1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Haunted Road, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Minky listener. Discretion is advised. 3 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: The following is a news report that appeared on October fourth, 4 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty two, in the Territorial Enterprise, the leading newspaper 5 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: in Virginia City, Nevada at the time. A petrified man 6 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: was found some time ago in the mountains south of 7 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: gravelly Ford. Every limb and feature of the stony mummy 8 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: was perfect, not even excepting the left leg, which has 9 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: evidently been a wooden one during the lifetime of the owner, 10 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: which lifetime, by the way, came to a close about 11 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: a century ago. In the opinion of a savant who 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: has examined the defunct the body was in a sitting 13 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: posture and leaning against a huge mass of croppings. The 14 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 1: attitude was pensive, the right thumb resting against the side 15 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: of the nose, The left thumb partially supported the chin, 16 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: the forefinger pressing the inner corner of the left eye 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 1: and drawing it partly open. The right eye was closed, 18 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: and the fingers of the right hand spread apart. This 19 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: strange freak of nature created a profound sensation in the 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: vicinity and our informants states that by request, just As 21 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: Sewell or Soul of Humboldt City at once proceeded to 22 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: the spot and held an inquest on the body. The 23 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: verdict of the jury was that deceased came to his 24 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: death from protracted exposure. The people of the neighborhood volunteered 25 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: to bury the poor unfortunate, and were even anxious to 26 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: do so, But it was discovered when they attempted to 27 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: remove him, that the water which had dripped upon him 28 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: for ages from the crag above, had coursed down his 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: back and deposited a limestone ediment under him, which had 30 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: glued him to the bedrock upon which he sat. And 31 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: Judge s refused to allow the charitable citizens to blast 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: him from his position. The opinion expressed by his honor 33 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: that such a course would be little less than sacrilege, 34 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: was eminently just and proper. Everybody goes to see the Stoneman, 35 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: as many as three hundred having visited the hardened creature 36 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: during the past five or six weeks. A remarkable story. Yes, however, 37 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: not a word of it was true. But in the 38 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties version of going viral, the story was reprinted 39 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: in multiple newspapers across the country and eventually around the 40 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: world before its author and Mr. Samuel Clemens later known 41 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: as Mark Twain, owned up to his hoax. Clemmens, pursuing 42 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: a career in mining, had settled in Virginia City, but 43 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: has turned his efforts to journalism, and Virginia City is 44 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: where he got his start. According to Hoaxes dot Org. 45 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: Twain later admitted that he was surprised at how many 46 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: people were fooled by his story. It was his first 47 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: attempt at a hoax, and when he penned it he 48 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: had considered it a string of roaring absurdities. But once 49 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: he realized how well his deception had succeeded, he admitted 50 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: feeling a soothing secret satisfaction, especially since his goal was 51 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: to mock Judge Sewell. Seems though, that if Mark Twain 52 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: had stuck around those dusty streets in the hills a 53 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: little bit longer, he may not have had to resort 54 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: to his famous satire, because even today, one hundred sixty 55 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: years later, the ghost stories coming out of Nevada's most 56 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: famous boom town are prevalent, captivating, and downright terrifying. I'm 57 00:03:47,040 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: amy Brunei and this is Haunted Road. Virginia City is 58 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: near the western border of Nevada. It is the seat 59 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: of Story County. The town steeply set on the side 60 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: of a mountain purchased precariously over miles of tunnels and 61 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: shafts remaining from the mining glory days. C Street is 62 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: the main thoroughfare, while streets lettered B and a home 63 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: of the town's wealthy, are up the hill. D Street 64 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: to our Street continued down the hill, originally home to 65 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: the Red Light District, V and T railroad depot, the 66 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: Chinese quarter pay You Wicki Ups that's one of the 67 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: local tribes in the area, and or stamp mills. The 68 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: remnants of the mines are scattered throughout the entire town. 69 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: It's one of many communities that began as a boom town, 70 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: but it's not just any boom town. Virginia City was 71 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: established in eighteen fifty nine with the discovery of the 72 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: comstock Load, the first major silver deposit discovery in the 73 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: United States. After this discovery was made public, it sparked 74 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: a silver rush of prospectors to the area, scrambling to 75 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: stake their claims. The discovery caused considerable excitement in California 76 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: and throughout the United States, the greatest since the gold 77 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: Rush in eighteen forty nine. Mining camp soon thrived in 78 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: the Vicinity, which became bustling commercial centers, including Virginia City 79 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: and Gold Hill. While the quest for gold may have 80 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: been the sirens song that brought many men out west, 81 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: it was silver that made men's fortunes in Nevada. The 82 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: Comstock load is one of the most important mining discoveries 83 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: in American history, yielding both silver and gold, being the 84 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: first major silver discovery in United States history. Of the 85 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: total ore taken out from the area, approximately fifty seven 86 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: percent was silver and forty two was gold. It is 87 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: the most dramatic event in Nevada's nineteenth century history, with 88 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: men making and losing fortunes within a short span of years, 89 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: and just under twenty years between eighteen fifty nine and 90 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy eight, about four hundred million dollars in silver 91 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: and gold was taken out of the comstock, a staggering 92 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: number for the times. How did Virginia's city get its name, 93 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,239 Speaker 1: you know, being nowhere near Virginia, Well, it was thanks 94 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: to a series of discoveries and thanks to a man 95 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: named Henry Old Pancake Comstock. Why did we stop giving 96 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: people nicknames like this in the wake of the gold rush? 97 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: James Old Virginie Finney, I'm sensing a theme here and 98 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: friends initially had luck panning for gold and what they 99 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: dubbed Gold Hill, But as the months passed and the 100 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: miners dug deeper, they eventually hit a deposit of difficult 101 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: to work clay that had very little gold in it. 102 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: Most deposits of gold are small, so when the miners 103 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: ran out of the easy diggings, they assumed they found 104 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: all there was. That's what happened to Old Virginie. The 105 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: gold ran out, so he moved on regardless. His name 106 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: was forever associated with the area and stuck instantly. That June, 107 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: just a mile down the hill to miners named Peter 108 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: O'Reilly and Pat McLoughlin struggled to make a off it 109 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: on a nine foot long claim they had staked for themselves. 110 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: The claim was yielding only one or two dollars worth 111 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 1: of gold a day, and the men had learned about 112 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: richer claims near the West Walker River, about twenty five 113 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: miles away, but they decided to stick around a little longer, 114 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: probably until they made enough money to pay for the move. 115 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: It takes water to sift gold out of sand and dirt, 116 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: and the closest water source was a tiny spring that 117 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: the men decided to dam up with some strange bluish 118 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: sand they'd uncovered nearby. Almost on a whim, they tossed 119 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: some of the odd sand into the rocker to see 120 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: if it contained any gold. It was heavy and difficult 121 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: to work with, but when they cleared it away, they 122 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: were stunned to see that the entire bottom of the 123 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: rocker was covered in a layer of shimmering gold. Where 124 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: Old Virginny had recovered gold by the ounce. O'Reilly and 125 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: McLoughlin were mining it by the pound. As O'Reilly and 126 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: McLoughlin celebrated their whimsical find, Old Pancake happened to come 127 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: around when Comstock saw the goal. He hopped off his 128 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: pony and told the two men that they were prospecting 129 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: on land that he and a partner had already claimed 130 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: for a ranch. In those days, you could claim unoccupied 131 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: land for a ranch just as easily as you could 132 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: stake a mining claim. Comstock told the trespassers that if 133 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: they would let him and his partner, Emmanuel Penrod become 134 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: equal partners in the claim, he wouldn't take them to court. Furthermore, 135 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: if he and Penrod were given on fet of the 136 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: claim to work by themselves, he'd even let them use 137 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: the water from his stream. The claim that Old Pancake 138 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: mentioned that one has yet to be uncovered, if it 139 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: existed at all, but the credit he's been given is very, 140 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: very real. Thankfully they stuck with the name Comstock Load 141 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: and not Old Pancake Load. I will see myself out. 142 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: In text from the eighteen seventies, it was reported that 143 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: people began to speak of the vein as Comstock's mine 144 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: Comstock's load, While the names of O'Reilly and McLoughlin, the 145 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: first real discoverers, are seldom heard. The Comstock load discovery 146 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: and subsequent growth of Virginia City is unequaled in the 147 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:10,439 Speaker 1: history of the American West. More money was produced by 148 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: the Comstock Load than the entire California Gold Rush a 149 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: decade before. By eighteen seventy six, Nevada produced over half 150 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: of all the precious metals in the United States, over 151 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: four hundred million in the coinage of the day. Coming 152 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 1: from Virginia Cities mines. The wealth supported the Northern Pause 153 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: during the Civil War and flooded the world monetary markets, 154 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: compelling significant economic change. With wealth came a population boom. 155 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: Virginia Cities population grew from eighteen fifty nine through the 156 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,199 Speaker 1: eighteen seventies, with a peak estimated twenty five thousand residents. 157 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: Between eighteen sixty two and eighteen sixty three alone, Virginia 158 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: Cities population increased from four thousand to fifteen thousand residents, 159 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:59,439 Speaker 1: making it one of the largest cities in America's Southwest. Predictably, 160 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 1: as four rose power struggles emerged through time, the ownership 161 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: of comstock minds changed from numerous independent minds to large monopolies. 162 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: The Bank of California Bank crowd dominated by William Sharon 163 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,679 Speaker 1: in Virginia City and William Ralston and San Francisco, financed 164 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,079 Speaker 1: the mines and mills of the comstock until they had 165 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 1: a virtual monopoly. By manipulating stock through rumors and false 166 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 1: reports of mining wealth, fortunes could be made in the 167 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: stocks of Virginia Cities mines. Miners were actually locked in 168 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: the mines forbidden to leave until false reports of new 169 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: leads spread far and fast, and stock prizes rose precipitously. 170 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: By the late eighteen sixties, a group of Irish investors 171 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: threatened the bank crowd's control. John Mackey and partner James 172 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: Fair began as common miners, working their way up to 173 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: management positions in the mines. By purchasing mining stocks, they 174 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: realized financial independence. Their partners, James Flood and William O'Brien, 175 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: stayed in San Francisco and speculated in stock. The Irish 176 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: Big Four, as the men were called, eventually controlled the 177 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: consolidated Virginia mine, where the Big Bonanza or Chamber was 178 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: discovered in eighteen seventy three. The next few years saw 179 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: the greatest profits on the comstock. As the bank crowd 180 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: lost control to the Irish Big Four. John Mackie became 181 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,559 Speaker 1: the richest man in the world, establishing the company that 182 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: became A T and T and laying the first transatlantic 183 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: communications cable. Mackie's mansion still stands and welcomes visitors to 184 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: this day. Originally built in eighteen fifty nine by George Hurst, 185 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: Mackie purchased the lavish home in eighteen seventy one. Thereafter, 186 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: he used it as a mining office and as a 187 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: main residence for the miners who did the bulk of 188 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: the work. The work was plentiful, but very dangerous and 189 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: often fatal. Mining operations were hindered by the extreme temperatures 190 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: in the minds caused by natural hot springs in the winter. 191 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: Miners with snow you to the mines and then have 192 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:05,439 Speaker 1: to descend to work in high temperatures. These harsh conditions 193 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: contributed to a low life expectancy and earned miners the 194 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: nickname of hot water plugs. By the time of solution 195 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: to this problem was devised, the load had dwindled significantly 196 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: and population dropped off by eighteen eighty. When Virginia City 197 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: was at its highest point in the mid eighteen seventies, 198 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: it experienced a tragic blow, the Great Fire of eighteen seventy. 199 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: This infamous event caused twelve million dollars in damage, and 200 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: according to an onlooker, the world was on fire, a 201 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:42,079 Speaker 1: square mile of roaring flames. The main mine shafts were 202 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: largely spared, while much of the town burned and two 203 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 1: thousand people were left homeless. In the years after the 204 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 1: Great Fire, Virginia City did rebuild, but most of the 205 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: original structures were gone, as were its inhabitants. The timing 206 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: of the fire seems like a nail in the coffin 207 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: of Virginia Cities success and its people left just as 208 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: the load was scraped dry. By eighteen seventy nine, the 209 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: population fell to just under eleven thousand. While Virginia City 210 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: never quite saw the action it did in its heyday, 211 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 1: it's still quite the booming little town in the hills. 212 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 1: There's a few notable and very haunted structures, So let's 213 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: get into their history and then we'll get into their ghosts. 214 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 1: A place I visited and investigated many times is called 215 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: the wash Show Club. The wash Show Club, also known 216 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: as the Millionaires Club, was a social group established in 217 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: February of eighteen seventy five by sixty elite charter members 218 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 1: who paid in one hundred fifty dollars each, making nine 219 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 1: thousand dollars with which to start after attendance was capped 220 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: at two hundred people. Within two months, the club had 221 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: purchased the Reynolds Building at eight and ten B Street 222 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: and promptly began renovating the structure to the organization's luxurious requirements. 223 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: On June one, eight seventy five, five the renovated club 224 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: space on B Street was opened. However, within less than 225 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: five months, the palatial club rooms were consumed by the 226 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: flames from that fire of eighteen seventy five. At some point, 227 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: members defaulted on payments, and in general the club was interrupted. 228 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: In March of eighteen seventy six, the members agreed to 229 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: sell the lot on B Street and rent and renovate 230 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: rooms elsewhere. This was accomplished by September third, eighteen seventy six, 231 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: when new quarters opened up on Douglas Street. These were 232 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: apparently even more elegant and convenient than the previous rooms 233 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: on B Street. In its heyday, the Washoe Club housed 234 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: one of the finest libraries east of San Francisco, an 235 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: elegant billiard room, a parlor adorned with Italian marble and 236 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 1: bronze statuettes, and a wine room that boasted an elaborately 237 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: carved black walnut sideboard. The club's membership roster read like 238 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: a who's who of the Comstock and Pacific host history, 239 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: and the pages of the club's register were filled with 240 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 1: the signatures of people like General Ulysses S. Grant, General 241 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: Robert Sherman, actor, lecturer Artemis Ward, actor Edwin Booth, and 242 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: railroad magnate Darius Ogden Mills, and as many as fifty 243 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: other millionaires of international reputation. By the time wash Show 244 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 1: Club was back to its renewed glory, the production of 245 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: the miners had fallen drastically. Bonanza dividends for the first 246 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: three months of eighteen seventy six average ten dollars per 247 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: share and then skidded to two dollars per share by 248 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: year's end. By the end of the decade, dividends on 249 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: the comstock were down to fifty cents per share. A 250 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: disastrous underground fire in eighteen eighty one reaked further havoc 251 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: on the production of mines and on the ability of 252 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: the wash Show Club members to continue to indulge in luxury. 253 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: Membership continued to drop off, and monthly dues were reduced 254 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: to two dollars fifty cents. By eighteen ninety seven, the 255 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: wash Show Clubs ceased to exist, and the Territorial Enterprise 256 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: of September nineteen seven said the wash Show Club is 257 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: no more. Piper's Opera House was another entertainment destination in 258 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: town from the eighteen sixties all the way to the 259 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties, Piper's Opera House attracted famous stars from Europe 260 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: and the United States. Today it attracts ghost hunters and 261 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: lovers of history as one of the most significant vintage 262 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: theaters on the West Coast. Throughout its many iterations, the 263 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: Opera House remained a family owned and operated establishment, whether 264 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 1: it housed musical acts or museum goers until nineteen It 265 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: was originally constructed by John Piper, one of the numerous 266 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 1: businessmen drawn by the promise of mining. John Piper arrived 267 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: in Virginia City in eighteen sixty. Shortly afterwards, he was 268 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: involved in several businesses, including a brick business office on 269 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: B and Union Street and the theater on D Street, 270 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: which he renamed Piper Opera House. Inside, Piper operated a 271 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: saloon and kept his personal office on site. The saloon 272 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,840 Speaker 1: was a gateway drug of sorts, leading Piper to encourage 273 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: and invest in the arts. The theater was one of 274 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,119 Speaker 1: three that he maintained and successfully used to lure performers 275 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 1: to tour the region. The theater on D Street appealed 276 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: to a broad selection of professional performers, including the Booth family, Houdini, W. C. Fields, 277 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: and John Philip SUSA, to name a few. However, the 278 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: first structure on D Street was unfortunately one of the 279 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: many structural victims of the Great Fire of eighteen seventy five. 280 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: Though his first Piper Opera House was burned to a 281 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: crisp on D Street, his brick saloon on Northby and 282 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: Union Street survived. He rebuilt his new theater right behind 283 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: his break office building and saloon. The brick front building 284 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: was divided into three sections. Far left was the saloon, 285 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 1: the middle section acted as the entry hall, and the 286 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,959 Speaker 1: room on the right was his business office. Hyper opera 287 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: house and saloon once again opened in eighteen seventy eight, 288 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:03,160 Speaker 1: much to the joy of its fans. Unfortunately, fire damaged 289 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: the theater five years after it was rebuilt. Like the 290 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: Great Fire, the brick facade was spared. John Piper was 291 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: momentarily discouraged and didn't plan to rebuild it again because 292 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: the mines were playing out and he could see the 293 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: writing on the wall. However, the people of Virginia City 294 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: and his family convinced him otherwise to get back up 295 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: on the horse. So using wood from old mines and 296 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: collecting the unburned wood from his second destroyed Piper Opera House. 297 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,360 Speaker 1: John Piper once again rebuilt the barn like auditorium right 298 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: behind his brick saloon in office. The third iteration, constructed 299 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty five, was unscathed by fire and operated 300 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: until nineteen twenty four, when the mines were once in 301 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: for all played out. The late Victorian construction still stands. 302 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: In the nineteen forties, Pipers was reopened as a museum. 303 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: Then Louise Driggs, great granddaughter of the original John Piper, 304 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: began restoration efforts in the nineteen sixties. Driggs also opened 305 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: the opera House for summertime chamber music concerts through nineteen 306 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: seventy two. Stage actors were once again welcome to Pipers 307 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: between the nineteen seventies and mid nineteen eighties. However, family 308 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: finances and wear and tear on the building forced them 309 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 1: to finally close the house in the eighties. Serious financial 310 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: support for the undertaking didn't come through until the late 311 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties, when the property was purchased by a nonprofit. 312 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,600 Speaker 1: In nineteen ninety nine, the opera House reopened to the 313 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: public as a museum, and in the following years Thanks 314 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: to further renovations, Piper's Opera House is a fully functioning 315 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: and sought after performing arts center. Theatrical performances, concerts, nonprofit events, 316 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,360 Speaker 1: and more continued to keep that historic house alive. All 317 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: the parts of the theater aren't the same age, though 318 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 1: according to some sources, the theater itself is over one 319 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: hundred twenty years old and the brick facade is over 320 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 1: one hundred forty years old. So after all this history, 321 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,719 Speaker 1: it no wonder Virginia City seems to be teeming with 322 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: the paranormal, so let's talk about some of the hauntings. 323 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,440 Speaker 1: The Mackie Mansion, which we mentioned briefly earlier, is one 324 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 1: of the first structures to greet you in town and 325 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: also run reported to be the most haunted. Some paranormal 326 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: activity you might experience during your visit includes two little 327 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,920 Speaker 1: girls running on the staircase, a maid supposedly named Harriet 328 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: in the parlor, or a shadow man upstairs. Some stories 329 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 1: point to John Mackie having a large safe installed in 330 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,360 Speaker 1: the home, and it didn't take long before two bandits 331 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: got word of this and decided to rob it, but 332 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: they failed miserably when confronted by armed guards who shot 333 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: them point blank in the chest. There, ghosts are said 334 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: to haunt the lower floor, just outside the safe. There's 335 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: also the apparition of a woman dressed in Victorian clothing 336 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: who has been seen in the living room and who 337 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: appears on the third floor as well. Many people believe 338 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: this to be the spirit of John Mackie's wife, also 339 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: on the third floor, many tour participants have claimed to 340 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: see the figures of two little girls. Staff of the 341 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: mansion referred to them as Emma and Lily, though their 342 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,879 Speaker 1: role in the mansion is unclear, as they were not 343 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,679 Speaker 1: Mackie's children. Some who participate in the tour claimed to 344 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: feel a tugging at their clothes, and they attribute that 345 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,919 Speaker 1: to the girls wanting to play now. In addition to 346 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: this cast of characters, a servant ghost has been seen 347 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: pacing up and down the stairs hurrying to finish chores, 348 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: and a former army colonel who once lived in the 349 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: house has been spotted in the kitchen. The shadow man, 350 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: who has been seen throughout the home is believed to 351 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 1: be the ghost of John Mackie himself. The Wash Show Club, 352 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,119 Speaker 1: long thought to be one of the most haunted locations, 353 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:46,640 Speaker 1: in town is surprisingly low on dark history. I've investigated 354 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,920 Speaker 1: it many times myself, though, and have definitely had experiences there. 355 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: I'm not sure who was responsible for the activity, but 356 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: many believe there to be a resident spirit named Lena. 357 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: Others have spotted what they describe as a scared little girl. 358 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: They all so claimed to have a spirit of an 359 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: old time prospector who causes a ruckus by snatching drinks 360 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: off the bar. Some bartenders leave a nightly shot of 361 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 1: bourbon out for this particular ghost and claim it is 362 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,399 Speaker 1: always empty in the morning. This bourbon loving ghosts also 363 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,479 Speaker 1: has been known to hold the door open for some 364 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: women as they enter the bar, so more manners than 365 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: some living men I know. Hyper's Opera House didn't really 366 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: start experiencing paranormal activity until renovations began in the nineteen 367 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: nineties and performances returned to the hall. There are no 368 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 1: known deaths or incidents there, though that certainly has not 369 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: prevented theaters from being haunted in the past, but it 370 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: is speculated that the entities there are connected somehow to 371 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 1: the building or the land on which it stands. Paranormal 372 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: activity ranges from general manifestations to particularly recognizable and frequently 373 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: seen entities. Many witnesses have reported and seen free floating lights, 374 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: experienced cold spots, apparitions, and mists. Many feel uncomfortable or 375 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 1: anxious in the building. Others have heard a voice singing. Specifically, 376 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: people have seen a young twentysomething year old woman who 377 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:12,840 Speaker 1: is seen wearing a blue evening dress. They also witness 378 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 1: a male entity in a gray suit and top hat 379 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: wearing a handlebar mustache. Now, before we get to the 380 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: interview portion of the show, I just wanted to bring 381 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: up one character in Virginia City who I found particularly fascinating. 382 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: I had not heard of this woman until we started 383 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:37,120 Speaker 1: researching for this podcast. Julia Blett is quite the striking 384 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: character and probably the most loved sex worker in Virginia City, 385 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,679 Speaker 1: but she was also a significant community member. According to 386 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: some sources, Julia was the only woman, or one of 387 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 1: the few for a while in Virginia City, so she 388 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: became greatly sought after by the miners. Juel or Julia 389 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 1: as she became known, was described as a beautiful, tall 390 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: and slim brunett with dark eyes and refined in manner, 391 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: with a humorous, witty personality. A more realistic view of 392 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: Julia was presented by Marian Goldman. She was actually a 393 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 1: rather plain englishwoman in her mid thirties who came from 394 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:14,879 Speaker 1: New Orleans to the load in eighteen sixty one or 395 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:18,679 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty two, when there were very few respectable women. 396 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: As more sex work institutions popped up, Julia remained an 397 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: independent agent. She operated out of a small cottage that 398 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,479 Speaker 1: she rented near the corner of D and Union Streets 399 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 1: in Virginia City's Entertainment District. An independent operator, she competed 400 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: with the fancy brothels and seems to have come out 401 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: on top. Julia's home in place of business was a 402 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: two room cottage without a kitchen or indoor plumbing. In 403 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 1: return for her many kindnesses, Julia was inducted as an 404 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: honorary member of Virginia Engine Number one On July four, 405 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty one. The fireman elected her the queen of 406 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 1: the Independence Day Parade, and she rode Engine Company Number 407 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 1: one's firetruck through the town wearing a fireman's hat and 408 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: carrying a brass fire trumpet filled with fresh roses, the 409 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: fireman marching behind. It wasn't all show, though, Julia donated 410 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,199 Speaker 1: hard earned money and physical labor to the firefighting effort, 411 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 1: even working the water pump herself. On January nineteenth, eighteen 412 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: sixty seven, Julia Bilette dressed and went to see a 413 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 1: performance at Piper's Opera House. As the story goes, when 414 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: Miss Bilette refused to sit in the section reserved for 415 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: women of the Red Light district, she was escorted out 416 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,439 Speaker 1: of the theater and returned home to enjoy a late dinner. 417 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,199 Speaker 1: The next morning, Julia's made Some sources claim that it 418 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,720 Speaker 1: was a neighbor, possibly named Gertrude, found Julia Bilette murdered 419 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: in her bedroom. She had been strangled and bludgeoned to death. 420 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: Most of her costume, jewelry, and belongings were missing. The 421 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: autopsy determined that strangulation was the cause of death. Although 422 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,920 Speaker 1: several heavy blows were evidently received on her forehead, there 423 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: was no fracture of the skull. Her body bore no 424 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,359 Speaker 1: marks of violence except upon the left hip, where a 425 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: slight puncture of the cuticle was visible. On the day 426 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: of burial, Julia's body was taken to the fire station, 427 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,159 Speaker 1: of which she was an honorary member. Then her body 428 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: was taken from there to the grave at three o'clock 429 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,639 Speaker 1: that afternoon. The story goes that although a funeral occurred, 430 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 1: the decent populace could not let a woman of easy 431 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:27,199 Speaker 1: virtue be buried in consecrated ground. She was entombed in 432 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: a lonely grave half a mile east of town. A 433 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: simple wooden plank with the name Julia painted on it 434 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 1: was all that marked her final resting place. Her gruesome 435 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,879 Speaker 1: and sudden death impacted the community. Virginia City went into 436 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 1: mourning for her, with the mines, mills and saloons being 437 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: closed down as a mark of respect. On the day 438 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: of her funeral, January one, thousands formed a procession of 439 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 1: honor behind her black plumed glass walled hurst, first the fireman, 440 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: who were followed by the Nevada militia who played funeral dirges. 441 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,919 Speaker 1: The thousands may or may not be inflated, but a 442 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 1: contemporary paper explained that the extreme inclemency of the weather 443 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: prevented many from attending the funeral, although there was quite 444 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: a large number, notwithstanding the rain and snow that followed 445 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: her to the grave. Let her faults be buried with 446 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: her and her virtues live, they said. Now The conviction 447 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: of the supposed murderer of Julia could be an entire 448 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 1: episode itself, but I will say it was quite controversial 449 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: and involved. Eventually, her killer was determined to be John Millen, 450 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: a Frenchman who, according to the gold Hill Daily News 451 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: at the time, was aged about thirty five years, a large, 452 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: heavy built man with a coarse, sonorous voice. He apparently 453 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: followed the business of washing for a living, and it 454 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,919 Speaker 1: is supposed had been doing the clothes washing for his 455 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 1: victim and thereby became acquainted with the premises where she 456 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: lived and also acquired a knowledge of her effects. On 457 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: the day of his hanging, roughly three to four thousand 458 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: onlookers arrived to watch the site in hooting women with 459 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: children in their arms before he was hanged. In his 460 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: last words, John declared he was not afraid to die 461 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,399 Speaker 1: and cared only for the disgrace the manner of his 462 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 1: death would bring upon his family and France. So with 463 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: all of that being said, there is still even more 464 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:21,200 Speaker 1: to talk about regarding Virginia City, and I have Debbie Bender, 465 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 1: a paranormal investigator and owner of Bats in the Belfry 466 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: Ghost Tours, coming up next to give us all the 467 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: Ghost Lea for one one in town. Now, before I 468 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: bring on our guests for today, I just wanted to 469 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about my history with Virginia City 470 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: because it actually goes back quite a ways. When I 471 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: was a child, I grew up in northern California. I 472 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:11,520 Speaker 1: was part of a big family, and so we did 473 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: not take trips to Disneyland. We took trips to Lake 474 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 1: Tahoe to camp, or if we were feeling particularly extravagant, 475 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 1: my parents might treat us to a trip to Circus 476 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: Circus and Reno. And you know, whenever we took these trips, 477 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: we would always take a little sidebar trip to places 478 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: like Virginia City. And I'll never forget the first time 479 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: I was approaching Virginia City. When you get to Virginia City, 480 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: you literally leave Reno and you just kind of start 481 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: driving and you're basically it feels like in the middle 482 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: of nowhere. You're in the high desert. You're traversing these 483 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: very windy roads, and occasionally there's a sign to kind 484 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: of remind you of where you're going, you know, something 485 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: that says like you're approaching the Bucket of Blood Saloon, 486 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: or come see the suicide table. You know, so me 487 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: as a child, I was like, where are my parents 488 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: taking me? And once you get there, it really is 489 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: kind of like stepping back in time. It's just kind 490 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: of nestled up in the hills. Everything looks very much 491 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 1: like the Old West. I mean, it really is. And 492 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,520 Speaker 1: even then as a child, I was just quite enamored 493 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: by this place, even though, you know, once I got 494 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 1: to like the suicide table, for example, it was just 495 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: a table in the back of a casino that looked 496 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: very old. So, you know that being said, later on 497 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,800 Speaker 1: in life, I did a lot of investigating in Virginia City. 498 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: It was in pretty close proximity to where I lived, 499 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: and I had a lot of friends in that area, 500 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: and before it was ever really on ghost shows or 501 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 1: anything like that, we would investigate a number of buildings 502 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: in town and got really great results. But I always 503 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: kind of look back on it, you know, as a 504 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 1: child being completely obsessed with what seemed to be a 505 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,080 Speaker 1: very morbid history, and then later kind of ending up 506 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: there in the dark looking for ghosts. So many years 507 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: later and now here are again, and like many episodes 508 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: of this podcast that I record, it kind of just 509 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: makes me want to get back there. So that being said, 510 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: I want to bring on my guest for the day. 511 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: So today my guest is Debbie Bender. She is the 512 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: owner of Bats in the Belfree Ghost Tours. She's a 513 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: paranormal investigator herself. She has been leading ghost tours and 514 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: investigations in Virginia City for the last thirteen years, so 515 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: she definitely knows a thing or two about the hauntings there. 516 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: I would say, so, Debbie, thank you so much for 517 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: joining us. Thank you for having me. Of course, you 518 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,800 Speaker 1: came very highly recommended by a mutual friend of ours. 519 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 1: I was surprised I hadn't met you, but I know 520 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 1: you and I did chat on the phone many years 521 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: ago about some of the hauntings in town. So can 522 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:49,480 Speaker 1: you just kind of quickly give us the rundown on 523 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: how you got involved in Virginia City and kind of 524 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,080 Speaker 1: what you're doing there on the day to day. Well, 525 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 1: I was born in Reno and have been going up 526 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: to Virginia City ever since I was little, and history 527 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: has always been my first love, even before ghost hunting. 528 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: And there's so much history in Virginia City and combining 529 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: the to the history with the ghost and everything the 530 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: more I got into it, the more fascinated I was, 531 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: and I said, you know, this needs to be shared 532 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: with people, and started doing the ghost tours up there, 533 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: and we've been doing it ever since, almost thirteen years. Yeah. 534 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,480 Speaker 1: You know, what I love about it is that there 535 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: are so many different kind of haunted locations, but they're 536 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 1: all in very close proximity, Like a lot of them 537 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,280 Speaker 1: are within walking distance of each other, and it's just 538 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: kind of all just nestled in one little place. But 539 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 1: they all have very different stories and very different hauntings 540 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 1: and very different bits of history. And you know, one 541 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 1: of the things I find really interesting in some of 542 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: these older like mining towns, is there's so much folklore 543 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:55,520 Speaker 1: and lore that you have to sort of sort through, um, 544 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 1: you know. I mean a Virginia city is famous for that. 545 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: I think one of the things that I love about 546 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:05,479 Speaker 1: the town is there's so many legends, and I'm a 547 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: firm believer that within every legend there's that kernel of truth. 548 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,200 Speaker 1: You just have to dig a little bit to find it. 549 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 1: But it's just this wonderful, like colorful quilt of stories. 550 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: It's funny because I do remember just having visited so 551 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: much and unfortunately haven't been there. I don't think i've 552 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: been back in over ten years, but I do remember 553 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: even the locals today just being kind of very colorful people, 554 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 1: filled with stories, and I just kind of almost felt 555 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,600 Speaker 1: like they were like directly connected to or like somehow 556 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 1: just part of the heart of that town. Like everyone 557 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: who lives their year round just seems very vested in 558 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: keeping Virginia City the way that it is. Would you 559 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,960 Speaker 1: say that's true? Oh? Absolutely. I mean some of the 560 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: most interesting people I've ever met in my life have 561 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: been in Virginia City. And you'll be talking to someone 562 00:33:57,360 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: and else sudden they'll tell you a story about themselves 563 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,400 Speaker 1: and you're just like, oh my god, that's incredible. Yeah. 564 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: I do think it takes a special kind of character 565 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,600 Speaker 1: to kind of take up residence in an old mining 566 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: town and just be completely dedicated to kind of keeping 567 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 1: it alive, because you know, there are many towns, not 568 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,959 Speaker 1: necessarily on the scale of Virginia City that really never 569 00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:23,880 Speaker 1: survived once the gold or silver ran out, the town 570 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,239 Speaker 1: kind of expired with it. So I think that's one 571 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,560 Speaker 1: of the things I do love about Virginia City, But 572 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 1: it's also super haunted. I've had some crazy experiences there 573 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,799 Speaker 1: over the years. To me, the three major haunts are 574 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 1: obviously the wash Shoe Club, Pipers, and the Mackay Mansion. 575 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: So can you kind of run through like what people 576 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: can expect to encounter at these locations. This is the 577 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: great thing about the buildings up there. Everyone always has 578 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: their favorite which is different than the next person's favorite building, 579 00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 1: and every building can run the absolute I'm at a 580 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: paranormal activity. I mean everything from full bodied apparitions to 581 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,960 Speaker 1: getting touched to seeing objects move. I mean e vps 582 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: that just knock your socks off, incredible pictures, And it's 583 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: in each building, you know, and people that come up 584 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:20,800 Speaker 1: there on a regular basis get attached to the building, 585 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,319 Speaker 1: but then also to certain spirits that are in there. 586 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:26,520 Speaker 1: The Macki Mansion has the spirit of a little girl 587 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:32,359 Speaker 1: who's extremely playful, and whenever her spirits there, you just 588 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 1: feel happy. It's like this happiness just kind of comes 589 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: over you. The Washoe Club, you know, have some spirits 590 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 1: in there that are not always very nice, and if 591 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 1: they don't want you around, they definitely let you know. 592 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: And Hyper's Opera House. I remember being in there one 593 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: time and a friend of mine named John said that 594 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: the piano started playing old ragtime music and all of 595 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,359 Speaker 1: our equipment just went crazy. It was like they were 596 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,480 Speaker 1: so happy and just like the spirit came out in 597 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: droves to hear it. How often would you say that 598 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 1: these places are being investigated? You know, Virginia City is 599 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: probably one of the most popular ghost honey locations around here. 600 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:13,880 Speaker 1: I would say definitely, at least on the West coast, 601 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: and it's almost every weekend. We get people that have 602 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: never done it anything like that before coming up, and 603 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:26,279 Speaker 1: people who are very season long term paranormal investigators who 604 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,920 Speaker 1: are just always up there. Yeah, exactly. You really don't 605 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: know what you're gonna get in. And again, like I 606 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 1: said before, it's just it is nice to have such 607 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: a concentration of different locations and a place that's really 608 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 1: open to its hauntings. You know, some places or tourist 609 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:42,840 Speaker 1: attractions and really want nothing to do with their ghosts 610 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: and they don't encourage it. So now that Macki Mansion, 611 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:47,840 Speaker 1: I know you mentioned little Girl. The little Girl, I 612 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 1: had heard that Johnny Depp actually witnessed this ghost. Is 613 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: that true? That's what we hear. It's never been officially 614 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: officially confirmed. But he was up there filming the movie 615 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 1: called dead Man. I don't know if you've ever seen. 616 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 1: It's like this eclectic cowboy cotting movie. It's I do remember, 617 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 1: but yeah, it's a really odd movie. And um, he 618 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: was talking to locals and they told him about the 619 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 1: Maggie Mansion and how haunted it was, and they let 620 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 1: him spend the night in the room, and supposedly he 621 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 1: woke up to seeing the little girl sitting on his bed. Interesting. 622 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: There was something that I remember distinctly, So this was 623 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: this was way back when I first started investigating. I 624 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,600 Speaker 1: don't even know if you'll remember this, but do you 625 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 1: remember there being this like notorious pair of boots in 626 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:39,839 Speaker 1: the wash Show Club? I do not, Okay, perfect, So 627 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:45,000 Speaker 1: this is this is probably a prime example of being 628 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:50,120 Speaker 1: a very naive paranormal investigator and just believing everything anyone 629 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 1: told me back then. And I think we're all so 630 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:56,080 Speaker 1: guilty of this. And so I'll never forget going up 631 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,319 Speaker 1: into this room in the Washhow Club and there's this 632 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:01,640 Speaker 1: pair of boots sitting in this room. I don't even 633 00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:03,399 Speaker 1: think we could go into the room because it wasn't 634 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:05,799 Speaker 1: particularly safe, but the boots were there, and they were 635 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: very old boots, and everyone with me was like, years ago, 636 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:13,799 Speaker 1: a man was shot in this room and they took 637 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,839 Speaker 1: off his boots and they left them there, and those 638 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:21,200 Speaker 1: are his boots, and you know, me just looked at 639 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 1: those and obviously were like all investigating around these boots. 640 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:28,360 Speaker 1: But then like the reality never really set in for me. 641 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:34,440 Speaker 1: How like outrageous acclaim that was like that that this 642 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,759 Speaker 1: building is falling apart, all the furniture is gone, the 643 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,879 Speaker 1: walls are falling down, and yet they chose to leave 644 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:47,000 Speaker 1: this dead man's boots sitting there. So you know, this 645 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:50,280 Speaker 1: is a perfect story that shows that there's a kernel 646 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 1: of truth in a legend. Right, So there was a 647 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:56,719 Speaker 1: person who was shot upstairs in a wash up club. 648 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:00,319 Speaker 1: His name was Scottie Um and he shot himself, and 649 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,080 Speaker 1: he was very well known and very liked by the 650 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 1: locals and everything. So there is that possibility that they 651 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:09,880 Speaker 1: did put a pair of boots in a room up 652 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:14,800 Speaker 1: there to like honor his memory. Potentially, yes, for sure, 653 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 1: And I could see that. But I do remember just 654 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:22,279 Speaker 1: thinking years later, like why would I just believe that? 655 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,880 Speaker 1: And I just remember in the dark talking to these boots, 656 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: which if anyone watches my show Kindred Spirits. It's not 657 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:33,839 Speaker 1: far fetched to talk to shoes, but but it was. 658 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:37,440 Speaker 1: It was really funny, and I just I'll never forget that, 659 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 1: and so like, you know, not investigator Amy, you know, 660 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:45,040 Speaker 1: twenty years later, really wants to go back to that spot, 661 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:47,959 Speaker 1: and so hopefully I'll be able to at some point. 662 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: But that also means that at some point someone took 663 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: those boots. Those boots are somewhere, yeah, yeah, because I've 664 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 1: never seen a pair of boots up there. Yeah. I 665 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: mean it's been so long, I could be completely misremembering 666 00:40:02,080 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: the direction. I remember going up a set of stairs 667 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 1: and then on the direct left was a room and 668 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,360 Speaker 1: I feel like that's where the boots were. So was 669 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,399 Speaker 1: it a really big room, probably the ballroom? Maybe it 670 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:18,279 Speaker 1: was not. It was like a small room, kind of 671 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:22,200 Speaker 1: off to the side. And that's kind of all I remember. 672 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: But you know how like you think of these things 673 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,000 Speaker 1: and you actually go back and you're like, that's not 674 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,680 Speaker 1: what the setup was at all. I just completely you know, 675 00:40:29,719 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: we do have that selective memory, which you know, you 676 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,360 Speaker 1: do have to really come to terms with as a 677 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 1: paranormal investigator. It's you can misremember and you do misremember, 678 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:42,920 Speaker 1: so it could be completely off base. Okay, so the 679 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: wash Show Club, like you said, it does seem to 680 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: have this kind of reputation for people being not so nice. 681 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:53,960 Speaker 1: What happens there that makes people believe that? Well, I 682 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,240 Speaker 1: witness people get scratched. I was with someone one time 683 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,239 Speaker 1: and they were taking pictures and the camera that they 684 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 1: were using just got flung out of their hands and 685 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:06,560 Speaker 1: smashed against the wall. E v P. S up there 686 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: can call you names, tell you to get out. I 687 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,200 Speaker 1: think we need to remember we go into these places 688 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:15,000 Speaker 1: that we're kind of going into someone's home in a way, right, 689 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:19,480 Speaker 1: and when the spirits up there don't want to be bothered, 690 00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:23,160 Speaker 1: you physically feel that milwash Show. Yeah, I mean I 691 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,640 Speaker 1: think that makes sense because you kind of feel that 692 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:27,600 Speaker 1: with a living person in front of you, you know, 693 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:29,800 Speaker 1: if they're putting off that vibe that they want nothing 694 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:32,240 Speaker 1: to do with you. I do get that same feeling 695 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:34,839 Speaker 1: sometimes when no one is there, or when I think 696 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,960 Speaker 1: maybe a spirit is present. I mean the Washaw Club historically, 697 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:41,680 Speaker 1: obviously it started as this very kind of fancy boogie place, 698 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,879 Speaker 1: and then as the silver ran out and the gold 699 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,320 Speaker 1: ran out, obviously it kind of seemed like the price 700 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:51,120 Speaker 1: to join was a lot less at that point. Do 701 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,560 Speaker 1: you think that kind of affected the clientele and like 702 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,799 Speaker 1: what went on there? I think so. I mean, I 703 00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:58,759 Speaker 1: think they tried to sort of keep the glory days 704 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:00,520 Speaker 1: of the com stock for as long as they could, 705 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,640 Speaker 1: and when it just kind of passed away, Yeah, I 706 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:08,400 Speaker 1: think that they weren't getting the millionaires up there, you know, 707 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:11,320 Speaker 1: the big players. They all had moved on at that point. 708 00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: I'm trying to remember specifically, but I feel like at 709 00:42:14,719 --> 00:42:16,360 Speaker 1: that point, by the time it closed, I think the 710 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,480 Speaker 1: monthly membership view was only like two dollars and seventy 711 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,879 Speaker 1: five cents or something, down from a much more substantial 712 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 1: amount than that. Now, Piper's Opera House I always find 713 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:33,320 Speaker 1: or Piper Pipers or Piper Piper's. So Piper's Opera House, 714 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: I feel like that, you know, like you think about Tombstone, 715 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:40,880 Speaker 1: for example, and their Birdcage theater kind of became this 716 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:45,880 Speaker 1: like really debaucherous theater, but Pipers didn't. It never really 717 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:47,640 Speaker 1: became that way, did. I mean, I did have a 718 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:50,759 Speaker 1: bar attached to it, you know, it didn't. Piper's was 719 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,239 Speaker 1: always really classy with the plays they put up me 720 00:42:53,239 --> 00:42:55,880 Speaker 1: and they had some of the biggest actors in the 721 00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:58,840 Speaker 1: world at that time that we're performing on that stage. 722 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 1: And you know our twin when he came back to 723 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,919 Speaker 1: Virginia City, he gave his lecture on that stage. So yeah, 724 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:07,279 Speaker 1: it was it was not like a dance hall or 725 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:10,200 Speaker 1: anything like that. It was much higher class than that. 726 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:15,120 Speaker 1: So who do you think is haunting Pipers? Supposedly John 727 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:18,160 Speaker 1: Piper himself haunts the place. People have seen him staring 728 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: out the windows and also have seen him up in 729 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,800 Speaker 1: the balconies. There's also a spirit of a lady who's 730 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:27,960 Speaker 1: usually seen when a performance is going on. We figured 731 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:30,680 Speaker 1: she was probably one of the actresses that came out 732 00:43:30,719 --> 00:43:34,440 Speaker 1: that way. And then supposedly there's also the spirit of 733 00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:38,800 Speaker 1: a of a child that's only seen backstage and usually 734 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:42,880 Speaker 1: only seen by other kids. Okay, I mean that's interesting. 735 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,920 Speaker 1: It's it's hard always to figure out, you know, the 736 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:49,279 Speaker 1: ghosts of children who they could be, just because they 737 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:52,200 Speaker 1: didn't really document the deaths of kids as often, but 738 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:57,799 Speaker 1: unfortunately they passed away quite often back then. Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. 739 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,440 Speaker 1: And have you have been able to find any like 740 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,800 Speaker 1: documented deaths and Pipers or anything or any other like 741 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:07,319 Speaker 1: kind of I mean, I was looking through the history 742 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:11,560 Speaker 1: and there's no town legends about murders or deaths and 743 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:14,360 Speaker 1: fires connected to the opera house. But have you found 744 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:19,040 Speaker 1: anything I haven't. I know, there's one story going around 745 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:22,280 Speaker 1: that someone was hung from the rafters by the six 746 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:25,319 Speaker 1: oh one, which was a vigilante group, and I've never 747 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: found any historical document to back that up. One of 748 00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,920 Speaker 1: the biggest problems with Virginia City is after eighteen seventy five, 749 00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:36,319 Speaker 1: when with the Great Fire happened, a lot of the 750 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,279 Speaker 1: documents were destroyed, right. I could see that as I 751 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: was kind of going through the history. It was really 752 00:44:42,120 --> 00:44:44,920 Speaker 1: interesting to see how many places, you know, as they 753 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:47,960 Speaker 1: kind of dug or started to renovate a lot later, 754 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 1: would find evidence of the original buildings, even especially like 755 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:55,960 Speaker 1: underground I think Pipers there is something kind of like 756 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: that there as well. Is there anything that you can 757 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:01,200 Speaker 1: investigate that's kind of near to some of the more 758 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:05,440 Speaker 1: original parts of that structure. Not really. There's an area 759 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:08,400 Speaker 1: downstairs in the back where the bar is where they 760 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:10,440 Speaker 1: had at one point. We're kind of digging things out 761 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:12,799 Speaker 1: a little bit and finding some interesting stuff from the 762 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,279 Speaker 1: original building that was there, but there's nothing left of 763 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:20,480 Speaker 1: the original original you know, it was burned down, you know, 764 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,919 Speaker 1: and then Pipers I think this is what his third 765 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:25,400 Speaker 1: or fourth opera house he had built in Virginia City 766 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: by that time. Yes, so the current one dates eighty five, 767 00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:33,480 Speaker 1: which that's still pretty old. Yeah, definitely, especially for Califor 768 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:34,799 Speaker 1: and I don't want to say California, but for the 769 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:38,360 Speaker 1: West coast. Now. I have read somewhere that the facade 770 00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:41,719 Speaker 1: the front though, was older than that. Is that accurate 771 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:45,840 Speaker 1: or not that I know of? Um, I think it 772 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:48,440 Speaker 1: was in the nineteen oh I'm probably gonna get this 773 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:53,560 Speaker 1: date wrong. I don't even work the forties, maybe fifties. 774 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:57,040 Speaker 1: Hyper's great granddaughter tried to restore it and bring it 775 00:45:57,120 --> 00:46:00,160 Speaker 1: back and then it kind of sat pretty vacant for 776 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:02,680 Speaker 1: a while and they did a mass renovation on it 777 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 1: and really brought it back to life. And it's I mean, 778 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,400 Speaker 1: it's just so beautiful inside there where you go up 779 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:11,120 Speaker 1: to where the theater is and you just really feel 780 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:15,360 Speaker 1: like you're standing in history. Yeah. I think that is 781 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:18,920 Speaker 1: kind of the case with the entire town, and I 782 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:22,080 Speaker 1: think that's probably why it's haunted or a big part 783 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:24,719 Speaker 1: of it. I think that when you have these spots 784 00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:29,600 Speaker 1: that don't necessarily change, it stays familiar to these ghosts 785 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:33,600 Speaker 1: and comfortable. And again that's complete speculation on my part, 786 00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:36,480 Speaker 1: but I just I kind of feel that sometimes. And 787 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,200 Speaker 1: I know we've gone through those kind of three key hauntings, 788 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:41,440 Speaker 1: But are there any other areas in town that you 789 00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,120 Speaker 1: think are either kind of underrated when it comes to 790 00:46:44,200 --> 00:46:47,200 Speaker 1: ghosts or areas people just might want to check out 791 00:46:47,239 --> 00:46:50,440 Speaker 1: if they're able to investigate. One of my favorite buildings 792 00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:53,400 Speaker 1: up there is the Night's Epatheist Building. It's not open 793 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:57,280 Speaker 1: to the general public, but during certain conventions and stuff, 794 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:00,520 Speaker 1: they're able to get that location to do investing nations in. 795 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:04,560 Speaker 1: And that's probably between the Washoe Club and the Knights 796 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:08,239 Speaker 1: of Patheist as far as hauntings go, that's those are 797 00:47:08,280 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 1: my favorite places. I think you get the most out 798 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,880 Speaker 1: of them. And so what is the history of that 799 00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:16,400 Speaker 1: building and what do people experience there? With the Knights 800 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:20,000 Speaker 1: of Patheis you get personal stuff happening. You don't really 801 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:21,279 Speaker 1: get like a lot of the e v p s 802 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:24,359 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. But there's an area on the 803 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,880 Speaker 1: second floor where there used to be a kitchen, and 804 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,239 Speaker 1: we would have people stand in a certain area in 805 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:33,080 Speaker 1: a line and just have them stand as still as possible, 806 00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,279 Speaker 1: and without even realized they were doing it, they would 807 00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:39,279 Speaker 1: start swaying back and forth. Oh strange, and it would 808 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:42,759 Speaker 1: affect people. I was up there one time and I 809 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:44,920 Speaker 1: was standing at the entrance to the kitchen and my 810 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:46,960 Speaker 1: daughter was back there having people, you know, do the 811 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:49,120 Speaker 1: swaying thing. We call it the vortex for lack of 812 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:52,239 Speaker 1: a better word. And this guy comes out. He was 813 00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:55,120 Speaker 1: over six ft tall, he was a marine. He stops 814 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:57,160 Speaker 1: in front of me and he looks at me and 815 00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:00,600 Speaker 1: then just drops to the ground. Oh no, And we 816 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 1: had to help him out of the building. As soon 817 00:48:02,239 --> 00:48:04,400 Speaker 1: as he got out of the building, he was perfectly fine. 818 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:08,360 Speaker 1: I know seasoned investigators who have been doing ghost hunting 819 00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 1: for years and years and years who don't like going 820 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:15,799 Speaker 1: upstairs because of how the building will can physically affect you. 821 00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:20,080 Speaker 1: That's straight. Is it like uneven or anything? Is the 822 00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:22,640 Speaker 1: floor of you know, sometimes you go into those places, 823 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:26,719 Speaker 1: especially older buildings, and it kind of catches you off guard. Yeah, 824 00:48:26,719 --> 00:48:30,319 Speaker 1: it's like that fun house effect. Yeah it's not. And 825 00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:33,560 Speaker 1: you know, I've delled into the history with the Knights Epitheist, 826 00:48:33,719 --> 00:48:37,279 Speaker 1: and I can't find anything. You know, no murders up there, 827 00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:41,600 Speaker 1: nobody died up there, nothing like that. But for some reason, 828 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:45,879 Speaker 1: there is something up there in that building, and when 829 00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:49,680 Speaker 1: it decides to make its presence, no, it gets to you, 830 00:48:49,840 --> 00:48:52,600 Speaker 1: gets to you big time. I'll to check that out 831 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:54,879 Speaker 1: on my next visit. I don't know that I've ever 832 00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:56,880 Speaker 1: been there, but I have been in a lot of 833 00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:00,080 Speaker 1: buildings there though that I don't know, are regularly and 834 00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:03,200 Speaker 1: to the public, so maybe it's a place I'll recognize. 835 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,080 Speaker 1: So what about mines, Are there any minds people can 836 00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:09,279 Speaker 1: go into that are rumored to be haunted or are 837 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,359 Speaker 1: they mostly all closed off? There's still the Collar mine 838 00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:16,239 Speaker 1: that you can go into, and that one has its hauntings. 839 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:19,359 Speaker 1: It's not one I like going into because I'm very 840 00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:22,680 Speaker 1: claused bobic me too. I feel you do not want 841 00:49:22,719 --> 00:49:25,440 Speaker 1: to go in there now. It's the worst, yeah, but 842 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:27,879 Speaker 1: it gives you a feel of what it was like 843 00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:30,279 Speaker 1: for those miners back in the day that had to 844 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:33,520 Speaker 1: do that all the time. And it's you know, it's 845 00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:37,920 Speaker 1: not pleasant, no it It honestly sounds like the absolute 846 00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:40,680 Speaker 1: worst line of work to me, like I read the 847 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:43,799 Speaker 1: stories of miners and I get like a tightness in 848 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:46,760 Speaker 1: my chest, like saying, the idea of that is so terrifying. 849 00:49:46,760 --> 00:49:48,399 Speaker 1: And then some of the things they went through, even 850 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:51,759 Speaker 1: in Virginia City, just like the working conditions, and I 851 00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:54,120 Speaker 1: was reading that, you know, sometimes they would get caught 852 00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:57,000 Speaker 1: up in legal matters and they would literally lock miners 853 00:49:57,040 --> 00:49:59,120 Speaker 1: into the mine until it was settled. And I mean, 854 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:01,839 Speaker 1: just just full to think about. To me, that's one 855 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:04,880 Speaker 1: of the reasons I think Virginia City is also really haunted, 856 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:07,239 Speaker 1: is you know, these miners when they died in the 857 00:50:07,320 --> 00:50:11,520 Speaker 1: minds it was a horrible depth and to be trapped 858 00:50:11,560 --> 00:50:14,080 Speaker 1: three thousand feet below ground knowing that you're not going 859 00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:17,320 Speaker 1: to get out or there's no way out, and basically 860 00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:20,960 Speaker 1: they died in terror and in darkness and alone and 861 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:24,440 Speaker 1: knowing there's no way that anyone could save them, and 862 00:50:24,640 --> 00:50:27,080 Speaker 1: probably not really feeling like much of a priority to 863 00:50:27,120 --> 00:50:29,440 Speaker 1: save you know, they didn't really have OSHA back then. 864 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:31,960 Speaker 1: They didn't really take care of them as they should have. 865 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 1: And whenever I read about the history of not just 866 00:50:35,120 --> 00:50:38,719 Speaker 1: Virginia City mines, but any mining town, the actual miners 867 00:50:39,160 --> 00:50:41,279 Speaker 1: while many of them did well. A lot of them 868 00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:47,400 Speaker 1: were just very overlooked and treated terribly well. Yes and no. 869 00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:49,640 Speaker 1: I mean we did have the highest paid miners in 870 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:52,759 Speaker 1: the world at that time, and we did have the 871 00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:55,479 Speaker 1: most state of the art equipment for mining at that time, 872 00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:58,360 Speaker 1: so that was really good. But at the same time, 873 00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:01,279 Speaker 1: money was always going to be the them Lyne, right, 874 00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:04,080 Speaker 1: and you're right that the lives of the miners were 875 00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:06,960 Speaker 1: a second thought when it came down to, you know, 876 00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:08,759 Speaker 1: what are we going to make out of this mine? 877 00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:13,480 Speaker 1: Now unrelated and not a source of any hauntings that 878 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:16,080 Speaker 1: I have seen, but I just was kind of fascinated 879 00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:19,759 Speaker 1: by her story. Are you familiar with Julia Billett at all? 880 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:23,440 Speaker 1: I am. I just find her story to be, like 881 00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:26,760 Speaker 1: I said, very just fascinating. And I was not aware 882 00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:29,160 Speaker 1: of her until I started really digging into the history 883 00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:34,800 Speaker 1: of Virginia City. And have you ever encountered any hauntings 884 00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:37,399 Speaker 1: that you think maybe associated with her? Because if there 885 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:39,160 Speaker 1: was ever someone who was going to haunt a place, 886 00:51:39,200 --> 00:51:42,680 Speaker 1: I feel like she would be a per the person. Yep. 887 00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:46,880 Speaker 1: We do stop at the sight of Julia's cabin on 888 00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:52,000 Speaker 1: our ghost tour, and she doesn't always come out to 889 00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:55,759 Speaker 1: interact with us. But there are times when she does 890 00:51:55,840 --> 00:51:57,680 Speaker 1: and we'll have the kids. You meet her out and 891 00:51:57,719 --> 00:52:00,399 Speaker 1: we'll usually have a gentleman and that's all to her. 892 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:03,520 Speaker 1: Hold it because she likes talking to the men, and 893 00:52:03,680 --> 00:52:06,320 Speaker 1: she'll make that meter light up in response to questions 894 00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:09,080 Speaker 1: that we're asking her. We've had people get some really 895 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:12,560 Speaker 1: odd photos on that spot during the tour, So I 896 00:52:12,600 --> 00:52:16,520 Speaker 1: believe that she is there definitely. And her history. You 897 00:52:16,520 --> 00:52:19,480 Speaker 1: gotta be careful with Julie because of the stuff you 898 00:52:19,520 --> 00:52:22,520 Speaker 1: read about her on the internet. It's not true. Oh 899 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,719 Speaker 1: that's good to know, but her her history is still 900 00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:29,560 Speaker 1: a fascinating one. So what would you say, is like 901 00:52:29,640 --> 00:52:33,080 Speaker 1: maybe the biggest bit of misinformation about her that's out there, 902 00:52:33,840 --> 00:52:37,680 Speaker 1: She was not rich. She did not own a brothel 903 00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:40,600 Speaker 1: or a house. Julius Palace, I think is what they 904 00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:45,000 Speaker 1: called it. That's not true. She was a middle class prostitute. 905 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,080 Speaker 1: She actually did die in Debt, but she was very 906 00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: well loved in that town. And I think the person 907 00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:55,640 Speaker 1: they hung for her murder was not the person who 908 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:59,480 Speaker 1: killed her. Oh okay, well these are good things to know, 909 00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:02,440 Speaker 1: so you know, if if there's anything like I always say, 910 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:05,080 Speaker 1: it got a very hard to prove, but we can 911 00:53:05,120 --> 00:53:09,799 Speaker 1: at least work our best to get history accurate. And 912 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:13,320 Speaker 1: she's just such an interesting character. I wanted to bring 913 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:18,080 Speaker 1: her up. Are there any other hauntings in town that 914 00:53:18,160 --> 00:53:20,200 Speaker 1: you think we need to mention? I mean, I feel 915 00:53:20,200 --> 00:53:23,320 Speaker 1: like there's so many, and so there is a Probably 916 00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:27,200 Speaker 1: my favorite spirit in Virginia City is Peter Larkin. He's 917 00:53:27,239 --> 00:53:30,960 Speaker 1: the most interactive, at least for us. We stopped behind 918 00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:34,720 Speaker 1: the courthouse to talk to him, and he usually comes 919 00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,799 Speaker 1: out and speaks to us through e VPS or through 920 00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:42,160 Speaker 1: the sp seven probably eight out of ten times. And 921 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:47,680 Speaker 1: we've heard him on many many occasions make really clear sentences. 922 00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:51,279 Speaker 1: And he was hung back there, and I've also he 923 00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:53,759 Speaker 1: was another one I believe was innocent. But he's my 924 00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:56,800 Speaker 1: favorite spirit just because he interacts with us so often. 925 00:53:57,200 --> 00:54:00,680 Speaker 1: And so what was his story? How did who was he? 926 00:54:00,680 --> 00:54:05,160 Speaker 1: He owned like a bar and a brothel in Virginia City, 927 00:54:05,239 --> 00:54:07,960 Speaker 1: and his girlfriend owned want to Saint a saloon right 928 00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:11,080 Speaker 1: next door to his, And he ended up breaking up 929 00:54:11,080 --> 00:54:13,799 Speaker 1: with his girlfriend and she got a new boyfriend, and 930 00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:17,600 Speaker 1: his bedroom window looked right into their bedroom window, and 931 00:54:17,719 --> 00:54:21,320 Speaker 1: she accused him of shooting and killing her new boyfriend. 932 00:54:22,080 --> 00:54:25,040 Speaker 1: And even though Peter was very popular in town, he 933 00:54:25,120 --> 00:54:27,600 Speaker 1: was very well respected. This was right after the Great 934 00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:31,360 Speaker 1: Fire had happened, and the people, the powers that be 935 00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:34,120 Speaker 1: in Virginia City really wanted to clean the town up, 936 00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:39,120 Speaker 1: and so unfortunately, they decided to make Peter an example. 937 00:54:39,600 --> 00:54:43,239 Speaker 1: And so even though all the evidence was circumstantial, they 938 00:54:43,239 --> 00:54:50,000 Speaker 1: still hung him. Wow, scandalous, So real quick, because I 939 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:53,640 Speaker 1: have to revisit these moments from my childhood. So what 940 00:54:53,840 --> 00:54:56,759 Speaker 1: is the suicide table and is it still there? And 941 00:54:56,800 --> 00:55:00,320 Speaker 1: how much truth is there to it? The suicide table 942 00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:03,400 Speaker 1: is still there. It's in the delta. It's a Pharaoh table, 943 00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:05,960 Speaker 1: and Pharaoh was like the big card gambling game of 944 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:10,640 Speaker 1: the day back then. And the story is that there 945 00:55:10,680 --> 00:55:13,120 Speaker 1: have been a couple of men who have lost all 946 00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:16,160 Speaker 1: their fortune on that table and then took their own 947 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:20,160 Speaker 1: lives after that happened. Is there truth to it? There? 948 00:55:20,200 --> 00:55:23,879 Speaker 1: Probably is that Colonel of truth somewhere in there about that. 949 00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:29,000 Speaker 1: It's been up there for as long as I can remember. Yeah, 950 00:55:29,040 --> 00:55:33,279 Speaker 1: I remembered um just being completely fascinated with it as 951 00:55:33,320 --> 00:55:34,920 Speaker 1: a child. I mean, I mean, there is a lot 952 00:55:34,920 --> 00:55:36,600 Speaker 1: of build up, like you drive up and you know, 953 00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:40,160 Speaker 1: there's like I feel like twenty signs. Yes, it was 954 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:43,520 Speaker 1: a table. Uh. And then of course there's the Bucket 955 00:55:43,560 --> 00:55:46,440 Speaker 1: of Blood Saloon. So what is the Bucket of Blood Saloon? 956 00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:49,160 Speaker 1: And how did it get that name. It's a great 957 00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:51,719 Speaker 1: saloon to go into. It's a lot of fun in there. 958 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:55,680 Speaker 1: The name supposedly comes from back in the day that 959 00:55:55,760 --> 00:55:58,279 Speaker 1: there were so many gunfights in Virginia City that they 960 00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:01,239 Speaker 1: had to mop up a buckets worth blood every day. 961 00:56:01,640 --> 00:56:04,680 Speaker 1: Oh see, I didn't know that. I just accepted that 962 00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:09,879 Speaker 1: name with no explanation. So it's nice to know. Tell 963 00:56:09,960 --> 00:56:12,040 Speaker 1: us a little bit about how people can find you 964 00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:14,200 Speaker 1: and what you're up to, and if they want to 965 00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:17,319 Speaker 1: visit where they need to go, they can find us 966 00:56:17,320 --> 00:56:21,200 Speaker 1: through our website, Virginia City Ghost Tours dot com. And 967 00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:23,879 Speaker 1: we are currently down for the wintertime because it's too 968 00:56:23,960 --> 00:56:25,839 Speaker 1: much snow and it's really cool to be walking around 969 00:56:25,840 --> 00:56:27,960 Speaker 1: there at night right now, but we hope to be 970 00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:30,360 Speaker 1: back up and running March. You're April, depending on the weather, 971 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:33,920 Speaker 1: and we'll be running tours every Friday and Saturday for sure. 972 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:37,800 Speaker 1: And they can go to our website and make reservations 973 00:56:38,400 --> 00:56:40,880 Speaker 1: and or send us an email if they have questions, 974 00:56:41,480 --> 00:56:44,080 Speaker 1: and it's about an hour outdoor walking tour. We'll tell 975 00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:46,440 Speaker 1: you all about the great history up there, and then 976 00:56:46,480 --> 00:56:50,000 Speaker 1: also about all the ghostly legends. Thank you so much. 977 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:52,920 Speaker 1: I really appreciate you, know, your dedication to history and 978 00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:56,080 Speaker 1: keeping it real, but also just finding the kind of 979 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:59,160 Speaker 1: magic in a place like Virginia City and respecting that. 980 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:02,279 Speaker 1: So I appreciate it. I appreciate you taking the time 981 00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:04,719 Speaker 1: to talk with me today. And I'm going to be 982 00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:07,840 Speaker 1: visiting very soon, at least by this summer. I've definitely 983 00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:10,600 Speaker 1: got to pop in. So well, we hope you come 984 00:57:10,640 --> 00:57:12,879 Speaker 1: back up to Virginia City. Will be more than happy 985 00:57:12,920 --> 00:57:16,240 Speaker 1: to show you around. Alright, fabulous, Well, thank you so much. 986 00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:22,640 Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Thank you. Of course, Virginia City is 987 00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:25,560 Speaker 1: a gem of a mining town, just waiting for you 988 00:57:25,680 --> 00:57:28,480 Speaker 1: to pay it a visit. I have to tell you, though, 989 00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:33,080 Speaker 1: as a child, so many many years ago, I remember 990 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,640 Speaker 1: paying a dollar to pan for gold in an old 991 00:57:35,680 --> 00:57:39,400 Speaker 1: sluice mining operations someone had set up off the main street. 992 00:57:39,960 --> 00:57:42,800 Speaker 1: As I looked at the weathered older gentleman who helped 993 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:45,520 Speaker 1: me sift through sand and water to find little specks 994 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:47,560 Speaker 1: of fool's gold that he would later put in a 995 00:57:47,600 --> 00:57:50,000 Speaker 1: tiny vial of water for me to take home. My 996 00:57:50,040 --> 00:57:52,720 Speaker 1: mind just assumed he was a miner who had been 997 00:57:52,760 --> 00:57:56,040 Speaker 1: there for a hundred years or more. He seemed such 998 00:57:56,080 --> 00:57:59,000 Speaker 1: a part of the town, and wearing a be draggled 999 00:57:59,080 --> 00:58:02,840 Speaker 1: leather hat, lo t shirt and brown canvas overalls, he 1000 00:58:03,040 --> 00:58:06,520 Speaker 1: looked the part of the town. It didn't even cross 1001 00:58:06,640 --> 00:58:10,440 Speaker 1: my mind that he hadn't been there since well forever. 1002 00:58:11,240 --> 00:58:14,560 Speaker 1: Except now when I think back to that moment, I 1003 00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:19,560 Speaker 1: can't help but wonder if, maybe, just maybe I was right. 1004 00:58:21,080 --> 00:58:26,480 Speaker 1: I'm Amy Rooney and this was Haunted Road. Thanks so 1005 00:58:26,600 --> 00:58:29,560 Speaker 1: much for listening to our season two premiere of Haunted Road. 1006 00:58:29,880 --> 00:58:32,640 Speaker 1: Remember you can catch all new episodes of my show 1007 00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:36,320 Speaker 1: Kindred Spirits airing now on Travel Channel on Saturday nights 1008 00:58:36,320 --> 00:58:40,000 Speaker 1: at ten ninth Central, or streaming on Discovery Plus. And 1009 00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:42,600 Speaker 1: if you want to take a weird vacation of a lifetime, 1010 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:46,040 Speaker 1: visit Strange dash Escapes dot com to join me and 1011 00:58:46,120 --> 00:58:49,760 Speaker 1: some of my paranormal friends on ghostly vacations all over 1012 00:58:49,880 --> 00:58:59,600 Speaker 1: the world. Haunted Road is a production of I Heart 1013 00:58:59,640 --> 00:59:03,400 Speaker 1: Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. The podcast 1014 00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:07,480 Speaker 1: is written and hosted by Amy Bruney. Executive producers include 1015 00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:11,680 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. The show is 1016 00:59:11,720 --> 00:59:15,760 Speaker 1: produced by rema Ill Kali and Trevor Young. Research by 1017 00:59:15,760 --> 00:59:20,440 Speaker 1: Taylor Haggerdorn, Amy Bruney, and Robin Miniter. For more podcasts 1018 00:59:20,440 --> 00:59:23,120 Speaker 1: from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 1019 00:59:23,280 --> 00:59:26,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.