The Howland Flat Ghost
Karen Lockhart, California, USA
December 1999
My boyfriend and I decided to go camping, with our three dogs last summer. We decided Howland Flat north of LaPort CA. would be our destination.We had camped there before with our kids a couple of times, it's a really cool place. A lot of Goldrush days history is there. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the campground from the main highway, dirt road of course. It is beautiful mountain country! The road gets real narrow in places, and if you look over the sides it's a long ways to the bottom. I wouldn't recommend driving the road at night. You camp close to this bridge dated 1831. There is a big tunnel that was made by the gold miners, to get through the mountain. Of course now there is a road that goes around it. Usually when you go there it is hard to find a place to camp. Because of all the people. This is not a National or State Park.
Well this particular Saturday we arrived there was nobody nowhere. We thought it was great. Nobody to bug us. We camped by this rock wall that goes around this one particular campsite. It was built with big river rocks stacked upon each other it is about waist high, and very very sturdy. Someone had a plaque made and it read, this wall was built by___?__(I forget the name) in memory of his loving wife. Dated 1912. The plaque is cemented on the wall. Well that night after a good day of trout fishing, hiking etc. We turned in. My boyfriend and I sleeping in the tent the three dogs stayed outside. I awoke in the middle of the night, why I don't know. I lit up a cigarette, opened the tent flap to let the smoke out. Trying to focus my eyes in the dark, I saw the silhouette of a man and a dog! The man was bending over picking up rocks and putting them on the wall! His dog was standing behind him his tail wagging like crazy! The man just kept stacking the rocks. I looked around for our dogs, they all three were just laying there sleeping. I did not feel any fear at all. I know this man and his dog were not bad ghosts.
All of a sudden he stood upright and turned towards me, his dog turned towards me too, his tail still wagging. I didn't know what to do, so I smiled and waved at him. He lifted his arm and waved back at me! Then went back to stacking his rocks! Like I said I felt no fear at all, I snuffed out my cigarette closed the tent and went back to sleep. That morning I looked around where I had seen this man and his dog but no evidence of any kind could I find that he had been there.
This ghost was not a bad ghost. He was just very busy building this wall for his beloved wife. Talk about dedication or what.
Thankyou so much for reading my true life experience.