Ghost Hunters: East County Trio Search For Paranormal Activity

Talking about ghosts is something that usually happens around Halloween.  For a group of local paranormal investigators, ghosts are something they don’t just talk about, but they look for throughout the year as they chase urban legends and ghost stories. They document their investigations on their Facebook page. In what started out as a hobby, it quickly turned into a passion.

Cali Ghost Girls is a paranormal investigation group composed of three friends; Amy, Stephanie and Tammy, who travel to locations with historical significance to see if there are any traces of history still “haunting” these locations. They collect evidence using high tech equipment; including EVP Recorders (electronic voice phenomena), video cameras, EMF detectors (electromagnetic field detectors used to track energy sources), night vision photography, thermal scanners and more. In the darkest hours of the night, these girls wander through historical taverns, saloons, hotels, cemeteries, mines, jail houses, opera houses, basements and any place that has a story to tell.

There are generally 2 types of spirits they encounter.

The most common is one that was at one point alive, and has remained with the living for some unforeseen reason. It may not realize its dead, or may be held here by unfinished business, guilt or anger. These spirits have the same personality they had when they were alive, so they could be friendly or malicious. Cali Ghost Girls also encounter residual hauntings which are considered playbacks of past events.

The other types of spirit they have encountered were never human and are considered bad news and described as very frightening. Sometimes, even the investigators themselves get a little spooked.

“When I saw a shadow man in the Washoe Club I bolted out of that building,” says Amy, one of the investigators.

The group has a history of investigating locations that even the famed Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures team has visited.  The Washoe Club in Virginia City is one of their favorite locations to investigate.

The Washoe Club is known to have a multitude of ghosts. Known in the late 1800s as the Millionaires Club, the establishment was a playground for the wealthy and elite who made their fortunes during the mining days. The Washoe appealed to these gentlemen by providing a saloon on the first floor, offices and private gaming rooms on the second floor, and a boarding house/brothel on the third floor. So much paranormal activity has been reported that it has attracted numerous ghost hunters including Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin, the Ghost Adventures crew.

There are tales of a woman in blue at the top of the spiral staircase that leads to nowhere, disembodied voices telling people to get out, apparitions seen darting across the rooms, doors slamming, chairs moving, a shadow man walking through the halls on the second floor, an old man who ended his life on the third floor, and more. Then there’s the crypt. In the late 1800’s the crypt was the bar’s cold storage area that also served as an overflow morgue in the building’s early years. During the winter months, dead bodies were stacked and stored there. Once warmer weather came along and the bodies thawed out, they were removed and buried in the cemetery. Even the women’s restroom at the Washoe Club is rumored to be haunted. Enough activity has taken place in the ladies room to warrant a warning sign that the room may be haunted.

The group recently investigated Hotel Jeffrey, a historic “Old-West” hotel in Coulterville. The hotel has a history of entertaining many famous guests including Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, John Muir and others. The hotel is also famous for its “other” guests as well. The hotel has long been known as haunted with many different ghosts still roaming the halls and rooms. There is said to be 17 documented spirits. Ghosts have been heard, felt and seen by guests throughout the hotel. Cali Ghost Girls have reserved room 22 which is reportedly the most active location in the hotel. The room belongs to a jilted woman who hung herself from the rafters in the room in the 1800s. The permanent resident has been seen roaming the halls and room ever since.

Hotel Jeffrey is also home to the Magnolia Saloon which is the oldest working saloon in California, complete with the original “bat wing” doors.  “Swinging through those bat doors,” was something else, says Tammy.  “I immediately had a strong feeling,” she added.  The girls investigated the local cemetery as well different locations in the hotel. Tammy photographed a man’s face in a second story window and woke up in the middle of the night to someone sitting at the end of her bed.  “I could feel the weight of someone or something sitting in my bed,” she said.

Part of Cali Ghost Girl’s mission is to share their experience with others. The group invites people to join their investigations. “We make all the arrangements for an awesome experience,” says Stephanie. “This group is great for the experienced or the newbie ghost hunter; all are welcome.”

Their next trip will be back to Virginia City to investigate the notorious Room 11 at the Silver Queen as well as other locations.

Anyone wishing to join in on the investigation can visit Cali Ghost Girls Meetup group or email Cali Ghost Girls at: [email protected]

By Amy Schrader
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Email: [email protected]