Cody Polston 
The first time I heard of Lola Montez was from a song by the Danish rock band Volbeat. The song was released as the third single from the band’s fifth studio album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. The song is about the famous dancer and Countess of Landsfeld, Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, with the lyrics referencing … Read moreLola Montez, The Spider Woman
Several years ago I wrote a book called Wicked Albuquerque that covers the controversial past of the Duke City. In today’s blog, I am sharing some of the research that I did on the red light district in Old Town. Back in the roaring 80s, it was wilder than Tombstone or Dodge City. Click on … Read moreThe Red Light District in Old Town Albuquerque in the 1880s
Here is a rather interesting article that I found in the Albuquerque Journal (14 February, 1939). Santa Barbara cemetery has several ghost stories attached to it and I am always interested on how these stories began and evolved over time. While I can only speculate, this may be the origin of some of those tales. … Read moreGrave robbing due to ghosts?
A famous bordello in Old Town was owned by a woman called Rumalda Griego. It was a simple three room building that had up to 3 beds per room. Often the ladies entertain their customers simultaneously in the same room. Madam Rumalda was hauled into court on numerous occasions, most often on charges of being … Read moreThe Red Light District in Old Town Albuquerque in the 1880s (Madam Rumalda Griego’s Brothel)
In 1986 I had been a ghost hunter for just over a year. The challenge back then was trying to find places to investigate. The internet did not exist yet, and there were not many books on haunted places. The majority of those early investigations were discovered by word of mouth. One such story was … Read moreThe ghost of Old Joe
A strong Imperial Pilsner, with flavors as smooth and crafty as Gollum himself. Like the ring that Gollum pursued for the rest of his life, his “precious” pils could extend your life too if your quest leads you to it! (at least we’d like to think so) It will, at a minimum, make your journey … Read moreGollum Precious Pils (Hobbit Series)
The old church at Isleta Pueblo houses the remains of Fray Juan Jose de Padilla, a Laguna Pueblo missionary who was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in the mid-1700s and whose coffin is also believed to have burst from his burial, his corpse looking as fresh as the day he died. The mission church … Read moreThe rising grave of Padre Padilla at Isleta Pueblo
Part 1 and part 2 of Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight take the classic horror movie format and turn it into something entertaining. It manages to replicate the familiar format while providing more realistic responses to the events of a horror-slasher flick. In addition, it created a film where the victims do everything right to survive. … Read moreNobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight 2 (Movie Review)
I found an old film reel in the National Achieves about a tour of New Mexico, its cities, historical sites and tourist attractions that was produced in the 1940’s. It is rather fascinating to see how it has changed over the years, the urban expansion and how its history was told back then.
Logic proves that ghosts are exceedingly unlikely to be the cause of a phenomenon. The thousands of supposed ghost cases have turned out to have very reasonable explanations. Many reports from past psychical researchers and parapsychologists indicate that 9 out of 10 ghost-related cases are solvable when someone has actually looked deeper than the surface … Read moreInvestigating Paranormal Claims using Urban myth models
The Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association (SGHA) was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in between was me. The idea of this group was to utilize these different viewpoints, skeptic and believer, to investigate haunted places from a perspective that could lead to an unbiased conclusion. The believers … Read moreHow do you investigate a haunting? (Slides from Presentation)
I have always been interested in the older ghost investigations as they provide an interesting insight, especially when compared to ghost investigations in the modern era. This account is from the book ” HISTORIC GHOSTS AND GHOST HUNTERS BY H. ADDINGTON BRUCE (MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY, 1908) It is comparatively easy, when seated before a … Read moreThe Ghost seen by Lord Brougham
Today I thought that I would share the slides that I used to show when presenting the history of ghost hunting. It covers the beginning and eventual pitfalls that were formed as the field (parapsychology) was overtaken by the hobby.
The battle scene between Union and Confederate forces occurs in the famed Clint Eastwood western, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The battle is intended to personify the Battle of Peralta and the New Mexico Campaign in general, though obviously exaggerated. Though no specific year or date is stated in this movie, at least part … Read moreThe Civil War in New Mexico (The battle of Peralta)
Over the years I have been to the St. James Hotel at least two dozen times investigating the paranormal claims there. These are photos taken during one such trip back in 2004.Old friends, old memories and we still didn’t find anything paranormal. Along with these pictures was a primitive script. It appears that we were … Read morePhotos taken in 2004 at the St. James Hotel
The 148-acre property known as “Rancho de Los Luceros” is located northeast of the town of Alcalde, New Mexico. It was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1983, and listed in the State Register of Cultural Properties in 1970. Rancho de Los Luceros was the home of Santiago Lucero in 1757, and … Read moreLos Luceros Photo Gallery
Taos is mainly known for its art community, the Pueblo, skiing, and stunning scenery. But once, an evil man lived in Taos. He went by the name of Arthur Rocheford Manby. Manby had read in British newspapers about rich resources and opportunities in the untamed Territory of New Mexico. But, once he arrived there, he … Read moreThis bizarre and long forgotten mystery in Taos is still unsolved
Harry Price was a British psychic researcher and author, in the early 1900s who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical phenomena and his exposing fraudulent spiritualist mediums. He is best known for his well-publicized investigation of the purportedly haunted Borley Rectory in Essex, England.
My earliest memory of a ghost story was borne in a summer camp in the panhandle of Texas where my brother and I spent several summers. Not far from the camp was a deserted house that was rumored to have been built on an ancient Indian burial ground that was haunted by several ghosts. One … Read moreHow I became interested in ghost hunting
In 2001, my team went to Fort Craig to investigate several paranormal claims that had been reported by the caretakers of the historic site. After hearing their accounts, my co-investigator, Bob, remarked that the described phenomenon was typical of a graveyard that had been desecrated. He was told that it was simply not possible, because … Read moreGrave robbers desecrate and loot Fort Craig, N.M., cemetery (Bob was right)
Bob, Bruce and myself discuss various memories about the media we have done over the past 35 years. the original video was aired on SGHA’s YouTube channel in 2015.
A short video on ghost hunting in Northern Japan. This was more of a recon of the area but the legend is discussed as well as the process that SGHA used at that time.