SAGAPS Investigates The Historic Haunted Gadsden Hotel in Douglas, AZ

"Ghost Hunters" franchise holds casting call for paranormal investigators

Do you watch Ghost Hunters Academy or Ghost Hunters International? Have you ever wanted to work alongside one of your favorite paranormal investigators on these SyFy shows? Well, you just might have that chance.
Pilgrim Studios, the largest reality television production company in Los Angeles, is looking for paranormal investigators, researchers, team leaders and tech experts in a nationwide search. You don’t need to reside in Rhode Island where many TAPS members reside. You can reside in any state, including Arizona.
Paranormal investigators from Arizona have been ‘tapped’ more than once in the past by the ‘Ghost Hunters’ franchise.  Did you know that globetrotting  paranormal investigator Paul Bradford of Ghost Hunters International makes his home-base in the Old Pueblo (Tucson)? Did you know that Heathyr Hoffman, formerly of Ghost Hunters Academy, lives in the Phoenix area?
The application process is simple. Provide your name, phone number, city/state, and a description of why you would be a perfect fit for the franchise. This is television, so they also want a clear, recent photo.
To apply, visit the website of Pilgrim Studios.

Pasranormal Old Pueblo

Haunted Mountain View High School

A handful of schools in Southern Arizona are reputed to be haunted. I recently discovered that Mountain View High School in Marana belongs on that list of haunted schools and where all three of my daughters attended and graduated. Of course, right?

Anyway, I stumbled upon (this article) and a YouTube video documentary about the “Mountain View High School Theatre Ghost”, filmed in 2002 by Branden Paris and Devin Whetstone. The documentary was posted on YouTube sometime ago but I feel is stil relevant. The video relays firsthand ghostly accounts by students, as well as interviews with a custodian, a maintenance supervisor, and even an assistant principal.

I thought for a moment, hey a winter break for students is coming up, I could wander over and then around the high school grounds with camcorder and EMF readers in hand? Yeah, no...I hear the Marana police are awesome, and would bust me in less than 10 minutes.

So, enjoy the videos below and know I am simply aggravated to be less than 2 miles away from a ghost hunting adventure that I cannot investigate.
 
Sources: http://tucsoncitizen.com/paranormal/2009/09/06/haunted-high-school/

How Do You Know If You’ve Encountered A Ghost?

"Ghosts are said to be the spirits or souls of deceased people who are “trapped” in this physical world.  Believers say that ghosts remain for a number of reasons. It is common knowledge among ghost hunting enthusiasts that locations with histories of violence or untimely deaths seem to be quite paranormally active.

Some spirits are said to be attached to people, things or events that occurred in the past, rendering them unable or unwilling to ‘cross over’. It is thought that some ghosts need direction and assistance in delivering a message or fixing a situation which will allow them to proceed to the afterlife. While other believers speculate that some spirits have crossed over and only appear to comfort us, guide us and observe our lives.

Whatever one may believe, how does one know when one has encountered a ghost?
After a great deal of research, many reviews of ghost hunting shows and videos, and interviews with live people, there appear to be common phenomena occurring in most cases. Here is a brief list, including some of the phenomena I’ve experienced myself:

COLD CHILLS: When you experience an unnatural chill in mild or warm weather, it may be possible that a spirit is passing or near. Theories state that spirits absorb energy in movement and leave a cold spot/chill behind. I have experienced this twice. In both times, the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood out and I had goosebumps. The sensation was not unlike a prickly, cold, static electrical feeling combined with feeling icy cold “inside”. Personally, I found the sensations to be very strange and unlike anything I’d experienced before. Inexplicable “cold spots” are also said to be encountered in the presence of a spirit. Experts state that in order for a spirit to manifest, it draws energy from the environment. This could create a cold spot from the spirits’ use of the energy in a specific location.

VOICES/SOUNDS: People have reported hearing disembodied voices calling their names, laughing or chattering when no one is around or in sight. Hearing sounds, such as foot steps, doors opening/closing, music, voices, whispers, and tapping/rapping sounds are commonly reported to be heard. One friend of mine who lives in the Historic Ft. Lowell area in Tucson, has heard the sound of horses and wagon wheels only to discover nothing of the sort is there. Residual hauntings are commonly reported as having the sounds of activity that may have occurred long ago at a site.

UNEXPLAINED SMELLS OR FRAGRANCES: The sense of smell is a powerful component of human memory. We can all associate a certain odor, fragrance or smell with memories of people, places and events. People have reported inexplicable smells of cigars, cigarettes, pipes and perfume when thought to be in the presence certain spirits.

PET BEHAVIOR: Animals have heightened sensory awareness and are believed to have a 6th sense which keeps them in tune with spirits around them. Odd behavior from a pet is may be a sign that spirits are around. Pets acting fearfully or barking/growling repeatedly for no reason or suddenly being startled have been reported in alleged haunted locations. Some ghost hunting teams use dogs in their investigations and observe the animal’s behavior while investigating.

DREAMS: Dreams are believed to be the primary way spirits communicate with the living, since it is the easiest way to make contact without creating fear. A spirit may enter your dreams to give you a message, advice, or even warn you.

LIGHTS FLICKER: Spirits are said to have the ability to create electrical disturbances in order to get your attention and make you aware of their presence. Don’t immediately assume every flicker is a spirit. Check the bulb, switch, or fuse. Spirits have been also reported as turning up the volume on electronic devices like radios, TV’s or switching lights on and off.

WEIRD COINCIDENCES: Some report experiencing strange coincidences such as thinking of the deceased person then coming into contact with things or people that are associated with them. For example, a dear friend had given me an antique lamp. One night, the lamp switched on by itself for no apparent reason. I found out later that my friend had passed away on that very evening. She had lost the battle to cancer. If this was a coincidence, it was a very strange one indeed.

MOVING/MISSING OBJECTS:  People have reported missing items, such as books, jewelry, personal items or even receiving items that appear to be signs of communication from spirits. Spirits are said to have the ability to move objects in order to get our attention or to send us a message.  I just finished a book written by a woman who was widowed on 9/11. A 1944 wheat penny kept appearing in odd places, like within the pages of a book or mysteriously dropping from a restaurant menu. The 1944 wheat penny was a personal good luck totem carried by the deceased. The widow felt it was a sign from the spirit of her husband.

Skeptical scientist or impassioned believer,  I think a modicum of open-mindedness is important when seeking  knowledge of the unexplained or paranormal. Consider this little factoid: 16,969 species were considered new to science in 2006. Scientists discover thousands of  new species each year with thousands more awaiting discovery. Who knows what is awaiting discovery in the world of the paranormal?"


Reference: 
http://paranormaloldpueblo.com/2011/10/20/how-do-you-know-if-youve-encountered-a-ghost/

The Reaper?

A few months back I received this photograph from one of my coworkers who had asked that I take a look and possibly send this photo along to someone who could explain if what was being seen, was actually someone or "something" peering back into the lens of the camera.

As the story was told to me, my co-workers wife's parents lived in a rural community in a state around the great lakes region. They had a few acres of land and both were outside the day of the fire tending to gardening duties. They had a pot of beans simmering on the stove and somehow it caught on fire. When the couple finally noticed smoke and flames, and ran back towards the home for containment it was to late. The house then was fully engulfed.

Afterwards, when fire personnel drove off, family members came to the home to take pictures and see if there was anything that could be salvaged. Below is the original photograph taken on a cell phone and then sent to my coworker, and then forwarded to me.

What is particularly interesting is that the family reported anomalous activity before the fire, they stated they saw shadows moving throughout the house during daylight hours and in the darkness of night. They also stated they heard unusual noises leading up to loosing their home, and items in the home would turn up missing.

The question to be asked here is that most people seem to believe that they have captured something genuinely paranormal, when in a lot of instances (not all) all that is happening is facial matrixing.

Matrixing is the term the Ghost Hunters use to describe the misidentification of something ordinary as something unusual. It comes into play most often when people take photographs and spot something in the picture they are sure was not there when the photo was taken. Often, it is a face or figure and seems to be human.

Why Does Matrixing Happen?

One explanation is that recognizing other humans, and the faces of parents, is the first skill a baby learns. Pattern recognition of this sort is also a survival tool, giving the earliest humans a way to spot predators in hiding. The skill is so fundamental that, when presented with a random set of patterns the human brain attempts to make sense of what it sees. If it can possibly resolve that random pattern into a familiar object or image, it will.

Who knows on this picture right? I mean when you finally recognize the form it is a little frightening.

Our Holiday Visiters

Digital cameras can be a great tool for ghost photographers. I have gotten into a better habit of carrying mine wherever I now go. They allow you to see your photo results immediately. No film required! The big advantage is, you will know right away if you have captured an anomaly, therefore allowing you to track it. There are draw backs however, digital cameras do not furnish a negative, therefore it's hard to prove your photos are not enhanced, A drawback indeed!

Here are a two pictures of our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays over the past years where an entity orb has been captured on the digital photograph. Family gatherings can be a hot spot of ghost photo activity and these digital shots could possibly be family members enjoying the moment with us, but have past over years ago.

The best time of the year in fact for capturing ghost images on film are in the colder months when electrostatic energy is at it's highest. These months being October through February. You can capture any kind of ghost type on film at any time of the year but the above mentioned months just increase your odds.

Ghosts are quite often attracted to people and will follow them around. So include people in the photos you take. Tip: When taking photos of others try to include enough space to one side of the picture and above the heads of those in the photo to capture any anomalies present.

Roman Artifacts Found in Tucson Arizona

An old debate over whether Romans might have found their way to Tucson hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus discovered the New World has found new life at the Arizona State Museum.

Artifacts from a controversial discovery made nearly 80 years ago that suggested an ancient Roman settlement existed here- a theory that experts were quick to debunk- are on public display for the first time since 1930.

A handful of pieces, including an iron cross bearing Latin inscriptions, can be seen at the museum on the University of Arizona campus, and museum officials hope to display the rest in the near future.

Tom Peterson, director of the Arizona Historical Society's southern division, said he hopes bringing the items out of hiding will spur new discussion of their historical significance.

The artifacts, the first of which was found in September 1924 sticking from a caliche wash bed eight miles north of Tucson, include a trove of lead alloy crosses, swords and other items inscribed with phrases and dates ranging from A.D. 760 to A.D. 900.

Charles Manier and his family found the artifacts while out on a Sunday drive to Picture Rocks, Arizona seven miles north of Tucson.

The number of objects unearthed eventually grew to 32.

Here is one article from Arizona newpaper flyer dated December 1980

A Haunting - Tucson Arizona

A Haunting: Cursed -  Discovery Channel TV Show

In most circumstances I would not entertain the idea of posting a network paranormal show, unless it had a lot of value that I wanted to share. This particular television show was brought to my attention recently by one of my co-workers. The family depicted in this documentary drama is within her extended family in Tucson, Arizona . She has known about it and discussed it within her family circle for some time. It took a lot of courage for her to come forth and break the silence to an outsider. 

The last 2 parts of the clips below are particularly interesting to me, and Amy Allan is a top notch paranormal investigator and medium. Funny, I still use some of the ghost hunting equipment shown.

Arizona's Southwest Yamprico (Bigfoot)

There are plenty of critters to provide sustenance and moisture in our Arizona desert. Then once again, there is the story told by Cochise’ grandson Nino Cochise, who gave an interview several decades ago, and who told of a ‘Yamprico’ (sasquatch) he saw once. This sasquatch carried with it an animal gut over his shoulder that served as a canteen and was seen hopping over the hills of the southwestern desert near Sasabee, Arizona.. These desert "squatches" reported then and now are wirey, dark haired beasts, 6 foot tall and much thinner than their northwestern Washington state counterparts. I would think that would be because of our desert living conditions? I ask what would they eat? the jackrabbit? the occasional quail, Javelina, or coyote? Sightings have been throughout the state and all up and down the Mexican border. 


Although, we often think of Bigfoot seeking refuge on snow capped mountains, hiding away deep inside of treacherous and wild wilderness, it seems that Arizona, and the Phoenix area in particular, may be home to a desert Bigfoot. Besides rattlers and scorpions the Bigfoot is one more thing to look out for when you are out and about on those warm desert nights.

Sasabee, Arizona

Tombstone Thunderbird

One of the first reported sightings of a Thunderbird occurred in April 1890, when The Tombstone Epitaph reported that two cowboys in the southern U.S. had killed a large bird-like creature with smooth skin and wings. For years, rumors circulated that an accompanying photograph of the capture existed and was passed around before eventually getting lost sometime during the 1960s. To date, the alleged photo has not surfaced. 

This is an artist's rendition of the famous thunderbird photo said to have appeared in the Tombstone Epitaph, an Arizona newspaper in the 1890s.

Tombstone Ghost Hunt - September 2011

Watchers 2

There is a new video out called The Watchers 2 by Dr. LA Marzulli and is worth the watch. I too was wondering about the moon, here is the preview clip.

Julia Lowell Room - Camera motion footage

Well, I have finished reviewing all video footage of our visit to the Copper Queen Hotel and the Julia Lowell room. I still have approximately 20 hours of digital audio to review and hopefully I have captured some EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomena) too.

Below is one clip of three regarding camera motion that coincides with an alarming EMF (Electromagnetic field) detector. What is important to note here is that throughout the 7 hours of recording time the camera is absolutely stationary other than these three events, and these events happen at the 1.5 hour mark, the 3 hour mark and 5 hour mark of the video.

The equipment set up in the room had the camcorder placed squarely on a small desk to the right of the nightstand, and on the nightstand the EMF reader was stationed. Also note that when the alarm and camera motion begin, my husband's feet begin to move. Important because that is what Julia has been known to do, play with men's feet at night.

Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome Arizona

Built in 1926, the now Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome Arizona is probably one of the most active haunted places in the state. The ghost sightings started in the 1930's with the nurses working at the then United Verde Hospital saying "You'll see him", "We call him Clyde or Scotty". The hospital closed in 1950 and for the next 44 years, the stories of ghost sightings, spirit orbs, paranormal and supernatural activities continued. Renovated into the Jerome Grand Hotel in 1994, the reputation of the old hospital and the ghost sightings continue. Claude Harvey, the man killed in the elevator incident in 1935, is believed to haunt several floors of the hotel and its basement. Supposedly, he is the most famous ghost at the hotel and many speculate that he was murdered.

Many guests have also heard voices coming from rooms on the third floor. These voices can be heard conversing from various places, especially Rooms 31, 33, 39A and 39B. Guests on this floor also smell cigarette and cigar smoke in non-smoking rooms.

Other phenomenon commonly observed are ghost lights. Employees have noticed flashing lights in unoccupied rooms. When they go to check the room for any sign of mischief, the room is empty.

At least two of the ghosts are women, have been seen by numerous visitors. The first, a nurse carrying a clipboard, seems more to be a memory than an actual ghost. She roams the halls, pausing at intervals and leaning down, looking at beds that no longer exist and patients long since dead. The other, a woman in white, has been identified as a woman who died in childbirth. Neither she nor her baby left the hospital halls. According to legend she is distraught over the treatment of her dead child, who was buried in an unmarked grave. According to the locals, she stalks the hotel, searching for her child's final resting place.

We have spent two seperate occasions at this hotel, once in August of 2009, and again in April of 2011and have experienced paranormal activity on both visits which has included loud banging, communication with motion sensors, EVP recordings and ghost orbs. Our first visit in room 38 produced pacing footsteps, whispers of a woman and EVP captures.  Our last visit in room 32 produced two -way communication with remote sensor equipment and intense orb activity. See just one of my many clips below.

Old Bisbee Ghost Tour

I am now just going over my Bisbee footage taped on September 18th, 2011. A lot to go over with the stay at the Copper Queen hotel, but here below is a sniplet from the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour. This tour is worth the price and time (approximately 2 hours) as you learn a lot about the history of the town and all the ghost stories surrounding its past. They take you through a number of buildings and allow the tour to take as many pictures as possible. 

UFO captued in Sedona, AZ - 2009

On Saturday August 15^th, 2009 my husband and I visited Sedona, Arizona.

Approximately 11:45 AM on that sunny day we visited the Bell Rock recreational area to take some pictures. We pulled off at one of the hiking areas and I walked up one of the paths to get a better angle on some of the scenic views so that I could take a few pictures of the striking contrast between the red rocks, and the majestic blue sky.

Below is one of the pictures in a series I had taken. At the time of the shot nothing unusual was in the sky or the view finder of the camera. But upon returning home later that week and reviewing my snapshots, I noticed a flying object. It only presented itself in this one photo.

This photograph was posted to Mufon.com (Mutual UFO Network) with a detailed description. (please use dates above to find the entry) Astonishingly, the same day of my submission a Mufon private investigator contacted me that evening to go over the details of the picture, when it was taken, the camera I used, and other surveying questions they ask to document the event. I offered a digital copy of the photograph at that time, and the investigator stated he would send it off to a lab for analysis.

I was contacted three days later by this same investigator who with enthusiasm, requested aggressively that I should comply in giving him my original SD card where the picture was captured. I declined to send this SD card certified mail to him, nor declined he could swing by my home to pick it up. This was my only evidence of what I had captured on a digital camera, as it was the original. I had fear that I would never see it again, and it would end up in a vault someplace like the Ark of the Covenant in the Indian Jones movie. So, I let the investigation stop.



Enhance this picture below and look dead center in the sky.

The Mel Meter

No investigation is complete without my Mel meter shown below. 

Something I generally find particularly frustrating with these kinds of devices is battery drain with all that they do, you find that half way through an investigation you need to replace your batteries. However, this is not the case with the Mel meter. In fact the Mel Meter will operate for 40 hours continuously without the back light display and about 15 hours or so with the back light on continuously.

In my opinion this device is everything it claims to be and more. It is a must for the novice paranormal investigator.

Google  Mel-8704 for more specific information. But a multiple tool like this gives you more hands free investigating, you know to hold the flashlight, the DVR and the audio device What a win-win.

Simple Ghost Box

Radio Shack 12-587: Hacked on June 30th, 2009 by Steve Hultay.  This Shack Hack Ghost Box is everywhere.  It does not have the “popcorn effect” and has an internal speaker.  The 12-587 is very prone to stopping in mid-sweep but can produce some very good results when sweeping properly.

I modified my radio about 6 months ago and have had great results. I added a larger external speaker to the output. (see below)

The best way to use this tool is to listen live but also run a recording device along side because although you want to document the interaction, the output is so fast in delivery that in real time you do tend to miss a lot pf paranormal communication.

Julia Lowell room - video 3 minutes later

Julia Lowell room - Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee AZ

Copper Queen Hotel - Bisbee, AZ

The Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee Arizona is a haunted establishment. At least from my experiences.

Although I am combining both stories in this post, I regard this as a good opportunity to show my growth in investigating. Why? Because capturing evidence is key and none of that happened upon my first visit.

Let's start here though ….

On our first visit to the Copper Queen Hotel in August of 2008 we stayed in the The J.A. Jance Room room. It is a beautiful room located on the second floor, and one step away from the swimming pool. In the mid-1970's they decided that a pool would be a benefit to the hotel and it was installed where the original parking lot had been located.. What’s unusual about the location of the pool is that you’re at ground level, but on the second floor of the hotel. So, this room was the last room in the hallway leading to this pool, and if you looked out this room's only high over the bed window, you viewed the swimmers. Anyway, once we arrived and set down our luggage, activity in the room began to occur.

Within 20 minutes we (husband and I) had smelled a foul odor pass through the room. The hotel's claim is that guests occasionally see an older gentleman, tall with long hair and a beard, wearing a black cape and a top hat. Some claim they smell the aroma of a good cigar either before or after seeing him. The odor we witnessed was no cigar. Instead we smelled decay. It passed through our room swiftly but as it traveled, so did the sound of our EMF readers as they began to alarm. We were caught off guard.

Later that evening we had a fine dining experience in the hotels restaurant. We were even approached by the owner of the hotel when he checked in with us to see how we liked the wine. His wine, made at a local winery he owned. We talked with him about the hotels history, the ghost stories, etc. and he was gracious enough that evening to even offer us his own personal ghost tour within the hotel. It lasted about an hour, and some of the other guests who saw us move through the hallways even tagged along.

Later that evening we experienced one more paranormal event at 4:30 AM, as our EMF reader again alarmed. But caught nothing on video and nothing on audio.

Our next visit to the hotel was September 2011. We stayed in the The Julia Lowell Room, featured on Ghost Hunters and named after one of the resident ghosts, a former “Lady of the Evening”, The story goes that she was a lady of the evening on Brewery Gulch and used this room in the hotel for her clients. She supposedly fell madly in love with one of the gentlemen and upon telling him, he no longer wanted anything to do with her. She then took her own life at the hotel.

In the three years I have been investigating since the first visit to this hotel, I had acquired quite the arsenal of paranormal equipment. From KII meters, MEL meters, night vision DVR's, Zoom audio equipment, and even ghost boxes. You name it I have it. But the stay at this hotel proved that the simplest of gadgetry was the one that the entity in this room preferred. A flashlight.

Approximately 10:30 PM we returned to our hotel room from the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour, which I may add is worth the walk. Once in the room, digital and audio equipment was set up with recorders focused mostly at the foot of the bed where Julia has been know to move the blankets to tickle a mans foot. This room is rectangle in nature with a loveseat at one end. Here we placed a digital recorder and a flashlight situated in such a way that it could easily go on or off because it was twisted to almost the on position. We also placed equipment on the dresser with a flashlight in the same state.

Approximately 15 minutes went by with no activity from any source until we started to solicit a response. Our very first question was to ask Julia or any potential entity in the room if they were in deed in our presence and if so could they turn the flashlight on that sat on the loveseat. Within seconds, the flashlight lit up. With over 2 hours of questioning were able to solicit yes/no responses not only from the flashlight on the couch, but also from the one on the dresser. We would ask the answers to our questioning come from whatever flashlight we had chosen and then the responses would only come from that particular flashlight. We witnessed the entity flash multiple times in rapid succession if requested. When we pulled out the ghost box for use, the flashlights stopped. Julia would have nothing to do with it and once we asked her in a yes /no fashion if the ghost box devise should be put away the response was yes multiple times. At one point my husband stated, “ I do not know what else to ask” because of the amount of responses we received.

Around 2AM in the morning we decided to go to bed. Flashlights still in place and also motion detection equipment in play. For the rest of the night, Julia must have been pacing because motion detection lighting would turn on from one side of the room to the other in a pacing motion and even light up the sensor in the bathroom where we told her she could handle my jewelry. What is interesting is that once we stopped talking with her, the flashlights would not light up again and we were careful not to handle them.

As of this post I still have approximately 20 hours of video to view and about 30 hours of audio to listen to. But, what I have reviewed thus far are 2 videos clips from one DVR, spaced 4 minutes apart that show clearly the blankets being pushed off my husbands legs, and then only to be straightened out minutes later. Remember, Julia Lowell loves to play with a mans foot.

The hotel has a Ghost journal at the front desk. They are actually on book two now for entry’s. If you visit the hotel, go to book two and look for the date 9/18/2011. Here you will see my paranormal experience in full detail.

And so it begins ......

The defintion of my blog: 

"In religions worldwide, any of various evil or maybe not so evil spirits that mediate between the supernatural and human realms. The term comes from the Greek word daimon, a divine or semidivine power that determined a person's fate.  In Judaism it was believed that demons inhabited desert wastes, ruins, and graves and inflicted physical and spiritual disorders on humankind. Christianity placed Satan or Beelzebub at the head of the ranks of demons, and Islam designated Iblis or Satan as the leader of a host of evil jinn. Hinduism has many demons, called asuras, who oppose the devas (gods). In Buddhism demons are seen as tempters who prevent the achievement of nirvana."

So with that said, you kind of get the idea in what my blog will be all about. 

Yes, I like the paranormal.