold rushing mining town which prided itself not just on this gold but quarrying. When the railroad came through here the town had really grown so the cemetery is not only very historic but one of the oldest in the county containing outlaws, railroad men, quarry owners, gold miners and even politicians.
In a sense I really love this part of California gold country is magical and I was looking forward to some warmer weather. Throw in some snowboarding, sledding, good eats and time spent with family it makes for a great weekend. So now that you got a little idea of the brief history to the area we would kick off 2017 with what in my opinion is one of the most mysterious locations yet fascinating locations in this region of California.
My hope by putting real history, hard earned research and information on our website is that it will deter any further discrepancies that these other paranormal groups continue to parade around. But I also hope to stop people from going up here looking for an asylum that does not exist and maybe even give the folks who live around here some sense of peace. Because if folks read about it on our site and they realize its not abandoned they may stop going up here for thrills. Most folks go up here at night and they fail to realize someone does live at the top of the hill.
I have no issue exploring locations but I prefer to explore ones that been forgotten or are uninhabited and sometimes you do not know this till you are actually on site. So I had to find it out for myself because you cant believe what you read online in forums or from others because most folks simply do not put enough time into there research they just assumed something is abandoned or that its a hospital when its not. My job however is as a researcher is to get it right and preserve history. So that is what I set off to do with this location as not only do I find it fascinating but this is a very relevant site in a sense this is a very relevant theological site even if you were to only focus on the publishing company alone! Some of you may have read Butlers works even!
Assassins Trail & The Esoteric Fraternity
(Our Lady Of Oaks Villa)
I left really early in the morning to get up here before the sun even came up I was driving through heavy snowfall over Donner Summit. This year the Donner & Truckee area is being pelted with a barrage of snow. Entire homes are being buried some snow is as high as the power lines! So by the time I was making it through the pass over Donner Summit we hit a barrage of falling snow.
I am not sure I seen this much snow in my life its really amazing but it also is a prime example of mother natures wraith in this mountain range. Back in the 1800's 80' of snow was NOT uncommon as in today's times with drought some of our winters been drive even in the high sierras. I was just happy that I would be journeying to a place where it was like Spring so we would be leaving one climate to enjoy the warmer one that this region offers because it is below the snow line and resides at about 2k in elevation.
The town of Applegate is quaint full of small little ranches and homestead in the forest. I never been here before but I have been to some of the other smaller towns nearby to do some work. If you guys loved the ghost town of Iowa Hill on our website then you will love this location because the two are really not that far away from one another.
I parked up at the Assassins Trailhead their are two parking lots both however have a big red and white no trespassing sign. The BLM and Auburn California owns many of the trails in the area. They are public so no worries but over the years due to murders and people disrespecting the land the signs were put there to kind of deter that kind of activity. To many folks were trying to four wheel on this trail when really its meant for walking your dogs, hiking etc etc When I arrived there was only a truck at one of the trail head entrances.
When I hit the trail I ran into also a young couple walking there dogs they were really friendly towards us. So its safe to say that yes you can hike the trail despite the intimidate signs but keep in mind there are paths sometimes without any signs because people have torn them down that might take you on someone's private property possibly. In this case the colony sits up on a hill therefore the Assassins trail runs right below it so if your like me who likes to leave the woods you might run into this place which ended up happening to me not that I regret it though its history right?
We took the trail for over a mile the trees are so large and dense that they overlap above the trail. So for the most party the trail is at times shady even dark. Through the trees to the right you can see the Foresthill Divide which divides the Sierra Nevada's. Within the Divide is the American River which you can hear from afar but you cant really see it. Even though the trail at times is very wide and easy to follow its so easy to stray because their are other trails that branch to the left as well as the right.
The trail continues to ascend it really never goes downhill you keep climbing and climbing then eventually it skirts around this hill. The hill is where the fraternity built settlements and homesteads on. You cant see any of it from the trail believe me when I say this its like a jungle here. Their is many areas of the woods that are wide open I mean the people who lived up here cleared the trees at one time for livestock and growing cops. But the structures at the time of the hill are fortified with a very dense forest and we climbed through it but it was very slow going and steep.
I tried to find this place called the Assassins Garden its right before you make your way up to a wagon road leading to the colony. The closer you get to the hill the more evident it is someone lived up here or does. There are glass jars in the woods, rusty cans, buckets, old wood post and even small corrals. The garden is where Bosek was murdered at. Who knows maybe an EVP will reveal who his killer was since it still is a cold case today. So I tried to take EVP at a few sites I thought was the garden but if you take this trail you will go right through it at some point for those who want to hike here.
There is even a creek that crosses the trail my son and I found a tunnel where the creek came out of it. It was dark filled with water but who knows if anything lurks inside of it. I have no doubt that their are ghost that haunt this trail and hill. Back in the day the miners of the gold rush traveled on it via horse and wagon. That is because it provided accessibility to the American River below which offered some good gold panning back in the day and even still does today.
Eventually after about an hour stroll through the woods we climbed the hill I had marked the GPS coordinates so I would not get lost to the graveyard up here. The graves actually are surrounded by all the hilltop structures so I knew if I found the cemetery id find the rest of the structures here. When I arrived at the top of the hill I seen some buildings it sure seemed abandoned or very quiet for the time being.
My eye caught a massive mansion in the woods a ghosthunters dream perhaps but for me I read about Butlers Mansion so it meant much more then as opposed to a group of vandals who might go in and want to smash things. I wanted to see this mansion not many have ever laid their eyes on it trust me when I say it. Most folks go to the retreat walk around the gate and visit the old two story brick publishing company building. But the mansion is in itself a wonder not just to see but in general because more then likely the fraternity founder lived in it while his disciples probably lived in smaller homesteads surrounding it. I am sure that this was not just a mansion but perhaps a place to philosophize, pray, study and even break bread in its dining hall.
Supposedly I read that the fraternity had erected this 18 room mansion that had four stories built out of native timber along with homemade furniture from local timber. They painted elaborate mystical pictures and designs on many of the walls inside. Now while the mansion I seen on the hill was made of brick more then likely the floor,walls and beams were made out of the wood the disciples cut from the forest. This had to be the mansion described in my research as it was made of brick with two huge stone chimneys which tells me it had two grand fireplaces. The mansion had two stories but also an attic and more then likely even a basement. At the entrance to it their is a sign it says Holiness Onto The Lord with the initials below it Y.H.V.H. not sure what the abbreviation means. It had big long French windows and appeared to be a light yellow while the window frames were all white.
Next to the mansion were two old wooden homesteads more like shanty's boarded up but one had a wood rocker on the porch. There was also a stone house in the woods and a small green cottage that looked fairly new. More or less someone probably lives in the cottage there was a vehicle parked next to it and at that point I was not going to be disrespectful by hanging around. This is besides the point that three dogs ran out of one of the boarded up homesteads then chased us through the woods. They were not vicious dogs they just were letting me know to stay on the property line. After they calmed down I walked back up to the mansion to get a photo and do some filming. Whoever lives up here cant be bad there dogs were very well taken care of and they were not aggressive.
Since the dogs started barking they would not stop at this point so we just left. I really wished I could have photographed more of the historic structures here and gotten some better ones of the mansion. Its kind of strange to see someone living up here being that its remote and that whoever lives here lives here among so many old abandoned structures. Considering that their are so many beautiful homes below in Applegate or surrounding the trail one would have thought that nobody lives up here. I heard a man by the name of Fred Peterson care takes the property some say he is friendly has good stories to tell others say he will shoot at you. Nobody shot at me as a matter in fact I never seen a soul but a pack of dogs who were guarding the hillside.
On the hill resides the old mansion a variety of old cabins and homesteads along with a cemetery. I personally was ready to head back. Like I said earlier do not believe what others say online in various forums someone does live up here. I know some sites say its abandoned and the roads been blocked but its not true. There was fresh SUV tracks on the road leading from the hill all the way down to the retreat below where the gate is. Whether its Fred who lives up here or the property was recently purchased by someone else or maybe someone who is a relative of one of the fraternity members its hard to really know for sure.
I plan on writing the Jesuit Retreat Center below since the gate, plaque and road runs right through it heading to the top of the hill they probably would know who to put me in touch with. Then again I heard from someone that they asked permission and were denied. So I may never get to tour the mansion, cemetery or hillside structures from this colony without some sort of permission or until it once again is vacated. It wont hurt to ask its better then what others have done which is to sneak around the gate at night past peoples homes only to get to the top of the hill running scared because a caretaker comes out of his house wielding a gun. I want to see more this place fascinates me and so very few have ever really laid there eyes on its mansion at least I can say we have which is an honor.
Its not to often that you get chased by dogs in an area a space cult lived who may have had been involved with UFOlogy and other metaphysical rituals. I will say that I could not help feeling watched even though I spent a short time here it felt like the place was made to look abandoned but in fact may have been inhabited by more then a few people. Its hard to know if someone was watching us, looking out the window, walking around the woods with us etc. For all I know the cult might still be existent and some of their ancestors live in some of these old run down homesteads. I really cant say for sure but rather then feeling as if their are ghosts watching us more then likely it was people probably wondering what the hell is that guy doing up here lol.
I hope to return to this hill again I really feel that the story about Boseks death needs to be told maybe even solved. But I also think that this historic site should not be hidden from the rest of the world. Nobody has pics or video of this place with the exception of me right now and I really wish I could have seen more there are 12 structures on the hill some quite large worth delving into no doubt.
I had many more questions when I left then I did answers really. Who doesn't like some creepy mansion on a hill in the woods very few know about it? Who knows the mansion might be even haunted and I am quite sure many of relics of the past still remain today even if its just a rocking chair or something to that effect. Its ashamed that the fraternity and sect went extinct I am not sure any members remain. They practiced celibacy also which meant they could not pass on their teachings to future generations. It also meant that the gardens, corrals, homestead and mansion is all that remains of the sects influence in the area.
My family was a bit creeped out by this place like I said it can be intimidating because not allot is known about it. I read in a forum someone said they want to turn this place into a museum if they do id be more then happy to contribute or help in some way, shape or form. But I have a feeling its going to be a long time before this happens. I am sure from the top of the mansion the disciples were able to see the beautiful American River and snowy peaks of the high sierras from afar. I know I seen some snowy peaks through the trees and that is when you realize you really are in desolation.
The trail itself was not to strange but we did hear some very strange noises in the woods. We also heard at times branches breaking. You have to be careful they get some pretty big mountain lions back in these hills. But then again bigfoot is sighted all along the American River therefore more then likely their are creatures like this back in these woods. We found these very heavy pine cones on the trail in this one little area strangely we never seen them anywhere else even though we seen the same tree which possibly dropped them.
Also my son and I found on the trail a yellow and white mass about the size of my fist. We have no idea what the mass was perhaps a fungus? mold? toxins? alien defecation? a bigfoot loogie? This mass looked like yellow and white mucus or snot but on a much more bigger level. Its like something blew there nose onto the ground or spit out a mass of mucus that was baseball sized! I did not touch it but when I poked it with a stick this white and yellow snotty like substance was just dripping onto the ground from a stick on the ground.It was really grotesque and I did not have a vial to take a scientific sample of the mass. I am not sure I ever seen anything like it not sure what it was but whatever it came from either was very large or not of this world!
While most people have had some pretty haunting experiences on this trail id say ours was rather pleasant minus the dogs chasing us up on the hill which is a given if someone lives there. But the trail itself is hilly, woodsy, berries growing everywhere and views of divide as well. Its hard to know for sure everything that is hidden back here or what others secrets the area holds. But no less we must always remember those who were murdered on this trail which at one time was a wagon road.
The name might be intimidating but this is a nice place to walk your dogs or see some nature. Just remember that if you end up taking the wrong branch off the main trail you may end up where I did being chased by dogs or even someone for all I know. The Manzanita Trees and Oaks growing back along the trail are gorgeous. By the time I reached my truck it was 60 degrees out a huge difference compared to the subzero temperatures and massive 20' snow drifts I just drove through a couple hours before this hike.
I was relieved to get back to my truck you just never know if someone will mess with it while I am hiking here afterall there were condoms hanging from some of the trees at the trails entrance. I wish people were more considerate towards nature or even these historic sites. People ruin it for everyone else really that is why areas like this get blocked off, no trespassing signs get hung, caretakers often live at them etc etc because some people just cant be trusted. I mean given who I am its quite alright for me to journey at these locations but in other cases if a group of kids tries more then likely its going to end with the sheriff being called back here because people loiter or park at the trails leading up to the hill leaving behind garbage.
I have great respect for the fraternity as most of you are aware their were quite a few in the 1800's one of the most well known being the Masons. This fraternity was not that well known but the books they published for decades can still be found in public libraries today. Therefore with that being said the structures on the hill, colony, lake, mansion and trail are all very special. The sect that was here lived for years in this pretty forest secluded planted cucumbers and grazed livestock living self sufficiently. They really did not associate with the outside world and yeah they were different because Butler was one of the first authors to put out a metaphysical healing journal.
Today most of you who read this are my friends but allot of you are paranormal investigators. Therefore, as one you can understand metaphysics and the spirit. This sect believed they would become one with god who was really the universe. In a sense most of us do believe were one with the universe considering our body goes back to the earth our spirit moves on. In the end we are all part of the same universe which creates and destroys life. Some of you might believe in the Zodiac or even metaphysical or spiritual healing. This cult really was no different then how many of us seen life as paranormal investigators.
One UFOlogist had thought that this cult had ties with the Melchizedek Mythos. Basically it states the sons of God need to work together as one to overthrow nations. The other belief is that those who are controlled by the masses are often controlled by their feelings and he who plays on their feels can control those masses. The Esoteric may have had such beliefs based on that mythos. Perhaps because they eventually had thought they would merge with god and would help rule the universe. Some conspiracy theorist might have seen the cult as a select few philosophers who perhaps thought of themselves elite and that they would run day be a dominating theological force.
So for me this was a special journey I do wish I could have seen more. When I was at my truck I did drive around Toyon Lake and around the Jesuit Retreat Center. It was really busy here did not stick around but there was cars, many cottages had guest, people were walking around the lodge and it was bustling. You can rent a cottage here or even stay at the lodge. They also have a chapel, pool, hiking trails, ping pong and a dining hall. Since I am not a guest here I could not really walk around to much but there are a few old cabins and buildings all over the place. They are not as old though as the colony on top of the hill far above the retreat where it all started.
I parked up at the lake for awhile to watch some ducks and geese playing on the water. Its very serene at the retreat I am not a religious guy but I felt very comfortable here even when I was on the trail. I have no doubt that the paranormal lurks here its an old historic place with allot of energy even magick could have at one time been performed here or in a sense rituals. People sunk their hopes and dreams into this place in the name of god. People also died on this hill whether it was murder, natural causes or some other strange cause.
When I drove around the retreat the road splits off to the left and right. The lodge, lake and cottages are to the left and then to the right is a private road. The private road has a gate there are two houses I seen someone tending to there lawn out front so yes people live here. At one time the road was not gated and you could walk to the top of the hill to see the colony but not anymore its all private property here. With someone tending to there lawn I was not going to walk around the gate to the road to see the two story brick building which once published the sects theological pieces. However, I did lay my eyes on one of California's most elusive historic haunting mansions that so very few know exist or get to see!
As far as all these paranormal groups that say its abandoned STOP its not. Next off for those that think this is a old abandoned asylum where children were beat and tortured STOP its not. If people are going to cite history they need to make sure its as accurate as possible not speculate or assume things. I read so many outrageous tales about this place ghost in the woods, haunted hospital buildings and even people seeing others walking around the site in white robes. I am sure that if I was able to spend more time here or set up something more in depth I could prove its haunted. But so many folks try to make this place out to be something it is not. Once someone finds out a place is haunted or there is some urban legend pretty soon everyone wants to go which is why the locals are sick of people snooping around back here.
I came back here to do a documentary on the sect and these historic sites. But based on all the things I read online groups upon groups of people are going back here. But few of them know where they are going or what any of these buildings are back here. They do not realize it was the sects publishing company and that any other buildings at the top of the hill is not a hospital but rather old homesteads for the sects followers. The mansion does look intimidating but then again its creepy spider webs, 1800's old, dense woods surrounding it, ragged drapes etc. But more then likely it was used as a temple and of course the sects leader.
I definitely want to hike on this trail again not sure when but ill first write the company that renovated the retreat and now operates it. Then from there ill try to have them put me in touch with whoever lives up on this private road so I can have an opportunity maybe walk around the various homesteads maybe even look inside. But its a 50/50 thing I cant go up here and have a pack of dogs chase me every time. Therefore, maybe they can show me around the property so I can see some of the original structures the sect built.It seems all these folks have stories about the trails back here and some of the sites. Some stories to me sound crazy very little paranormal happened to us on this trek. Yeah we heard some strange noises in the woods and see a gob of mucus but there was nobody in robes, men chasing us with guns, children ghosts or ghostly nurses saying boo.
I love this place it saddens me that such a beautiful place can also have so much tragedy. The truth is people were murdered on the assassins trail which goes right past the colony or sects old original homesteads. With the death of one of their own it makes sense why now they keep this area off limits and try to keep folks out of here. I do hope they turn it into a museum or that eventually everyone can enjoy this place. But until someone either moves away or they make it into a museum the entire hillside settlement is really off limits my friends. But the Assassins trail is public and full of serenity as well as nature. The same things you will experience on the trail what would have been what the fraternity experienced while spending time each day walking through the forest to get to there publishing company.
One other thing is that if you happen to reach the gate to the private road there is a historic plaque at the entrance before the gate. Make sure you take time to read it but if not ill post a photo I took of it on our website as well. I felt pretty honored to have spend most of my day here its a nice area and I am sure holds quite a few secrets some historic some paranormal. I am very intrigued by the Esoteric Fraternity not just the history but their philosophical beliefs, practices, culture etc. They were a new age cult but also a peaceful sect that lived pure and honest lives. One of the first new age sects in the country and their teachings opened up new doors in how we see metaphysics today.
After our expedition we would head 8 miles further down the road to the historic town of Auburn which is said to be one of the best preserved gold rush towns in Placer County besides Placerville. Their is just so much history here and Auburn is such a pretty little city nestled in the foothills of the sierras. By the time I had arrived there it was like a fresh Spring day outside! But before I get into my Old Auburn Cemetery report id like to talk about how I spent my off time surrounding this location in the scenic snowy high sierras.
On this trip I did over an hour of filming my drive through the sierras some of it was through Truckee/Donner Pass other footage is from other parts of the sierras. I am going to add a special addition when I put the Assassins Trail on the website that will include a few scenic pictures of the snowy sierras and my journey through them traveling and leaving Our Lady Of Oaks Villa. I did allot of filming while driving through the pass you wont believe the snow. It was a drive year drought here and its over the winter these mountains is having is amazing. I mean entire houses are buried under snow some drifts touch the top of the telephone poles.
So you will get to see a journey through the sierras in a separate production aside from this great place. You will also get to see our snowboarding adventure and sledding trip up on Iron Mountain. I am new to snowboarding but use to ski as a kid I like anything that gives me a rush. I found that it never hurts to try new things and if you like it keep on doing it! I always am trying to stay active it never hurts to keep things exciting it develops life experiences.
So upon putting this trip together I did not only seek out this location to explore but wanted to mix this weekend with a blend of winter sports as well. Plus it would give me a new opportunity to try out my new gopro. I have a gopro that you can scuba dive underwater or do winter sports with because its water proof. Its good to test it out so that way I can start using it for some of our more rugged adventures that way my hands are free if I am rock climbing just turn it on, strap it to my head and go! So I wanted to try it while snowboarding and sledding. Instead it had gotten plenty of use after I had a snowball war with a group of kids. Yeah it was me verses all of them and I made sure every teen got a face full of snow some even had snow stuffed down there shirts lol.
All in all the kids had a great time some little kid could not have been more then five joined in he was a real Dennis the Menace ill give it to him he got me a couple times and dodged everything I through at him. He was so determined to get me and join in with all these older kids lol. I watched the footage from my gopro and you just see snowballs come at me breaking apart water droplets hitting the go pros lens lol. I still think being that I am from Buffalo NY I am the snowball war king and trust me I through some pretty big chunks of snow. Kids were running and eventually everyone was to tired to care anymore lol.
There was no snow down by the sect its all above Applegate right now but I was lucky to have gotten to enjoy some 60 degrees weather in the sierra foothills while enjoying winter sports in the high sierras all within a day lol. Snowboarding was fun but a huge pain in the ass there are areas the snow was so powdery or light that all of sudden id be shredding it with my board and hit a patch of 10' soft white snow sinking in it. My first time I went down a hill my board sunk in a 3' drift with my legs stuck to the board I could not even move felt like I had concrete shoes on lol. Definitely had gotten allot of exercise and my son had a blast too. He is new to snowboarding to he did okay but he had the same thing happen where he would get going then get buried in deep snow lol. Its a workout just to try to get out of the snow let alone climb a hill through this stuff. I remember when I was snowboarding my board went right past the top of some evergreen trees that were completely under snow crazy huh?
Sledding was allot of fun too until I broke one of them I tend to break everything with my fat ass lol. I had fun with my family also my sons friends who came along. Its not easy having a whole truckload of teenagers but I made it work. They tolerated my music with there silent lips making fun of it in the back lol. But it took them all to try to win me and as most of you know I do not like to lose therefore I had to show them teens what this old man could do haha.
Just so everyone knows be very careful driving through the sierras right now. The roads are fairly clear but their are avalanches everywhere because the snow has nowhere to go right now. When you drive down a street in the sierras the walls of snow on both sides of the road can be over 20' high. Not to mention the fact that the snow right now during the day melts a little so there is allot of water running over the roads especially in the passes which traverse from Nevada through California. Then overnight that water freezes so by the time lets say you head out to go snowboarding, skiing, sledding or even exploring its a sheet of ice black ice to be precise.
I am very lucky to even be here right now because by the time I had gotten about 50 miles deep into the sierra we began to hit some ice on the road. There was this one location where I went up a hill then when I had gotten to the top it began to descend. The problem was as soon as I reached the top of the hill to descend it was to late I hit a patch of black ice I had no brakes skidding at 65mph. Even though my truck has great tires and 4wd black ice impairs your vehicles ability to get traction let alone come to a full stop.
Two vehicles were at the bottom of the hill parked the long ways across the road only leaving a small opening. I guess others had slipped on the black ice then decided they were going to block the road to warn other drivers. Problem is they should have done so before the black ice not after it so they put EVERYONE at risk including themselves. By the time I braked and seen the vehicles I was already skidding and barreling towards them.
When my truck spun to the right I was skidding towards his car he took off running dove into a pile of snow. I pulled my truck then to the left and some dude climbed the hood of his pickup truck then started to climb this snowy wall 12' above it. There was nowhere for vehicles or people to go and here I am in my heavy sports Chevy suburban skidding towards everyone with snow walls so high on each side of the road leaving me no room for error.
When I begin to skid left my truck was completely sideways with Tammy in the passengers seat sliding right towards this guys pickup. Last minute I was able to turn the entire vehicle to the right leveling it out and missing both vehicles. I slipped right between them and last minute had gotten control. The men who dove out of the way were so scare the one guy kept climbing up into the woods even after I passed by. I bet they will never park at the bottom of black ice or a hill again.
If I would have hit those vehicles not only would it have totaled my truck but all of us could have been injured or killed. Then the people at the bottom of the hill standing around and running everywhere who knows if one of their vehicles would have hit them. It was a bad idea for anybody to try to take it upon themselves to block traffic with there cars or bodies. I had to pull off a miracle with no brakes, no room and barely any control. It was one of the hardest things I had to do because again my truck is very heavy when it skids at 60mph and you lose control it becomes like a missile.
When I drove pass the man climbing the hill I shouted out to him its okay man its okay the guy was still climbing scared. I heard him yell to the other guy that maybe they should call the sheriff and in my opinion they should have done so before trying to take things upon themselves. Because all they did was make the situation worst. Lets say I could not get control at least if there vehicles were not at the bottom of the hill id hit some snowy banks or walls.
Tammy and everyone has no idea how I pulled it off but driving is what I do and its one of my skill sets. I offroad on cliffs, through deep snow on expeditions, over ice and in the most extreme conditions. I am the man you want to ride with on any expedition. Believe me any other person that would have hit this black ice may have ended it with a travesty. I am glad that nobody was hurt I would feel really bad because honestly this is a situation where you have little control over it and I like having control. I don't like to hit ice high up in the mountains and start spinning out of control especially when there are so many at risk its allot of weight on my shoulders.
If someone had gotten on film it would have made the news or top 10 scariest videos of the years trust me. I was pretty upset at the men who parked at the bottom trying to block traffic just a big mistake. People do stupid stuff that was stupid they should have put out flares or if they wanted to block traffic at the top of the hill so I could have slowed down and they could have told me hey its icy below this hill. All they did was make a bad situation worst. So with that being said folks when your driving through the sierra if the road is out or something call it in let the fire dept. or law enforcement do there job don't take it upon yourself please!
Everyone was really shaken but despite that we still went sledding and snowboarding. I needed to smoke some white widow to calm down I felt so bad about all of this and kept thinking how bad this could have turned out. Soon after our snowball wars and wrestling in the snow everyone forgot about the black ice spinorama at 60mph. It was a nice feeling to have everyone thank me including one of the girls mothers who told me she trust my driving because of all the extreme expeditions I do. Tammy said she is not sure how I did it but its a miracle no miracle here just good driving period and allot of experience driving in these mountains. Its allot of pressure to have an entire truck load of kids and having to keep them safe. Mother nature sometimes throws a wrench in the mix you cant stop it you only can deal with it when it comes and hope for the best.
Do you know the difference between a good driver and a bad one? It is life and death! People die all the time up where I live in these mountains their is no room for mistakes or errors I had two seconds to remedy the situation. I grew up in Buffalo NY spent years driving in ice and snow so that most certainly helped. I drove through tornados, flash floods, hurricanes, storms, blizzards and just about anything you can think of! Part of paranormal investigations and journeying requires driving to some of the most remote harshest places. If you do not have that nohow then chances are you probably wont be going very far from your home up where I live since there is wilderness and mountains in every direction.
With that being said prepare for anything you could be going out for a walk then trip break a leg or have someone swerve on the road hit you. Life is short never take anything for granted! This past 12 months I have had far to many close calls with death itself that includes the black ice, flash flood my jeep was caught in up in Rockland, cause in a blizzard near Tonopah and nearly falling off a cliff. I do not mind living life on the edge but their are just some things in life we have no control over. Lucky for me I have years of experience under my belt and so every day I am thankful I can incorporate that into what I do. It is my job to always make sure everyone is safe anybody and I mean anybody could have hit that black ice that chilly morning! Saving the day is a good feeling but so is knowing everyone is safe that is what matters most!
The day did warm up so on my way home there was water in the road but the black ice had melted so it was not to bad. I did some more filming on the way home that way you guys can see what real snow looks like the next time one of my friends complains about a few inches. When it snows in the sierras you can get 8' in one night! The drought is officially over a few years ago the same route I took there was no snow it was scary. Imagine the high sierras with no snow that is scary and far from normal. These are some of the snowiest mountains in the country so if you do not have it you know were in trouble such as water shortages, hot summers, drying up rivers and lakes. With that being said all this snow is fantastic it means ill be hiking in the mountains this summer through snow and see beautiful waterfalls.
I was so happy to get home I dropped the kids off at there houses after we took them out for dinner. I had a bacon burger for dinner it was good. My clothes were wet so it was just good to get them off put some logs into the fireplace and relax. It was a great weekend full of thrills, frills, danger and adventure. You have to be careful going out into the mountains in the winter. I always bring food, water, shovel, tools, blankets, extra clothes etc. We try not to let the winter effect our paranormal expeditions or research that we do.
Old Auburn Cemetery
I have always wanted to visit this historic graveyard but for some reason I never had gotten around to it or it was closed. I have heard ghost stories come out of this place not every cemetery is haunted but some actually are great sites to conduct paranormal research at no less. I almost moved to Auburn in 2008 that is the first time I laid my eyes on this town it just did not pan out.
The first white Europeans to set eyes on this hill location were trappers and explorers. Being that the American River is a stone throws away many pioneers came through here following it up into the high sierras. Its a hilly town residing at about 1200' above sea level therefore its cooler in the summers and warmer in the winters.
Placer mining began during the gold rush in 1848 when a group of French Gold Miners camped not far from the cemetery in what is known as the Auburn Ravine. The group was on there way to mine in Coloma where gold was first discovered. The men discovered gold nuggets in the soil and stuck around. A camp was formed it was named Auburn in 1849 and by 1850 it became a town of 1,500 people which led to it becoming the Placer County seat.
Then a mining camp grew surrounding the ravine as a matter in fact the tent camp that sprung up here would have easily reached the grounds to today's old cemetery. More then likely when people died of illness or in an accident they were probably buried within the camp which eventually became the towns cemetery.
Auburn is one of the first Gold Rush towns and the graveyard contains many notable figures as well as pioneers who came to the area. I was rather excited because this is one of the oldest cemeteries in the region. Men risked everything to mine these hills some simply went bust others died in tragic accidents. Some people buried here died of epidemics others were simply outlaws shot dead in the streets a block or two away from the graveyard.
In 1865 the Central Pacific Railroad which was the western leg of the First Transcontinental Railroad reached Auburn. As it was being built east from Sacramento towards Ogden Utah! Auburn had become a gold mining metropolis, railroading and granite quarrying town.So when you roam the cemetery you get your miners, railroad entrepreneurs and pioneers who had gotten off the boat ending up a short time later in Auburn. Really Auburn is one of many gateways into the higher sierras miners would come to Auburn then follow the river eastbound forming other camps and towns nearby.
The cemetery is rectangular it resides up on a hill and contains as many as ten thousands interments. I read their is a new cemetery they are now burying folks at that the old cemetery is no longer in use. There is only one set of gates to get inside and they do give tours for free here if your interested. I did not take a tour because I simply wanted to walk around myself read some of the graves, take photos and do some EVP recordings.
When we arrived there was a black Rolls Royce driving around not sure what that was about. Because a man had gotten out sat down then drove around the cemetery and went to back to the same spot sitting down again. I have to say that was a really nice car what I would not do to own or drive one of them cars. Other then that the cemetery was empty we seen a couple sitting on the steps of a monument holding hands also.
This is a quite place right in the middle of this small town. Its actually a very fascinating graveyard not just because of its history but quite a few notable people are buried here. Its important that we do the cemetery first before we take on other projects in Auburn that way whenever we investigate a certain location we can hot link those locations to the cemetery. For example there is a local quarry were going to be exploring its founder is buried in the middle of the cemetery named Griffith who has the largest most prestigious monument of all.
I did not spend allot of time here because I wanted to take my son sledding and we had plans to go to dinner. But since I was investigate the old Esoteric Fraternity this cemetery was only 8 miles further down the road so it made for a good day. I parked in the very back of the graveyard so I could work my way from back to front. Towards the back of the cemetery are the oldest gravestones although there are some older ones at the entrance also such as a famous outlaw called Richard "Rattlesnake Dick" Barter who was killed in a shootout by deputy tax collector George Martin.
There was also a marker remembering Marie Eulalie Lee-Shannon and was California's first female poet who died at the age of 30. One of the first sites I visited was a small marble monument with the name "Carolyn" etched into it by a Colonel Clayton Hale. Carolyn was a servant but also his friend and she is said to haunt the cemetery. Hale's wife died leaving behind their children and Carolyn helped him raise them. Carolyn's gravesite is one of the only wrought iron enclosures found here surprisingly.
Supposedly besides an outlaw being buried here there is also two unmarked graves of notorious killers one being Adolph Weber the other one Alma Bell. Weber robbed the Placer County Bank and a boy who is buried here in the cemetery named Ralph McKinstry found the pistol used in the robbery. I visit Mckinstry's grave which was shaded by four small trees around a small marble monument. Alma Bell was acquitted of her murder charge for shooting her ex fiance in some heated argument.
Another grave I visited was Opal Kunz who crashed her biplane in 1929 which made the New York Times. Kunz competed in the Women's Air Derby against Amelia Earhart and ended up marrying a Tiffany & Company executive but ended up in 1967 being interred in this cemetery. Every person buried here has a story similar to Opal Kunz.
Then their was the grave of John Henry Martin Van Buren Wisker who was a Prohibition Candidate for the Missouri State House Of Representatives who died in 1910 in Auburn. He came to the area to retire like so many. Auburn is serene in a sense magical residing in the foothills of gold country. Every turn reveals some history although some of it was lost due to the town burning down and more then likely some people buried in the cemetery died in those fires.
Tammy and I walked around for awhile there is a plot which says on the monument the unknown dead and nearby a cannon with graves of civil war soldiers. Many of the monuments here have epitaphs some were even written in other languages. This is a given considering that Auburn was a diverse mining town the Native Americans and many other ethnicities mined the ravines together. So diverse that when the French Miners came here the camp being with French Emigrants, Chinese, Blacks and at least 25 Native Americans. That was a rarity because most mining towns had allot of segregation but Auburn had a diverse culture and the old cemetery kind of shows you this containing interments of folks from all over the world.
I had a list of notable interments here but I did not find everyone its not a huge cemetery but its large enough that your going to spend time here trying to find some of Auburn's historic figures. There is this one structure in the cemetery its old looks like a crypt with a big old wooden door on it. Maybe an old utility shed? Perhaps a mausoleum? Their are not many crypts or vaults like other cemeteries I visited in the region.
I will say that out of all the gold rush cemeteries I have visited over the years this one seems to be the least vandalized. Almost every stone is in stellar shape some date back to the mid 1800's yet would appear they were interred just yesterday. I was impressed with how well maintained this graveyard is sure there was a few cracked stones sometimes caused by the elements but most graves seemed untouched making this one of the most preserved burial grounds in Placer County California.
I cant say the cemetery was haunted but that is okay were not just a paranormal group but also a preservation and historical group. So ill be more then happy to share this place with the public so they can learn about Auburn's history more in depth and some of the notable pioneers buried here.
After we were done with the cemetery I visited just outside of the gates the old WWI monument which is this giant statue of a soldier carrying another soldier in his arms. Its worth checking out if you visit here its a nice piece. If you want to find Rattlesnake Dick's grave he is buried to the left of the entrance. I did not know this and was walking outside of the fence when I looked over to see his tombstone surrounded by other family members of his or residents of Rattlesnake Bar which talked about this outlaws demise.
It really was a fascinating graveyard and I spent over five years wanted to visit this place. I waited years with patience and sometimes things do not happen right away but in the end I always get them done. I took allot of great photos at the cemetery and hopefully we captured a good EVP from Carolyn or even Rattlesnake Dick. You never know but regardless this is a fine cemetery and a good start to many more investigations in the town of Auburn. Auburn is such a charming pretty little historic town in the sierra foothills of gold country definitely worth visiting!
After the cemetery I made my trek back up to the Donner Lake and Truckee area. Its amazing how its like Spring in Auburn then once you hit Truckee its subzero temps and snow is everywhere. We did some offroading in the snowy sierras for about an hour. I could not believe how many homes were buried under snow and not just homes but businesses too. I took my family after the cemetery up to Panda Express and we could not even find it because the snow is so high you cant see it. Then when I pulled up to go inside to dine I noticed that the snow buried the entire restaurant. The snow drifts were up to the tops of the roofs so when you look out the window all you see is snow against the glass.
The entire area looks like it was hit by one giant avalanche entire vehicles were buried, houses, businesses and some walls along the roads of snow were 20' high. Here I just left 60 degree weather in a cemetery where wild flowers were growing! Life in the mountains is an entirely different ball game believe me folks but I would not trade it for the world. Not many can say they wore summer and winter clothes all within the same day. One minute your picnicking in the warm sun next minute your sledding on a saucer in the snow lol. Two different worlds all within the same mountain range! I did drive around and do some video production work for everyone to eventually see its UNBELIEVABLE trust me!
I will be back to Auburn I actually have a secret ghost town just hidden above Auburn I been wanting to explore. I also have the old quarry and I definitely will take on some of the older sites downtown eventually to. I just wanted to start off our investigations in Auburn with the cemetery so that whenever I talk about a historic figure on our site we can also direct others to the old cemetery.
I am glad it was opened and I had a chance to see it the gates do close at 5pm so if you want to visit it keep that in mind even in the summer months. I had a long day after hiking on the Assassins Trail and exploring this historic cemetery. After Panda Express I made it home put on a fire and slept quite well. That is truly the best part when you hike and explore all day then come home just to unwind with some good bud, fire and some entertainment. I really think the old Auburn Cemetery and Our Lady Of Oaks Villa will make wonderful additions on our website with its enriched history and diversity! It was a good weekend full of adventure, history, strangeness, thrills, frills, heroism and excitement! More is coming in a couple weeks so state tuned!
Peace,
Lord Rick