Devil's Gate Dam Pasadena/La Canada, CA

The name says it all. When you hear of Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena, California, it immediately grabs your attention and you’re thinking to yourself why it’s called that. The Dam is located on what is known as The Devil’s Gate the portion of the Arroyo Seco off the 210 Freeway near La Canada.

This story started out with my interest in investigating the dam. I was there just before sunset to scout out the place so I knew where I was going when nightfall came. When I returned home, I hopped in the shower and then I felt this slight burning sensation on my right leg. I looked down, and there was what appeared to be three scratch marks going down my right leg. I couldn’t believe it. I appeared to have been scratched by a demon. Now I’m definitely coming back to this place.

For many years now, people believe that this gate is a gate to hell. What’s phenomenal about this gate, is that there is a face from a rock next to the gate that looks like the face of a devil. It is believed that a portal exists at the Devil’s Gate Dam. In Native American days it was forbidden to go there because they believed that a portal really did exist there. Many occult rituals have taken place at the dam and occultists have hinted that a portal  is definitely there. The negative energies and entities that pass through there are undoubtedly responsible for the murders and disappearances that have taken place there.

Most of the rituals took place in the 1940’s.  Jack “Whiteside” Parsons (a.k.a. The Antichrist Superstar and founder of Jet Propulsion Laboratories, which is looked over by the dam). Parsons was involved in an Occult group called the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), which still exists today. They believed the dam held some sort of significant magical power. Parsons conducted Babalon Working. The purpose of this ritual, was to raise Thelema goddess Babalon, The Mother Abominations. After this ritual, Parsons met his soon to be wife Majorie Cameron. He believed Majorie was a manifestation of Babalon. After this ritual, Parsons conducted the Moonchild ritual. The Moon-Child was an entity that would overthrow Christianity and bring earth into a new Era. These rituals seemed to have opened the portal that exists at the dam. In order to do these rituals, sexual magick was necessary.

 Parsons was fired from JPL for stealing files from the Hughes Aircraft Company. In 1952, he was working in his home and blew up in an experiment he was doing. It seems that Karma repaid him in the end. 

After these rituals took place, the catastrophes started. The first took place on August 5, 1956. Donald Lee Baker, a 13 year old boy from Azusa, CA, and Brenda Howell, an 11 year old girl from Fort Bragg, CA went missing. The police tried to find them, but the only thing they found were their bicycles. For thirteen years this mystery was covered up until a man named Mack Ray Edwards came forward and admitted to kidnapping and killing them along with three other children. Edwards helped build Southern California freeways and actually buried the children’s bodies under the freeway. The day after he buried them, he paved the freeway over their graves. Edwards was given the death penalty. However, he took his own life by hanging himself in his cell in 1970.

Mack Ray Edwards

On March 23, 1957 it continued. This event might have been stranger than the other. A 6 year old boy named Tommy Bowman was hiking with his family above Devil’s Gate when he ran off not too far away from them. The family saw him round a corner and when they went to that corner he was gone. They tried to look for him, but had no luck. They then contacted a search team and got everything they could to find him, from helicopters to search dogs. After a week, Tommy was not found and the case was never solved. The same thing happened to another 6 year old boy named Bruce Kreman, who was on a hike with a YMCA group in the Devil’s Gate area. It appeared that Bruce was tired from the hike, so the leader told him to return to camp to rejoin the other kids. He was never seen again. Another large search team went out looking for Bruce, but there was no evidence of anything happening to him.

Nothing has been reported since then. However, people believe that the Devil’s Gate Dam has some kind of curse on it. I did an investigation of the place recently and it’s a pretty active paranormal spot. I used the history to my advantage and did an EMF session with K-II meter and got some amazing results. At first nothing was happening. Then when I asked Mack Ray Edwards if he was sorry for killing Donald and Brenda, the EMF detector started spiking to red, which is the highest it goes. Green is lowest. My partner then asked if he was forced to do it. The EMF meter spiked once again to red. I conclude from this, that he might have been under the influence of a demonic entity when he committed the murders. Then I told him that repenting for what he had done, would be the key to crossing the other side.

We also posed the question whether Tommy Bowman and Bruce Kreman were present, and the meter spiked red, indicating a positive response. I asked if they were never found and they replied by again spiking the EMF meter to red. I then asked if they had crossed over to the other side and my meter spiked once again. So it looks like Tommy and Bruce made it to the afterlife and were answering me from there, and were not earthbound. I then said goodbye and they responded with a final spike to the meter. Finally, we called out the spirit of Jack Parsons. I asked Parsons if there was a portal opened at the dam and if it was at the gate. Both questions got the strongest EMF spike.

After the investigation, it appears that Mack Ray Edwards has repented for killing Donald and Brenda, Tommy and Bruce are at peace on the other side, and Jack Parsons appears to be responsible for opening up a portal at the dam. Since that appears to be established, it looks like Devil’s Gate Dam lives up to it’s name. I returned recently to do a spirit box session near the gate. I was with a friend. In the middle of my session, my friend felt like something was behind him. When he turned around with his flashlight, nothing was there from his view point. From the corner of my eye, I saw what appeared to be a woman in a white gown with white hair covering her face. When I turned my head, she was gone. So if you decide to take a hike at the Dam, beware of the portal.

November 2012

Investigating with a friend, we were doing a spirit box session near the gate. As the spirit box was scanning, my friend had felt something behind him. When he turned around with his flashlight, I saw at the corner of my eye, what appeared to be a girl in a nightgown, with hair covering her face. I turn around quickly, and she disappeared. At the time, I wasn't sure if this was legit. So I haven't said anything about it. When the American Supernatural episode aired of Devil's Gate Dam, I learned about James Darnell's story. His girlfriend had seen this same female on their hike. At the time, James did not. He returned with his friend later that night, and saw that same girl. Keep in mind, I don't know them, and have never met them. They saw the exact same girl I had seen at the Dam.  Watch the video here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIijEZ-cDOo

June 14, 2013  Jersey Devil in Pasadena

 I was with my psychic at the time and her friend. I was walking up the trail pass the Devil's Gate Dam sign, and all of a sudden, I see this thing flying into some trees. I know for sure it wasn't a bird, because I had seen the image before. It had a long neck like a brachiosarus (Of course, much shorter in length) wings, and a tail. I know I've seen this image before. It was on the Google search when I was researching The Jersey Devil. Keep in mind that adrenaline makes you hallucinate. At that moment and time though, I was not experiencing any kind of adrenaline rush. At the time, I didn't say anything for moments. Then finally brought it up. I made this post on the S.I.U. fan page, and a guy wrote on the comments that he had seen the exact same thing at Gravity Hill. Never met the guy.
  

The Pasadena Catacombs- Pasadena, CA

During the Halloween season in Pasadena, CA, there is a haunted attraction that takes place on the corner of Colorado and Raymond. It’s known as the Old Town Haunt. For $20.00, you can experience this haunted attraction. However, it is more than just a haunted attraction. This old town haunt is the site of the Pasadena Catacombs.

Discovered in 2005, the catacombs were discovered under a grate. Body parts of at least 36 different human remains were found scattered throughout the catacombs. An old abandoned mission use to be on the corner of Raymond and Colorado during the Mexican war. The catacombs that were underneath the mission were used to keep prisoners locked up. Mysteriously, these prisoners disappeared under unknown circumstances and they were found crazed into insanity. People believe that an evil spirit roams 
the catacombs to this day.

The Mission 

The mission was torn down and bank was built. In 1901, the bank was robbed by three robbers. They blew open the bank vault and escaped with gold. Even though the police surrounded the entire building, the robbers were never found. What’s amazing is when they blew open the bank vaults, the dynamite also blew open a wall. The wall opened up a path to the sealed off catacombs. People think that the robbers tried to escape through the catacombs and died there. “The ghost of the bank robbers” are said to roam the catacombs.

In 1946, after the end of World War II, Pasadena started to expand, so a new sewer system was required for the growing population. The sewer workers discovered what was later believed to be the old Spanish catacombs. The discovery of human remains were found and it appeared that it was the missing bank robbers. The only thing unexplained is that the body parts were found scattered about, and found spread out over several different areas of the underground. Then, after several mishaps, collapsing caverns, and vanishing sewer workers, the city decided to abandon the sewer plans. They thought it would be best to move to another location. The catacombs were then sealed up again.

The most talked about story of the Pasadena Catacombs is the story of Sarah Winsor. She was the 7 year old daughter of the banks president. One day, she was drawn to the catacombs and went into a bank vault when suddenly the vault door closed on her. She was locked up in the vault for nine days. When the vault was opened, her remains were found.

Sarah Windsor 

I was recently their doing an investigation of the Catacombs to see if it really is haunted. It was an interesting night. Getting locked up in the vault where Sarah’s body was found, my group tried to communicate with her and any other spirits that were present. I asked how many spirits there were with the SB7 Spirit Box. A voice came through saying 34. What’s interesting about that is the number of human remains that were found was 36. The number is very close and it’s possible there were 34 instead of 36 human remains found in the Catacombs.

Before we asked if any spirit were present, a voice was coming through. We asked for the name of the spirit and numerous names were coming through. The names were difficult to make out, but I did make out a Ron and a Kim. In the middle of our spirit box session, one of my team members battery died on his video camera. He had fully charged it before the investigation. Suddenly, a voice came through saying hello, so it’s possible that a spirit used the energy from the camera to communicate with us.

We then tried to communicate with Sarah. One of the people that works at the Old Town Haunt guided us that night and asked if she liked it when they scare people during Halloween time. We heard a female voice say “yes.” Shortly after that, it started to get cold in the room. This took place on a warm June night and it was about 75-80 degrees. The temperature drop was at least a 10-15 degree drop. I could feel it immediately because I was sweating and suddenly it cooled down. Using an infrared temperature gun, we looked around the room. It was 75 degrees and we detected an area that was 61 degrees.

We then decided to do a rapid EVP session where you ask questions quickly in a 2-3 minute time span. My fellow teammate had plugged in his video camera to charge up his battery. After 30 minutes, it was full again. He claims that it takes at least 2 hours to get a full battery on his camera. Back to the EVP session, I asked if something lured Sarah down to the vault. After about 10-15 seconds, a female spoke into the recorder. It was hard to make out what she was saying, but it sounded like a D word. Listening to it repeatedly, I think she said demon.

On the last part of the investigation, we went to the front of the catacombs where shadow figures have been reported. We began another spirit box session and our guide said he saw a shadow of what appeared to be a little girl. We stopped the session for a moment to check out the area. We began again and asked if it was Sarah that showed up. After a few seconds, a female voice said “yes.” That was the last part of our investigation.

After the investigation that night, I’d have to say that the Old Town Haunt is an active paranormal location. If you’re in Pasadena during Halloween, be sure to go check it out. Just don’t get locked in the bank vault.