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www.deltalivingmagazine.com
January – March 2014
27
the living for some unforeseen rea-
son. It may not realize its dead, or
may be held here by unfinished
business, guilt or anger.These spir-
its have the same personality they
had when they were alive, so they
could be friendly or malicious.We
also encounter residual hauntings
which are considered playbacks
of past events. Beyond the two
basic spirits, there are other types
of spirits which were never hu-
man and are considered bad news
and described as very frightening.
Sometimes, we even get a little
spooked.
We were investigating the
Washoe Club in Virginia City
around 2 a.m. when I had my big-
gest fright. The three of us were
standing in an abandoned part
of the building, in total darkness,
when a pitch black shadow man,
as dark as coal, walked across the
room; pausing to look at the three
of us before he stopped and stood
in the corner of the room. It felt
like he was just waiting to see what
we would do next. I bolted out of
that building, leaving Stephanie
and Tammy with the dark man.
When I left, he walked towards
Stephanie and Tammy and stood
directly in front of them.
“I could feel an icy chill,” said
Stephanie. “There is nothing as
cold as a spirit.”
Tammy snapped a picture of
the moment and caught a huge
orb that filled half of the room.
The orb was so bright; both said
they saw it with their own eyes, as
well as in the photograph. When
we have an experience like this,
we are sure to return to that loca-
tion frequently to collect further
evidence.
The Washoe Club is known
for its many ghosts. Once the Mil-
lionaires Club in the 1800s, the es-
tablishment was a playground for
the wealthy and elite who made
their fortunes during the min-
ing days. The Washoe appealed to
these gentlemen because of its sa-
loon on the first floor, offices and
private gaming rooms on the sec-
ond floor, and a boarding house
and brothel on the third floor.
So much paranormal activity has
been reported, that it has attracted
numerous ghost hunters includ-
ing Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and
Aaron Goodwin, theTravel Chan-
nel’s Ghost Adventures crew.There
are tales of a woman in blue at the
top of the spiral staircase that leads
to nowhere, disembodied voices
telling people to ‘get out,’ appari-
tions seen darting across the rooms,
doors slamming, chairs moving, a
shadow man walking through the
halls on the second floor, an old
man who ended his life on the
third floor, and more.
Then there’s the crypt at the
Washoe Club. In the late 1800’s,
the crypt was the bar’s cold stor-
age area that also served as an
overflow morgue in the build-
ing’s early years.During the winter
months, dead bodies were stacked
and stored there. Once warmer
weather came along and the bod-
ies thawed, they were removed
and buried in the cemetery. In ad-
dition, enough activity has taken
place in the ladies room to warrant
a warning sign that the room may
be haunted.
We recently investigated Hotel
Jeffrey, a historic “Old-West” hotel
in Coulterville.The hotel has a his-
tory of entertaining many famous
guests including Teddy Roosevelt,
Mark Twain, John Muir, and oth-
ers.The hotel is also famous for its
“other” guests as well. The hotel
has long been known as haunted
with many different ghosts still
roaming the halls and rooms.
There is said to be 17 documented
spirits. Ghosts have been heard, felt
and seen by guests throughout the
hotel.We reserved room 22, which
reportedly, is the most active loca-
tion in the hotel. The room be-
longs to a jilted woman who hung
herself from the rafters in the room
in the 1800s. She has been seen
roaming the halls and room ever
since.
Part of our mission is to share
our experience with others. We
invite people to join our investi-
gations.
“We make all the arrangements
for an awesome experience,” said
Stephanie.“This group is great for
the experienced or the newbie
ghost hunter; all are welcome.”
Cali Ghost Girls lead tours all
over California and Nevada. We
visit locations that will leave you
with chills.
Brentwood Historic Ghost
Tours is not as frightening. We
have collected so much history
from archives at the East Contra
Costa Historical Society as well
as public records and personal
stories from residents. We lead
groups through these historical
tales and do paranormal investiga-
tions at haunted locations. Busi-
ness owners have contacted us to
investigate their location and be
added to the tour, so it is always
changing.
To join investigations, visit www.
calighostgirls.com, or for a local ghost-
hunting experience, visit www.brent-
woodhistoricghosttours.com.
Tammy, Stephanie and Amy set up their equipment to hear any voice record-
ings, see any orbs on camera, and check for changes in temperature.
Looking out of a guest room window at the hotel’s less than tidy grounds.