Happy Halloween - In search of Ghosts

My watch showed me that it was nearly midnight, but I really did not need the timepiece to alert me to such an hour.

I had been wandering here and there, albeit carefully, through the deep clean sands of the Mojave River bed just northeast of the town of Daggett.

Nothing but lonely sands in the riverbed

In search of the spectral Hatchet Lady of Newberry Springs.

I was in search of one of the most terrifying hauntings in the High Desert, according to a news article in the Victorville Daily Press dated October 26, 2010.

In fact, the article entitled, ‘High Desert’s Most Haunted Places,’ describes this ghostly apparition’s path listed as the ninth most haunted place around. 

‘Newberry Springs. Legend has it that the “hatchet lady” roams the Mojave River bottom at night.’

That sounded rather sinister, and thus the reason I was traipsing through the ankle deep sand in search of this specter recently.

That is what I do for a weekly column, especially for the month of October.

This ghostly apparition is not a very nice ghost. According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘The Hatchet Lady caught her husband cheating, and in a fit of rage she lopped off his head with a hatchet, and then committed a gory suicide in the same swing of her arm.’

Seems a little extreme to ‘lop’ off someone’s head when caught cheating while playing poker. But perhaps it wasn’t a card game.

Now, this demented and thwarted woman patrols the Mojave River bed looking for her next victim between Minneola Road and Harvard Road in Newberry Springs.

Dirt trails, possibly leading to the Hatchet Lady

Rumor has it she shrieks in the air like a banshee. Though I have never heard a banshee but just the name sends shivers up and down my arms.

There is quite a distance in miles between both roads and after walking and stumbling through the near total darkness for an hour, while yelling out for the Hatchet Lady, I was tired.

“Hey, Hatchet Lady,” I yelled, while nearly tripping over a rather large abandoned truck tire. “I’ve got a deadline here, show yourself.”

Suddenly, out of the darkness near a tall other-worldly looking tamarisk flew one of the largest owls I had ever witnessed.

I was glad to have worn Depends this particular evening. I did not shout my presence again.

Another hour later, I was really tired and made my way back to my truck parked along Minneola Road. 

Perhaps the hatchet swinging damsel had set hours and I had merely missed them.

The following day I ended up at the Barn along Route 66 in Newberry Springs. I knew I would find the truth about the Hatchet Lady from the patrons there. If not, a cold adult libation would certainly find its way in front of me.

Wes, a local, was wetting his whistle. “Nope, never heard of her and I’ve lived here over ten years.”

Renee, the owner of the bar, shook her head. “Sounds scary, but I’ve had the place over at Lake Jodie for decades and nada.”

Joel, the maintenance manager for the Barn also shook his head. “That’s interesting, I’ve lived here for five years and haven’t heard of her.”

I took out my phone, found four different websites about the Hatchet Lady and showed it around the bar.

Blank faces stared back at me.

“But you know, this place is haunted,” Joel stated.

Huh?

Turns out that both Joel and Renee have felt and seen strange happenings at the establishment.

“I was working one night after the place closed,” Joel started, “when suddenly I heard the men’s bathroom door slam shut.”

“Okay,” I replied. “Doors slam shut.”

He then walked me over to the bathroom door and pointed at a large cinder block holding the door open.

“We leave it open using that,” he said. “When I came over that night, the block was over there.”

He pointed to a spot across the hall at least eight feet away.

“Interesting,” I replied.

He then filled me in on other strange occurrences that had been going on at the Barn.

“The kitchen light came on and when I checked on it, the switch was in the off position. I checked the wires and they were correct. I turned it off and while walking away the light went back on, but the switch was still turned off.”

Ghostly happenings at the Barn in Newberry Springs

Renee happened by the two of us. “One time I was sitting listening to a band, taking a break from the bar when I felt a hand on my shoulder that gave me a squeeze. I thought it was a patron wanting my attention but when I turned around there was no one there.”

“As I was laying some new flooring behind the bar after closing hours,” Joel added, “I heard the freezer door open and then slam shut. Then footsteps walked from the kitchen, across the dining area and disappeared into the rear of the building. I was alone at the time.”

“What did you do then?” I asked.

“Went home.” Joel replied.

I asked Renee who the spirit - a great term to use in a bar, maybe.

“I’m not sure, but I do not believe it means any harm,” Renee responded. “Sort of like it is keeping an eye on the place.”

Sometimes when investigating a locale or event nothing happens - a big fat zero, like I found out with the river bed wandering banshee who hefts a mighty hatchet.

Though, I did sort of wonder how a person could cut off her cheating husband’s head and then cleanly decapitate themselves with one swing.

Perhaps Hatchet Lady should have saved that swing for the majors?

“You know, John,” Renee stated. “Lake Jodie is haunted.”

Joel, who also lives at Lake Jodie piped up. “There have been times when I see shadow people by the lakeside, and when they see me looking they disappear.”

A shadow person, per paranormal sources, is a shadowy figure or black mass resembling a humanoid figure. Often they are interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity by believers in the paranormal or supernatural realm.

Lake Jodie, where shadow people are often seen

My interpretation is, these black blobs walk around scaring people without uttering a word - like watching an IRS agent sitting behind their desk and staring at you during an audit.

Both would be equally frightening. 

“I’ve heard footsteps on the exterior steps and then something walking to the water’s edge, but there is nothing there,” Joel continued. “I actually had someone grab my left shoulder one evening while I was sitting on the steps outback, as though using me for leverage to make it down the stairs.”

Footsteps can be heard but no one is there

As Joel is telling me this tale, I noticed large goosebumps on both of his arms. He pointed at them, “See, I hate even thinking about the shadow people and other things I’ve witnessed out there.”

At that point I knew I had to contact the ghostbusters team of Cody Dare and Shawn Warren of The New Reality Paranormal investigative team.

Arrangements were made to meet at one of the houses at Lake Jodie (in all transparency - Lake Jodie is a gated community and no address will be supplied in this column) at a certain date and time.

Like many things in life, other duties turned up and I was not able to be there while Cody and Shawn did their paranormal activity. I believe I had a mani-pedi scheduled instead.

Cody got back to me. “Dude, there is a lot going on there. The place was lighting up like crazy.”

That’s paranormal lingo for, “Wow, Dude, the place was lighting up like crazy.”

“This place has all kinds of different energies just wanting to be heard. They actually want to talk to you.”

Why me, I wondered.

Shawn punched into the conversation. “There is a little girl there who is very prominent. It’s very heartbreaking to know she’s still there.”

Both these professionals know I am a skeptic, but not about their work. They have investigated dozens of places with supposed paranormal activity and have told me things that neither they nor I can explain.

And, that is paranormal, folks.

Though I didn’t locate Hatchet Lady, probably better for my noggin, I did learn that many people in the Newberry Springs area have experienced things there are no seemingly logical explanations for.

And who doesn’t like a bit of mystery or goose bumps in their life?

 Happy Halloween!

Daggett - Worth a visit

 

Original Blacksmith shop in Daggett, Ca

According to Mark Staggs, President of the Daggett Community Service District, the small town of Daggett has big plans.

“We have big plans,” Staggs stated.

I have always had a soft spot for this little berg, ten miles east of Barstow on Interstate 40. I used the town of Daggett for one of my novels, Operation Scorpion. I spent some time there, doing research for the fictional piece, and met some really nice folks. 

But, since the publication, I haven’t been back. Sure, I drive by quite often, on my way to here and there along the interstate, but I rarely stop.

So, when I heard Staggs was giving a historical tour of the town, I knew it was time to revisit and learn more about the history of the town.

Staggs is a nice guy – truly nice. He immediately made our little group of tourists feel right at home. He is one of those fellas who likes to tell a joke, while being serious about the history of the town he truly loves.

“The history of Daggett isn’t known by a lot of tourists, but we are in the works to change that,” he shared.

Those are the big plans Staggs had mentioned earlier while conducting a fascinating tour of the Daggett Museum.

Old downtown of Daggett

For many, Daggett is not known at all. A dot on a map between Barstow and Needles along the black ribbon of a busy interstate. But back in 1939, with the publication of John Steinbeck’s novel, Grapes of Wrath, the small town got a mention. When the Joad family, from Oklahoma, drove through the inspection station just east of town, those refugees from the Dust Bowl had officially arrived in California.

According to the Daggett Historical Society, the town was founded in the 1860s, but did not become known as Daggett until 1883. At this time, the mines were running full steam in the nearby Calico Hills. The residents realized having the mining town of Calico near Calico Junction may be a bit confusing – so, the folks decided that the name Daggett may fit the bill, using the last name of then Lieutenant Governor of California, John Daggett. 

It is rumored, and don’t we all love rumors, that the Lieutenant Governor had visited Daggett at some time. 

Well, here’s something of note about Daggett which isn’t a rumor. Helen Muir, the daughter of the famous naturalist, John Muir, resided in Daggett. She was instrumental in assisting her father with his writings and correspondence, but being in poor health, the family moved her from northern California to the warmer climate of Daggett. 

Other visitors to Daggett during its heyday included Walter E. Scott – better known as Death Valley Scotty, Francis Marion Smith – better known as the Borax King, Tom Mix – better known as Silver Screen Cowboy, and Wyatt Earp – better known as ‘I get around the West a lot.’

There is a lot of history in this town.

One of the original water towers

After the museum tour, Staggs offered a hands-on tour of the area.

Actually, it wasn’t exactly hands-on, but more of a drive-by and get out of your vehicle sort of visit to the numerous historical sites in and around Daggett.

According to Staggs, there were quite a few indigenous peoples who had lived in the area, long before the settlers arrived looking for rich minerals or good lands for farming and grazing.

“People have been living here for thousands of years,” he stated. “In fact, the Vanyume, or Desert Serrano were some of the Native Americans first encountered by the Catholic missionaries in the late eighteenth century.”

As to point this out, Staggs had us drive approximately a mile or so to the north of Daggett, where, behind a tall chain link fence, was a huge pile of dark colored rock. Upon those rocks were dozens of petroglyphs. 

“We’re not really sure who created these glyphs, but we know they are hundreds of years old.” 

“I know they’re at least older than nineteen-forty-seven,” I replied. “Some local carved his name and date on one of the rocks.”

Staggs nodded. “And, thus the reason for the fencing.”

The town of Daggett kept growing as more and more silver was being mined out of the ground in Calico. The ore was shipped to Daggett, where it awaited a mill with ten heavy stamps, ready to start breaking up the ore and releasing the precious metals.

In fact, there was so much ore being ground up in Daggett that property values started rapidly increasing. So, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) railway were contemplating a location to build a heavy rail yard, the company decided on a small place named Barstow, since the land in Daggett was too expensive.

Daggett continued to prosper and became a populated and happening town. At its peak in the late 1890s, it had three stores, two restaurants, three saloons, three hotels, a lumberyard, and many other establishments which would interest miners, visitors and locals.

I followed Staggs to where remains of the Columbia stamp mill can still be seen. A large structure, nestled next to a hill, and when looking northeast, the viewer can easily see the ghost town of Calico.

“They used wagons pulled by mules to bring the ore from Calico to here for crushing,” Staggs explained.

Original wagon used in the early days in Daggett

It could take sometimes two days to reach Daggett for milling, depending the amount of ore being towed in the wagons behind the mules. That's a long time for a mere seven miles.

“Let’s speed up, Roger,” one drover may have been heard yelling at his partner on another ore wagon.

“We’re going as fast as we can,” Roger may have replied. “Ole, Bessy is moseying at her top speed.”

As it usually occurs with mining camps, the silver or gold ore eventually runs out. This was the case for Calico – once a rich and rowdy mining camp, it soon turned into a deserted dwelling. And in the late 1890s, the population of Calico dwindled until it became a ghost town.

But one of the by-products which was found while mining in Calico was the substance, Borax.

Turns out, Borax had many uses which made being human even more enjoyable. It can be used in toothpaste and as a laundry additive. It can be used for acne cure, skin creams, and lotions. It can be used for paints and ceramic glaze. But, most importantly, it can be used for making slime for kids.

This product was a wonder find.

So, in 1891, Francis Marion Smith – the Borax King - moved to Daggett from Death Valley and installed mining operations at the Borate mine, a few miles east of Calico. It was such a successful venture that in 1898, the Borate and Daggett Railroad was built to move the Borax to Daggett, which was easier and cheaper than the twenty mule team wagons which were being used.

Unfortunately, in 1911, richer Borax finds were located back in Death Valley, and the Borax King left.

The population and economy of Daggett soon decreased through the years, to its present day figure of two hundred citizens.

Lawrence Vintus, a member of the Daggett Historical Society and employee of the Community Services District, believes there is a rebound coming for the town in which he was born and raised.

This is a pretty ambitious belief for a young man who graduated high school in 2020. His love of Daggett is evident in every word he uses when discussing his hometown.

“We’re going to make this town a tourist destination,” Vintus announced, while showing the tour group around Alf’s blacksmith shop, built in the late 1800s. His family has owned the property, where the shop is located, for decades – a lot of decades.

Some of the treasures inside the blacksmith shop

As I walked through the tall dusty wooden doors into the interior of the blacksmith shop, I felt as if I had just walked back in time. Tools, from the late 1890s were lined up everywhere around the shop. It was though the blacksmith had just left for an afternoon break.

“This is how my grandfather left it for us,” Vintus said. “Now we want to share it with everyone.”

Staggs nodded. “Mugwumps is being renovated as a visitor’s center, with a restaurant, gift shop, and a place tourists can visit to understand the importance Daggett.”

Standing there, in the blacksmith’s shop, looking at these two men, it was hard to imagine they would fail at their dream of making Daggett a must go place to see. 

When I wrote my novel, I used Daggett as a place for the protagonist. There was a reason he had to go there. There was a reason I had to write about it. And, now it is a place for all with a love of history should venture to.

Expect the Unexpected...

There are times when we may want to go out and simply stare up into the skies -- to regenerate, and marvel at the heavens. The universe is a pretty big place, but looking skyward from a city is sometimes a little disheartening. Too many city lights often block out the millions of stars staring back at us.

There's lots of action going on up there

A dark sky locale is generally called for. No distractions from artificial lights -  just out there in the peace and quiet of the night. Oh, and did I mention really dark?

Such a place is Pisgah Crater. 

 

Pisgah Crater is located in the Basin and Range Province, in the Lavic Lake volcanic field – which means, there’s a lot of ancient lava flows covering the desert floor near the crater. These flows span for many square miles, and in fact, can be easily seen from Interstate 40 or historic Route 66, at about the halfway point between the city of Needles (hometown of Spike, cousin of Snoopy), and Victorville, California, not far from where we make our home. 

Pisgah crater - viewed from the north 

Geologists believe Pisgah may have last erupted somewhere between 20,000 to 50,000 years ago, but there are disagreements about the exact date, even among the experts. Some argue that it may have erupted as little as 2,000 years ago. But, since the Amboy Crater, 54 miles to the east of Pisgah, last erupted about 18,000 years ago, it would make sense that Pisgah probably emptied its magma holdings around the same time. It’s much like how one earthquake can trigger a nearby fault causing a neighboring quake – one close volcanic eruption, can begin another volcanic eruption.

The Pisgah cone once stood at 2,638 feet, but now measures 93 feet shorter, at 2,545 feet. This reduction in height was caused in part by some natural weathering, but also by the impact of mining. It is privately owned by the Can-Cal Resources Limited, a Canadian company which mined the crater for railroad ballast for the Santa Fe Railroad. It appears that mining has not occurred for a few years from the lack of any structures or mining equipment on site.

Though it is private property, easy access proves a boon to many colleges and universities for weekend geology classes. Also, it seems the area has been used in films, music videos, commercials and much more.

The point being: when traveling, always expect the unexpected. 

Approaching the almost totally black volcanic cone one late afternoon, I noticed a number of semi-trucks and trailers parked on a large flat section on the west side of the cone. Suddenly, a helicopter buzzed above and made a daring swoop to the ground and then simply posed in mid-air. Hanging like a hummingbird looking for a feeder.

Why are these trailers on 'my' crater?

“What is going on?” I asked.

Truly, what is going on here?

“A helicopter is hovering,” Paul Bakas replied, my old friend who travels with me when my lovely spouse, Laureen, can’t make the trip. “Now, I think it’s backing up.”

The pilot was outstanding - swooping here and there - feet above the crowds

As we drove up the winding road to the flat surface of Pisgah, we knew instantly that this night was not going to be one of the dark nights, so desired for stargazing.

On the west side of the crater, dozens and dozens of people were milling around, dressed perhaps as aliens, or natives from another time. Skin colored body suits with black stripes over their arms and faces. Some wore outlandishly colored masks.

One woman we met named Lola, informed us she was an extra in a Latin rock video and her job was to walk toward the band as they were playing near the precipice of the volcano. As if the extras were being drawn to the sound like magic.

That sounded very musicesque (I made that term up). The band was there, performing on stage, but no music could be heard. Perhaps, a huge helicopter swooping here and there over the set filming, may have been the reason.

When asked the name of the band, Lola simply replied “I don’t know,” as she walked away in her body suit and painted face, towards the other extras.

Lola - the photo was posed - those actors!

Paul wandered around. He tried asking a limo driver, a food truck owner, anyone who could find, if they knew the band’s name.

“All I got was a Latin rock band,” he told me. “Weird, I asked twelve people.”

“A non-disclosure agreement for everyone?” I asked.

“I’m not a lawyer,” he responded. “But I think you just made that up.”

We watched, after setting up camp, as the actors marched down the hill toward the band and then back up the hill for another take.

Well, not only was the music blacked out, but so was the sky from the stage lighting. Not what we expected for a dark sky night looking at stars. But sitting in camping chairs and watching the action was pretty entertaining.

Always have a plan ‘B’, when plan ‘A’ doesn’t work out. No star gazing perhaps, but the next morning, hiking around the crater proved to be an almost surreal experience. Black sand beneath our boots seemed as though we were walking on another planet.

When time allows, send home a message to a loved one - that would be Laureen

Lava tubes opened up in front of us to be explored (note of caution though, these ancient tunnels where lava once flowed can be dangerous – extreme attention must be stressed).

Lava tubes, deep and long - caution is desired for falling rocks

Pisgah crater is a place to be visited – it’s even a great area to fly a kite. I did, why not?

Go fly a kite! Really, just fly a kite - it's fun.

The Real Bagdad Café

In the late nineteen eighties, Newberry Springs (a small town in the Mojave Desert in Southern California) was the scene for a meeting of the minds, between Hollywood and a German film crew. They met to discuss the filming of a rather eccentric movie, the Bagdad Café.

A must see film!

One problem though, there was no Bagdad Café in Newberry Springs.

No worries - we didn't either, at the time.

There once was a town of Bagdad, with a cafe, about fifty miles east of Newberry Springs. But when Interstate 40 made Route 66 seem like an afterthought, the town, like the desert sands, just blew away. Not enough business to maintain its lifeblood, it just stopped breathing.

There’s nothing left today to prove Bagdad once truly existed, but a beautiful tree with a plaque that reads - This tree is the last fragile remnant of the town of Bagdad. Please help us protect it by leaving it undisturbed. Thank You!

A beautiful reminder of once was - before progress came to town

Hollywood, with the German screenwriters and director, didn’t let those facts stop them. They just renamed the Sidewinder Café in Newberry Springs to, yes, wait for it – the Bagdad Café. And that is the magic of Hollywood.

We don’t need no stinking reality – we’ll just make up our own.

So, on a Sunday morning, we decided to take the short drive to Newberry Springs and check out the Bagdad Café. After the release of the film in 1987 in Europe, and in 1988 in the United States, the name of the Sidewinder Café was eventually changed to the Bagdad Café in 1995.

 A sound marketing tool, to incorporate the name of a film which used the restaurant for its focal point. The film, starring the likes of C.C.H Pounder, Jack Palance, Christine Kauffman, and German actress, Marianne Sagebrecht, won 6 foreign film awards, including Best Foreign Film at the 23rd Guldbagge Awards in 1988. In 1988, the film won an Oscar for Best Music, Original song by Bob Telson, Calling You.

Heck, even Hollywood came out with a television series, Bagdad Café in 1990, starring James Gammon, Whoopi Goldberg, Cleavon Little, and Jean Stapleton. After two seasons it went bust. A good film, not so good a series, perhaps – it happens.

Sorry, Ladies - a short but good try.

“This will be great,” I told Laureen, as we took the eastbound Newberry Springs exit from the 40 and drove onto Route 66.

“It’s an old café,” she replied.

“It’s historic. A place where two cultures, Germans and Americans met and created something special. I call it, where Hollywood and Berliwood shook hands.”

“Berliwood?”

“You know, Berlin.” I nodded. “Yeah, like Bollywood, but from a German perspective.”

“That makes sense,” Laureen mused. But, I don’t think she bought my conjecture on the topic.

We pulled in front of the red painted building with brown wood shingles on the roof. Laureen was right, it was old and bit worse for wear.

“Look at that,” I said, while pointing to a large black and white tour bus. There in front of us were dozens of people taking selfies by the entrance to the Bagdad Café and others just walking around looking this iconic building up and down.

“French,” I announced excitedly. “They’re French tourists.”

Laureen nodded in agreement. “Did you get that from the French they are all speaking?”

“Dead giveaway,” I returned.

The restaurant is open daily from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and according to the owner, Andrea Pruett (she goes by André), “We get so many tourists, and it is really crowded sometimes. You know, we are the most visited café in the world.”

I wasn’t sure that was accurate, but in deference to the owner, I remained mute on the topic. Though, this café must be the most visited in the area.

Entering through the single door of the café, we were taken aback by the hundreds, if not thousands of flags hanging from the ceiling. It seemed every country on earth was represented inside the Bagdad Café.

Can you count the flags - we couldn't

“See what I mean?” André stated. “Most tourists are French; they loved the movie. But there are flags from Germany, Spain, and pretty much everywhere.”

I asked André, how many tourist buses stop by. “Oh, I don’t know – probably five or six per week. Most of the time, they just stop, take photographs and leave. They don’t spend a lot of money here. But we do have good food.”

André has owned the small local tourist attraction for 23 years, moving from Canoga Park to Newberry Springs with her husband. “It was quite a culture shock,” stated the petite woman. “The people called me, Hollywood, because I came from the Los Angeles area. My husband told me to enjoy the quite of Newberry Springs where I could just write. He’d run the restaurant, and my job was simply to come in once per day to collect the money.”

Seemed reasonable. The problem was, according to André, “There never was much to collect each day. It’s gotten better though, with the tourists – still wish they’d spend more.”

We had lunch and visited with André, between her greeting the numerous tourists. She was correct on both counts – the food was tasty and there were a lot of people stopping by the historic site.

Laureen, waiting for our lunch at the Bagdad Cafe'

This place, this Bagdad Café, is a must to see for any film buff. Not just the history of the building, but the impact it made in the cinema world joining the realms of cult classics. A place most have never hear of, but which made it into the stratosphere of filmology (yes, it is real – the study of film making – taken from, filmologie – and of course, it’s French!). So take a short byway off the road most traveled and find yourself something of international intrigue, on Route 66.