Grafton Ghost Town

Do you believe in ghosts?

I didn't

Until, I came to Grafton Ghost Town.

In the cemetery

The gate slam shut

So loud it echoed up the canyon and sent a prickle down my spine.

My husband and son were oblivious,

but I could feel something rising.

What happened here? There are 2-4 dozen graves with mounds above ground. The birth dates ranging mid-late 1800s... Yet, the date they all died - all the same.

As I walked around and read the signs, I gathered a story:

In 1859, five pioneer families led a pilgrimage ”To settle“ Grafton. The only problem was that Grafton was already settled (for centuries) by the Paiutes and the Navajos.

The Natives and Settlers tried to get along... But it didn't take long for their differences to clash. Different beliefs, different ways of life, and different ideas of that which is sacred. "God". Man v. Nature. The “God gave man dominion” complex affected the direction/capitalization of Mother Nature's sacred water, resources, and energy.

It created a war. A battle over land, way of life, and belief. When Mormon pioneers/settlers irrigated and chopped down trees, if affected the natural way of life and flow of water downstream. It didn't take long for the people to clash. A Settler stole a sheep. An Indian jacked their horses. They fought back and forth. Until one day...

It escalated into a massacre.

& There we were standing. These guys didn't even know.

We drove a mile down a dirt road.

& saw this creepy cabin along the way.

1/4” mile further, we arrived at the schoolhouse and other house.

We stepped into the basement of the schoolhouse, and the temperature dropped. It smelled dank, but not the good kind.

The moment I crossed the threshold, an insect buzzed, flew down my shirt, and stung me! I threw my shirt off, but found nothing. All that remained was a mark on my back.

As I walked to the stairs, I saw a glow.

It was a ghost! Or dust on the lens, but a sign and metaphor that continues to this day:

Everywhere you go, honor the resources and the lives that came before you.