Thursday, September 26, 2013

Cemeteries In New Mexico - Haunted Caches There Too

My mind is all over the place (nothing new for me) with it comes to the cemetery geocaches.  I have friends who have made suggestions.  Fellow cachers have offered up a ton of info on cemetery caches they have done and their favs.  When I add on my obsessive Internet searches - well, I have an issue here.  The solution, for the moment, will be to do some post by state.  Not the most fun way to do it but one that works for the moment.  Be prepared for a change when the mind bounces back another direction.

So - it is New Mexico for today.  This state is called "The Land Of Enchantment" but could also be called "The Land Of The Haunted Graveyards".  I know this because I have lived, worked, vacationed and geocached in this state.  There are a ton of abandoned graveyards around the state.  Many small ranching communities had their own sites that are now little more that a few grave markers and a fence.  Many of them have fallen fences and have become grazing territory in open range.  Tho many may find this depressing, geocachers find it an exciting place to visit, pay our respects and guarantee the dearly departed will have visitors by establishing a cache in the area. 

I have to make mention to one cache that I found on line that really disappoints me.  Not the cache itself but I am disappointed that I never got a chance to find this one before the muggles forced it to be archived.  Season of the Witch, GC2PM2W, was located the heart of Las Cruces, an area known as the Mesilla Valley.  This is what The Marauders had to say about their cache.

Located just south of Mesilla Plaza, San Albino's Cemetery contains a selection of very old graves, many of semi-famous people in from the near by town.  One grave curiously does not have a name marker, and is rumored to hold a witch of some ill repute.  This tomb has a four-foot black cross decorating it.  Though the cache is located at the entrance to the cemetery away from any graves, the supposed tomb itself is located at 32.16.039 / 106.47.415.  Please do not disturb the rest of this spirit or any other in the cemetery.

From what I have read, this is what I would consider the perfect haunted cache, except for the fact that there is no admittance after dark.  That would have helped with the spooky factor.  I will go there to visit this site someday, especially since there are so many more caches in the area. 




Box 1 & 2 have a really neat series called Spirit Caches.  I have only seen these on line but I am intrigued by them and will surely visit next time I am in the area.  When you go to the profile you will find the list but for now I will only show you one.  I love the community of Abiquiu, New Mexico and this cache is close by.  Here's your cache description of Spirit of El Rito - GC4FM68-


This black bison tube is outside this Community Cemetery.

This old Hispanic community was settled in the early 19th Century and the Post Office was established in 1870.  This Community is now the home of many artists.  A College, Northern NM College, was started here many years ago and now the main campus is in Espanola.  They do have a nice observatory. 

It was originally known as El Rito Colorado, "The Red Creek", taking its name from the creek that passes through the Village.  Tewa Indians called the El Rito Region "pink below place" for the El  Rito Mountains, known to them as the pink mountains.

Spirit caches are a series placed at or near NM Cemeteries in hopes of paying respect to the Pioneer Ancestors having "gone" on before us, and, possibly picking up a bit of history on the area.

I do not find photos on the site of this series but the area deserves a bit of mention, thus the pic above.  This is not a pic of the cache location.


Santa Fe New Mexico has many legends.  This area is known as the Tri Culture Community.  Each culture, the Indian, Hispanic, and the Anglo all bring history, stories and most of all, Spirits, to this land.  Anyone who has lived in the Santa Fe area can tell you stories of encounters they have had with spirits from the past.  And not all of them are happy spirits. In fact - all cultures gather together, once a year for the burning of Zozobra, also known as Old Man Gloom.  This tradition help to eliminate the bad spirits in ones life and allow for a fresh start.  All of this makes for a great deal of excitement when it comes to the haunted caches of Santa Fe.


The name says it all with GC2N92H, Santa Fe Ghost Hunt #3: The Old Hospital.  Pounce44 describes the cache like this - 

Geocache Description:
The Santa Fe Ghost Hunt is a series of (mostly) easy caches designed to bring you to some of the most haunted spots in and around this ancient city and reveal some of the stories associated with these locations.

The Old Hospital

The Legend
This building was the original St. Vincent's Hospital which provided the health care needs for Santa Fe and northern New Mexico for over 100 years.  Many years ago, a little boy died in room 311 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.  The boy;s father also died in the same ca wreck.  the recurring sounds of a small child crying (and sometimes screaming) were reported so often in room 311 that administrators sought to keep the room unoccupied.  Other tales of hauntings in the old hospital include the sounds of crying babies echoing through the halls on the 4th floor which once served as the  maternity ward and nurse's call lights mysteriously giving an alert from a room where an old lady had passed away many hours before.  Perhaps the most haunted area of the building is the basement, where former employees have reported a concrete wall which sometimes oozed fresh blood. 


Clock Tower - GC1QJ3E - is not listed as a haunted type cache but I can guarantee that the building has many residents for the past.  The St. Michael's Tow Clock is near and dear to me.  I was involved with much of the original building of this beautiful building and mourn the fact that it has not been maintained.  Over the many years of involvement, we encountered many odd and strange spirits.  But this post is about the cache and not the building.

bob8bear established this cache in April of 2009.  Since then there have been 141 successful finds and only 1 DNF.   Here's the description of the cache -

This cache was placed for our 2nd Annual Santa Event on May 16, 2009.

The cache is placed at this site for you to see the beautiful large, wooden, carved clock.  Years ago this building was occupied by a watchmaker.  Until recently you could see the beautiful carved clock thru the window on the outside.  The window was broken recently and was replaced with glass that you can not see thru so you may want to go inside to tee it.  The clock has the name Chipley 1983 engraved on it.  We were told the bell on top, came from the Ramadero Ranch north of Encino, NM in the Palma area.  We could not find any information about Chipley, so if you know more about it, you can include that in your log.  Hope you enjoy.  

The photo above may appear a bit haunting, as a spring snow storm was nearing, but that is nothing compared to what really lives within the walls of this building.  Enjoy the cache but beware of your company.  After all, you are standing on an old burial ground.



Albuquerque is a hub of haunting.  Almost any cache that is in the Old Town area could have a spirit or two hanging around.  But - there is one area in particular that is especially creepy.

Creepy-Sandia Ranch, GC21ZAN - J.A.R.  established this cache in 2009 and appears to still be around; the spirits of this location has yet to take her away.  Guaranteed, this is a very creepy area, just like the title insinuates.  Here is a brief description of the cache.

Does this name sound familiar?  I've lived in Albuquerque all my life and have never heard of it . . . until recently!

It turns out that this is an old abandoned sanitarium, The Sandia Ranch Sanitarium.

When a buddy told me about this, I couldn't get there fast enough!

J.A.R. goes on to explain some rules for this cache and also so great stories and info.  These rules do not seem to be the type that a rebellious person should ignore.  These are for the caching person's safety.  I did a bit of research and found that one thing is for certain.  The owners of  the property live adjacent to the asylum.  On occasion, if they are feeling annoyed at those who ignore the NO TRESPASSING signs and intrude anyway, they turn their dogs loose.  Those would be very large dogs, with one purpose in mind.  Best to listen to J.A.R. about this one. 



Cimarron, New Mexico is amazingly beautiful, during the summer and fall prior to the big snows.  It is a perfect area for caching, in the summer and fall.  Not so much during the winter.  Maybe that is why you may find more indoor type caches than outdoor ones. 

First - here is a little bit of info about the St. James Hotel in Cimorron -

This place has been the witness 26 murders including the famous Buffalo Bill and Jesse James. Many others such as Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid have visited also. It got quick acclaim for how violent its saloon,, restaurant, and bar would get. The second floor is most active with the smell of cigar smoke and a lot of cold spots. Although they are most felt and not seen, a couple groups have seen cowboys in the mirror next to them when getting a drink. Room 18 is closed off due to the fact that there is an ill tempered Thomas James Wright who abides here. It seems that after he won his rights to the hotel one night, he was shot in the back and went in the room to bleed to death. People have been pushed down and an angry orange light also floats in the air. Room 17 is occupied by a former owner's wife and she makes noises in the room including tapping on the windows. Many more apparitions have been seen here including ghosts of children and a dwarf like guy who plays tricks. Also reported is a phantom poker game. The best part about this place is that excluding the hauntings it is actually quite the vacation spot. Well worth the look.

With this in mind - take a look at what  mousewiz has to say about the St. James Travel Bug Hotel - 
GC13RWC -

The historic St James Hotel was built in 1872 for a cost of $17,000 and has housed such folks as Buffalo BIll Cody and Black Jack Ketchum. Go inside the dining hall to see all the bullet holes!

I recommend you go inside and watch the video available in the lobby that points out some of the amazing history of this establishment. If you are into ghosts, the story of T.J. is especially gruesome. Even Mary Lambert may pay you a visit, but hold on to your possessions.

Replace this cache just as you found it. Be stealthy as this establishment is quite busy during the summer season.





Take the time to look around or have a bite to eat.  Maybe, just maybe, you will experience more than just a bit of caching. 



That's it for New Mexico, at least for now.  There's lots more states to cover.  With the info that I have gathered, I am sure that I will return before the All  Hallows Eve with a few more but for now - on ward we go. 






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