Ghost Hunters Guide To Californias Gold Rush Country

This guidebook offers armchair entertainment and open-road adventure for casual and serious ghost hunters as well as tourists who seek a lively twist to local history. It is a detailed book about places that are accessible to the public. More than 70 haunted sites in California's Gold Rush Country are described in this guide.

“A vivid read and well-researched guide for serious ghost hunters that also makes a handy travel companion for California history buffs.” —Library Journal When you combine three centuries of exploration and settlement; Spanish, Mexican, and Yankee influence; a handful of natural catastrophes and manmade disasters; and vast swaths of eerie and desolate shoreline, you have an environment ripe for a haunting. From Moss Beach south along Highway 1 to Santa Cruz and down the coast through Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Lompoc, expert ghost hunter Jeff Dwyer guides locals and tourists alike through the most haunted and historic sites in the area. Praise for Jeff Dwyer’s Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area “While sometimes scary, [the ghost stories] more often serve as reminders of the sometimes quirky, and oftentimes tragically haunting, history of the people of California.” —The Reporter (Vacaville, CA) “I thought I knew everything about the wine country, but I apparently overlooked the protoplasmic ‘walk by night’ world.” —Mick Winter, author of The Napa Valley Book

“Fans of hauntings and ghost stories who are heading towards San Francisco will love this comprehensive guide to the Bay Area’s most eerie spots.” —Fabuloustravel.com Ghost-hunting hobbyist Jeff Dwyer has devised a guide that allows the phantom-seeker in all of us to add spirit sleuthing to our list of typical tourist activities. Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area highlights more than one hundred haunted spots in and around San Francisco, all accessible to the public, where you can research and organize your own ghost hunt. Complete with handy checklists, procedural tips, and anecdotal evidence of previous sightings at each location, the guide is an inquisitive and informative supplement to—or replacement for—traditional tourist guidebooks of the Bay Area. Whether readers visit familiar haunts such as Alcatraz, Angel Island, Fisherman’s Wharf, or lesser-known locations such as the USS Hornet, the Old Bodega Schoolhouse, or the First and Last Chance Saloon, all are sure to encounter places and consider possibilities unexplored by the average visitor. With advice on what to do with a ghost, what to do after the ghost hunt, and other telekinetic tidbits, this guide encourages travelers to be attentive and imaginative, willing to take that extra spirit-sighting step. For the curious armchair traveler, it is lively twist on Bay Area history and landmarks. “While sometimes scary, [the ghost stories] more often serve as reminders of the sometimes quirky, and oftentimes tragically haunting, history of the people of California.” —The Reporter (Vacaville, CA) “I thought I knew everything about the wine country, but I apparently overlooked the protoplasmic ‘walk by night’ world.” —Mick Winter, author of The Napa Valley Book

"Fantastic! I've learned there's much more to this valley than first meets the eye. I had no idea the dead population was so lively here. Truly, Dwyer brings the past to life." --Mick Winter, author of The Napa Valley Book "Filled with fascinating historical details that few locals even know, the book is eerily convincing in its convictions."--Santa Rosa (CA) Press Democrat "A handy guide to curdling your blood and raising your hair."--Napa Valley Register Serving as a guide to one of America's most treasured lands, the Ghost Hunter's Guide to California's Wine Country takes readers to the rolling hills, old wineries, and beautiful vineyards of the California Wine Country. With more than eighty haunted locations described in great historical detail, experienced and novice ghost hunters alike can search this famous region for encounters with ghosts of explorers, Indians, soldiers, and others. Recommended locations include the famous novelist Jack London's homestead, where apparitions and other phenomena have been experienced. Many believe London's ghost still haunts his beloved ranch. After traveling the vineyards and wineries, the counties of Napa and Sonoma offer more ghostly adventures. The Cinedome movie house in Napa is said to hold the ghosts of an older couple who were often found cuddling in the back of the theatre. In Sonoma, hauntings have occurred in the popular park known as the Plaza. Sem-Yeto, one of the last Pomo Indian chiefs, is buried in the park's northwest corner, and some have witnessed the spirit of his ghost wandering the site. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ghost hunting guru Jeff Dwyer, a resident of the California Wine Country, has been fascinated with ghosts since childhood. He is an experienced paranormal investigator and the author of Ghost Hunter's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area, Ghost Hunter's Guide to Los Angeles, Ghost Hunter's Guide to New Orleans, and Ghost Hunters Guide to Seattle and Puget Sound, all published by Pelican.

A look at haunted places and ghost hunts all over the state of California. Many of the selected sites are open to the public for ghost hunters to visit and see if they can experience the paranormal. The book outlines historic spots that tell the wild story of California from her old (and mostly haunted) Missions to ghost towns and mansions. Many of the listed sites are old hotels and restaurants where phantoms of the past still visit from time to time. The book also shows how Mr. Senate conducts his investigations into haunted places.

"Join this adventure to discover gold rush ghost towns, chase the elusive phantom of stagecoach bandit Black Bart, then explore Sacramento's haunted underground city and commune with spirits in San Francisco's historic hotels. Ghost Hunting in Mother Lode County is an eerie and informative travel guide to creepy tourist destinations and foreboding central California locales. You get hauntingly helpful tips on how to hunt ghosts, historical backgrounds on paranormal sightings, spooky illustrations and directions to find where terrifying apparitions hang out."-- back cover

Fueled by the dream to strike it rich, prospectors flocked to California during the gold rush. Yet the harsh lifestyle and backbreaking work led many to early graves. Join author Linda Bottjer on a tour through Gold Country's most chilling--and true--haunted tales. Tales such as the hangman of Placerville, whose distinctive wheeze is a sign of his continued presence. Or the Georgetown miner whose unrequited love for a much younger lady of the night finds him still pining for her in death as he did in life. And in Coloma, the ghost of James Marshall is said to dwell on the lonely hilltop where his cabin and monument now stand. These stories, and many others, capture the ghostly spirit of Gold Country.