Visitor Ghost Experiences

The following ghostly experiences at Calico Ghost Town (and other places) have been emailed to me by our visitors to share with you. I hope you enjoy reading them. If you have a ghostly experience from Calico or anywhere else, email us and your experience might be put on the Calico Ghost Walk website. Just click the button on the left of the screen that says "Contact Us".

Who's There??????

My husband and I had visited Calico for the first time last year to tour the town. We did all the tourist type thing, take pictures, climb all the hills, took the train ride, take a look at the school house. It was getting a bit late and we decided to see if there were any of the cabins that we saw below as you came into Calico. They looked cute and homey-like so we went to the office to see if we could spend the night, to our luck they were available.

We settled into one of them and did a little BBQ, sat on the porch, lit a fire pit and it was around a little after midnight when we decided to turn in. I was so exhausted that day due to the temperature being around 95 to 98 degrees and the drive we did that day I was so excited to crash. We had the air conditioner on and were get into that deep sleep mode when I heard a knock on the door, I laid there for a few seconds thinking I just either was about to dream it or someone did knock, well they knocked again so I woke up my husband so he could see who it was. We thought it was the ranger but after he looked out the window and opened the door no one was there, he stepped out to maybe catch the person leaving and still nothing.

He came back to bed and it was maybe about an hour or so later there again someone was knocking, this time he heard it too, so he got up opened the door, and no one. He thought maybe it was some kids playing around from the campsite so he closed the door and just stood there and waited. We were whispering to each other, when we heard someone walk up the porch which sounded like they had boots on and you could see a shadow in the curtains but really couldnt make out who it was so again they knocked.

No sooner did that knock come my husband had flung open that door and no one. My husband ran out the door and looked around the area and I followed him to maybe catch the person who was doing this but the thing is no one could have ran that fast away from the site and to add to the confusion, we were the only ones in that site, everyone else was on the other part of another campsite which is on the other side of the road when you come in. We looked around our SUV and then went over to the restroom area, still no one.

As we left the area we both looked over to a part of a hill behind us and as we looked up there was this shadow of what looked like a man just standing there looking right down at us. My husband said to the man if you are knocking on our door would you just please stop. He even threatened him if he did it one more time that he was going find a ranger and complain. We returned to the cabin and fell asleep, no more knocking that night. We woke up and packed everything into our truck and was taking the key to turn it in at the entrance, when we saw one of the rangers there, we told him what happened and about what time and he looked at us and said that things happen around there. Then he suggested that we look into taking a night tour (we didnt know you had one then) on our next visit, well, we did and we have been back to Calico ever since to take the Ghost Walks.

M.E.

Old Route 66

We would like to thank you again for your time and effort in putting together a wonderful website. You keep the history of the Ghost Town alive and well for us Ghost Town Connoisseursand make it lots of fun in the process!

My husband and I have a strong belief in the paranormal, including ghosts, spirits and hauntings. These beliefs were reinforced over the years by many interesting experiences weve had in our travels.
An incredible experience took place when we were living in Parks, a small town outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. I was born and raised in Southern California, so this rural, high-country mountain town was culture shock for me. The town is nestled in the pine forests with red dirt roads leading back to the homes and cabins sprinkled sparsely throughout the area. Our road ran along the deserted, tourist route of the old Route 66. Native American Indian ruins and the Old Route 66 makes this a uniquely rich historic area. I had a 30 minute commute to work along the main dirt road, which ran adjacent to the Old Route 66. Every morning I would marvel at the pristine beauty of the forests and the intensely blue skies. One very cold, clear morning in early November of 2001, I was traveling this road as usual on my way to work, when I was startled by a person standing to the left side of the road. I was driving slowly on the winding road, so I was able to look out my window as I passed him and got a clear look at him. He seemed to be in his late teens, about 17-19 years old. He was tall and thin, with short light brown hair. He had a fair, lightly freckled complexion and bright blue eyes. He turned and watched me as I drove past him. He was wearing faded baggy blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Since the road was always deserted at that time of the morning, his appearance had startled me as I came around the bend. I looked back at him in my side-view mirror, and I thought that he must be cold standing there with his hands in his pockets and no jacket on. I soon forgot about the incident as I went through the day. That night I had an incredibly vivid dream. In the dream I saw an early 90s white Honda or Toyota compact model car driving down a dirt road. I could see a teen boy, resembling the boy I had seen on the road, driving. The dream jumped to an accident scene on the side of the road. The little white car had lost control on the frosty road and had plummeted down a steep embankment and collided head-on with a ponderosa pine tree quite a ways off the road. I saw the boys face in my dream saying simply, Im Jeremy. I woke up frightened, as if from a nightmare, and proceeded to explain to my now wide-awake husband about the dream. He calmed me down and back to sleep I went. The dream stayed with the following day, and I couldnt shake the eerie feeling when I drove past the spot on the road where I had seen the boy. A week passed and I forgot about the whole thing. The following Monday morning I was making my way carefully down the road because the frost and ice was making driving difficult. I was concentrating on getting to work safely when once again, as I rounded the bend I could see the boy standing in the exact same place I had seen him the first time. He was wearing the same jeans and T-shirt, and continued to follow my progress with his eyes as I made my way down the road. I continued to watch him in my side-view mirror, convinced that I was losing my mind, and he would surely disappear. He remained standing there, turned slightly, calmly, watching. That night I told my husband. He listened quietly, asked me what I thought and I burst into tears. I didnt know what to think. It was all just too weird. I believed in ghostsI believed other people believed in ghostsI believed other people saw ghostsbut there was no way this was happening to me. He just seemed too real. My husband cautiously ventured the theory that maybe he was trying to communicate with somebody-tell us something. Not being able to get the incident out of my mind all week, I finally agreed to accompany my husband (in broad daylight) to the spot where I had seen the teen boy. That cold November weekend we slowly made our way down the road to a place just across the spot from where I had seen him standing. I was too frightened to get out of the truck so my husband headed over to the exact place on the road I had pointed out. He walked around, looking back often to make sure I was O.K., then gestured that he was going to try to make his way down the embankment off the side of the road. There was a dusting of snow on the ground and his descent appeared slippery and dangerous. As soon as he disappeared from sight I began to panic. I was now frantically watching for him to appear back at the top of the road. After about 10 minutes passed, my heart now racing, I saw him struggling to make his way back on to the road. He ran to the truck, pulled open the door, and with a shaking, quiet voice told me I needed to come see something. I knew he wouldnt lead me into danger, so I nervously got out of the truck and with his help began the slippery, steep climb down the embankment. I was too frightened to ask any questions, so we just kept walking in silence. I had been walking with my head down and when I realized my husband had stopped in front of me, I slowly looked up and saw a little white cross. It was in front of a massive ponderosa pine tree. The tree had deep gashes and burn marks 3-4 feet up from its base. Shaking, I stepped closer to the cross and only then could I see the color photograph, laminated in plastic, tacked to it. It was a close-up picture of the boy on the side of the road, wearing a white T-shirt. Underneath the photo was a newspaper article, which read: JEREMY SIMMONS, AGE 18, DIES IN TRAGIC COLLISION ON NOVEMBER 6, 2000. The article went on to describe the details of the accident, including the 1995 white Honda Accord he was driving and his fatal skid off the road in icy conditions into a massive pine tree several hundred yards down an embankment. He appeared to me on the side of the road 1 year after his death.

H. J..

I Smell Smoke!

Hi,
I was looking at the Calico website. Here are some things you might call ghost experinces.
Last year my family and I spent the year in Litchfield County, CT.
Two incidents occurred that year. One unexplained incident for me and one for my wife.

The first one occurred while my wife and I were dining late in the evening at Pettibone's Tavern in
Simsbury CT, for our anniversary. This is an inn that dates back to the Revolutionary War.
My wife and I met the owner of the inn, and told hom we were very interested in local history, and
were fascinated with eating in such a historical building. We struck up a conversation and shortly
thereafter, the owner took us on a behind the scenes tour. We went into the basement and other places.
He showed us some of the unusla construction techniques used at the time the building was made.
In the course of the tour the topic of ghosts came up and he confirmed several unusual happenings.
He said, "whatever you do, don't make fun of Abigail (the ghost) or ridicule her existance while you
are in the tavern. People have done this and immediately felt her presence and an overwhelming sense of
being smothered, fear or anger towards them."
As we were leaving after finishing a fine dinner and fascinating tour, my wife and I stopped in the foyer
of the inn to admore the artwork and antiques. My wife was several feet away from me and made an
offhand disparaging remark about the the possible existance of a ghost. She does not believe in ghosts.
As soon as she had said that, I was shoved from behind in a very hard manner. It was as though someone
had whacked me in the middle of my back, along my spine with a closed fist or hand. I thought my wife
hit me for some unknown reason. When I said "Hey!" and turned to see why she had hit me I found that she
was looking at a picture on another wall about eight to ten feet away. The closest person to me at the time was
a woman and her husband. They were about six feet away and were turned in another direction!
I think Abigail whacked me instead of my wife.

The other experience was as we were driving cross country back to California from Connecticut. This was in march of this
year. We stopped in Tombstone, AZ. to show the kids what Tombstone was like. One of the mst fascinating places
for me is the old "Bird Cage Theatre." We did a tour of the place and enjoyed the fact that the tour is now expanded to
include the basement. Shortly after we entered the stage area of the theatre my wife began complaining she was not feeling well
and was getting a headache. She is not normally a complainer of any sort. She was frequently saying she was
getting ill and the headache was getting worse. She said several times she wanted to leave the place. I wnated to stay and
finsih poking around the place, but told her she could leave if she wanted to. I would meet her out front.
She declined and said she did not want to leave my side. It was weird... Kinda unlike her. Shekept complaining
about feeling ill. Finally, I asked her why she felt she might be getting so ill and so head-achey all of a sudden.
Her reply floored me. She said, "You KNOW I can't stand cigarette and cigar smoke. It gives me a headache every time
I am near it, and this place is FULL of smoke!!!" She was kinda agitated that I was asking her. The fact was...
there was NO smoke in the place and there has been no smoking in the saloon for probably 60 years!!!
After my wife got outside and into the sunlight she began to feel better right away, but said that she felt completely
drained. I too, felt completely drained physically, and realized that I had been yawning all through the tour. I felt
as though my energy had been completely sapped from me. I dunno.... I think my wife experienced something in the
"smoke" and I had my energy drawn off by the ghosts or entities that haunt the place.

G. C.

Ramona, California

Ghost Shuts Down New Delhi University

This is something that I found that I thought was worthy of listing.

From --- The New Zealand Herald September 22, 2004 6.20 am

Students at a New Delhi university have been given an unexpected week off - thanks to a ghost on the campus. There have been no new classes at the Indian Statistical Institute's Delhi branch since Friday, and most of the students have gone home for a week.

The reason is that students have become convinced the institute is haunted. They say a ghost is roaming the corridors, knocking on doors, jostling the students on the stairs, and leaving strange and unexplained odors of after shave, deodorant and cigarette smoke lingering around the buildings.

The students believe they recognize the strong smell of after shave and deodorant as that worn by a student who died suddenly from a rare heart condition during a class at the institute just a month ago.

Cold Hands

My mom and I came on the Calico Town Ghost Walk Tour on Saturday Night at 9:00 at the Calico Ghost Haunt. Well, we enjoyed the ghost walk, and felt and saw, or at least think that we saw a few things happen. Well, when it was over, my mom and I slept in our tent in the overflow section of the campground. During the night, I woke up suddenly because I felt a warm hand on my right cheek, I felt this for about 5 seconds, then it got colder, then it went away. I looked over at my mom who was dead asleep and was nowhere near my cheek, so I just fell back asleep. Again during the night, on the opposite cheek, I felt another hand cover my cheek, it was colder than the first hand and stayed for only about 2 or 3 seconds, then faded. Again I looked at my mom, who was sound asleep, nowhere near my left cheek. I looked around and nothing unusual was in our tent, nothing out of place. Seeing that nothing was wrong, I fell back asleep. In the morning, I told my mom who didn't feel or see anything during the night.

J.C.