 Some people have seen ghosts at the Vulture Mine, even smelled cake baking in the old mess hall. If there are ghosts, the Vulture Mine would be a likely spot for them. Here is a spot where three thousand people once lived, worked, loved, hoped, and died.One resident of several years was Russ Hunting. Russ cleaned up many of the buildings at the Vulture Mine. The companies who leased the property for exploration filled many of the buildings with plastic sacks of sample drillings. Over time, the sacks deteriorated and left dirt inside the buildings, sometimes several feet deep. Russ cleaned out the buildings, one by one. While Russ was working in the mess hall, silence descended on him. He couldn’t hear the usual desert noises, and he began to hear voices. The voices cheered him on, told him he was doing a good job. They repeatedly called him "Ben." Gradually, his hearing returned. After this, Russ Hunting would occasionally give tours, in costume, as his alter ego, Ben Russell. Russ died in 1996. His friends, John and Marge, fulfilled his request that his ashes be scattered at the mine "so that I can be with my friends." |
Gold Fever | Henry Wickenburg | Highgrading | Ghosts | The Goldwaters | The Vulture's Discovery
The Glory Hole | The Hanging Tree | The Walnut Grove Dam Disaster |
The Vulture's "Profit Sharing Plan" | Gold Mines vs. Gold Placers | The Depression at the Vulture |
John and Marge Osborne | The Birth of Phoenix, AZ
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