Nordegg
Background
Sometime late in 2003
As with most CAPI investigations, we were contacted via email asking if we would be interested in investigating some possible paranormal experiences. They were happening to a relative of the sender. Normally we would ask that the relative contact us, but this was not happening in Calgary. It was happening in Nordegg. The email related a couple of instances that caught our attention:
- During the night voices could be heard
- An apparition was seen in the bathroom
- This was happening in a Ghost Town
After the words "Road Trip" stopped echoing in his head, Tom responded and set up a phone interview. Within a couple of days, tentative plans for a spring departure were made. Part of the conversation also included this person's interest in paranormal investigations - they wanted to know if they could participate in this "Official" CAPI investigation. Normally, non-CAPI members are not allowed to participate during investigations, especially Private Residences (due to privacy issues). However, even though to some extent it was a private residence, because this was a situation where their family was involved, Tom told them that they could participate.
Initial Visit: Tuesday June 1 - Wednesday June 2, 2004
Investigators present: Tom, Chris
Our Hosts: A, P, M, C
Length of visit: Overnight 20hours 5minutes (Round trip travel time approx. 6hours 25minutes)
Day 1 - Tuesday June 1, 2004
Nordegg is truly a 'Ghost Town' in the full sense of the word. Not only is it an abandoned area, but it also has the residual energy of everyone who lived and died there. It is approximately 300km northwest of Calgary. Located on Highway 11 approximately 87km west of Rocky Mountain House, the town and mine site are in the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains.
Chris and Tom hit the open road at 13:30. They decided to take Highway 22 north to Rocky Mountain House, as this is a more direct route than going through Red Deer via Highway 2. Before leaving, however, they stopped for 'road munchies' at Mac's. Chris has an interesting ritual for road trips - he has to buy chocolate milk and teriyaki beef jerky for the journey. Somewhere between Cremona and Sundre, he finished the beef jerky and began drinking the chocolate milk. He said that he thought it tasted kind of funny. Tom told him it could be because the beef jerky was teriyaki flavoured! They made a pit stop in Rocky Mountain House around 16:00 (but couldn't find the "house") before arriving at the Nordegg Heritage Centre at 16:50.
The Heritage Centre is located in the schoolhouse, which had been built to replace the original that had burned down in 1945. After the town 'closed' in 1955, the area had become a work camp for Alberta Justice. The 2-story schoolhouse was used as the offices and residence of the warden and staff. Because of this, the large rooms (4 per floor) were subdivided into smaller parcels. These smaller rooms had walls that only went 3/4 of the way to the ceiling, leaving the upper walls and ceiling open. This allows one to hear what is said a couple of rooms away (talk about no privacy). Most of the subdivided walls were removed on the second floor except in the living quarters where our hosts stayed. The main floor contains the gift shop, coffee shop and the museum. The basement is used mostly for storage of artifacts found in and around the town/mine sites. Tom and Chris were invited to stay overnight in the schoolhouse by our hosts.
A gave them a quick tour of the schoolhouse and then Chris and Tom went to look at the cemetery for the 29 miners who died tragically on October 31, 1941. It is located 10 or so metres south of the schoolhouse (across the parking lot). This final resting place is beside the schoolhouse because this area was originally outside of the town. Almost all of the miners are buried here except three who were taken by their families to be interred elsewhere. We feel that this might have some bearing on reported events in the schoolhouse.
Tom and Chris then took a sojourn into the ghost town. This was very cool as they were able to go through several of the buildings that remain and take some documentary photos. They also walked east down the old rail bed that had been used for transporting the coal out of the area. The rails are gone now, but most of the ties are still in place. They crossed over two rather rickety bridges and were amazed to see that, even with all of the human activity in the area for so many years, there was still a huge amount of undisturbed nature.
Chris and Tom were invited to dinner at the local hotel and thank our hosts for picking up the bill (that was good Lobster Thermador!). They returned to the Heritage Centre to continue the investigation and attempt a "normal" evening of visiting (the team always tries to replicate ordinary situations because that is usually when paranormal things happen). Tom and Chris began the deeper investigation by touring the building on their own with P and M following along. They were curious about paranormal investigating and asked pertinent questions about how CAPI conducts investigations. We hope that Chris and Tom were able to answer these queries fully. The team also learned more about some experiences in the building - uneasy feelings in the museum, voices that could be heard coming from the main floor after hours (muted talking and laughing), sounds of walking across the second floor when everyone was accounted for - which could not be attributed to others being in the building.
They returned to the second floor and P, M, Chris and Tom sat in the hallway talking. Tom had the sensation that he needed to walk around the outside of the building and take some pictures. As he did, he found that there was an uneasy feeling in the air. When Tom returned to the second floor he asked Chris to take a walk around the outside and describe what he noticed. Chris did and when he returned, asked Tom if what he was talking about were "the deer". What deer? The pictures taken by Chris of those "deer" are rather interesting. Parenthetically, there was a full moon that night. We are not sure if it had any bearing on what follows, but one can never completely dismiss the effects of a full moon on things paranormal.
At 23:53 Chris, Tom, P and M all smelled what could be best described as a felt pen (more precisely a Sharpie). They found that the smell, amazingly, ended at the temporary dividers separating the living area from the rest of the building. They investigated, first by asking A if a felt pen was being used (none was), then by traversing the entire building, taking pictures along the way. They found no unusual readings. However, they did capture some remarkable things on film. They returned to the living area and continued their conversations.
Around 01:00 everyone suddenly became very tired. This is interesting because most are used to being up late into the night (2 - 3 in the morning). Chris and Tom retired to the room they were given and quite literally crashed on their respective beds. Just as Tom was falling into his coma, M noticed the Sharpie smell again. Through his haze, Chris asked if they needed to go check. Tom said "No, let them see what it is". They did not investigate further. Both then fell into a very deep sleep until about 05:00 - 05:30 when Tom awoke to the sound of footsteps in the hallway. He opened his eyes and saw A returning to their room from the bathroom. He also overheard P mentioning to their roommate that they heard this noise and seemed to think it was paranormal. Tom made a mental note that he would tell them in the morning what had happened. "It was either a ghost or A".
Day 2 - Wednesday June 2, 2004
Chris and Tom awoke around 09:30. They talked with the others and found that A had been awakened around 04:30 by footsteps in the hall and muted talking. A thought that this noise was Chris and/or Tom checking out something paranormal near their room. Nope. "We were so out, you could have performed surgery on us". Tom did let them all know that the one incidence of "mysterious footsteps" around 05:30 was A. No one could explain the other incident. Both Chris and Tom felt hung over, which is very odd because no alcohol or other substance is ever consumed during an investigation. They needed coffee to wake up and continue the investigation. Chris, Tom, A, P, M and C then took a trip to the original mine site. This is a very neat area. There are not many buildings left in the upper site, mostly foundations. But the original mine entrances are still intact.
Chris and Tom were fascinated by the sense of history at the mines. Although the mine entrances have been collapsed to prevent thrill seekers from exploring potentially dangerous areas, the team were able to go near them and take some pictures. There are two upper mine entrances numbered 2 and 3 (1 does not exist because it was found to not have a good coal seam and therefore was not pursued). Number 2 is closest to the original processing equipment, while number 3 is a short walk further up the mountainside. They walked to entrance 3 and took two pictures that show a possible "super orb" (Mine 3 is where the 29 miners died in the explosion October 31,1941).
When they returned to entrance 2, Tom asked A where the 29 were taken after they were dug out. A said "the washhouse". Both Chris and Tom definitely wanted to go there next. However, they were informed that the original washhouse no longer existed, only its foundation. The "new" washhouse was located right next to where the first one stood. They walked over to the area where the washhouses were and explored some of the other buildings and foundations. Tom took a random shot of the area where the first washhouse stood and there seems to be a 'mist' of some sort in the middle of the picture. Interesting. They then toured the new washhouse (with no results) before Chris and Tom wandered over to the foundation of the electric generator/maintenance building.
Tom's Watch Went Wonky - A Personal Tragedy
A funky thing happened to my watch at the north end of the electric generator/maintenance building. As I was focusing my camera to take a picture of a tree growing in the middle of this foundation, I heard a beeping noise. The high-end Minolta camera I was using makes a certain beeping noise when it focuses or needs a flash. But this noise was quite different. It had several tones and was absolutely designed to get your attention. At first I thought it was the camera telling me the batteries were low, so I looked the camera over and checked the LED display. Everything fine here, so I started to focus again. Same noise. What the hell? This time I looked at my watch.
My watch also makes beeping noises for alarms and at the top of each hour. As a matter of fact, about two minutes earlier it beeped the top of the hour (12:00). As I looked at my watch it made this noise again and faded out, then came back displaying everything at once before sort of returning to normal (I eventually noticed that the time was off by about 10 minutes and the date had reset to January 1, 2000). This was both annoying and neat. Annoying because the watch is relatively new (less than 6 months old - it was a Christmas present) with a 10-year lithium battery and I thought the battery had died. Neat because I later realized this was a very strong paranormal event. I quickly focused my camera on the tree, took the picture and for a third time my watch went wonky.
I went over to A, P and M who were standing as a group by another foundation and told them my watch just did something unusual. Before I could begin to explain what happened, A told me it sounded like the lead mechanic, Joe Hunter, who was quite the practical joker. Then A asked not what happened but where it happened. I said at the far (north) end of the foundation. "Oh that's where he had his office." Cool. I did finish telling what happened and A became more conviced of who did it. Afterwards I was not quite sure what impressed me more, the "watch incident" itself or A knowing before any real info was given, who had "played with" my watch. Since this event my watch has kept time and has not shown any lasting effects (as of February 2006).
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Both Chris and Tom would have liked to stay longer to tour the lower mine site and absorb more historical information, but they knew it would be a long trip back to Calgary. They left Nordegg (after stopping for chocolate milk and teriyaki beef jerky - Chris you're weird!) at 12:55 and arrived home at 16:00. At the top of this investigation it says "Initial Visit". CAPI would like to believe that this is true because we would like to return to continue our investigation.
