Forbidden Universe
Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on February 12, 2018, 08:36:28 PM
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I do allot of intense adventuring over the years but in between being a history buff I like to delve into these historical sites in between. To be honest with you I find that the paranormal lurks at almost everyone one of those sites even if its just a cemetery or a few old outbuildings their is always something to experience if you are willing to put forth some field work.
This past weekend for me was in a sense magical that goes without say. To see the things I get to see and do really is remarkable. I wish some of you experienced the things I did sure I can write about it or even show you online but to live it is an entirely different story. Being a paranormal investigator offers me allot of perks and I have fun doing it. I am not as uptight as allot of these other groups nor do I expect anything other then to have a good time and give it my all.
Nothing we do is ever the same each outing is unique in itself and to tell you the truth I miss others going out with me. Years ago we had a full team we just do not have it anymore but my family helps me with some projects others friends help me with or I do myself. In this case this was more of a Swiss Family Paranormal Investigation three great places all surrounded by the beauty of Fall up in the historic town of Truckee which btw is one of my favorite places I like to go chill at but be forewarned the snow accumulates so bad here that it buries entire houses and restaurants in the winter.
Our trip would take us to the historic McIver Dairy, Sierra Mountains Cemetery (Upper & Lower) and then to The Rocking Stone. I like to consider this all one big investigation since each site is near eachother but the main focus of course is the cemetery the other two were small side trips definitely worth seeing. Of course every historic site in Truckee connects to the cemetery since it contains many of the first pioneers who came to the region except for the members of the Reed - Donner Party in the mid 1800s. Many of them are buried up at the Old City Cemetery in Sacramento and yes I been there. I frequent California allot its my second home really.
My weekend started off with our last football game of the season and boy am I going to miss it. We do not start back up for a few months but ill tell you what I miss going adventuring on the weekends then coming home playing a good game of football at the dome. Its an exciting time for us because The Paranormal & Ghost Society is about to get our own hockey team but were also going to offer other sports events to our members and those who want to play. I been playing football for my friends team and I have had a blast catching balls, quarter backing and stopping the other teams offence. You have to at least give me a shout out for finishing the entire season despite my messed up neck, knee and ankle. But I been getting shots in my knee its some newer type of treatment and I have to say its working pretty well. I been playing football, hiking, paranormal investigating etc without having much pain in my right knee but still getting those shots is not pleasant believe me I pay the price for getting them.
But we finished off our last game with my son joining the team. As a dad I cant ask for more I think its every family guys dream or dads wish that their son plays along side of them in any sport. My son did not let me down either even though we played shorthanded our last game he did well stopped quite a few fast guys on the other team, scored a touch down, had many solid runs a few catches and even snapped a few. I was proud of him I know he will do well whether he plays football for the Renegades or joins our hockey team next year. I threw a few touchdowns and had some great passes maybe ill post some highlights of that last game on youtube so you guys can see how much fun we have. After the game we went out for a fish fry at Long John's so my weekend was off to a great start.
With that being said my game was on Saturday so Sunday the next day we decided to do our investigation up in Truckee. I love this time of year I pull out all my costumes as you guys know I wear allot of mask and stuff on the holidays to fit the theme. Plus it allows others to get an idea of what time of year it is if its Halloween you might see me look scary and if its Xmas Sante Claws lol. Either way I was gearing to go so we would head off at sunrise not that Truckee is far from me but I like early starts. Those that know me know I might leave 4am somewhere it drives people nuts but in the end you will thank me when you get a full day of adventuring and exploring in. Because at night in these mountains its to dark to see anything so you need light to hike around that is the truth but I love the night to and I am sure at night these locations would be even more creepy. But a really good ghosthunter should be able to produce evidence no matter what time of day it is so I am not bias and adventuring we would go.
Sierra Mountains Cemetery
McIver Dairy & Rocking Stone
We started off our morning at McIver Dairy of course some website gave me the wrong addresses so it which took me to the doors of the Truckee Police Department. Real nice considering my pipe was hanging out of my mouth lol. That is the problem people are always putting inaccurate information on the web sometimes you have to do your own research. But without little delay I found it about three miles from the po po department nestled back on the edge of the forest.
When you arrive here there is three buildings one is a red barn to the left the other is a white structure with a massive stone foundation. The white structure is two separate structures only the one in the middle was an add-on. The only thing connected the newer addition was a few columns and roofing which created this corridor between the two structures. The Dairy is over a century old it was really the first dairy and oldest in the Truckee area. As some of you know Truckee has burnt down four times so allot of the history is gone just like most of this dairy but what does stand is worth a gander if you like creepy old ranches.
The ranch is very overgrown with weeds, trees and brush. A creek runs along it that is seasonal so this could be why because the area stays rather lush most of the year. Behind the structures is a small hill or rather meadow then behind that is a steep hill with woods or rather the Tahoe National Forest behind it. While most of the buildings are gone and the ranch has been reduced to perhaps a couple acres it is a haunting little site to check out not far from the cemetery actually.
This ranch produced butter they would also back in the day sit glass bottles of milk on locals doorsteps. Their is history back here allot of it actually going back to when McIver delivered mail and supplies during winter storms to residents around Tahoe all the way to the families business ties in the Truckee area. People died on this ranch back then when a family member died you passed the ranch on to another family member. So the possibility of it being haunted was quite high when you think about it.
I immediately went behind the ranch we found this giant granite rock next to the barn, stone slab, some twisted pieces of rusty iron and then of course you have the three structures. The barn was in so so shape one of the red pieces of plywood was ripped off one of the walls. I had gotten some high EMF at the barn but there was a power line on the other side of it so its probably just that. But no less when I do my investigations the four focuses now are video, photography, EMF readings and of course EVP. That is pretty old fashioned I guess compared to other groups but I do not think you need anything else to prove that a location is haunted.
There is another white structure the roof is made of aluminum perhaps tin its in very rusty poor shape. The structure to the left has a massive foundation made out of stones the structure to the right is made with perhaps a homemade concrete. Between the two white structures is a giant corridor if you look in one of the windows you can see some kind of white room with a utility box. Its hard to know what each room was used for or structure in the dairy. I know the guy that ran this dairy ran a black smith shop to probably on site which was common with ranches of the day to fit horseshoes and that sort of thing.
The windows are super dusty here most are boarded up so I did not get to see the inside. I miss those days where you could just walk in a place but because these people start fires and party at these places California is starting to tightly secure everything. Which sucks because I really wished that I could have seen more of the diary inside. But from what I did see everything has been gutted or removed so with that being said all you have is three wooden structures and that is a small part of how big this ranch use to be.
Its not a big place but its worth seeing with all these fires its hard to know how long it might stand. When I put this place on our site I have a much more extensive history. I try not to put much history into my reports since they are just that reports about my experiences with them. But the family that lived here has an interesting background ill leave it at that. Its easy to envision the dairy fully working as milk bottles were loaded on trucks and delivered locally. The butter produced here was by the thousands of tons and it was important. I mean you have to understand towns like Truckee are isolated so back in the day they had to be self sufficient raising there own cattle, growing food, providing dairy for the locals and making there own furniture even. You did not have many imports not as much as it snows up in these mountains.
On my way out before leaving I did get some high EMF Gauss readings near the oldest of the structures. There were no power lines near it so who knows. It is not hooked up to the power grid its just an old wooden and stone building. Could it be ghosts trying to lead me inside? It might be! I do not take every reading serious but when I do take them I can tell you such high readings are very very rare even with power lines nearby so I have to keep an open mind. Also where the corridor is I found this hole in the walkway with this giant metal bar that rises up from it very strange not even sure what that was used for maybe someone can tell me.
Just down the road from the dairy is the cities historic cemetery known as Sierra Mountains Cemetery. I have to say that some of the finest cemeteries in the country are found here out west believe it or not. Sometimes I spent a few weeks just going to cemeteries other times I climb peaks or go down into mines. But cemeteries for me are a safety net a place I can sit down in relax do my work and my research privately but peacefully. So you can expect to see more cemeteries before the end of the year done from our group.
This is a quality cemetery I put off on going here because I wanted to take my two friends who ended up not coming up here and now they ignore me not sure why. But I saved it for two years thinking hey when they come up ill give them a tour of this grandiose place. But I finally gave in and decided its a good fall adventure with this place being surrounded by trees changing colors on a hill right above downtown historic Truckee.
Many of the people buried here were pioneers that worked on the transcontinental railroad. BTW trains come right through the town hourly including Amtrak to I believe. So when your in the cemetery you hear trains its pretty cool. Other then that this is a very peaceful place with two portions to this burial ground. The first portion is the upper part which is at the top of the hill and was a burial ground for the most prominent citizens such as Masons and Order Of Oddfellows members. While the lower portion of the cemetery is hidden in the woods and was for those in poverty or Catholics which were at the time denied burial in the upper portion.
We spent a long time in the upper portion there is allot of beautiful wrought iron enclosures, angels and beautifully engraved graves. I have to say that they are all spread out unlike some historic cemeteries. Then again I read there are many unmarked burials here due to vandals and the elements. One enclosure I seen had two fences missing another angel I came across was missing her wing. Its something you begin to realize the more you walk around. I read a story that some local spray painted his name on some of the graves a couple years ago and that saddens me this is a nice place. Its so nice that the entrance has these stone pillars with a plaque and giant wrought iron gates that say Truckee Cemetery above it.
Also in the cemetery is a mausoleum not a big one but you enter this big wooden enclosure it has benches you can rest on inside with a wall where memorials are integrated into where peoples ashes are sealed with a plaque. There is also a nice veterans burial ground found here with flowers on all the graves. For the most part this cemetery is well kept up but I also read allow of reviews with folks complaining saying how shitty this place is. This is not true everything is landscaped nicely, some graves were repaired and there is allot of nature found here. Do not listen to the reviews seriously these people giving this place bad reviews have not been to some of the cemeteries I been to where caskets were exposed.
I seen allot of Mason Graves here but not many Oddfellows not sure why they both established this burial ground and at the time were quite finicky about who was allowed to be interred here. Of course over time that has changed and I noticed at the entrance they make it real clear that everyone is welcomed here. But back in the day this was a segregated cemetery. The Catholics were not allowed to be buried here so they were buried below in the woods which is a much harder burial ground to find unless you know where its located. There are no signs telling you where it is or even how to get to it.
I will say that I had gotten some EMF readings here not many but a few could it be ghosts? It might be there really is not any power lines found in this cemetery its very wide open with big trees here and there. Its quiet you really have no houses nearby or people or power lines etc. From the cemetery you really cant even see the town even though its a short distance below the hill. While we were here not one soul came up here for a visit and not one human we had the entire cemetery to ourselves to do our research and read some of the historic names on the graves. I can imagine that those who lived or worked at the McIver Dairy were also buried here.
If you take the road leading out of the cemetery just below the hill in the woods is the Catholic Cemetery. Its not easy to see you have to be looking in the woods where many wood crosses stand. You can park on the road hike down the hill to it but with the leaves its kind of slick so if you can find it there is a little dirt road that takes you into it but again its hard to find because its not labeled and a bit overgrown.
I like the Catholic Cemetery also this place is more creepy the upper cemetery. Allot of wood crosses scattered on the hill overlooking the town below. Their is a giant wood cross in the center of the cemetery and a few wrought iron enclosures. Their is only a few gravestones most of the folks buried here were poor so allot of them just had a wood cross. Most people buried here are nameless that is what is sad is you have 50 crosses with no names some of the white ones were put here because they were unmarked graves so nobody knows who is who here. The folks buried here were poor they could not even afford a simple gravestone with an engraving on it.
Also when you enter the cemetery there is a gate held by a bungee cord with a sign on a tree that says under surveillance. I have no idea if they have cameras back here but this cemetery does need some work. Yeah its in the woods leaves are falling and its nice but its not in the best of shape some graves are toppled, crosses broken etc. I will say that I had gotten a few really solid EMF readings here and I expected to get some. Sometimes solid EMF means a ghostly presence but not all the time there is a huge house on the hill above this cemetery at least you can see a glimpse of it through the trees.
There was a creepy doll on one grave, statue on another and this giant white pillar with no name on it. Its a strange little cemetery and its hard to know how many unmarked graves there are. I mean when you walk around your walking over peoples graves. The people buried here were poor some were transients came to work on the railroad shoveling ice off the tracks others may have worked in some of the mines around Truckee. There were a few not many but people tend to forget that Truckee started off as a stage coach stop then when the railroad came through here it blew up into a large bustling town.
This was a creepy cemetery very well shaded crosses everywhere and much more haunted then the upper portion in my opinion. Not allot of people know about the lower part of the cemetery there is no markings or fancy gates. You just take the dirt road or path back here and its on the hill in a wooded area. I liked this cemetery perfect place for a Halloween investigation and I bet at night its pretty eerie too.
After the cemetery we made our way up the road a little ways to a place called the Rocking Stone. This is an ancient site the first natives to use it took place about 15 thousand years ago so its old. Places like this are known for there energy might even be considered a leyline. The stone has a unique history it has a 15' base overlooking Truckee below. On top of the rocky base is a smaller rock which no longer rocks but at one time you could push the stone with a pinkie finger and it was rock back n forth pretty cool huh? Their are only 25 rocking stones left in the world.
Supposedly the natives use to dry meats and fish on top of the rocking stone. No animals could climb it or get up here therefore the natives could climb on up and clean there game up here. They also used this rock for ceremonies and other rituals so it definitely is a place for energy maybe even spirits. The stone has a plaque which sits up in this tower that offers panoramic views of historic Truckee below. When I was up here smoking a bowl the train came through town I photographed it trust me it was a money shot. The railroad is really what Truckee is known for so if you visit this town you have to enjoy the trains as well.
C.F. McGlashan built the original tower in 1895 and used it to display Donner Party relics and his famous butterfly collection. It was also the site of an overnight stop of the Olympic Torch Relay during the winter of 1960. The Washoe used this site for thousands of years as a matter in fact a tribe chipped away the rock to flatten the top and curve the bottom to prevent animals from climbing it to eat their food. I can only imagine how many years it took for the natives to chip away at the rock to create the 17 ton geological wonder that this tower sits on top of today. I guess that the base was to steep for animals to climb and the stone would rock in the wind sending vibrations throughout scaring away birds therefore meat or fish was safe from scavengers. It saddens me the rock no longer pivots but it now sits on a flat concrete surface surrounded by columns.
No less its a nice place to look at the town below the flag blows in the wind and you can sit up here enjoy a joint or beer. As you can see I really do not care about petty politics or laws I like to have a good time when I am in the field working to unveil the paranormal or history. I appreciate this place to think I never heard about it till recently I hope I can draw in more folks to check out this place. Then again my goal is to inspire others its why I play sports, actively investigate the paranormal week after week and try to maintain a very active lifestyle. I hope to get other folks out exploring and appreciating these sites that our group takes on.
I spent sometime at the stone tower just admiring the town if you pay close attention there is a creepy abandoned house across from the tower. I may decide sometime to sneak in explore it but it looks like it suffered from a fire. I was not going in during the day the stone tower kind of is in a residential area plus it is at the Veterans Hall building. But before the Veterans Hall was built a mansion was built here known locally as the Crystal Palace which burned down in 1935 and at that time or if not a short time later the stone was cemented into place due to safety concerns.
But I seen some old pictures doing research and the mansion sat next to this giant stone tower enclosed by glass. You could take the cat walk from the museum/mansion over to the tower and nudge the rocking stone that must had been pretty cool. McGlashan had over 20 thousand butterflies and moths displayed here. As a matter in fact he also boasted allot of Donner Party artifacts including a woman's toe bone. So you could see why this was a good candidate for us to investigate the property and at least walk around check it on out.
After investigating three great places I took everyone to the Fifty Fifty Brewery in Truckee. A few things you should know is that they are way to overly priced if you want to eat lunch for three people it will cost you 80 bucks. Burgers are almost 20 dollars and trust me they are nothing special and nachos 15 dollars. I paid nearly 30 dollars for 16 wings and $20 for two ales. Granted the Donner BBQ and Sweet Chili wings were awesome they were not very large. Ale will nearly cost you ten dollars for a glass and well with prices like those they lost a customer. I know breweries around Carson City, Reno and other towns in the region that cost half that and you get so much more that is the truth why lie. I mean hell a large pizza is 25 dollars I know a gourmet Italian restaurant that makes giant pizzas loaded with toppings for half that so yeah they need to take a good hard look at there menu prices otherwise they will scare off potential customers.
I do not want to complain but I spend allot of time on the road going to breweries trying out good eats and ales. Some places get a five star review or rating other places get a one if your fair with prices and the food is good ill come back spend my money over and over. But I wont spend 80 dollars just for a couple burgers, wings and ales that in a sense is lubricious ya know? So we ordered wings a few ales then went somewhere else to get some burgers. I went out after the brewery to get a havarti onion cheese burger and it was good especially since I paid only five dollars for it!
It was a nice drive home I go through Lake Tahoe most of the time sometimes through Reno if I want a city mountain drive. I love being on the road smoking bud, listening to music and cruising. I am the road trip king and in my truck its a beautiful comfortable ride no matter where I take everyone. When I had gotten home I was so tired it was such a busy weekend between football and our day adventure in Truckee. But was really happy to come home watch the season finale of The Last Ship, see Fear Of The Walking Dead and catch up on a few of my shows. I know how to relax and I earn every minute of it because I work hard at what I do.
In the end you guys all get to enjoy my adventures and work through video, pictures as well as tales. This will eventually make a nice educational addition on our website. It also was a great way to start off October I wore my alien, clown and vampire mask two of them which are new because I have a bit of an addiction for mask. I also wore my cloak and top hat in the cemetery kind of fitting considering the time period the cemetery was erected. We have some other special stuff coming this October including a return trip to the ghost town of Coloma first place gold was discovered sparking the forty-niner gold rush, Sutters Fort and a few other sites. We only worked with Coloma briefly but we plan on doing a large paranormal investigation of the entire ghost town, forest, graveyard and historic sites as a special addition for our members so state tuned. We have allot of great projects this Halloween coming to all of you!
Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder