The hauntings of the Captains Anchorage, Big Bear

 On a recent Saturday, I asked Laureen is she had any specific plans for the day.

She knew what that meant.

“A road trip?” she responded.

And, within forty minutes we were on our way to Big Bear, in the San Bernardino Mountains. It is one of our favorite haunts.

Haunts – I like that, since it is October. That spooky time of year.

 Big Bear – there is Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake, for those who haven’t travelled Highway 18 to either of those locales. Traveling this road is to witness tall glorious pine trees, a blue lake, hiking trails, off-road trails, eating and shopping in the Village, and so much more.

We love the Big Bear area.

“I love the Big Bear area,” I stated.

“I know,” Laureen responded. “Where are we going to lunch?”

I knew the right spot. A place that is internationally known as a very haunted and goose bumpily place. The Captains Anchorage.

“We haven’t been there in a dozen years,” Laureen stated.

“And the spirits are angry about that,” I said. “The tip you left last time was rather vacuous.”

Laureen ignored that.

Driving by the Mitsubishi cement plant, south of the town of Lucerne Valley on Highway 18, always reminds me of a space colony. Huge round storage buildings with conveyer belts going this way and that way has an out of this world appearance.

“Doesn’t it look like space aliens have captured humans and sent them to work in their factory?” I asked Laureen as we drove by the place.

She shook her head. “Looks like a cement factory.”

“Human, we do not enjoy your remarks – to the mines with you.” I stated.

Laureen ignored me again. 

As we swung around Baldwin Lake, we had some time to kill before the restaurant would be open, and decided to take the scenic route through Holcomb Valley. Actually, I had intended on the drive to snap a photograph of the ‘hanging tree’ in the area where the old mining town of Belleville once stood.

I wrote a column on Holcomb Valley for the Daily Press Newspaper, back in June of 2020, but I won’t go into any detail about that trip now. I don’t like repeating myself – unless it is to our children, and I can go on and on and on about the same subject for weeks.

Since Belleville, like many mining camps, could be a violent place – there had to be some place to punish those who thought killing one another was a perfectly fine way in dealing with personal disputes. 

It was the Wild West, after-all.

So, the townsfolk found a nice big and tall Juniper tree to string up the really bad hombres. Is the tree haunted? Don’t know and never asked – but with its outstretched tree limbs and prominent location in the valley, it could be.

The hanging tree in Holcomb Valley

“Almost lunch time,” I said to Laureen.

As we headed out of the valley, we came across a tree that made the hanging tree look downright tame.

Spooky no-name tree Holcomb Valley

There in the middle of a clearing, we were staring at an apparition that film director, Tim Burton would find alluring.

Gnarled leafless branches tweaked in such a way, it appeared as if it was alive and trying to reach and grab any unsuspecting person sauntering by. Not a stich of green on it – only the tall barren trunk hunkered down in the soil. 

“That looks as if it’s haunted?” Laureen asked.

“I’ll come back, and pick you up in the morning – let me know about your research.”

We headed out for lunch at that time.

The Captain’s Anchorage, is located in Big Bear Lake, and has been a landmark for the city since 1947, when the owner, Andy Devine opened it. The famous actor turned restaurateur, wanted something special to entertain his Hollywood friends, and thus the restaurant and bar became the center point not only for the locals, but many other famous actors. Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Jimmy Stewart, and many more made the long drive from Los Angeles to the mountain community of Big Bear Lake to partake in the extensive menu offerings.

Captains Anchorage, Big Bear

The original name of the place was the Sportsman’s Tavern, and remained that way until 1972, when it was renamed The Captains Anchorage by Woodrow and Charlotte Meier, who had purchased the restaurant from Devine in 1966.

It is a beautiful building full of character and grace – and it is haunted.

As we entered the business, I walked over to the dark wood bar, located in the Andy Devine Room, and snapped some photographs. That’s what I do – don’t look at the menu first – just snap some shots. Perhaps there will be an orb floating somewhere in the photograph when I download it later.

Andy Devine, film star and past owner 

“Have you come to see George?” Natalie asked from behind the bar. Natalie has worked at the Captains Anchorage a long time, and knows a bit about the history.

“George is our local ghost,” she stated. “He likes to hang around the bar, causing some mischief now and then, but doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“You’re a believer then?” I asked.

“I don’t belong to a cult, if that’s what you are asking?”

“No, not that kind of a believer,” I replied. “Have you had any interaction with George?”

Natalie nodded. “Once in a while a light will turn on when no one is here but me, or the glass washer will suddenly light up. Those kinds of things.”

Laureen was standing to the right of the bar, near the kitchen entrance, and I saw a peculiar look on her face.

“You feeling something?”

“Yes, there’s something here between the bar and the fireplace,” she responded. “It’s like someone being anxious. As they are troubled by something – I really can feel the emotions.”

Laureen is so much more sensitive than me, when it comes to practically anything – except those sad mistreated dog commercials – they tear me up. A box of tissues, please.

“Did you feel anything?” she asked me.

I nodded. “Yes, I feel the bar is calling me over for a cold one.”

According to Patti Scriven, the current owner and daughter of the Meier’s, George was Andy Devine’s ‘bookkeeper’. During the time period that Devine was the owner, there was lots and lots of rumors of illegal gambling going on at the Sportsman’s Tavern. In fact, upstairs are small booths which are original to the design of the restaurant, that look like the perfect size for a slot machine placement. Poker games, roulette, and possibly betting on horse races, may have taken place in the establishment.

John R Beyer with owner, Patti Scriven

Was George just a bookkeeper or perhaps a bookie also?

Upstairs dining booth where illegal gambling may have occurred 

“Rumor has it that George may have been embezzling profits from the illegal gambling,” stated Patti. “He may had been afraid of getting caught and committed suicide at his house, not far from here."

“Then why would he haunt this place?” Laureen asked.

“We have had numerous of those paranormal investigators out here, and they all say the same thing, he was the most happy here at the restaurant,” Patti replied.

“It is a very nice place to haunt,” I stated. 

Some research I conducted, showed George may have also been killed by some angry gamblers or those who caught him skimming money off the top of the receipts.

Either suicide or murder makes for a possible haunting.

It seems as though George does truly like haunting the restaurant, its patrons and staff. He, according to Patti, has never caused any harm to anyone personally.

“There’s been some liquor bottles shattering behind the bar when no one was present, some tromping of heavy footsteps up and down the stairs, blowing out some candles, and the like. Pretty harmless – more like pranks.”

The bar where ghosts like to frequent

Shattering an expensive bottle of spirits is not a prank. That would be a felony in any ghostly realm.

“Listen, Mr. Ghost man – I don’t care if it was a prank – that was an expensive bottle of Dalmore sixty-two, there you decided to shatter. Who is going to pay for it?”

Patti entertained us with more tales of the mischievous George, but stated she had never had a true other-worldly experience with the ghost from the Captains Anchorage.

“I wish Rita were here,” Patti stated. “She really has had some recent experiences with George.”

“Please, go on,” I asked.

“Well, recently Rita was near the kitchen when she suddenly saw a dark shadow sweep right beside Hugo, our chef, who was busy cooking. She was scared to death and screamed. When I asked Hugo if he saw or felt anything, he replied just before Rita screamed, he had felt a presence swoosh by him, almost touching him. But, there was nothing there when he glanced around.”

Haunted omelets anyone?

“Yes, Rita won’t even go upstairs to get a bottle of wine,” Patti said. “I tease her that a customer wants a certain vintage and will she go up and get it, she just tells me no.”

“I don’t blame her,” Laureen stated.

“Neither do I,” Pattie stated. “I just like to tease her that way.”

Is the Captains Anchorage haunted? I don’t know, but I do know they have great food and a greater tale for their customers.

Shhhhhhhh......

Good Times in Laughlin, Nevada

John R Beyer and Don Laughlin welcomes visitors

In 1964, Don Laughlin flew in a small plane over the Colorado River near the area where the Nevada, Arizona, and California borders met.

He liked what he saw.

“Hey,” Laughlin may have suggested, “let’s skim across the blue waters of the river and scare the heck out of those fishermen in their boats.”

The other passengers in the plane laughed. It was a great idea, and what fun that would be.

“We’ll buzz ‘em really good,” he said. “Maybe somebody can throw an apple at them as we fly by.”

No apples went flying out of the low flying plane that day, but a high-flying idea did get stuck in Laughlin’s mind.

Being a very successful business owner from Las Vegas, Laughlin saw great potential for a new venture along the coastline of the Colorado River.

A gambling mecca.

Laughlin gambling mecca all lit up

But let’s step back in time a bit. South Pointe was a small town located near the most southern tip of the state of Nevada developed in the 1940s. There was not much there. A motel, bar, and a whole lot of brown desert sitting astride the crystal-clear blue waters of the mighty Colorado River.

It was the location where many miners working the nearby gold and silver mines would meet up on Saturday nights for a really good time.

“Whatcha going to do with all that gold you done found?” one miner probably asked another miner. 

“Well, heck,” the miner replied. “I’m a gonna go to South Pointe and spend it all in the bar.”

“Fine idee, I’ll be joining you.”

During the 1940s, hordes of construction workers started building the Davis Dam, just north of present-day Bullhead City, and stayed in a locale called Davis Camp – which is still present and used as a campground for river lovers.

On their time off, which there was not much of, they too wandered into South Pointe for some adult entertainment.

The tiny berg prospered.

But in 1951, the dam was completed, and the construction workers left. Rumor has it that many of the miners who had frequented South Pointe also stopped going to the bar since their spouses decided saving the gold and silver nuggets was wiser than drinking the family profits.

As dedicated as I am as a researcher, I could not locate any solid evidence to back up my assumption why the miners stopped frequenting South Pointe.

The town, like a dried-up Joshua Tree, started to just languish in the desert sun.

And that is when Don Laughlin flew his famous jaunt over Lake Mohave, the reservoir which Davis Dam created, and down along the Colorado River over South Pointe.

He purchased the land, built the Riverside Resort motel and casino, and business was once again booming. Though the resort only had twelve slot machines and two live gaming tables, life was once more breathing in this southern section of Nevada.

The casino and hotel Don Laughlin built

A post office was soon needed due to the number of employees and guest arriving. At first, Laughlin wanted the town to be known as Riverside and Casino.

The postmaster shook his head. “Nope, let’s call it Laughlin. That is a good Irish name.”

And since the postmaster was also Irish, both men agreed to the new name of the town.

“That would be a fine name, me laddie,” Laughlin may have said to the postmaster.

A bit of Irish history here – I did do research on this.

The family name Laughlin was first used in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland in the thirteenth century.

So, South Pointe officially became Laughlin, Nevada in 1964.

And soon, other casinos opened. The Bobcat Club, which is where the current Golden Nugget is currently located, and the Monte Carlo soon followed in 1968.

People who loved to fish, water ski, boat, or just enjoyed sitting beside sandy beaches or hotel pools in the sun found Laughlin the place to be.

“You know,” one guest was overheard saying in 1972, “I love the fact, I can fish in the early morning, water ski in the afternoon, eat at inexpensive buffets, and then gamble into the wee hours of the night.”

Folks enjoying camping on the Arizona side of the river

Laughlin was a mecca, but there was a little problem of turning the mecca into a megapolis.

Bullhead City sat directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin and had grown due to the construction of the Davis Dam, but instead of drying up like South Pointe had, it continued to grow. The town had direct access to the water playground of Lake Mohave, the water activities of the Colorado River, dirt trails leading everywhere, including the very much alive ghost town of Oatman, and so much more. It was also on Highway 95 and near Route 66 which brought more and more visitors on a yearly basis. 

Plenty of water to enjoy all sorts of activities on

At this time there was no direct route from Bullhead City to Laughlin across the river, and Don Laughlin knew there was a lot of business he was missing out from all those residents and tourists visiting Bullhead City.

Don Laughlin was one smart cookie. He purchased a huge parking lot across the river from his Riverside Resort in Bullhead City and started free boat shuttles to his resort.

He stated, “If I offer it, they will come.”

This was ingenious. What person does not like a free boat ride? No one. Trust me, I know a lot of folks that enjoy our boat without a wallet ever being opened.

But I digress.

Business in Laughlin skyrocketed. Instead of having to drive a long distance, tourists could plop themselves on a free pontoon ride across a short distance of river and in a flash, be at the Riverside Resort.

During the 1980s, the town was so popular that other investors came a-calling, resulting in the building of the Colorado Hotel – now the Pioneer, Harrah’s Del Rio, the Tropicana Resort. And more came in later, the Aquarius Casino Resort, the Edgewater Casino Resort, and the list goes on and on.

One of the most iconic establishments was the Colorado Belle, a hotel and casino built to look like an old-fashioned Mississippi river boat. 

Colorado Belle

In all transparency, Laureen and I used to spend some time in Laughlin with our girls. Sun, fun and the water was all it took to make a weekend memorable. We stayed here and there but one place that we truly loved was the Colorado Belle. 

Wandering the decks of this make-believe paddle wheeler was just fun. We would walk here and there looking at this and that and imagine being here or there along a long river trip.

My family has vivid imaginations when it comes to traveling – real or not.

I remember us visiting Pompeii once and . . . but I digress.

Sadly, as of 2020 the Colorado Belle may be closed permanently. COVID and other financial issues are said to be the culprits, but who knows. A river boat knows the sculpture of the rivers it maneuvers and perhaps there will be a moment when some investor looks at this building and knows there is a whole lot more life to this ship than what appears now.

Of course, that could also be my hopeful imagination in the works.

In 1987, Laughlin decided a bridge should be built just slightly north of his resort crossing the Colorado River from Bullhead City.

This entrepreneur knew the traffic from Arizona to Nevada would pass his resort first, so, he put up three and half million dollars of his own money to build the Laughlin Bridge.

Both the state of Arizona and Nevada jumped at the idea.

“Use your money to build a bridge that we should build?” a Nevada official may have remarked. 

“What a marvelous idea. Can it be a toll road for whichever state the traveler is driving into.”

“No,” Laughlin may have replied.

It was built, and today nearly thirty thousand cars cross it each day.

The bridge that Don Laughlin paid for

The city of Laughlin receives over two million tourists every year. That is a lot of people looking for fun ways to spend their hard-earned money. And the town does not disappoint.

Laughlin is not just a just a bunch of gambling destinations – no, it is a family destination.

Not long ago, Laureen and I attended a Rod Stewart concert at the Laughlin Event Center. 

It rocked.

There are venues all about Laughlin, with acts for all ages – music, comedy, theatre, and the like.

This city has something for everyone – and that is not just rhetoric.

Exclusive hotels, upscale dining, RV parks, simple camping, boating, hiking, gambling, international restaurants, guided desert tours, native American sites, museums, and so much more that is awaiting any visitor.

Pedestrian bridge from Laughlin to state park with hiking trails

Laughlin’s dream of building a gambling mecca was realized, but what he actually built was a place family and friends could come and enjoy just being family and friends.

And perhaps, that is what he wanted after all.

Ely, Nevada

All Aboard for Ely with Conductor John R Beyer

I had never heard of the town Ely, which is located at the intersections of Highways 50, 6 and 93 in what could be described as central- eastern Nevada, until my buddy, Paul told me about the annual Silver State Classic Challenge.

I like challenges – though, only the ones for which I will be the victor.

Turns out this challenge is centered around closing State Route 318 south of Ely so people with rather awesome vehicles can drive like bats out of something for ninety miles.

The real challenge is that each driver must keep to a strict speed and strict time – never increasing or decreasing the speed and adhering to the registered time limit for the entire ninety miles.

Paul’s brother-in-law had a new car capable of about six hundred miles per hour. They both had fun but did end up with permanent grimaces due to the ‘G’ forces for ninety miles at such a high speed.

As life sometimes work, within a year of Paul telling me about Ely, I was there. Not for the Silver State Classic Challenge but due to the fact Ely was the mid-point between the High Desert and Meridian, Idaho.

Seemed like a logical place to stop for the night while on the way to visit our new grandson in Meridian.

“It is logical to stop here,” I told Laureen.

“You sound like Mr. Spock,” she replied. 

“My ears are rounded.”

Ely was founded in 1878 by J.W. Long, who came west from Vermont to find his riches. Long did find gold in the hills and valleys near Ely but what is more interesting is how the town became known as Ely.

There are many versions to this tale.

Long came from Ely, Vermont. Long was sent west by New York Congressman with the surname of Ely as a historian. Smith Ely was also a Vermont resident who helped finance one of the early mining endeavors in the area. And a John Ely from Illinois came to this part of the country to also mine and make a fortune.

Rather confusing there is no one solid reason for Ely to be known as Ely. Long should have called it Long and let it go.

“We’ll call it Long, after me,” Long should have said to anyone.

Anyone would have only nodded and replied, “Humph, that is a logical name for a town founded by you and less confusing in the future.”

The original route to Ely was the rough trail scouted and utilized by Howard Egan in 1855 to move herds of cattle. Egan would drive the cattle between Salt Lake City and California to market. Though the high mountains had not been used by other explorers since it was considered too dangerous, Egan had found many passes through those same mountains saving time instead of having to skirt the entire ranges during his cattle movement.

This trail would later become known as the Central Overland Route.

With the construction of the Selby Copper Mining and Smelting Company in the same year the town was founded, Ely began to grow slowly. At the time there was not much interest in copper since most miners were looking for gold or silver. 

In 1887, the Nevada State Legislature designated Ely as the White Pine County seat of government. That was a huge feather in the cap for such a small town, and in November of 1887 a post office was opened – another feather in that Ely cap.

White Pine County Seat

Since the Central Overland Route ran right through Ely, the route was used by early travelers going to and from Salt Lake City, Utah or Carson City, Nevada on a regular basis.

In fact, the Pony Express used this same route for its young riders.

Ely served as a stagecoach station for folks traveling through the area. Soon the town began to increase both in population and buildings, and with the completion of the Nevada Northern Railway in 1906, Ely became the transportation hub for emigrants, mail, freight and passengers between California, Nevada, and Utah.

In the same year, more copper was located and with the railroad, transportation of the mineral was far easier than previously over the rutted trail.

A copper boom had begun.

Soon, from a modest population of only three hundred people, the town quickly grew to over five thousand.

It should be noted that when the last railroad spike was driven into the last rail in Ely on September 26, 1906, the whole town was there and declared it ‘Railroad Day.’ The celebration lasted three days – they knew how to party at the turn of the twentieth century.

Ely Railroad Station

Today, Ely has nearly four thousand citizens living there.

As we drove north along Highway 93 toward Ely, Laureen and I were amazed at how green the mountains were.

“I love greenery,” I stated.

“That’s because we live in a desert,” she replied.

Soon, we entered the city limits and before stopping at the hotel, decided to mosey about this mountain burg which sits at nearly six thousand five hundred feet in elevation.

Original 'chuck wagon' in front of hotel

Cruising along the main street, also known as East Aultman or Highway 50, we were impressed at how quiet and quaint the town looked.

Downtown Ely

Again, it was like stepping back in time – in the good way, not to the time of mullets or beehive hairdos.

Red brick buildings lined the wide main avenue. The residential streets were littered with houses with large front porches where family and friends could gather. Sidewalks where folks could walk and wave at those family and friends who were gathered on the front porches.

I felt as if I were in Mayberry, and Aunt Bee would soon invite us up for a shot of an adult liberation on the front porch.

The whole place had a homey and neighborly feeling – it was comfortable.

Even the dinosaurs like Ely

Though the population is not huge, the town had a feeling of hustle and bustle but without the noise and anxiety found in many other places we have visited.

Ely had a certain ‘chill factor’ to it.

We drove to the very large Nevada Northern Railway Museum, a National Historic Landmark, and spent quite a bit of time wandering here and there. 

According to the museum – ‘The Nevada Northern has been acclaimed as the best-preserved railroad complex in North America. For railfans, history buffs, and those who are generally curious, it is well worth the journey.’

The site is enormous with original steam locomotives, passenger cars, transportation cars, and so much more for those interested in the history of the railroad and how the railroad changed the country.

And who would not be interested?

Visitors can arrange to spend the night in the museum, the original depot – I am sure it is haunted and if not, should be. There are train excursions taking folks on a ninety-minute train ride through the mountains with stops at ghost towns – see more haunting places. And something called the Railroad Reality Week, a full immersion experience – no idea what that means but sounds interesting. And so much more at this museum for everyone.

Speaking of ghost towns on the train ride, there are numerous ghost towns within an easy drive from Ely like Lane City, Hamilton, Treasure City, Taylor, and No Ghosts Here City.

Like many of the places I visit that are out of the way, there are many events which happen all year-round drawing both locals and visitors from all over the state, country, and world.

There’s the Eli Film Festival for the more artsy folks, the three-day Fire and Ice Winter Festival for those who relish three-day festivals, the Race the Rails bicycle race for those who enjoy seeing if they can beat trains through the railroad crossings, the White Pine County Fair and Horseraces for those who visit fairs and horseraces, and the Search for Sasquatch Outing.

A lot to do in this town which also boasts some fine restaurants, hotels, and other such amenities for those just traveling through or planning to stay a few days.

According to the White Pine County website, ‘From the spectacular grandeur of the Great Basin National Park to the quiet serenity of Cave Lake State Park . . . From the historic mining towns of McGill and Ruth to the 24 – hour night life of Ely . . . We have a wonderful place to visit and live.’

And I believe they do.

Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of spending much time in Ely since we were on a mission to Idaho, but it is a town that will beckon us back during various seasons to see what more we can see.

Traveling is like that – sometimes one can spend time and sometimes one must hit the black ribbon highway and make miles.

It should be noted, Ely is pronounced ‘Elee’ but in deference to our first grandson, Elias – the town hugging so many highways in Nevada will be unofficially pronounced as ‘Eli’ in our household.

For more information, http://www.elynevada.org/