Joshua Dowidat

Haunted Places: Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine

Hello Everyone,

Another month has passed us by and to finish it up I am also finishing with my last haunted place in Arizona. At least for a while. This place holds a significant connection with me and my writings, maybe you’ll figure it out later. This place has gained popularity in folklore, history and modern day treasure hunting in the West. Of course, if you haven’t already guessed it by reading the title, I am talking about the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine.

The Lost Dutchman:

To figure out the mystery behind the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine you probably have to know a little bit about the Lost Dutchman himself.

There are many tales claiming who the Lost Dutchman truly was but most people do believe he was in fact Dutch or German. The story that I feel holds the most weight is that the Lost Dutchman was a gentleman Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Landmark Restaurant

Hello Everyone,

Well one of our last places through our tour of haunted places in Arizona is going to be another restaurant. The interesting thing about the restaurants so far is that they most often started as something else and eventually became what we know them as today. This can be said about the haunted restaurant in Mesa, Arizona known as the Landmark Restaurant.

Landmark Restaurant:

Well first let it be known that it was called the Landmark Restaurant, up until May of 2015. They had to close their doors and this upset a lot of people who were fans of the eatery. However, it wasn’t always a place to eat.

The building was originally a Mormon church built in 1908. Throughout the years many buildings were added on as the church fellowship grew. Eventually it was deemed not suitable for the large number of attendees and abandoned as a Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Jerome Grand Hotel

Hello Everyone,

This week’s haunted place in Arizona focuses on, in a way, two categories. Not only is Jerome Grand Hotel a hotel that seems to have some eerie and ghostly instances, it was also a hospital.

Jerome Grand Hotel:

The fact is, Jerome Grand Hotel actually started as a hospital. It was originally built in 1926 as a hospital for the area and the local booming mining industry. In 1930 it was even named the most modern and well-equipped hospital in Arizona.

It remained a well-used hospital until it shut down in 1950. Although there were 9,000 deaths recorded in the hospital. The well-built structure was renovated and purchased in 1994 to become what we know as Jerome Grand Hotel.

The poured in place concrete foundation and structure of the hotel was meant to make it fireproof as well as withstanding the blasts of the nearby mining companies. It Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Vulture Mine

Hello Everyone,

As we continue through our session of haunted places in Arizona this one is a little different from the others. It is not a building or a cemetery but a place within the Earth. The haunted place is Vulture Mine in Wickenburg, AZ. The Gold mine to be more specific.

Wickenburg:

Named after Henry Wickenburg who was also the founder of the Vulture Mine, the town first started being established in 1863. Although some buildings and settlers with gold in their eyes already lived in the area that town did not take off until then. Much of the surrounding area is named after the first prospectors who ventured to the area as well.

The town is primarily in Maricopa County but a good portion of it lies within Yavapai Country also. With a bloody history from the start the town did help pave the way for grounding other Continue reading →

Haunted Places: The Copper Queen Hotel

Hello Everyone,

Got several more of these nice little haunted places in Arizona. This week I want to talk about another place that I had the pleasure of visiting and even spending the night at. Bisbee’s own haunted hotel, The Copper Queen Hotel.

Although Bisbee holds other haunted places among the old mining town of the west, this is the location that many hear about and perhaps the Oliver House.

Bisbee:

The town goes back to the old times of the Wild West and all its glory. The town was founded predominantly as a mining town, mainly copper, silver and gold. Established in 1880 the town still serves as a home for many residents. Now the Victorian style decor of much of the town and the famous mines serve more as a traveling destination for tourist and others seeking to grasp a little bit of the mining old west. In Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Hotel San Carlos

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I have been slacking on getting these out on Mondays as usual but I have been busy. Once again we will be going over another haunted place in Arizona as this segment continues forward. This time we will discuss the Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, Arizona.

Hotel San Carlos:

The hotel opened its doors in 1928. Located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona the hotel has left its classic look of its original era and has attracted many guests by doing so. The look of the roaring twenties and the sign that bares its name stretching down five-stories of the building show the greatness that the hotel once and still boasts.

To me it eerily resemble the hotel from one of the seasons of “American Horror Story.”

Many famous guests stayed here during the rise of the silver screen days. Marilyn Monroe was a frequent ad well as Carol Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Yuma Territorial Prison

Hello Everyone,

I might have forgotten to mention that the haunted places I am currently doing all reside in Arizona. Maybe after a few more you might have guessed it for any of you who are locals. This week we are going to discuss another place that I have had the pleasure of visiting. The Yuma Territorial Prison.

A Good Location for a Prison:

Many of you familiar with the cities in Arizona, have most likely heard of Yuma. Bordering California it sits as far west as one can almost go in Arizona. Although many think of the sand dunes immediately when the think of Yuma there is other ecosystems there as well. Lush tributaries break off from the Colorado River providing good soil and water resources for farming.

Because of this water in the middle of such an arid climate the area could sustain life. And what better place Continue reading →

Haunted Places: The Birdcage Theater

Hello Everyone,

It is time for me to start a new set of blogs on here and this one happens to be more haunted places. Or at least places that have some eerie history that gives them the potential to be haunted. However, most of them have some sort of story and are considered to be haunted. To start it out we are going to hear a little about one of my favorites that happens to be only an hour away. It’s a little building in the famous town of Tombstone called The Birdcage Theater.

The Birdcage Theater:

The Birdcage Theater as mentioned, resides in the town to tough to die, Tombstone. Many of us have seen the movies or movies that are filmed in Tombstone. Most of them concentrate around the “Shoot-out at the OK Corral” or the Earp brothers and their stories.

Yet, nestled there on the main Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Bot Flies

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One of the horrors of my childhood was kicking over a dead Pack Rat in the desert and finding large brown pill like larvae pulsating on the rotting flesh. It wasn’t until I was older that my curiosity got the better of me and I finally found out what it was. The larvae was in fact the young beginnings of Bot Flies.

Bot Flies:

Bot Flies are, in more ways or less, similar to the common house fly. They have the same features, six legs, buzzing wings, and their eyes that are actually hundreds of eyes. One main difference is how the young begin their cycle of life.

The young begin as eggs that once hatched, detached and follow the warmth of their host, usually a mammal. One they find the warmth they make their way into the skin through any opening possible, often the pores. From then Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Western Burial Ground

Hello Everyone,

Well here we are. My last blog about haunted cemeteries, burial grounds, and the like. This last one sparked my curiosity because of its name, the Western Burial Ground. You would think it was perhaps located in the Wild West areas of the United States but it isn’t. It is once again further to the east like so many of the cemeteries in previous posts. The Western Burial Ground is nestled in Baltimore.

Western Burial Ground:

The Western Burial Ground or sometimes referred to as the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground or the ‘Old’ Western Burial ground is an established cemetery dating back to the American Revolution. Many generals from the war and the war of 1812 are buried in this cemetery.

Much of the land and original resting places of the dead are difficult to locate because of the structures built on or around the original land. Continue reading →