Bring on the Medicine Hat Ghost [Stories]

Medicine Hat, I must admit I'm impressed. I have a large number of stories from southwestern Alberta but I haven't looked much further east than Taber. But recently friends from Medicine Hat have suggested I come there and collect some stories from the Hat for the book. So I decided to look on-line to see what sort of stories are being told about Medicine Hat and whether it would be worth the drive.

When I started looking around at sites, I could not believe how many places in Medicine Hat had stories connected with them. I thought there were lots of haunted places associated with Lethbridge, but this completely blew me away. Why do you have so many ghost stories? Any theories?

Reading through some of the places said to be haunted, not at all surprised that there are stories associated with the POW camp, especially considering the murders there. But why the Stampede Grounds? Why Connaught School? What are the stories behind these places?

I'm only going to be in Medicine Hat for one day (hopefully a Saturday in November) so which ones do you consider the very best? Which stories do I absolutely have to track down? Who are the best people in Medicine Hat to talk to?

Any help is appreciated.

Guardian Spirits

September may be my favourite time of the year but October is certainly one of my busiest so sorry for not posting anything for a while. I have in the meantime been able to conduct several interviews with people who have ghost stories of southern Alberta and I have heard some amazing ones.

I have found a ghost (well, actually, two ghosts) with purpose!

When I started collecting these stories I knew that I wanted to take a folklore approach -- write them down so they're preserved for future generations, write them down so people can see if changes have been made to the stories, write them down so there's an understanding of southern Alberta through the stories we tell.

In order to do this respectfully and properly, I read many folklore studies done in other parts of the world. And one thing several writers in Europe notes is that the "purposeful ghost" seems to be on the decline. Hundreds of years ago a lot of ghost stories were about ghosts that came back for a reason -- revenge, to help someone right a wrong, to show someone where the treasure was and so much more.

But the stories of the past 100 or so years were more about ghosts that didn't seem to have any more purpose than to just be -- to hang around, to startle people, etc but not to "DO" anything.

One of the people I interviewed last night said that two of the spirits of the Galt Museum (the old Galt Hospital) were there as "guardians" to protect the building and make certain it was taken care of. She said they had a true affinity for the building and wanted it protected and preserved.

As a historian and a person who thinks historic buildings are among our greatest assets, I am so glad to think that this building, and maybe others?, have guardian spirits.

Haunted Houses in Lethbridge

Fall is one of my favourite times of year. School is back in. There's a crispness in the air. And Halloween is just around the corner. And this is the PERFECT time of year to collect stories and the long shadows of fall get people talking and thinking of ghost stories. Unfortunately it also means that I'm so busy tracking down stories that I haven't spent enough time lately sharing them with you. But here's a few of the new stories and new leads I'm trying to track down.

I've picked up stories related to three more houses in Lethbridge. Two are on the southside and one is on the northside. The northside stories were told to me by a young girl who used to live in a house on 20th Street North. She experienced some of the commonly reported things -- the TV would turn on and off by itself and there would be strange shadows and silhouettes. But this house had much more than that going on. One night the young girl (and she doesn't remember why) chose to sleep on the floor. She was looking under the bed at the time and for no reason, her brother's truck started to roll across the floor under the bed towards her. And she often experienced strange voices singing in the bathroom -- enough voices that it would sound like a choir!

On the southside, strangely enough, one of the places I've found stories on is on 20th Street South. The family who used to live in that house said that they often came home from trips to find all of the doors unlocked and the windows open and no one in the house and no signs that anyone had entered the house. And the cat, which had been safely locked in the house when they left, was regularly found sitting on the front step, slightly miffed to be outside in the cold.

The other southside house is on 13th Street South. Still waiting to get more details on this house but the story I've heard so far is that an apparition of a woman has appeared in the mirror. Can't wait to find out more...

Now if only I could get to Medicine Hat for that tour I've been promised of all of its haunted places. Then I'll have much more to share.

Crowsnest Pass

I had an incredible 90 minute phone call today with a woman from the Crowsnest Pass who was able to provide a great many stories of places in the Pass that have strange occurrences associated with them. I knew there had to be stories from the Pass -- any place where the Frank Slide occurred and the worst underground coal mine disaster in Canadian history is sure to be a place of restless spirits.

And it didn't disappoint. Sitting here in a well lit room in Lethbridge simply being told the stories, I had goosebumps and the hair rising on the back of my neck!

Bellevue Mine does tours around Halloween each year and the person I spoke with assists with those. She said that, waiting in the dark mine for tours, she has heard the chirping of canaries. There are certainly no canaries in the mine today but in years past they would have been taken down as an early warning sign for carbon monoxide poisoning. Do ghost birds continue to keep the mine safe?

On another evening, again sitting in there in the full, overwhelming darkness of the mine, she heard the entrance door open and heard the quiet mumbling of voices. She expected any minute to see the lanterns as the tour approached. But none appeared. But the voices stayed. And then she realized. It was a school group they were expecting and rather than hearing the bright, light voices of children, the voices she heard were the low rumbling of adult men. For minutes she could hear the voices but no one approached her and there was no sign of the tour. Then, she heard again the door opening and wondered what had happened that the tour was leaving. Almost immediately she heard children's voices and soon saw lights appearing -- the tour had just arrived!

Between tours she and others were in the hut warming up and she asked why the tour had started and then went out and re-started. Everyone turned and looked at her like she was crazy and she was promptly told that had happened. And even though there were others in the mine she was the only one who heard the door open and the men's voices. And they realized what time it was -- back in the days when the mine had been operational it would be have been lunch time and the men were coming into the mine and back to work!

These are certainly not the only stories she told me. I'm still processing the one of the haunted house where they claim to have caught on tape the voice of a teenage boy mimicing howls to the family dog as he teased and hassled the dog. The same teenage boy appeared as a full apparition in a mirror and liked to play with the lights. But that one will have to wait for another time...

Odds and Ends

It's funny what you find when you research. And today's blog is bits and pieces from various research areas.

The first is from the 1913 City Council Records. When we look at "Haunted History" some of the same themes keep coming up from the earliest times of Lethbridge history.

"That Mrs. J.F. Jackson be advised that the license for the practice of palmistry and clairvoyance is $250.00 per year without rebates for any shorter period. The last permit dates back some years."

In 1909, both the Fire Chief and Police Chief were earning $125.00 per month so that was a rather expensive business licence. There is no information as to whether or not Mrs. Jackson agreed to the cost and paid it.

Secondly, back in October 2009 one of my early blogs was about a ghost story told about Highway 36 between Vauxhall and Brooks. I have searched all year to try and find someone who can add something to that story. But no matter who I talked to, I could never find someone who could provide details. I have come to the conclusion that this story is likely an Urban Legend that has been identified with this lonely stretch of road. What do you think? Is it truly a ghost story? Or not?

And, last, another location that I'm starting to get some good stories about but which I would love to get a great deal more. The Lethbridge Health Unit (which used to, of course, be the train station) has had many strange things occur there. One staff said that when she starts there she was told by co-workes that strange things happen there and she has experienced the footsteps and noises from the attic. And, she's quick to add, she knows no one was up in the attic as the door going to the attic is in her office!

While most people only experience noises at the train station, I was also given a story of someone who went for a vaccine and reported seeing a woman in Victorian dress standing outside waiting for a train that never arrived...

Talking to the other side?

I had a chance this past week to speak to a medium who was incredibly helpful with my research. She is hesitant about talking to anyone and has asked me to use a pseudonym when referring to her so I'll call her Edith.

What I enjoyed about Edith's stories was how random were the messages she received and which she passed on to living relatives. In one case someone presented her the image of standing in a kitchen and making Nestle Quik cocoa. She found out from talking to his mother that this man (who died as an adult) had as a child made himself a glass every day when he got home from school. On another instant the person told her he was all right but that he missed the noodles. Edith later found out from his wife that noodles were his favourite home-made meal. And in a third instance the person showed her three raised vegetable beds which, sure enough, existed in the backyard of his home.

Another thing for me to think about and more stories for me to add in my continuing research into the haunted history (and folklore) of southern Alberta. And, don't forget, keep sending me your stories. The collection gets longer and better every week.

Haunted Picture Butte

If you drive through Picture Butte you will probably notice the old hospital building standing there -- empty and run-down. But is it really empty? Or do the strange sounds that staff heard when the place was a hospital still pervade the hallways and rooms? Have all of the patients actually left the building?

I have had the opportunity to talk with several of the people who worked as staff and they have graciously provided several stories. Two staff were working the night shift. Late in the night and after all patients were in bed, as they were sitting at the nurses' station they both heard shuffling feet walking down the hallway. They looked at each other and realized that they were both hearing it. Each tried to convince the other to get up and check on the noise. Finally, they went and had a look. The hallway was empty. They checked all of the patients' rooms to make certain no one had got up in the middle of the night. Everyone was sleeping. When I asked past staff to describe if they had any experiences the person who told me this story above remembered it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

Other staff who worked there mentioned also hearing footsteps but said that sometimes it was not just a person walking but that you could clearly hear the sound of a walker going down the hallway. But the hallway was always empty...

Any other ghosts at Picture Butte? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Or, if you have stories to share, you'll have to get in touch with me so your stories can be told.

Would you want to live in a haunted house?

I'm curious. Would you want to live in a haunted house?

Considering some of the things people have told me about some of their houses, I must admit, I would want to move. What about you? Would you stay? Or, more importantly, have you stayed? Do you have stories of a haunted house in southern Alberta? Or a house with unexplained and weird happenings? If you do, please share.

The following is from a report I was given about a house south-east of Lethbridge. This haunting seemed to affect the women of the house much more than it ever did the men who lived there.

The first reports of noises and strange footsteps came when a new bride came to the house as a newlywed. Her first night in the house she heard footsteps upstairs, walking the full length of the house, shuffling around the upstairs and coming to a stop at the top of the stairs that lead down into the kitchen. Over the years she was not the only one to hear the steps as visitors to the home also heard the ghostly walker.

The strangest occurrence came years later. The family was painting the downstairs and so were sleeping upstairs on this occasion. The baby's crib was left in the upstairs hallway. In the middle of the night, the baby started to cry. Before the parents could react and get out to the child, they heard the footsteps walk down the hall and stop by the crib. And then very quietly they heard a gentle voice say "shush, be quiet." The baby calmed and returned to sleep. But everyone else in the house had a very restless night, indeed!

Stories from 50+ places in southern Alberta

Yeah! I have now collected stories from over 50 places from across southern Alberta -- houses, garages, hospitals, theatres, hotels, schools, parks, and so many more. But I'm certainly looking for more so please get in contact with me if you have stories you want to share -- don't worry, you can be anonymous!

It's always interesting to me where I get stories. I was talking to someone this weekend, someone I see quite often, and she sheepishly (and finally) told me about a story she had. She was on a tour of a historic building and, though she has never had the experience before or afterwards, she felt a deep, insistent, gut feeling or voice deep inside her that said -- "you gotta move, you gotta move, you gotta move, I want to see." She said that she responded immediately to its deep urging and moved to the side and the voice and the feeling both instantly disappeared. I asked her what she thought the voice was about and she felt that it was curious about what we were doing and wanted to get inside our group. She felt it wanted to see and hear what we were doing. Since she was standing in a part of the building that has had many other reports, it was interesting to connect her story with all of the others I've been collecting.

I also had someone come forward about her house west of Taber. Her son has reported seeing people walk through the house. She has reported several times a woman peeking around the kitchen door and watching her as she watches TV in the living room. She has also had someone tap repeatedly on the shower curtain when she was in the shower (even though she was the only one home). And late at night the blender started all by itself...

So, keep the stories coming. I can't wait to hear what else is happening around southern Alberta.

Why are schools so often reported as haunted?

First, Happy Friday the 13th!

Many of our local schools have ghost stories associated with them. And one of my friends asked me why. Why are there so many ghost stories from schools?

I think it's partly to do with all of the emotions and activities that take place in schools. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that schools are full of kids and kids can create some great stories.

Let me explain. Galbraith School is said to be haunted.

Well, a few weeks ago I had a group of young people in the museum and one burst out that there was a ghost at Galbraith School. I replied that, yes, I had heard that but no one could ever provide me with background as to who the ghost was supposed to be.

He told me the first principal of the school had gone crazy, murdered his family and then killed himself -- and that he now haunts the school.

At that point, I had to laugh. I told him the first principal had been killed in action during the First World War and that none of that was true.

He looked at me quietly and then said, well, then it was the second principal. I said, no, the second principal was a woman and only was principal for 6 months before she moved to Ontario. And, before he could say anything, I said and no, it's not the 3rd principal either. The 3rd principal was also a woman and was principal for 20 years before she, too, moved to Ontario.

I felt a little guilty bursting his bubble (but I really can't allow people to misrepresent history) and I really had to chuckle how incredibly detailed, fabulous and spooky his story was -- even if none of it was true.

My Friend's Grandmother Was a Psychic

This one isn't a ghost story, but I found it so interesting when she told it to me, that I had to share it. But I can only share it with the extreme understanding that my friend (and her grandmother) remain anonymous.

I was telling this friend about how I'm trying to collect ghost stories from southern Alberta and she said that she didn't have any experiences with ghosts but that her grandmother had predicted a fire and a murder. Needless to say, she had me hooked and I wanted to know more.

When her grandmother was a child, she mentioned to her mother (friend's great-grandmother) that the school was on fire. Her mother hushed her saying that it wasn't true and it wasn't funny. The daughter looked at her mother and asked what time it was. The Mom said around noon. The daughter said something to the effect of, well, at 1 o'clock the school will be on fire. The great grandmother told her to stop joking and sent her off to school. When the young girl arrived at the school, the fire bells were ringing and the school was on fire. The time was exactly 1 o'clock.

Many years later, now an adult and married, she had a premonition/dream about this young woman that she knew who was calling for help. When she woke up, she was horrified to read the paper and found out this girl was missing. She told her husband that they should go to Park Lake, because the woman needed help. Or at least to tell the police that they should go to Park Lake. Her husband told her not to do anything because they would think she was nuts. So she reluctantly left it alone. A few days later the police found the young woman's murdered body at Park Lake.

Ghost Stories -- many leads to track down

Just the past weekend I heard 6 more ghost stories from across southern Alberta -- one in Picture Butte, one near Taber, two around Vauxhall, one in Brooks, and one in Rolling Hills. Added to the one I heard last month from the Enchant/Lomond area, this makes for a lot of fun research in the next while. Now I have to follow up with these people and get them to email me the details.

One site is a hospital. No surprise there -- people report the elevator working when there was no one around, hearing a walker move up and down the hallway after everyone had gone to bed, strange footsteps. There's always a lot of strange occurrences reported in hospitals.

But what rather surprised me is that two of the ghost stories (one in Rolling Hills and one in Vauxhall) were about garages. In the Rolling Hills case, it appears that the owner of the garage (who died on the property) was not willing to leave and he remained to protect the garage. Strange occurrences happened such as a fire that started and stopped repeatedly and with no explanation. People hearing someone walking through the snow but with no one ever appearing and no footprints in the snow. The other garage, from Vauxhall, is supposed to have a woman ghost. Haven't heard yet any explanation for why she's supposed to be there.

Had a couple of ghost stories associated with houses. And one building that's now a day care. That should be an interesting one to track down.

So many great stories to follow up on. And, as always, if you have a great story to pass along, don't hesitate to contact me.

Mommy, can I please go play?

This story was told to me 3rd hand and I hope to follow it back to its source and find the rest of the details.

A little boy was down in Indian Battle Park (the park down by the river in Lethbridge) with his family. He asked to be allowed to go and play with the other kids he saw playing in the park. But his Mom wouldn't let him. Because, while the son could see the kids, his Mom couldn't! Are there ghost kids playing down by the river?

This is the 1st time I've heard a story of ghost kids in Indian Battle Park (though there are lots of reports of other types of ghosts). Very curious to follow up more on this.

A Sister of Mercy

I spent some time tonight speaking with someone who used to work at St. Michael's Hospital. We talked about the ghost that was said to be present there. According to the stories a nun, commonly just called "Sister," was said to have roamed the halls of St. Michael's. She took care of people -- would sit by them and comfort them. She would make staff aware when medication was out of date. She would draw the attention of staff to problems and concerns.

The person with whom I spoke to tonight never saw anything herself but said she worked with several nurses who firmly believed in Sister's presence. And has promised to give me a contact number for one of them. I'll let you know if I hear anything new.

I have often wondered if Sister stayed with the property through the expansion. Of all the ghost stories in Lethbridge she's one that I always found most comforting. Someone who was so devoted to ensuring that people were taken care of when they were most vulnerable. I hope she's still there protecting those who need her.

If you work at St. Michael's (or used to work at St. Michael's) and have stories to tell, I would love to hear them.

Ghost Along the Coulees

I was told this evening of a few ghost stories in the river valley along the west side of the Oldman River just near the High Level Bridge here in Lethbridge. I know a lot of runners love to go along that area but, because of all of my research, I can only think of all of the people who have died in that area. Either from coulees collapsing or falls in the river or related to the bridge.

Tonight I was told a ghost story by someone who runs in that area and she said that a phantom runner has joined her along that spot. Has anyone else experienced anything in that area? Certainly ghost stories related to the river valley shouldn't come as a surprise.