Haunted Catalina

Avalon Bay

This island is just off the the coast of southern California, near Long Beach.

Its first inhabitants were the Gabrielino Indians that arrived at this location around 500 B.C. The island provided them with an abundance of fish in the clear waters just offshore.

The plentiful fish also attracted sea otters to the Avalon Bay.

In 1811, Russian fur traders from Alaska slaughtered many of these sea otters for their sleek fur. When the local Indians objected, the Russians killed them as well.

In 1542, a Spanish explorer, Juan Cabrillo discovered the island--he named it Santa Catalina or Saint Catherine.

Juan Cabrillo

The islands close proximity to the mainland--it is just 21 miles across the channel to reach Catalina from Long Beach--made an ideal location for smugglers.

These illegal traders often fought among themselves, which resulted in more deaths in the area.

In 1863, during the Gold Rush, greedy miners extended tunnels under the seabed in their quest for gold. Many of these tunnels collapsed and flooded with water. The result was even more deaths.

The island is haunted today partly because of its violent past.

The ghosts of murdered Indians, smugglers, and gold miners have all been seen or heard on or near Catalina.

Indians have been known to materialize in the hills behind the town of Avalon. They are seen standing quietly shoulder-to-shoulder. They stare out to sea. Some feel they await the return of the Russians that murdered them.

Boaters in the vicinity of Catalina Island, over the years, has reported catching a glimpse of a mysterious sloop at dawn or dusk. This craft flies no flag and has no running lights. Some feel it carries the phantoms of smugglers.

Scuba divers while exploring the underwater gardens near the island have reported hearing the eerie screams of the miners trapped by the collapsed gold-mine tunnels.

There are two ghosts seen on Catalina that achieved fame while alive.

The first is William Wrigley, Jr. Wrigley made his fortune from manufacturing and selling chewing gum. Catalina’s isolation and charm so enthralled him at one point he bought the whole island.

Wrigley home on Catalina

His ghost materializes at his grand house at the head of Avalon Canyon. People state this entity is easy to identify, for he is always seen-- chewing gum.

The second ghost seen is of Natalie Wood. An actress who first gained fame as a child in the film, Miracle of 34^th Street. She later starred in such hits as Rebel without a Cause and West Side Story.

One evening as her yacht was anchored off Catalina, she either attempted to dive overboard or fell off the deck. She plunged headfirst into a dinghy, tied alongside, which killed her instantly.

Her ghost is seen strolling along a nearby beach. Some witnesses have stated she was unclothed. When the accident * occurred, she was supposedly naked.

*  There has been much speculation since her death--that it actually was not an accident.

I talk about another California ghost seen on Coronado Island here. This female ghost is seen at the world-famous Hotel del Coronado.

The Ghost of Sister Irene

Over 10,000 gold hungry miners poured into Virginia City, Montana within a few short weeks when gold was discovered at Alder Gulch in 1863. The placer mining* in the area produced over $120 million in profits but most of the miners did not share in this wealth. 

As with most Western boomtowns the discovery of gold also brought murderers and thieves who would do anything for a quick buck. Out of necessity a Montana Vigilante** group was formed to address this violent element.

Amidst this violence three Catholic Sisters of Charity arrived from Leavenworth, Kansas to convert the Madison County courthouse, built in the 1860s, into a hospital for the miners. They called their hospital St. Mary’s and for the next three years they treated miners for cholera, typhoid, consumption, gunshot wounds, saloon fights, and mining accidents.

 By 1879 the rush was over and many miners left the Virginia City area. The sisters closed St. Mary’s and moved away as well.

In the 1950s the building that was the courthouse and then the hospital became the Bonanza Inn. At this point guests of the Inn started to report seeing a ghostly nun in their room. Witnesses stated that they saw this nun sitting on their bed; she often appeared if someone was sick or depressed. Some reported they sensed she wanted to help.

Other sighting of this nun have occurred late at night when Idaho Street is quiet; witnesses state they have seen a dark shadowy female in long dark robes walking toward the courthouse/Bonanza Inn. 

She is also seen walking toward the area where a catholic church once stood, today it is an Episcopal Church and this same apparition is seen inside this church kneeling by a pew. Residents and visitors have reported when they see this nun she seems to be aware of them, in fact, several witnesses over the years state she has made eye contact with them.

This nun is still seen at various spots around Virginia City today. Thanks to research done by a Montana Historical Society Historian, Ellen Baumler, we now have a possible identity for this ghostly nun. According to Baumler one of the three Sisters of Charity was an 18-year old very pretty novice by the name of Irene McGrath. 

Sister Irene quickly became beloved by the women in Virginia City. These women being very concerned about Sister Irene’s safety promised each other that whenever Sister Irene left the safety of the hospital and ventured out among the rough miners that one of them would discretely follow close behind making sure she was safe.

It wasn’t until years later that Sister Irene now Mother Superior at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana found herself caring for one of these ‘protective’ women. This lady finally told her of how they had all closely watched out for her while she lived and worked in Virginia City. Mother Irene was very touched to find out about these women’s kind devotion to her.

Baumler states that this might be the reason why her helping spirit appears in Virginia City. It could be she is paying back this debt.

The theory that this nun is Sister Irene has been backed up by witness reports. When the courthouse was still in use as an Inn one guest feeling under the weather went back to her room to lie down --Room #2 is often where Irene’s spirit is seen and felt-- this guest reported that unseen hands pulled up her covers and tucked them around her.

Another person that Irene helped was paranormal investigator Russ Wells. Wells had severely injured his knee and as he sat in Room 2 in the former Bonanza Inn he requested that Irene help him. 

He felt a warm soothing feeling go through his knee and as he felt this warmth a camera in the room recorded a bright light above him. Later Wells and another investigator heard footsteps outside Rooms 1 and 2. That same evening they captured an EVP of a female voice saying, “…help you?”

The former Bonanza Inn is also haunted by other entities, not all as nice as Sister Irene but I will leave this to another post…

* Placer mining involves dust, flakes, and nuggets—not hard rock veins of ore.

** In the first two months of 1864 Montana Vigilantes hanged 24 men accused of robbery and murder, not long after a legitimate court and prison were established in Virginia City which took away the need for this vigilante activity.