Our 3's A Charm Investigation Saturday Night Up In Comstock Country.......

Three awesome investigations in one night is enough to get any ghosthunter excited. Then again who would not be enthralled with exploring old haunts of the Comstock Lode surrounding the Virginia City area. We finally had a night with a nice moon outside and I was excited to return to some of these locations when darkness fell.

With really good news two of our case files are now finalized that being a night tour of the Comstock Trail and The eerie Donovan's Mill. While I investigated a very fascinating cemetery in Dayton that is perhaps the second oldest in the state of NV.

Our night was very active it was a bold mix of adventure, hiking, climbing and some ghostly activity. Its not to often that you can visit three locations and come out of them all with some sort of paranormal evidence. But it does happen and it happens especially when you are adamant about your work leaving no stone unturned.

I spent a long time at each location didn't get home till sun up that's when you know you were productive. Its very important to me that we bring our viewers another side to the Virginia City area you never knew considering it is one of the top ten haunted destinations in the United States.

Just as over a decade ago their is still that excitement as if its our first outing. Prepping all the gear, loading the back packs, powering up all the cameras, dressing for the occasion and getting yourself a tall cup of coffee. Then off you go never knowing what might happen or what you might possibly even see. That is what separates us from allot of other groups its the passion we have for the unknown which allows us to keep going no matter how difficult the obstacles are.

As some of you know our 1000th exploration is coming up quick and these three put us nearly at the brink of our goal. I have to admit I have seen and done some interesting things in my time but still nothing compares to hiking above a haunted boom town on a moonlit night searching for its ghosts. I wouldn't have it any other way the wild west is as good as it gets so when our updates come on out keep that in mind I am giving you guys some really awesome investigations with loads of content.

We were well rested since our trip to San Francisco and ready to continue onward as our first location would take place in the town of Dayton NV one of Nevada's first settlements. Our adventure would began here and a nice starter to a night of events. We stopped for gas nearing our location which by the way is really going to put a damper on our research if gas prices do not drop because its getting very expensive for our group to continue to bring these case files to our viewers. Since allot of our work requires us to travel we appreciate your support for any donations you can offer.

Dayton Historical Cemetery

Dayton is a small town just below Virginia City a place once graced with mines, mills and many historic sites that reside along the great Carson River. However one of the most historical sites of all is the cemetery which sits up on a hill overlooking the entire town.

As we took the little road leading on up to the cemetery there were many other historical homes and sites like Hall's Station. Eventually we hit a series of dirt roads where we could see a giant water tank that said Dayton Nevada's Oldest Settlement. Although I beg to differ Genoa just miles away was established around the same time period as well.

I drove on the backside of the cemetery along this overgrown road as graves were all lined along the fence. I was getting excited and almost felt like parking where I was at jumping immediately into things. I ended up parking at the top of the hill and was going to hike in it was to nice of a night not to. Tammy was not on board for this investigation so I went by myself. I was not sure what to expect but came to realize that this is one kick ass cemetery especially with great views of the town below you cannot beat that.

As I entered through the front gates it was fairly well lit their was some plaques including talks about the founder of Virginia City being buried within this cemetery. As I walked in the gate creaked I thought about how back in the day I use to carry WD-40 and how blessed id be if I still had some to oil the gate.

I thought the plaque on ole' Virginie was really intriguing as everything seems to be intertwined in this region with the more investigations we do in this region. The old Comstock wagon trails run right through the cemetery you can still see them today. Not to mention that there are some of Dayton's oldest historic sites surrounding the cemetery so its a very interesting little area.

When I entered the cemetery the half to the right was all historical while to the left was newer burials. Towards the back of the cemetery was a very bright green light that was attached to the maintenance shed. The moon was bright so I didn't even really need a flashlight to wander amongst the old stones.

Many of the graves were Italians so allot of them had finally crafted stones surrounded by wrought iron or hand carved wooden fences. Sadly I came across a fair amount of vandalized stones which always upsets me to see no matter what cemetery I visit.

I generally do not spend much time in cemeteries just long enough to tour them, take readings and gather evidence. However I would spend a couple hours here doing at least three long walkthroughs photographing the stones and taking my time with my EVP sessions.

At first things seemed rather quiet although I have to admit their was a few times I seen balls of light in the back of the cemetery moving around. Maybe they were not balls of light perhaps energy but nonetheless it was a fairly peaceful place. I did get a few EMF readings and spikes within the cemetery but like most they came and they had gone.

There was an outdoor chapel where funerals are held I spent time doing EVP sessions there the chimes were a bit creepy and it was very cold in this area. I made about 5 night vision movies walking amongst the graves including my visit to the chapel. You can only imagine how much emotion resides within the chapel from all those who passed on and all those who have shed their tears.

There was also a walkway with a giant cross, benches and this spooky statue that I took. It dead ended at a small gazebo where I spent a little time sitting down at. Of course when I got up to stretch I passed some evergreens and this bird flew out into my face fun stuff. It was totally unexpected so if the ghost do not get you the birds will as they were all hiding in the pines.

I could hear the cars on the highway that runs through the town of Dayton it was a nice night of course allot of people were going to be out living up their Saturday nights. Meanwhile here I am living it on up with the dearly departed.

Towards the back of the cemetery the green glowing light illuminated many of the graves almost as if they were glowing. I took some pretty wicked photography back here but I just could not get the entities to work with me the way they do at other locations.

I noticed there were many pioneers buried here allot of them children and one of the graves it appeared that someone tried to dig up. I mean a couple more feet down and they would be nailing the coffin seriously. Their was also a family plot with a few wood grave markers most laying on the ground with one still standing. The white picket fence was all torn up surround these graves and the epitaphs were eroded. I tried to pick up one of them but it would not stand up someone deliberately knocked them down breaking the bases that once supported them in the ground.

There was this one gravestone where something had been removed out of the center of it. While near the chapel I found these four brick pillars connected by chains with flat stones in the middle of the plot. Also seen these unusual wrought iron plots that had some kind of crown attached to them never seen this type of design before in any of the cemeteries in NV but there was a few such as this.

In the newer area of the cemetery there were many graves that had solar lamps and lights at each site. The newer section of the cemetery was lit up like it was Xmas it kind of had a dismal feeling to it. Imagine standing in the oldest part of the cemetery and three hundred feet away green, yellow, orange, red and blue lamps are illuminating all these grave sites.

While I was about to wrap up my investigation two vehicles pulled right up to the cemetery gates. The drivers were driving erratically. All of sudden two young females get out of the truck giggling while the person driving the truck appeared to drop them off. They started to drive in circles really fast and act like morons. The girls had flashlights and they were shining them in all different directions a few feet from the cemetery gates. I stood about two hundred feet away from them standing still then decided to turn on my cam was going to film my encounter with these amateurs for kicks. I thought maybe even playing a prank on them nobody says I am innocent in all of this lol but I had a vampire mask on me so yeah:). Instead I believe the red light on my camera scared them before I could produce this comedy for you all of you and the cars hightailed it out of there. Which sucked maybe someone could have toked one with me or who knows might have gotten some hanky panky half way through the investigation during break time lol.

I can imagine that ill be reading on some cheesy paranormal site how this group investigated Dayton Cemetery and seen some red orb dancing around you watch seriously! I been in this business a long time and I see allot of stupid shit that's why were still around and most other groups are not.

I decided myself to get on out of the cemetery by then their were coyotes all around me howling and screaming in the night. Trust me I was in no hurry I been dealing with them for years but to anybody who has not dealt with wildlife it might scare them a little.

I set up my tripod took a few self shots then I stood in front of the gates trying to get a photo of the giant wrought iron woods that said Dayton Cemetery with a cross above it. The coyotes were close and I had to hike up a lonely road as to where I was parked.

In conclusion I think the cemetery is haunted mildly based on the readings, energy seen and patchy cold spots in certain parts of the cemetery. But not once did I feel overwhelmed and trust me I turned my back in dark of night many times just reading epitaphs from the mid 1800's. All in all it is just what it is a very lovely cemetery with walkways that lead to a part of Dayton's history. I can say that this site is going to look very sharp on our site I spent allot of time here working hard at putting together this investigation.

My main focus of this investigation was to photograph the cemeteries historic graves but also to gather some good EVP's which I believe I succeeded at. I really have been wanting to visit this location ever since I moved to the area but never got around to it. It would be a great starter investigation for new investigators if I had them but you see it appears more and more that I get allot of people who try to blow smoke up my ass then end up bailing.

Our next stop would be in Virginia City as we took our investigation to the Comstock Trail. We would take six-mile canyon to get there. This is such an eerie road at night one of those types of roads that at any moment anybody or anything could cross the road including ghostly.

Comstock Trail
Investigation 2

When I arrived in Virginia City it literally was a ghost town not one single car was on the road. The temperatures up here were much cooler I could smell peoples fireplaces burning. I had one main goal in mind which was to visit the old pioneer burial grounds and maybe a few other very relevant sites that I felt would close the deal that this location is haunted.

Tammy and I packed up our gear and made preparations as this would not be an easy hike. We would be hiking above Virginia City in the pitch black of night down into ravines, near mine shafts and through the ice. We were well prepped and dressed fairly warm I of course put on the ole top hat wanted to at least feel as if I belonged here lol.

It was very chilly the first mile of the hike as we left Virginia City behind us. I seen a fast shadow cross the trail and the same headless rabbit as we made our ascension. We would pass the Sutro tunnel ventilation shaft and mill site.

I descended on into a ravine while Tammy explored other options as her light fading away from me. The ravine had sheer edges to the right and a hill to the left. It was scattered with a bunch of debris such as old TNT boxes, pipes and rusted aluminum. There was also allot of sage brush and sticker bushes that I had to push my way through.

I am glad it was not warm outside its probably rattle snake heaven down here. I found allot of broken beer bottles it was apparent that others had hiked down here looking for the pioneer cemetery. Their was allot of erosion so even if their were grave markers they probably were gone. The hillside to the left which I spent sometime on may have been the cemetery as it was treeless and had only grass knolls. You have to be careful there are holes you can fall in and nobody will find you.

I made my way back up to Tammy where she had found an unmarked trail leading to another hidden area with a few large trees surrounding it. She pointed out three stone piles which was not uncommon in miner burial sites. The mounds looked like gravesites maybe they were not but what went from a nice warm canyon turned icy cold when I started to talk about miners being buried here. So cold it was colder then death itself and trust me I been doing this a long time so I know when an entity is passing through. For me it feels like a storm as it slowly passes through me then dissipates its kind of an odd feeling but I told Tammy that we are not alone and we were not.

Not to far from these possible gravesites I found an old beige colored brick and an arrow made of titanium. I took photos of both including a bone we found which probably from an animal. This area seemed to be littered with goodies although who would use a crossbow out here and leave there arrow behind is an ass. The arrow was razor sharp any kid could have gotten a hold of it and cut themselves.

Tammy and I hiked up to another area which is a vista overlooking Virginia City. This vista is quite large just a flat grassy plain with a few filled in shafts, foundations and sheet metal remnants. It was a nice view of the town below but at the same time we didn't find any other gravesites. The fact of the matter is that if this trail is haunted it may be due to the fact that these miners were never given a proper burial. Nobody knows who they are all you have are piles of stones with no name to go on.

Our final spot on the trail would be at the Sutro air shaft and mill ruins. I drank a brew and toasted to the miners buried along the Comstock Trail. I also threw a big rock down the air shaft as it kept going as if it was a pit to hell. I took a really awesome photo of the shaft at night looking down as I crossed over the first fence looking over some chicken wire down this pit to the underworld of Virginia Cities subterranean world.

Although EMF was weak I do remember it at one point going off briefly on the trail even though at the time it was in Tammy's pocket it was fairly consistent going off for as long as it did. Other then that besides my shadow sighting and the major 20 degree drop in Temperature near the old burial grounds the Comstock trail at night was very peaceful. I kept thinking in the back of my head about how I might run into a hungry mountain lion. Tammy thinks I am joking when I tell her that I will fight the beast anytime bring it but their is no way I have plans anytime soon to be eaten and come out some big kitties ass so there ya go!

On our way back to the truck I stepped over a sheet of ice and well it collapsed as my shoes became submerged in icy cold water. Trust me if I was not feeling cold hiking at this point I did now but it happens. The last time we were out on the trail a couple weeks ago the ice was solid and the trail was muddy. This time around the terrain was different as the ice sheets were very brittle over the pot holes thus they cracked very easily.

Rumor has it the ghost of the miners haunt this trail and id believe it. I had experiences both during the day and the night. I cannot wait to actually share the trail on our website because its going to include everything from scenic photos, evps, videos, mines, mills, shafts, history and content all relevant to the Comstock Lode which surrounds the Virginia City area. This is going to be a beautiful update on our site as it was a big project.

There are other areas I do eventually want to investigate that are off of the Comstock Trail such as places down in six-mile canyon or unmarked trails that lead to other large mill sites. Who knows what sort of mysteries sites like that hold. When you view the day photos you will see a very vast high desert one that very few ever get to see for those who tour VC and never make it to the cities back hills.

My goal is to try and give our viewers a day and a night perspective of these locations surrounding the Comstock Lode. We want everyone to enjoy the ghosts, history and beauty of these locations in the region. However from my experience some things remain better as a mystery. Nobody knows what is down below in the tunnels to those shafts. Rumor has it even today the ghost of the miners still haunt them roaming these subterranean tunnels. These men died in those mines and immediately were buried on a hillside overlooking Virginia City right along the very trail we hiked at.

All in all it was a nice night hiking down that lonely mining road under a starry sky and looking below at the town. We have nothing except love for what we do sure getting wet, stickers in your legs and cold are some of the less fun perks but I would not miss it for the world. I am sure one can imagine seeing me hiking with a beer in one hand, top hat and calling out to the unknown even though we cannot see they are right there in front of us.Not to mention that every little pipe, brick, TNT box or foundation is a piece of history that helped shaped the very town below. I find it a fun area to explore whether we experience the paranormal or we find a piece of history hidden in the brush. I told Tammy I was worried about maybe stepping on some skulls or something sifting through the high brush.

At anytime a shadow may cross the trail or watch you from within its dark ravines. You never know what secrets the trail holds. At times you do not feel alone then there are other times it feels to lonely walking them old mining roads under a moonlit sky.

We would finally make it back to the truck where we would amp up for our most spooky investigation of the night at a place called Donovan's Mill. This place will scare you or make you jump out of your boots believe me when I say that. Your looking at over a century of milling history all on a lonesome hillside and our grand finale would soon began.

Donovan's Mill
Investigation 2

As some of you watched the videos and seen the photos from our first exploration then you know that this is an amazing place. My goal is not just to investigate cemeteries or mines around Virginia City but to also investigate the mills that processed the ore.

In my opinion it is the mills that are perhaps the most haunted of all sites in the region. For example the ghost that communicated with me by knocking back and forth just took place up the road. Since I had never been in Donovan's Mill at night I was not sure what to expect but I knew that giant rats and massive cobwebs would be at the top of the list.

When we first arrived here we sat out front in the truck talking about the mill. The first time I explored the mill I did it from above looking down into it from its upper decks. Our goal this time around would to explore it from the bottom up and conduct an actual investigation of the mill.

By no means is this a small mill site their are multiple buildings, foundations, cyanide tanks and machines. This mill had it all assay office, metal shop, vault, stamp machines, mixers, conveyor belts etc. Just check out our site and you can learn about it more in depth. It has a very very deep history in relation to the Comstock Lode.

The property is extremely overgrown on the backside their is a hill that has collapsed right onto the mill itself as dirt and rocks are pouring in through its windows. Being on the upper floors is allot different then being on ground level believe me when I say this. We worked hard to just get into the mill with all the foliage and loose rocks.

When I entered the mill their were millions of rat droppings everywhere and all the machines were covered with webs. I found a pair of new sunglasses someone dropped in the power room. Next to that room the water damage caused warping which looked like this giant face. Their were broken pipes, loose floor boards, broken glass, piles of machinery parts and tools everywhere.

The power room had many electric boxes and stairs that led down into this smaller room which had an old water tank, mixer of some kind funnel machine an a generator. There was also an old heating system built into the wall here.

Their is allot of dust and the flooring is old wooden planks inside. All the machines are rusty from water damage and their is allot of debris all over the place. All I could think as I went deeper into the mill is how their probably is hundreds of rats just watching us walk around.

The next room had two giant wood mixers or vats so large an SUV could sit in them. The one still had a rotor inside with broken blades and behind it was a passage that led me to a room with these massive metal tanks. There was also a compressor on the ground and fan blade.

The mill was sort of an intricate maze of passages with old stairwells leading to various locations. One of the rooms was a work shop with shelves. There was old furniture inside such as a cabinet with broken glass barely holding up.

Their was a narrow passage with a recliner near one of the wooden stairs that was a bit eerie just in the middle of the room. I am sure at one time kids used this place to hang out but it isn't very safe. There is allot of rust, broken boards, sharp parts and definitely rats. Tammy seen a rat look at her underneath a platform that I walked over.

There was a small entrance that led into what I believe was the essay office lots of old furniture,chest, books, Thermos, papers and file cabinets etc Allot of things that you would expect to see in an office that was in operation till the 1950's.

Then behind that room were all the mills stamp machines which pounded and broke up the ore on the second story. The second story stairwell was steep but when I made it up there I stood directly below where the upper platform was where I photographed an owl on our first tour of the mill. I am glad I did not take the narrow stairwell down to the lower levels on my first investigation as it was very unstable so it worked out in the end. The series of platforms led me to the front of the stamp machines and behind. On the backside however you had your option to take the winding stairs to the third floor or ascend up a wood ladder.

It was a very interesting setup on the second floor as their were giant gears, iron wheels and some of the mills oldest stamp machines. Behind the stamp machines were chutes where ore came down then could be pounded by its stamps. Their was a plate that said Carson City Foundry on one of the stamp machines. There was another long platform that led me into the room with the mixers all made out of wood including the railings. I actually found a giant grinder on the ground that fell off one of the stamp machines I thought that was pretty cool just laying on the wood flooring covered in dust.

Their was no EMF readings accept at one point there was a spike I questioned but who knows. Afterall even though power does not operate the mill there are lines that run along the mill so we have to discount any fluctuations. EMF and gauss is no guarantee I had hoped for more readings but in this case we had cold spots and other activity.

One thing did stand out in the mill beyond everything else and that was I could hear what sounds like someone following us around. Their were times I was alone and would hear a floor board creak on the story above me or in the next room particularly when I asked for signs or stirred up the activity. I heard allot of noises I cannot explain although its an old mill this was not wind or a rat it sounded like someone walking around and at times making to much noise. I took off alone a few times to take night-vision films of the entire mill inside and I know I was not alone. I could feel something right on top of me at times perhaps the mills first owner maybe even someone who once worked here at this mill.

When I met back up with Tammy in the room with the giant mixers I felt like something went through me as we hit a major cold spot. Tammy spent sometime in the dark taking EMF while I did the EVP sessions and videos throughout the mill to complete our case. We generally split up to get more work done then meet back up time to time it produces better results. Most amateur ghosthunters will not do that because they are in fear of noises or separating. However a true professional will be someone who does not fear the unknown but rather takes it head on. Tammy was on the other end of the mill while I was on the second story gathering evidence for our site.

Tammy mentioned to me during her exploration that she noticed somebody was stripping the place for its copper wire. If the owner reads this I am letting you know this because its not right. Nobody should visit these historic sites just to sell there photos or steal to make a profit its wrong.

I had an accident when I was filming on a platform though when I went to photograph an engraved metal plate. There was a gap between a stone wall and the wood platform. I misstepped and my leg went straight down into the gap. I busted up my knee pretty bad and my recorders batteries went flying forward over the railings into a pile of dirt and dust. I had to literally dig up my batteries with rats running all around me.

Their was also this one room with some sort of vault or safe in it. The entire vault was a giant rats nest wait till you see the photo their was probably a hundred rodents living in that thing. Although the place is full of machines and wood this mill is a home now for rats. At one time its windows were whole their were no holes in the roof and power ran through the place. Today just about anything can jump out at you and chances are it will have bebe eyes lol.

What I found amazing within the mill is all the passages, stairwells, ladders, machines and woodwork. Its a very cluttered mill some points the ceilings are low while other areas have narrow halls. When I visited the mill my first time I could not see the lower levels from above just some of the machinery below. But you really have to delve into this mill to find all its secrets. Afterall despite its condition its one of the only mills of its kind still standing in the Virginia City area. Most of the machinery within still remains and its a historic landmark to mining history. Many of the mills in the area no longer stand or they been torn down not Donovan's Mill though.

When we left the mill we took a few night shots of the mill which some of our viewers like that kind of thing. Its allot more creepy at night then during the day but I never judge a place on how it looks but rather how active it is. It was active to a degree something was moving around in the mill on the upper floors watching us and we had gotten are few shares of chills but as Tammy said its definitely not as scary as it looks.

Their was a big wooden building on site I went in with allot of junk inside including a very old boat. It was obvious that over the years the buildings surrounding the mill and mill itself have been used as storage. Just as in the mill we found a newer washer inside so its kind of sad that today its just a heap yard. These mills should be turned into museums and be restored perhaps the condition of Donovan's mill is beyond despair.

We spent sometime climbing up the hillsides and the foliage has consumed this place not to mention all the old rusty pieces of metal that are scattered everywhere. We also went into this small shed and a couple other onsite buildings.Its not pleasant traversing around the mill lots of stickers, sharp rocks etc I also spent sometime alone hiking between the buildings seeing if I could collect any other strange evidence as I waded through high brush and stood on the back porch of an old miners house. I tried to get to the structure on top of the cyanide tanks but I could not reach the ladder.

Tammy and I were walking back when a cop drove past her luckily he didn't hassle us. I then crossed the road sat on my truck wearing my top hat looking at the stars when a second cop passed me. This cop also didn't stop so I highly commend the department for leaving us alone. In Florida if you were walking around at night they would pull you over, strip search you, your car and even bully you. I guess allot of the police in FL are rednecks but the tone of the police is allot different in this region. They are use to urban explorers, hikers and folks taking photos of the historic sites here. So they generally do not mess with you and its not that we were doing anything wrong its the fact of not wanting to be hassled after we spent the night investigating. We were tired, dirty, wet shoes and hungry. It was time to go home and share all our great finds with the public.

I am not sure what the mill will reveal with all my investigations I study our audio, photos and videos thoroughly prior to them every being indicted onto our paranormal site. We have our work cut out for us we covered Dayton Historic Cemetery, Comstock Trail at night and then finally a more in depth investigation of Donovan's Mill.

We had a bit of a long ride home but they say 3's a charm so it was our night. I have to say all three locations had minor activity. Well it depends what you consider minor afterall is seeing a ghostly shadow, balls of light, creaky foot steps and heavy cold spots minor activity? You decide as we will wait to see what our audio recordings, ghostly photos and evidence reveals. You know your doing some serious adventuring when you are out from dusk to dawn lol!

Where two cases are now finalized many new cases will be born from these cases. I cannot wait this March to revisit the Washoe Club again afterall St. Patties is approaching fast so why not drink some brews and enjoy all the ghost Virginia City has to offer? Anybody coming out this way we are more then happy to show around this amazing area.

On my way home from the investigation I had to stop at a gas station and get cleaned up. I was really dusty, dirty and I took a nice dive in rat droppings when I fell. My knee is still badly bruised but ill live it was a great mix of investigations and your going to enjoy all that is coming your way from them GUARANTEED!
Lord Rick
Founder
Author, Producer and Talk Show host

PS Still in touch with the television producer nearly on a daily basis so there may not be any investigations for a couple weeks due the documentary. I also been told that the pilot may become a monster series so if it does I do expect to become allot more busier trying to investigate and mesh other big upcoming projects this year. Just to keep everyone in the loop that things are progressing nicely between our cases and television documentary.