Hell Tunnel

On a recent beautiful autumn day, we were in Faribault to investigate the old hospital ruins, and we decided to walk through and investigate the infamous “Hell Tunnel” aka the Tipi Tonka Tunnel.  Throughout the years that we have investigated sites in and around Faribault, townspeople have told us about this legend; wildly haunted, scary beyond belief.  I’m guessing it was coined Hell Tunnel because of that reputation, but for me I think it is a great name because it was a shortcut to the Faribault State Hospital and School, an insane asylum that probably felt like hell to many of its patients.  These patients were looked at by society as imbeciles, they were said to be stupid, and feeble-minded.  Families brought them there to be put away out of the public eye, many for their entire lives.  These poor souls were ostracized from society, dumped in an institution where they were pretty much ignored.  We have heard stories about this hospital (Faribault’s dirty little secret) where abuse was widespread.  It is said that patients were chained to beds and walls, there was much sexual abuse, and honestly, I can only imagine what they lived with.  

The tunnel is wet in places, it is dark and heavily graffitied throughout its 442-foot length, and adorned with dim overhead lights every 10 feet or so.  The three of us who poked around in the tunnel are all intuitive, and none of us felt any kind of paranormal presence-nada.  We had our K2 meters poised and ready, but no activity.  It lacked any kind of eerie feeling, and to me it felt like nothing more than a dark tunnel beneath the hill.  Is it scary?  Well, if you happen to traverse it after dark, sure.  Imaginations run wild in a dark and damp place beneath the earth.  I wouldn't be worried about otherworldy presences in that tunnel, what I would be worried about in the dark would be the presence of living beings on this side of the veil.

We did not detect any paranormal presence or activity in our two walks through this paranormal legend, and in fact it felt oddly normal, much to our dismay.  I mean, who doesn’t love a good scare? We filmed a video of us walking through the tunnel - click here.

Our investigations on the Faribault State Hospital and School, and our team is looking for more information on the actual hospital and school as well as the farm colonies just outside of town.  We would love to talk to anyone who has personal knowledge these places.  If you do?  Please contact us by either dropping us a message via the Supernatural Investigators of Minnesota facebook page, or send us an email to siminnesota@gmail.com.

Until next time...

The Old Diphtheria Cemetery

This past weekend I was in the middle of Wisconsin working on a big paranormal event I am helping to plan.  We were treated to a historical tour of the area, including a visit to the old Diphtheria Cemetery.  

In the 1800’s, Smallpox and Diphtheria were widespread and deadly.  Both diseases took a substantial toll on the people as both young and old fell to one of these uncontrollable diseases.  Horrific, the two viruses ravaged the towns and villages; the times were dark, and the area is marked forever by the massive loss of life.

The very old cemetery is at the top of a wooded hill, and the moment I stepped off the top step to this final resting place for many, the intense energy I felt was most unnerving; sadness, great loss, and?  The spirits of young children roaming through the area who have not crossed over.  I sensed they were at peace, even though they linger here.  Lost?  Maybe, but they weren't asking for directions or help either, they seemed....at home.

The gravestones tell us that some adults are among the children here, there is speculation that some deaths were from Small Pox as well as Diphtheria, and all died in the 1870's.  Some stones marked the graves of siblings who passed within months/weeks of each other.  I can’t even begin to fathom the heartache these parents went through, whether they lost one or more children to this disease for which there was no cure.

Majestic century-old pine trees surround and are within the cemetery, protecting the graves of these young innocents.  These healing trees have wrapped their limbs and roots around the graves in an embrace; their energy is healing, soulful, and powerful.  The Mamma Tree is just that; she protects the other trees, the graves, and the child spirits who linger.  Her energy is loving, beautiful and all consuming, just incredible.  There are also two sentinel trees standing watch on the outskirts.

There is much heartbreak in this place, but there is also undying love that permeates the cemetery; it is pervasive and amazing, and oh so strong after almost 150 years.  These gravesites are still tended and I saw flowers and trinkets on many.  When we return to the area, we will take as much time as we need and offer aid to the spirits there; if they need help crossing over we will help them, if they want to remain, that is their choice and we will of course offer blessings.  

I will think of this place for a long time to come, it was unlike any cemetery I have visited.

--Stephanie

Fly Free Little Sparrow

When I got home from work yesterday afternoon, my daughter Kacie told me she found a bird on the deck floor just outside the patio door.  She had picked this little one up and gently put him/her on the railing of the deck, just in case life was still with this little soul.

I looked at this beautiful sparrow and knew in my heart he/she was no longer with us.  Eye glazed over, there was no movement.  So still, he/she was so beautiful, a reddish brown color, and young.  I bet this was his/her first summer.  I was sad, and I felt at fault; if I had just placed the screen in then middle of the doors like I normally do?  This little soul might still be alive.  But I was in such a frenzy yesterday morning, I didn't do what I almost always do because I know the birds hit the glass; most of them are lucky and are just stunned and fly away; but not this one.

Kacie didn't want to bury this tiny creature yesterday afternoon, just in case it was just knocked out.  Eternally hopeful my girl, but I did feel the same way, clinging to the hope that maybe?  The bird would wake up and fly away.  But with the light of the morning, I saw that little one was there, so still in death.

With a heavy heart, I looked around the yard for just the right spot, and then picked up the shovel and dug a hole behind a hosta by the fence.  I then wrapped this beautiful little being in a soft white paper towel, placed that beautiful feathery body in there and buried the young sparrow.  I cried as I said a prayer for the little bird and placed a flagstone on top of the grave.  

Life and death; seems like death comes too easy and may times too soon, and yes, I feel responsible for this death. 

FLY FREE LITTLE ONE, know you are loved.  May you be at peace.

--Stephie Jean

The Search for Sasquatch.....

Searching for the big guy is one of my favorite things to do, and I have been out multiple times in the past few months with our team SquatchHERS searching for Bigfoot.  By the way?  Did I mention?  It is STILL winter in Minnesota, and it has been not only cold, but the snow has been deep.  This has not prevented us from trekking through the woods in search of Bigfoot, in fact?  I think it has become a challenge for us that we have all happily accepted, and has heightened our resolve to find this elusive being.

We have traveled to and searched an area in the Chippewa National Forest several times this winter in below zero temps and snow up to our knees.   We have also recently searched and have been quite impressed with a wild DNR area closer to home north of  the Twin Cities Metro area.  We've been there twice, and look forward to another search there soon.  What I will say is that my teammates have grit; below zero temps and snow have not deterred us, and I believe?  It only makes us BETTER.

 In the Chippewa forest we discovered what we believe are Bigfoot prints in the snow.  A path of them that stretched for quite a distance.  We showed the photos to a local area resident who has discovered Bigfoot prints himself and he confirmed what we thought.  Bigfoot made those prints.  We found them in an area we had experienced much activity in the past, and it was an exciting find.

 

In the area closer to home we have discovered many stick structures.  The first of which we feel is most likely a man-made hunters blind; the others we found much further into the woods off the beaten track, and I think?  No person would have made them, it just doesn't fit.  The majority of them and would not be noticeable to anyone but someone looking for signs of Bigfoot. Bigfoot is known to build stick structures that some believe are location guides.  These structures are hidden in plain sight ....big ones, little ones.  None would offer shelter, nor be able to hide one from anything.  In fact, in the summertime when the grass and weeds are tall, one would never see them unless?  You know where they are.  They are in an arrangement that we think form some kind of quadrant - to what end?  Perhaps the area within the boundary is a special place?

At any rate, our searches over the winter months have yielded some pretty phenomenal evidence.  Is this evidence of Bigfoot or something else?  We can only wonder.....our next search is happening quite soon, and will include plotting out the quadrant of structures to create some kind of map and try to understand the distance and scope of the area within.
 
What I do want to say is that my teammates are awesome; dedicated and determined to find Sasquatch, we all work well together and we have an amazing team of women :)

Stephanie!

A captivating case in outstate Minnesota

The beautiful and ancient Oak tree

Every once in a while we have a case that is truly captivating and exciting; this was one of those.  We were called out to a rural farm property in western Minnesota by the property owner.   She mentioned there had been paranormal activity on the farm since her family moved to the farmstead  in the early 1970s.  During the past year this activity had climbed to an all-time high.  Our client frightened; her adult children and their children were also, and would no longer come to visit.

Our client told us stories of ghost children on the side of her home where there were many massive trees.  She told us about a menacing presence in the house as well as one of the barns on the property.  Ghosts in the home that would pull sheets off beds and otherworldly voices that could be heard and tapping at the windows.  Grandchildren who would tell of ghost children in the yard who played with them, and that scary figure in the barn keeping everyone away from the area.

Four members of the SIM Crew investigated the property in March.  What we found?  Was nothing short of amazing.  The activity began shortly after the investigation commenced.  Just outside the back door, we heard phantom knocking on the wooden stairs leading to the upstairs deck.   There was no explanation; all of our investigators and the property owner were accounted for. 

Moving on, we witnessed a large dark mass in an enormous oak tree;  we felt that we were being watched by this dark mass, we believe it was a dark supernatural presence.   This tree is amazing; ancient and wise it has been held hostage by this dark presence, and it was not at ease.  How do I know?  As a intuitive sensitive and empathic, I could feel the tree spirit's unease; so too did Jerry and Will, as we all share these same abilities.

We observed figures dashing across the property, and those ghost children?  Were in attendance.  Will and I heard child like giggling in the trees, and I and played hide and seek with these ghost children, ducking behind trees we could hear them whispering and laughing.  This was an amazing experience, playing with ghosts.
 
The house, built in the late 1800’s, was complete with a stone foundation and featured capped wells in the basement; home repairs created a breach in the original foundation, and we feel is like a beacon, or a flag if you will for paranormal activity.  I witnessed a dark shadow moving down the staircase as I sat alone in upstairs hallway.   Interestingly, the four of us experienced much activity while there, yet we captured little evidence.   

In April we returned to this paranormaly active place to cleanse/clear/bless this property with the hope of removing the unwanted spirits and hopefully keeping the ghost children at bay to bring peace to our client.

We took a three pronged approach; two methods of clearing/cleansing and two methods of after care.  Jerry, alone, cleansed and cleared the property using the ancient and Native American method of smudging; Will and I cleared/cleansed and blessed the home as well as the farmstead in the Christian way, using prayer, burying reliquaries, and laying a salt line around the property.  Jerry, Will and I also performed healing to that wonderful ancient oak and another oak nearby; we prayed for her while touching her, and sprinkled healing herbs on her roots and trunk.

Mae and George instructed our client on how to take back her home and keep it clean using prayer as one part of the after care;  Jerry advised our client to offer a spirit plate daily made up of a little food from dinner each day. 

There will always be spirits in this location; lots of Native American energy here along with other energies.  We believe the menacing spirit is gone; we also know that the ghost children and other spirits will always be a part of this place, but in our cleansing/blessings, we beseeched them to stay outside the salt line and to be respectful of the living. 

Our client has contacted us multiple times, with the happy news that all is well; her children and grandchildren are now coming back to visit. and the tapping on the windows, feelings of unease, and fear are gone.   They have invited us to come back at any time, and honestly?   I can't wait to touch those magnificent Oak trees again, to determine if all is well.

 

A healing place in the woods....

This past Saturday we visited Nopeming Sanatorium, a place I have wanted to visit, explore, and investigate for years.  Now I am sure you are saying, in January?  In Duluth?  Yep, and it was cold.  Very.   By the time we left I could no longer feel my toes, and this was in new SOREL boots.  I thought they were the best?  Guess not, at least not any more.

I have been intrigued by this old tuberculosis hospital for a long time, and I intend to poke around in the historical records and research the property thoroughly; and most importantly?  I want to talk to people who worked and visited there.  Over the years I have had people tell me about their experiences there when it was functioning as a nursing home; their stories are amazing to say the least.  Along the way, I will be writing additional blog posts, as I discover what it is about Nopeming that has gotten under my skin.

Nopeming is situated in a beautiful spot on a hill, back in the woods.  Nopeming is the Ojibwa word, loosely meaning a place in the woods which is just what it is.  Honestly?  If I was to be admitted to a hospital due to a contagious incurable disease, this would be the place I would want to be.  Serene, peaceful, beautiful.  Some people who came here were lucky enough to leave; but many more suffered terribly from this debilitating and painful long disease before their death.

Our foray into Nopeming began late Saturday morning and continued until late afternoon.  This property is enormous, and it seemed that every time we opened a door another hallway appeared.  It was easy to lose your way in this rambling old hospital; I can only imagine what it was like filled to the brim with sick and dying patients.

There is lots of space, lots of rooms, and the grim feeling of death.  It remains there, trapped within the decaying walls of this stately and proud old hospital, but so too is the feeling of life.  After the cure for tuberculosis was found, Nopeming was converted into a nursing home.  Walking throughout the complex I could feel the elderly in the common areas, and one can almost hear their chatter and laughter, gathered together.  I think they probably had a good life there, on the hill.

Winter has not been good to Nopeming.  Ice covers many floors in several areas of the massive building; the roof leaks badly and many of the stairwells were slick with ice, making for a treacherous journey up and down between the floors.

I sensed spirits throughout the property; but there were several spots where there seemed to be more.  There were some areas where my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest it was beating so hard and so fast; in others, the sense of dread was almost touchable.  There is a lot of energy in this place, the spirits who are at home here are either trapped or want to remain in this peaceful place.

We had a phenomenal day of exploring.  We investigated a little, but in all honesty it turned into a preliminary investigation for a big overnight investigation that will happen in a few months, when the temperatures are just a little warmer than a balmy 25 degrees.

We are beginning to go through our video footage from the afternoon, and of course any evidence we may have captured will be shared here in my blog.  But for now?  Enjoy the photos, they tell quite a tale.  When we return to Nopeming in the coming months, I will once again ask the question:  "Why do you stay here where you suffered so much?" Maybe this time, in this place, I will get an answer.

SJA

 

 

 

 

#nopeming #supernatural #paranormal #ghosts

An old hospital on top of a hill in the woods.....

This past Saturday, I visited an old hospital situated on the top of a hill in the woods near Duluth, Minnesota with Jerry, and fellow SIM Crewmates Katie and Mike.  This wasn't just any old dilapidated hospital, it was Nopeming Sanatorium.  One of the largest of the Sanatoriums built in the State of Minnesota, and the largest left standing.   This old hospital on the hill was nothing short of amazing.

I found out about Nopeming when doing research on sanatoriums in Minnesota a few years back.  We decided that the SIM Crew would begin a multi-year project focused on investigating old health care facilities to determine whether or not they were more active than other sorts of buildings.  In my research Nopeming came up.  A huge facility, it still stood; had been abandoned since 2002, and was literally wasting away.  The current owners of the property  was a nonprofit organization looking to rehab the facility into a community center of sorts; but they needed mega dollars to do so.

I sent email inquiries, phoned the number on their website, heck we even stopped by when we went to Duluth for other things, only to find NO TRESPASSING signs and a gate.  Unfortunately we heard nothing back, apparently they weren't interested in paranormal researchers.

We have investigated a smaller tuberculosis facility in northern Minnesota, which remains one of our favorite investigations.  We road tripped down to Kentucky and investigated the famous Waverly Hills Sanatorium.  We investigated an old nursing home in Wisconsin, and by now?  We were pretty sure all old hospitals/nursing homes/health care facilities were quite active.  Still? Nopeming had my thoughts,, and I fired another round of emails, only to be disappointed at their lack of response.

When Ghost Adventures gained access and did a lockdown investigation, filming an episode there in late 2014, I was JEALOUS.  But?  They have the money, and that talks.

Every once in a while I do a search for Nopeming online, something last week told me to google, and to my surprise?  I found that Nopeming has opened up its doors to tours, investigations, and other events to raise money to renovate the property.   I found out that they were hosting night tours last Saturday night, and so the plan was actioned; the four of us hit the road do have a look at this property that has nagged me for so long.

It was a cold and windy night on the top of that hill; the temperature registered 14 degrees outside at 9:15 when we arrived; the temperatures inside the building were a balmy 37 or so.  It was a beautiful night, the stars were out, the moon shining.  I thought if I had to be admitted to a hospital where I might die?  This would be a wonderful place to be.  Beautiful, serene, wooded, and the scenery majestic.

We walked about 3/4 of a mile from the gate to the building, along the way we stopped to take a look at the aging smokestack and the crematorium.  A grizzly place where they cremated many who died of the infectious disease; the roof has fallen in and the owners of the property have been asked by the local building inspector to demolish the building soon. 


We entered the sanatorium through the back, the chapel in fact, which is really on the third floor of the building; we went on through to the floor and explored the various rooms, patient rooms, etc.  This building is in great disrepair; paint is peeling on every wall in the place, and water damage is extensive   It looks far worse than the other abandoned hospitals I had been in by far.

As we toured through we pulled out the KII meter when we were without other people in a few rooms where we felt something was happening, and yes we did have hits, there was much activity going on around us.  Were the spirits gaining energy from all the people on this nighttime tour?  Could be, but there is much happening there, invisible to most; most clear to those of us who investigate the supernatural and have intuitive abilities.  Then it happened.  We were in a room where we felt there was a spirit, and bang.  The battery on my cellphone was drained.  JUST LIKE THAT.  Yep, that was the only camera I had, as this this was not an investigation and the tour instructions were that no video, no professional camera were allowed.  So?  I was done shooting photos.

Nopeming is an amazing place.  Have no fear, I am only beginning....we will return for an investigation in the coming months, this little tour?  Was just what I needed for now; to eyeball the place that has been haunting me for years.  This one?  Will be something.....I have no doubt.

Shadows.....

Yep, it’s that time of year, somewhere in between fall and winter; the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead remains thin.   Halloween and Samhain have passed, and I am seeing shadow figures moving around frequently, especially when I am out in the dark (morning or evening), and that tells me that those on the other side?  Remain on our side, often making themselves known as it is easier for them to do so.  

Disconcerting?  Well for those of us who are sensitive intuitives, not so much.   I do see them throughout the year, but not at the rate they are making themselves known to me currently and over the past month or two.   I  have to admit though when I do see a fleeting shadow person darting by unexpectedly? the hair on the back of my neck stands up.  I have been surprised many times the past week or two, while out walking my pups in the dark.  These figures are sooooo visible!  Astounding to be sure, but hey, they are not to be feared; they are just lost.

One of the questions I have, is do these shadow figures and ghosts gain more energy when the moon is full?  I believe so; the moon was full earlier this week, and I have seen quite a few the last few days, darting here and there, sometimes hiding behind a tree for cover after they’ve been spotted by either me or my husband Jerry, who frequently accompanies me on my evening walk with the pups. 

When you are out and about in the dark in the coming weeks, pay attention to that action at the corner of your eye, it just might be a visitor.