Forbidden Universe
Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on December 06, 2018, 02:22:26 PM
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Our Investigation Of The Huffaker Hills & Pioneer Cemetery 11 - 17 - 18
This little adventure is a little closer to home more or less you could say this was a little urban exploration combined with some paranormal research. Sometimes when you go to the big city such as Reno you do not realize the early wild western history that still remains in blind sight. If you were to cross the sierras or make you way down into Reno you had to venture on the old wagon road that traversed the Huffaker Hills. It did not matter who you were president Grant, Mark Twain or any other wealthy mogul the old emigrant trail that runs through here still stands today and is rather used by joggers instead of stage coaches.
Below the hills is also one of Reno's first pioneer cemeteries actually the only burial ground at the time Reno became a settlement. It served as a cemetery until an official one could be established. Not many folks would ever know this because today Reno has kind of consumed these hills due to urban growth. People every day come to Huffaker Park for its baseball games, playground, to have a picnic or just bike ride on the paths. Not sure if people really understand that these bike paths were part of a stage route and before you had gotten down into the Truckee Meadows you had to brave them first.
It was just a few days before Thanksgiving so I did not want to do anything to strenuous but rather work on a close to home history project so that I could help educate people in Reno further about history which needs to be preserved. Sadly the cemetery is so far gone I believe I am to late based on its condition. Its important to preserve these locations while modernization has consumed the area it does not change its early emigrant wild western history. With that being said we would head out to Reno to check out the hills and the cemetery to understand what it is we are saving.
Huffaker Hills & Cemetery
Off with my coffee we drove out to a place known as Huffaker Park but sometimes I like to stop at the service station pick up a couple candy bars that sort of thing. I had to fill up gas at the gas station and some guy who claimed to be from Italy was begging me to buy a gold ring from him claiming he had no gas. and was visiting Chicago. Well first off what is he doing driving a 2018 gas guzzling Yukon and if he was visiting Chicago WTF is he doing in Carson City. I told him I have no interest in the ring although if he throws in his gold bracelet I might bite.This guy was shady first he says 80 dollars then 45 dollars then ask for 18 dollars etc. I put my head inside his truck yeah he was on E with the gas but both his sons were on cell phones and tablets. The guy had five or six gold chains, multiple gold rings and bracelets yet this could couldn't afford gas? Come on!
Its hard to know if the gold was even real could have been gold plated but the bracelet felt to light and so I said twenty dollars for two because I can buy this shit at estate sales for that much and he tries to hit me up for 600 dollars at the gas station so I walked away and he was all chasing me down begging me ugh. Did this guy not see the gun in my holster? Yet he tried to sham me I wonder if people think because I am gothed out that I am some sort of fool but I had the entire parking lot staring at me and this guy trying to bargain right out of his drivers side window. The dude refused to take no for an answer then I offer some gas and he turns me down its like whatever man who carries 600 dollars and hands it over to a complete stranger just wow! This was only the beginning later at the end of the night id have an instead with this time a woman! What is it with everyone begging for gas it cost me a 100 dollars to fill my truck you think they give a shit about that?
Eventually I made it up to Reno where you can drive around these hills which was not always the case until Reno developed into a city. Back in the 1840's and their was some notes about a n 1834 journey by an early explorer so these hills for nearly two hundred years have been visited by early pioneers who sought out the west in search of a b etter life.. At the time the Truckee River and Steamboat creek were raging with white water. So you could not cross into the valley until you descended off the hills then you could cross the Reno valley going up into the high sierras. Part of this route became part of the California Trail particularly after thousands of miners and farmers traverse this hills during the gold rush. It was a rough route you had to content with the elements, flooding, snow, drop offs and the lack of supplies especially in the colder months.
As a matter in fact many early emigrants ended up settling here while taking the California Trail because the hills had plenty of grass for their livestock and it seemed to be a safer bet then to try to cross the sierras just ask the Donner Party. Some pioneers had built ranches surrounding these hills others like the Mormons tried to build bridges over Steamboat Creek and the Truckee River which generally failed or collapsed. As an emigrant you could not just cross into the valley directly you had to make a hard left through the hills. It was the only way to enter the valley until you crossed the sierra and sometimes the winters came early so you could not cross them so you ended up being stuck below them in the Huffaker Hills instead.
It was a dangerous trek the weather often was not favorable but this section of the trek was considered the harshest part of the Californian trail. People simply died on the trail because the wagon road was a steep descent and then you had to content with also crossing creeks in the valley below. Wagons sometimes rolled down the hills or tipped over that was just the way of life. Some that came to these hills ended up building homesteads and ranches surrounding them grazing livestock on them.
It would be safe to say if you were an emigrant your wagon would have went right through rural farm land before Reno became a city. However, some old farms still do remain at the bottom of the hills and today the pioneer cemetery resides in a little parcel of offbeat land surrounded by smaller ranches where horses, cows and other livestock still graze today.It addition to the farms these hills had a lumber camp actually a major one that exported the wood up to Virginia City which also is just above Reno.
People came to these hills to camp even rest for days or weeks. You could hunt deer, rabbit and other small game or water down your horses at the small creeks that run below the hills. After what happened with the Donner Party who more then likely rested near where today's park sits most emigrants learned to not rest to long at Huffaker because snow came early in the sierras and allot of it. When I say plenty I mean 20' snowfalls and I have witnessed it myself before so if it was difficult now imagine back then!
When settlers came to the area they traded with the Washoe were made this valley there home and these hills. More then often settlers would trade beads, jewelry and other things for intricate tule baskets, furs and pinion nut dough. Pinion Pines grow throughout northern Nevada the Indians would harvest its nuts as a food subsistence and they would also make different foods out of it especially dough to make sweet cakes. Some of the natives who had a village at Steamboat Springs nearby often volunteered as guides to take the emigrants through the passes within the sierras.
Huffaker actually arrived in the Truckee Meadows around 1958 when the trail through the hills was reaching its peak. He came to the area with 500 head of cattle according to the state marker I seen. By 1859 these hills included a portion of his ranch. Along the wagon trail a stage line and post office were established by 1862 and a schoolhouse in 1868. I did have a chance to visit the actual schoolhouse it was moved to Bartley Ranch so that it remained preserved through the years. Huffaker Station was a bustling little place with its stage lines and services. It also was the site known where lumber could be exported to the mines of Virginia City. Today the ranches, post office and stage station are all gone but they would have resided right along the trails near Huffaker Park so despite them being gone it does not change the history found within these hills along this old wagon route today used by outdoor enthusiast rather then those trying to cross the sierra.
Nearby you had Galena, Steamboat, Thomas and Whites Creek which settlers would fish from. Back in the day this was a bountiful area before the park and houses came to be. You have to major points of interest both of which you will see in the photos and videos from our journey. One being Huffaker Point which is the tallest point in the hills then adjacent from it is Rattlesnake Mountain. Both were grazing grounds for livestock and encampments. The wagon road came through here and today part of it is still preserved above a little park along a small creek below.
When we arrived we parked past the baseball diamond just below the hills and entrance into them via trail head. If you have a couple hours that is all it takes to hike through the hills of course back in the day people merely traversed them via wagon as they came down off the Virginia Mountains into these foothills and eventually crossing the valley heading up into the high sierras. Tammy and I hiked through a very shady area lots of trees along the creek where a bridge took us over it then their was a kiosk and wooden sign you walk past which ascends into the hills.
As you continue to switchback or zig zag up to the look out point it eventually begins to level off. As a matter in fact the trail splits left or right but no less you can take the entire trail as a loop around the top of the hills which has some great cityscape views of Reno. When we begin to climb we could see houses below the hills and across the valley Mount Rose and Slide Mountain. Slide Mountain we climbed before it is where I had an amazing giant UFO disc sighting rise out of Lake Tahoe. Then it shot up to the sky split in to multiple objects which I then begin to film and put on youtube because it was one of the most phenomenal experiences I ever had in my field of expertise.
But I was not on Huffaker to see UFOs but rather investigate the cemetery and these hills for any sign of paranormal evidence. There is energy here but also history and where there is history their is ghost. People lived in these hills for thousands of years this includes the Washoe Indians all the way to the first 49ers of the Gold Rush. People not just lived in these hills they also died in these hills so its a damn good place to start if your looking for any signs of the dearly departed. I felt the cemetery and these hills go hand in hand so this was an awesome project to work on especially during the fall leaves were changing colors and the valley is beautiful this time of year.
When we were hiking on the trail we could see the international airport off in the distance and the runway is lined up with Huffaker Lookout so every few minutes planes take off right over this location. I seemed to spend most of my time looking underneath the belly of the beasts. This made it hard at times to do EVP or film on location so I had to do my best. Their was some interpretive signs about the geology, nature and some history but none of them are legible. As a matter in fact they were shattered or the encasements so you could not read what each sign was about. Sad to say like any city these hills get a bad rep also with smashed beer bottles even some crime so they want you out of here early real early even before sunset. You also in the warmer months need to be careful of rattlesnakes.
We were leaving behind the park at our backs the baseball diamond, playground and open field was looking smaller as we ascended. I notice there was plenty of bird life in these hills so if your into bird watching this is a great place to start. These hills are volcanic outcrops so when you get to the top of the hills their is volcanic rock everywhere more then even top soil. In between the rocks are desert plants growing everywhere such as sagebrush. The hillsides had some smaller trees but they are now merely burnt and bare due to a brush fire which burned 28 acres back in August. Prior to that in the 1800's the hills were more lush and woodsy. But with lumbering and warmer summers on records these hills are less meadow like and more desert like today.
There is a covered picnic shelter or if your brave like me you can sit at a wooden picnic bench at the lookout point. Just another hundred feet above are offbeat trails which take you to Huffaker Peak but its a real ankle twister lots of loose volcanic sharp rocks. I almost made my way to the top of the hill but turned back but if you want 360 degree views of Reno that is a great place to start. We could see the city from afar miles away it was a nice area to stop sit down at the lookout have a snack, drink, toke a bowl or just watch the planes taking off at the airport. Its not the most quiet place you could hear the freeway nearby and just across Virginia Street below the hills is the cemetery which did not always exist especially when it was erected.
I am not sure if these hills are haunted here and there my EMF Reader was going off. Their is no power lines nearby yet magnetic and EMF readings were constantly fluctuating here. Back thousands of years ago a volcano sat above this hills and when lava had vented below them these hills had been formed. So they are very rugged more rugged years ago when the first emigrants came through here. The Donner Party probably spent awhile here because of it was a fruitful area with creeks, meadows and warmer weather. I bet when they left Huffaker in September they had no idea they would be heading into an early October snowstorm. I once myself hiked in the sierras in September when they had gotten a winter storm nearly froze to death climbing Nipple Peak some of you remember that last year ago so I know all about the sierras getting below freezing temperatures and snow as early as Sept.
Its possible the Donner Party haunts these hills if they would have stayed camping in these hills during the winter months they probably would have survived. But once you leave the hills to go higher up into the mountains finding live game and supplies is nearly impossible but rather they become scarce. It does not take a genius to figure out what life would have been like camping in these hills before you had to leave this majestic plentiful place and brave the mighty sierras just a few miles across the valley floor. If that was not any worst before getting to Huffaker you had to cross the forty mile desert so it was obstacle after obstacle.
After break we took the trail another half mile almost nearly looping around the opposite side of the hills then decided to head back so we could explore the cemetery. This area has had its share of problems besides fires last year there was a major flood below them. While the creeks below the hills look narrow, small and shallow when the snow melts or we get excessive precipitation they do flood. Flooding probably plagued the early emigrants some may have even drowned because they did not know how to swim. I also heard that back in the day you could see smoke and wagon trains for miles particularly on Huffaker Hill. Whether folks realize it or not Reno would have never existed without the Huffaker Hill encampment and today it is a major US city because of it.
We would descend back down to the bottom of the hills crossing the bridge again. This time a really pretty long haired blonde in black latex plants came up and talked to me. She probably lived in that neighborhood and instead of chasing ghost I got super sidetracked photographing her ass instead as she pranced away from me. What can I say I like pretty women and well while this park or these hills may be home to history and its ghost I can clearly see its also home to some pretty local gals who jog or exercise here. One of the benefits of the paranormal on occasion I meet some pretty ladies so her smile and coming up to talk to me made my day. Her dog though did not like me he was all growling he probably was like stay away from my woman lol.
There is an area surrounded by these evergreen trees or rather grass knoll then on the other side of the hill is a playground with a huge open field of grass. Their was quite a few people at this park hiking, riding bikes, playing and walking dogs. I did not want to seem like some creeper walking around so mainly our journey had been focused on the hills and the old emigrant wagon trail. I wanted to show you the old wagon trail, valley and city below etc etc so you could envision it when you see videos and other pictures of the cemetery.
Tammy and I would head to the cemetery believe it or not its surrounded by farms all within a few miles from downtown Reno. Most of the farms are small here a couple acres but there was cows, horses, pigs, ponds, corrals, barns and quite a few newer homes in the area as well. Its a bit tricky to find the cemetery its actually on a trail between a house and a farm very easy to miss. The only reason I found it was that over a 100' away at the end of the path you could see a rock with a plaque which serves as a memorial to the early emigrants who came through here and had originally camped in these hills and homesteaded below them. So many of the folks buried here were emigrants whom came to farm and raise livestock here. Their were also miners and lumbers also but some of the first to ever set their eyes on this very valley.
We hiked up the path there was a big ole cottonwood tree with gold leaves on it. I actually liked this area I seen horses grazing and the views of Mount Rose were not bad either with some snow at its peak. The path is a bit overgrown and when you reach the cemetery it literally is in someone's backyard there is no fence separated that persons property and this burial ground. When they begin building newer homes up here they moved some of the bodies but not all of them. As a matter in fact some bodies were discovered when these small farms in the area were being erected so truly this parcel of land probably was a few acres in size and today only one or two.
I try to do research before I visit any location so I have a bit of background knowledge. I learned that their was up to two hundred individuals buried here today though once you get past the memorial on a plaque its more of an open parcel of land with about 21 graves remaining. When I say graves I mean a rock serving as a gravestone or a pile of crumbling gravestones or a small wooden stake in the ground that kind of thing. Even though they say 21 interments remains while that is possible its very hard to know where they all are.
As a matter in fact most of them are of the Lyell Family surround by a chain link fence. They were an early prominent family who came to these hills to ranch and make a life for themselves. I believe I counted 11 family members buried in the cemetery. Back in the day the Lyell's, Huffaker's and Holcomb's were early pioneer family's who came here to live prosperous lives.More then likely the Huffaker's and Holbomb's have been removed from the cemetery due to workers destroying gravesites in the 1950's when they were developing the area. The Lyell's are really all that remain in the cemetery while each plot is labeled with a sign within the chain link fence the gravestones for this family are certainly long gone. The Lyells were the Holcomb's families ancestors but came to the area in the earlier 1900's when they came to the area to purchase the Huffaker Ranch taking over the property. All the large ranches are gone rather the area is now subdivisions and smaller 1 to 2 acre ranches therefore none of them could sustain 500 head of cattle but in the 1800's these hills and surrounding area could! So it definitely looked much different then as comparison to now.
Not far from the Lyell Family plot is another plot surrounded by rusty wrought iron work its not super ornate but there are a couple gravestones within it. There is a gravestone with cracks within it laying down within the earth and then their is a pedestal or stone block with just bits and pieces of a gravestone sitting on top of it. Its as if someone took a sledge hammer to the graves very sad. I read that years ago the cemetery was so overgrown and was used to dump trash that they had to haul multiple dump trucks of debris just to clean it up. What they discovered is someone had stole n many of the gravestones however in this case you had a pile of crumbling gravestone pieces.
Their is also to the north within the cemetery about six or seven grave sites with each plot surrounded by rocks but no gravestone. It is common though out west to take local rock and after you bury the dead to outline the grave site with small rocks. So between the Lyell Family these six or seven gravesites plus the two burials near the wrought iron plot I was beginning to paint a bigger picture here of this cemetery. I found another gravestone broken in half overgrown in some brush which probably also was standing up at one time surrounded by wrought iron or perhaps steel bars hard to tell but the pipes were very rusty. Other then that not much else remains a few old wooden post one gravestie is just a small boulder with nothing on it so you have no idea who is buried here.
The cemetery is in bad shape back in the day people would ride jeeps and atv's right through here not caring about the graves. Then when urban life grew here the workers damaged many stones so we lost track of those buried here so more then likely the big open areas were grave sites now today unknown interments. As many as two hundred folks were buried here most came to the Huffaker Hills before Reno was ever a city. Some decided why bother crossing the high sierras when they could live plentiful lives near or around these hills.
Towards the back of the cemetery is an old cottonwood tree laying on its side their use to be a tree house in that tree. Today all of it is gone I am sure some of the houses and small ranches surrounding this burial ground have experienced something of the paranormal. I know their is something here my EMF meter was going off constantly although readings were not very high I carry the meter in my back pocket. If their are dangerous levels the meter will go off. I took out a few times and it did fluctuate particularly around the Lyell Family plot. I believe the ghost of these pioneers still haunt this parcel of land what has been done to this cemetery is sickening. You have to think that this place should be preserved it was the first burial ground in Reno and over the years so little was done that its almost lost forever which could have been prevented. The cemetery is a reminder of the first emigrants who came to the area who fished, hunted, gathered and sustained themselves in the Huffaker Hills before moving deeper into the Reno Valley.
Back in the day kids would come here just to smash stones while some bodies were exhumed and moved many of them will be lost forever with no gravemarker at all. Its a very quiet place although in the distance you can see the hills and the expressway below them that passes by. Things were much different back in the day compared to now but this was a great urban exploration considering its so close to the city of Reno. Its not a fancy place but the views and the horses give it a rural feeling. Most of the cemetery is very brown there are no bushes, flowers or trees unlike most cemeteries in the area.
Really this is a very important historic site the park and cemetery today go hand in hand. More then likely if you went to Virginia City or came from it you went through the hills then crossed the valley below. You may have even passed by the local burial ground or ended up there if you were part of an untimely death. I heard one day they want to plant some trees maybe grass and I hope they do. This place needs work. I was glad to have visited it because I always thought Hillview was one of the oldest and its not. We did investigate Hillview which turned out to be very haunted but less folks know about this cemetery because its not really labeled and you feel like your invading the residents because the path goes between to pieces of property then comes out to this open 1 to 2 acre parcel where the cemetery is residing.
Tammy and I wrapped up before sunset here it gets dark early in Nevada this time of year. We were driving near the cemetery and although we seen newer ranches many relics of the past still remain. There are old wagons, farm equipment and wooden barns nearby. Which tells me that some of the history still remains here its just not very well preserved. But these wagons belonged to pioneers who in turn are buried in this cemetery. Honestly, it felt a bit bizarre being so close to the city exploring these hills and cemetery. It just seems like they are in the wrong location but again cities have their share of history to. Reno was not always a city! Tammy and I had a long day we took our times with these locations so we decided we would instead go out for dinner celebrate a little and relax.
Tammy and I ended up going to Mimis Cafe as I never been there before and I really wanted to dine there. I drank Stella Artois's, ate pumpkin bread, eaten a french dip sandwich, french onion soup, white rice, spinach salad, hot coffee, chicken, steak and shrimp all on skewers full of flavor and even a chocolate parfait because they were out of pie grrr but still very good. The appetizers were smothered in a spicy peanut sauce, teriyaki and red wine so delicious. We ate very well at Mimi's and for what we paid it was not to bad. The food was really good and what a way to finish out our day with a nice meal sitting down talking about our exploration. I have really grown to enjoy French Cuisine and they have some of the best very tasty and a meal well deserved after coming on in from being out in the cold all day.
When we went to our vehicle I was warming it up and some lady pulls along side of me in the parking lot begging me for gas money. Not sure what it is but do I look like a charity organization? Would you pull along side a dude wearing sunglasses, black nails, rings and long hair sitting in his truck? The lady gave me some sob story about how her mom just died in the hospital recently and she has no gas. I noticed she had a couple teenager daughters so we gave her ten bucks. Its strange how these people drive these nice vehicles and they have the gas to drive around parking lots like Mimi's but they do not have enough money for gas. She tells us this is not good enough she will have to keep driving looking for more my thought is if you take the ten dollars go straight home then it should be enough unless you plan on using it all up driving around parking lots. She did not seem very grateful her thanks was rather minimal then she drove off whining about what we gave its like WTF.It seems like more folks take then want to give back! All in all it was a weird day full of oddities but we were able to put out some good work in the hills and cemetery to help educate these local high schools about some of the wild western pioneer history before Reno became a major metropolis.This will make a fine addition on our website full of rich cultural history which needs to be told to keep it alive for generations to come!
Our weekend though was far from done the next day I had to go up to South Lake Tahoe offroad high up in the mountains then hike in to cut down a Christmas tree. I ended up cutting down a 14' beautiful 10' wide at the bottom and it takes up a good portion of my den. This is a tradition we been doing a few years so it was easier to do a history project the day before since I spent all day looking for the perfect tree with my peppermint frap in hand. It was a busy busy weekend my chainsaw chain came off got stuck in a limb so I had to cut the tree manually with a saw. Just overall it was a crazy eventful weekend followed a couple days later by a Thanksgiving that included Balsamic Italian Turkey, Black Olives, Cheesy Garlicky homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, apple sauce, gourmet cider and grape juice, cranberry sauce, bread topped with a garlic butter cheese sauce I made, homemade gravy and a white cheddar shells organic macaroni cheese dish.
I had not had my son home in two months so we were looking to surprise him with a nice Thanksgiving feast and the Christmas tree so in the end it worked out! Our Thanksgiving weekend was full of many great things that we are blessed to have which includes our exploration, good food, family and a tree that we could decorate on Thanksgiving as a family even play some fun games. Huffaker Hills and its cemetery were just part of it all to get out explore see some sites within this crisp fall weather with leaves changing colors just added to the whole Thanksgiving experience. Which is why we must value our friends, family and loved ones to be able to share experiences like this included combined with a little adventure. Our adventures is what makes long lasting memories and when you throw everything else in it as a w hole I could say that overall it was a very amazing journey all the way from exploring Reno's early pioneer history to the forest above Reno in Tahoe to sitting down at home breaking bread. Not everyone is that lucky just as the pioneers who came to this area and succumbed to death and today remain forgotten in one of Reno's first burial grounds. I am thankful for what we have and what were able to bring to our fans and viewers because the work we do is genuine and its all done with heart because we care about the places we journey and educating others about them!
Peace,
Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight