Random Creepy Stories And Urban Legends From California (16 items)

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  (#15) There Are Tiny Men Who Mess With Climbers On Mount Shasta

  This might sound completely nuts, and more funny than frightening, but the legend has been around for a long time. Ever since people first started climbing Mount Shasta, there have been reports of "little people" who usually mind their own business, but occasionally communicate with climbers. They live in small dwellings on the mountain, and they also have access to portals that lead to fairy portals.

  Again, this doesn't sound so scary, but if you're a serious climber and you suddenly find yourself looking way down at the ground hundreds of feet below, the idea of these little people might sound a touch more sinister. 
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  (#12) Joshua Tree Is Home To Skinwalkers

  If you ask Native Americans of Joshua Tree about Skinwalkers, you're unlikely to get answers. These not-quite-human exiles of the native faith are said to be malicious witches or medicine men who don't like being looked at or intruded upon. Even speaking of them brings bad fortune, thus the silence on the matter. Sometimes, they shapeshift, taking the form of coyotes or wolves, or imitate injured children to lure people in. At night, they're known to terrorize campers and kill people. They've been rumored to frequent Joshua Tree National Park.

  All this wouldn't be so terrifying if it wasn't for the fact people are found dead in Joshua Tree fairly regularly, and some go missing without a trace. Is it heatstroke, or maybe something a little darker?
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  (#1) A 19th Century Mining Town Burned Down Exactly 149 Years After It Opened

  In 2018, the remote, 19th century mining town of Cerro Gordo became a tourist attraction where visitors could explore old mine shafts and hike along the mountain trails. The American Hotel, where travelers would stay in town, opened on June 15, 1871, and on June 15, 2020, it burned to the ground in what the Los Angeles Times describes as, "Furious winds driving flames that were leaping like demons and scorching unpredictable paths up slopes dotted with historic mining structures. Then came the explosions of propane tanks as flames engulfed the hotel."

  Brent Underwood, who turned the town into a tourist spot in the first place, recalled the horror of the event, especially given the town has no running water. "All I could do was call 911," he said. "And then, with help from a caretaker, I used buckets to desperately fling water from storage tanks onto the flames."

  The local fire department told Underwood the fire could have been caused by "a thousand different things in these old buildings." But Underwood has his own theory: "The caretaker here told me that he and another person saw a shadowy apparition moving in the hotel kitchen at 4 pm the previous day." 

  Cerro Gordo is known for its paranormal legends and historical impact in California. Underwood said, "The fire was heartbreaking, because I have a deep emotional attachment to this place. But we’re not giving up. Truth be told, we’ve got big plans for little Cerro Gordo." 
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  (#4) Hotel Tap Water Runs Black With Death

  So many aspects of this story sound like an urban legend, but it's all true. In 2013, guests staying at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles reported their water was a dark color. The hotel sent a maintenance person to fix it. It turns out the problem was a human corpse in the water tank, which had been decomposing for weeks. The body belonged to Elisa Lam, and police never figured out who killed her (or whether she killed herself).  

  But wait, it gets creepier. When police looked at security tapes of the elevator on the suspected day of Lam's death, they saw the victim acting... strangely. She got in the elevator, pressed a bunch buttons, and peered out when the door opened as if looking for someone. She looked terrified the entire time. When she finally left, the doors of the elevator opened and closed a second time, as if someone else was there, but unseen. Was she being followed? Or was Lam, diagnosed as bipolar and depressive, having an episode? We may never know. 

  Want to hear something else creepy? Her blog continued to update after she died. It's possible she had posts in her queue scheduled to publish, but still. Some suggest Lam had tuberculosis and point out that the test used to determine whether someone has TB is called LAM-ELISA. 
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  (#13) Don't Venture Into Turnbull Canyon Alone

  Turnbull Canyon is full of weird stuff. A gravity hill, an abandoned insane asylum, ghosts, and supernatural sightings pepper the landscape, thought it's an enticing locale for hikers. However, there's one legend that's creepier than the rest.

  During the Great Depression, rumors circulated that Turnbull Canyon was a meeting place for a satanic cult. This cult did more than praise the devil; they were said to buy and sell children and kill them in dark rituals. To this day, you can supposedly see ghosts of children roaming the area, victims of the kidnapping cult that may still exist. One thing is for certain: this isn't a hike you want to make on your own. 
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  (#11) Gravity Doesn't Always Work Right In California

  We're not just talking about the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, pictured. In California, phenomena called "gravity hills" exist. For unknown reasons, gravity works differently in these spots. For example, on gravity hills in southern California, you can put a car in neutral on the hill and the car will inexplicably appear to roll uphill. Many gravity hills have spooky stories, such as horrific car accidents or roadside deaths.

  Is it some supernatural force at work? Or just a trick of perspective, as many suggest? Well, you'll just have to try it and find out.

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