Haunted Carrizo Plain National Park

Haunted Carrizo Plain National Park
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
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One of the most haunted places that HPI (Halo Paranormal Investigations) investigated is Carrizo Plain National Monument aka “California’s Serengeti,” is a remote 250,000-acre grassland in San Luis Obispo County featuring spectacular spring wildflowers, the white salt flats of Soda Lake, and the active San Andreas Fault. It hosts endangered wildlife, ancient Chumash rock art at Painted Rock, and vast, untouched landscapes. And YES, this place is very haunted! But, besides ghosts we have the San Andreas Fault. The fault runs directly through the plain, creating visible ridges, ravines, and offset streams. After visiting the fault, you can stop by and see Soda Lake. Soda Lake is a massive, shimmering white alkali flat that is the largest remaining natural alkali wetland in Southern California.

I brought 3 paranormal investigators with me and 2 paranormal investigators from MSC (Modesto Spectral Chasers). MSC actually recorded what sounded like distant drumming. MSC was at Painted Rock. Painted Rock is a huge, U-shaped rock formation featuring prehistoric, multicolored pictographs created by the Chumash people. MSC feels like they captured the spirits of the Chumash people. HPI and MSC visited Carrizo Plain during May, when we can see the W.S.B. aka Wildflower Super Blooms. In spring, with enough rain, the valley floor erupts into massive, colorful displays of wildflowers. We were fortunate to see this beautiful display of wildflowers. Carrizo Plain is a biodiversity hotspot. It holds the highest concentration of threatened and endangered wildlife in California, including the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, and California condor. I am retired from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and I can personally tell you, that our Department kept a close eye on the Carrizo Plain. The Carrizo Plain is also known for its large open spaces, herds of pronghorn antelope, and tule elk. It is also a vital spot on the Pacific Flyway, especially in winter.

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is steeped in folklore involving outlaws, abandoned homesteads, and sacred indigenous sites. Travelers often describe the area’s intense isolation as a place where you can “hear the silence,” contributing to its eerie reputation. Some of the ghostly outlaws that are said to haunt the Carrizo Plain National Monument are the James Brothers. Local stories suggest that the spirits of outlaws Jesse and Frank James haunt the area. They briefly lived at the La Panza Ranch east of Pozo in 1868. Travelers have reported seeing shadowy horsemen and phantom figures near the old adobe ruins. Another ghostly outlaw seen at the Carrizo Plain is no other than Three Finger Jack. It is said that the Pinkerton Detectives were hot on the trail of Three Finger Jack while he was at the California Sierras and he took off to hide at the Carrizo Plain. He joined up with Joaquin Murrieta who just came back from Cantua Creek near Coalinga. Three Finger Jack and Joaquin Murrieta then met up with Black Bart aka Charles Boles when he left the Palace Hotel in Visalia. Some visitors and campers to this National Monument claim that they have seen some of these ghostly outlaws roaming around the areas that they are visiting or camping at. Michael Dunn a tourist from Bakersfield claims he saw a ghostly long haired Hispanic man on a horse. Michael says it reminded him of Zorro. An added note is that Joaquin Murrieta was the actual inspiration for Zorro. Some of the haunted places we visited were:

Mary Morris’s Grave:
A lonely gravesite on a low hill marks the resting place of Mary Morris (1833–1896), a settler who lived in a dirt-floor cabin for her final years. The mystery surrounding her life and death has made the site a point of interest for those seeking the “ghosts” of the pioneer era. Loretta Scanton, a psychic says that Mary Morris definitely haunts her gravesite. HPI captured an EVP that was a female voice that said “see the elephant” or something that sounded like that sentence. The EVP was captured at Mary Morris’s grave site.

Abandoned Homesteads:
The Van Matre homestead (active 1940–1970) features crumbling buildings and collapsing machinery. Visitors describe standing among these ruins and at times feel like they are in a time slip, as they feel like they are being transported into the time period that the homesteads were thriving. During our investigation, it was a hot day. It got up to 101 degrees. At the homestead, during this hot day, some of the investigators felt cold spots and there were spikes on our temperature gauges. We captured an EVP of a male voice saying “wake snakes”. Lana Thompson of HPI felt ghostly hands on her arms during this investigation. With my peripheral vision, I saw a quick moving shadow at one of the collapsed buildings.

Painted Rock:
This U-shaped sandstone formation is a sacred site for the Chumash and Yokuts people, featuring pictographs thousands of years old. Many visitors report a profound, sometimes unsettling “power” or spiritual energy at the site. This site is where MSC recorded what sounded like “distant drumming”.

UAP Sightings:
Kurt Lawson while visiting Carrizo Plain National Monument saw some lights zip past him. One of the lights sent down a light beam to the ground. This was near Elk Horn Valley. After a couple of minutes, the beam shut off and the lights zipped away. Kurt has no explanation for the lights. Kurt’s sighting is recorded on the Internet with pictures.

Cryptid Sightings?
Some hikers claim that they have seen the Dark Watchers of the Santa Lucia Mountains at Carrizo Plain National Monument and Liam Robertson from Tulsa Oklahoma, while visiting Carrizo Plain, claims he encountered a Fresno Nightcrawler. No proof of these sightings are available. This information was received from our random interviews we did of people visiting this monument.