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Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on October 18, 2018, 01:10:39 PM

Title: Our Expedition In Jessup Nevada & The Trinity Mountains On 10-13-18
Post by: AngelOfThyCosmos on October 18, 2018, 01:10:39 PM
Our Expedition In Jessup Nevada & The Trinity Mountains On 10-13-18

This is one of my favorite times a year and do you know why? Its because its ghost towning season from October till April usually for us. I spend this time of year touring Nevada and all the wild western heritage that comes with it. That could be mills, mines, ghost towns, railroads, saloons and anything in between. The weather in Nevada is prime this time of year more or less perfect to be out exploring. Throw in my top hat, cane and cape then I am rearing to go.

In this case I tried to incorporate the Trinity Mountains and Jessup Nevada into my day while still enjoying all that fall has to offer. This is a huge time for our paranormal group because the projects we do are so important trying to preserve these ghost towns of the American west through our website, reports and media footage. I get to see some of the most beautiful mountain ranges here out west offroading on cliffs and rugged roads with that being said what is their not to love?

Being that I am a paranormal investigator I do not always witness the paranormal and anybody in my field who does is yanking your chain folks especially on TV. I sometimes go to a ghost town and I have a real paranormal experience or get good evidence other times we get nothing but a good adventure with rich history. Either way I am an urban explorer and a paranormal adventurer so ill take it as it comes. I live out west because this is home to me and their is no place id rather be then hiking around these mountains seeking out gems just like Jessup Nevada.

I do not go to ghost towns in the summer in Nevada I tried to tell that Chris Geigle not to do it and he said to me that there are no rattle snakes in the summer. You now know why one of the reasons I do not talk to him or even take him out with me adventuring because when you go out to a ghost town in 105 degree heat in the Nevada deserts you not only risk overheating but also snakes. This time of year though no heat weather is fair and no snakes. People should not go ghost towning if they do not know what the hell they are doing period! So this time of year and on is a great time to get out to places like Virginia City, Jessup, Bodie etc just sayin'!

We started off our morning having a nice breakfast at the local cafe here near where I live. I had eggs, sourdough toast, slice of hot apple pie, ham steak, bacon, home fries and coffee. Breakfast was great I figured i'd fuel up before I had went into the boondocks. My grandma use to tell me eat little Ricky it could be your last meal and she is right. I always think about eating hearty and making sure the small things matter like hugs, I love you's, a healthy solid meal before adventuring etc those things do count. So it was a big breakfast pie was half off and I was one happy mountain man lol.

I decided to head up to Virginia City I did not stay there long there was zombie event happening, radio station was set up in the streets and hell most of downtown was blocked off. I had an investigation to do then decided to postpone it to many folks around. But I also went to find Julia Bulette's Memorial because I wanted some photos of it to go with a video for our website. The memorial was gone I was shocked then remembered seeing it in the red light museum at the bottom of the stairs. Well I think it was her memorial since it was a rock with a plaque on it and they did that because folks were vandalizing it on this grassy hillside. So it was a bust because I never realized that the memorial had been moved to the museum then remembered seeing a memorial in a glass case.

After that was a bust I made my descent on into Reno not many know this but you can take the Geiger Grade which goes right through the Virginia Mountains and into the Truckee Meadows of Reno. We were heading on over to a place called Ferrari Farms to pick out a couple pumpkins. Every year its a tradition that we try to incorporate some Halloween fun into our journeys and investigations. Sometimes I go out of state other times I stay here in this case I gave these farms up in Reno a chance and truly it was a pretty nice place or rather historical farm where you could pick out a pumpkin at the patch.

Tammy and I checked out an old barn we also pet some mules and baby goats. We found a couple nice pumpkins to a tall one and a short fat one we could carve on Halloween. I hope those seeds are good I make them every Halloween every single year. The patch was nice hay bails all over and even an old tractor. Its hard to believe such a nice farm like this is downtown Reno almost. Its near the airport so the one thing you see is planes landing a block away but its still a nice place. They also had the corn walk and a corn maze we bought some tickets to the maze.

The maze is five acres one of the biggest I been to with twist, turns, paths etc we had so much fun trying to get lost which is not hard to do. I actually put on my pumpkin mask was hiding in the corn and smoking some bud while messing around. You guys know me I love the green herb I smoke everywhere I go and I got to smoke some in the maze not like anyone would ever see or find me we had almost the entire thing to ourselves lol. I remember a few years ago we went to this one corn maze which had some mountain lions running around in it and the farm shot his shotgun to scare them off lol.We also found a small creek and this one area with giant cottonwood trees so we had fun.

Eventually Tammy had to pee and she was getting frustrated because we could not find our way out lots of dead ends and turns. I found this really narrow path which took us out into the children's pumpkin patch we finally were free you cant see much in that maze some of the corn is so tall. But we just about had enough fun running around it for awhile and made a hour of just screwing around here. It was a nice stop before we went east deeper into NV to check out the ghost town of Jessup. Before we left the farm we had these awesome slushees the real deal not gas station shit mine was rasberry lemonade while Tammy's was something like strawberry tangerine so good and we needed it because that sun was getting warm even though it was only 76 out it felt hotter probably because we were running through the maze trying to find a way out lol.

Jessup Nevada

Its the strangest thing because Jessup is listed on a big green road sign it even has its own exit. Funny thing about this ghost town is nothing is out here no residents, people, campers or even current mining operations. I was going to go here last year but ran out of time so to maybe take a day where I could just focus on Jessup is not such a bad thing and explore the Trinity Mountains where it resides.

When you get off at the exit your in the middle of the great basin where you take this road all the way up and it splits three ways. I took obviously the middle path which took me through these gates to a newer mining operation. There was this weigh station which I went inside the office and there was glass broken everywhere. Its obvious that people come up here for one thing and that is to party. There was beer bottles all over, spray paint, littler etc.

The newer mine is not active anymore but it was cool driving through it there are massive dunes all over the place of just ore, earth and rocks. You can drive all over the dump piles and around them. There really is no roads you just drive where you want its pretty cool. There was some heavy machinery including a tanker truck with a fire hose which was gutted, rusted and abandoned too. I put on my Frankenstein mask and climbed into the truck for a photo op.

I believe this is lower Jessup I was in the company that mined here left machinery just rusting away as if one day the mining just stopped and that was that. Their is this ravine I tried to cross in my truck it was a no go and another gated road which led to the public main road which goes up into the canyon where Jessup is found. There was two booms in Jessup one in the mid 1800's and a second one around 1908. The older part of this ghost town can be found a few miles away from the mining operation in a canyon deeper in the range.

Tammy and I had to figure out what road to take to get around these mines and the ravine. Surprisingly the dirt roads back in this mountain range and ghost town are in really good shape. Their was hardly any washouts, no large rocks, smooth and not many obstacles. This is abnormal usually with most ghost towns the roads can prove difficult and challenging. But the roads back in the Trinity range are decent and you could take a car back here. I let folks know this because honestly I run my ghost town group and our website to get folks out more so they at least know what they are involved with ahead of time.

When you go another mile on in just as you get to the mouth of the canyon there is a bunch more dump piles and another old mining operation. As a matter in fact there is a bunch of twisted aluminum metal pieces everywhere. They often used this metal for roofing on shacks, mills, miner cabins etc. You could clearly see that this was a heavy mining area because as you enter the canyon there are mines all over the hillsides here and like I said metal rusty pieces. Also in the mouth where this mine was it splits to the left goes to this mine to the right points a sign that says 3 miles to Jessup.

The road continues to traverse the canyon and the ascension is quite gradual. Their are also some off chutes which I took but were dead ends or they just keep on going. If your expecting to see mills, cabins and remnants of this town you will be sadly disappointed. While I have seen a couple photos online of said structures I have heard recently that things here continue to vanish or the towns last remnants. Quite frankly its a bit discouraging as just a few years ago the remnants here were more visible then they are today.

Eventually the canyon becomes real wide you start to see a series of multiple roads which were streets back in the day with stores, saloons, homes and other businesses. There are mine shafts everywhere even downtown Jessup because I walked up to them and they are fenced off shafts or rather holes in the ground that go very deep. The tunnels all run under the town site as such shafts might be ventilation or they might have their own claims. This was a true mining town I mean all you see on the hill sides are fenced off tunnels and dump piles.

The main mine downtown Jessup sits on the west side of the Trinity Hills and we did go around it which took us into another canyon. I actually found a mine I was going to explore but it only went 20' back so it was a no go. Also if you continue to go through the canyon there is a dirt road that goes through the range I took it about five miles then turned around because I was getting to far from the town site.   I actually took my truck though and I climbed high above the town site so I could get a view of Jessup from above maybe find some structures. I climbed around some mine shafts found a ripped pair of jeans kind of odd.

From above there is nothing left you can see the town site which has a few cross roads but there is hardly anything here and this town had a few hundred folks living up here back in the day. If you stand at the top of the main mine in Jessup and look down you can see trenches below and piles of rocks. Its obvious that some of the piles of rocks were actually cabins or other structures which merely collapsed upon themselves. It hit me hard because this town had multiple saloons, post office, two lumber yards, mills, stage stop, two grocery stores, butcher and other businesses. Really between the roads and mines is what is left of the town all is gone and you scratch your head wondering why the entire time.

I spent a good hour walking around the town site all I found was rusty bean cans, TNT canisters, broken blue glass at a saloon site and even some blue pipe I found. Also lots of rusty metal pieces who knows what they are scattered but that is about all you will see. I seen there is a few foundations and even some collapsed structures personally I never found them and I went down all the roads downtown. People are destroying this place and it upsets me really. I keep hearing stories from other ghost towners who claim that every time they return here more is missing or gone WTF!

I want to preserve these places so your children someday can enjoy them the same way I did and well with Jessup not much left to enjoy but the nature and the scenery. When I was exploring the town site I drank some hard grape sodas they were so good. I generally always like to smoke a bowl or have a drink when I explore now I am not saying get shift faced I am saying to appreciate the seclusion, freedom and all the finer things that come with it.

Speaking of nature this giant bird was swooping down to get this chipmunk and I stopped to get a photo saving its life but of course it tried to hide under my truck and almost got squashed so I am not sure either fate for it would have been so nice. But if you like nature or just exploring Jessup is a pretty cool place. I just wish there was more to see this was a well known gold and silver town back in the day it even had its own stage stop which a few miles to the south went to White Plains where goods and miners were imported or exported. The miners would take the train get off in White Plains then take the stage into Jessup.

The nice thing about ghost towning here is not a soul up here its so quiet you can hear a pin drop. I think if you continue to offroad through town and go for about 15 miles you can get another ghost town. I have a few other places to check out near Jessup and I may go back in November to start getting some more work done up here. I love this time of year because for me this is ghost town season which is why I said earlier you do not go in the middle of summer. To enjoy comfortable safe ghost towning you do it from this time of year through the winter its more cool, comfortable and you do not have to worry about nasty rattle snakes.

I seen also on a hill side an old rusty water tank I am sure the mine sites may contain some old remnants but with the sun going down soon we did not have time to hike across the canyon and up a mountain to check out said sites. Now if I seen a cabin, mill or some other structure id run it lol. But this time of year it gets dark real fast once that sun goes behind the mountains. We did have time to go to the mouth of the canyon where there is this place they call devils post pile. It is marked on old maps too and they call it this because an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt found here I drove up the hill parked between the two post piles and the sun was just glowing on the mountains across from it. Across from the post pile is another old mining operation which I drove around in hopes of finding anything historic instead I found an area someone set up to shoot their guns at.

Their was this road I took which is another main road that goes up high into the Trinity Mountains. If you follow this road it overlooks the great basin and from above you can see all the salt flats which look like water at sunset. We came across this old mine at the top there was this metal barrier put into place to stop any rock slides then a pile of rocks which one way to the left went around the mountain up on these cliffs while the path to the right went up to a mine. I did not check it out but we parked the truck at sunset enjoyed the moon, stars and took a nice break before our long drive home. Its pretty awesome when you can turn the truck around on a cliff face the great basin then sit back and just enjoy the view with some good eats.

I did mess around here I put on my newest mask I bought which is this ogre and took a few photos. Jessup is a nice little place but not much remains. Ill do more research and when I go through here again ill stop if I find anything new. This was a great start to our ghost town season just when you think you see it all you find a new mountain range to explore. This area was heavily mined more so then other places their are just mines, dump piles and shafts everywhere. Its hard to believe with all that mining that the town died. No less it will make a nice little historic piece on our website and with whatever vids or photos I took. Not much remains its a given but with all the pieces of metal, old glass shards etc its easy to let your imagination run a bit wild in order to envision what life or this town may have been like.

With that being said I am far from done this month exploring we have a pioneer cemetery, historic train yard, opera house and a museum that ill be checking out soon. So its going to get busy and maybe even much busier with dozens of ghost towns will be bringing you guys. I have so many great projects and just remember if you snooze you lose so be adamant about contacting me if you want to join our team so you do not miss out on great journeys like Jessup. I have to say over the years most of you have missed out on some places no human has laid there eyes on but not just that great projects that we have done and its really ashamed but for those who live across the world they get to see my work on our website and feel as if they were there or were a part of it.

I cant say I had any paranormal experiences here the only down side to this all is my cam had broke a few weeks ago. They were not able to repair it so I had to use a old one while waiting for my new one to arrive. I should have my new cam tomorrow just in time for the next few projects we do this month. I always pick some really cool places to do around Halloween, Christmas and other holidays throughout the year. Only down side is that the days are shorter so if you do not get out exploring early enough then your sort of are out of luck because at night in ghost towns like these you wont see anything in the dark most remnants are often consumed by brush in the middle of the desert.

I do look forward to coming back out here to check out other sites. I ran out of time because nearby is a salt mining ghost town and a canyon with an old ranch. I wanted to check out more but days are early. So ill have something to look forward to next time were up here so with that being said ill be here a couple more times this year. It is a ghost town season everyone and what a great way to open it up with journeying in the great basin in search of some of the most famous ghost towns of the west. The Trinity Mountains are something special and hope to explore more of them soon. All in all though fun day with a mix of Virginia City, Ferrari Farms and the rest of the day spent up in the Trinity Mountains where Jessup remains forgotten in desolation!

Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder