One of several huge monsters awaiting visitors to the 2014 Haunted Trail.
Warning! Some of the upcoming pics are pretty darn scary! You’ve been warned!
Runner in Balboa Park passes behind a grinning ghoul!
This morning I was nearly frightened out of my wits. I was taking a nice brisk walk up the west side of Balboa Park, enjoying the fresh air and at peace with the world…when I found myself surrounded! I couldn’t escape from silent ghosts rising from the cold ground all around me! A catastrophe! The horror! I had met my doom!
Oh, thank goodness, I realized at last. It’s just the Haunted Trail. You know, the yearly outdoor “haunted house” that’s extremely popular in San Diego around Halloween.
The spooky attraction, which brings in thousands of thrill-seekers on dark Autumn nights, is under construction once again. It’s larger than ever and looks super spooky. I walked around the perimeter and tried to get a bunch of cool daytime photos for you to enjoy. Here they are…
Black-robed ghosts and grim reapers are rising in the popular Halloween attraction.A ghost town in the mournful trees contains many grisly and horrible surprises!Welcome to Silent Hill, where nightmares rise from a well.Props piled on ground behind a school bus filled with Halloween frights.In late September, the Haunted Trail is a work in progress.Mangled cloth mannequins lie limp and lifeless on dead leaves.Artists creating the scary park trail use gallons of paint each year.Entrance to Haunted Trail rises again this year, as do many spooky old props.Close look at skulls embedded in the castle-like entrance.Structure made of skeleton bones beside a Haunted Trail sign just inside entrance.Here’s that huge bloody yeti I took a pic of last year, just as frightening as ever!This poor guy has sat in that electric chair for so many years he must have a stiff back.Surprise! Another zombie, ghoul or creature ready to scare a nice fun-seeking visitor.This prop lying on the ground is quite eerie and realistic.A ravenous, hellish hound prowls among tombstones in a dark cemetery.I suppose all the undead have risen from this scary graveyard on the Haunted Trail!
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El Campo Santo (which means “The Holy Field” in Spanish) is a small Roman Catholic graveyard in Old Town, nestled between buildings several blocks south of the State Park. It contains a variety of weathered tombstones and crosses marking the final resting places of many early San Diego residents. It is designated California Historical Landmark #68.
Established in 1849, the cemetery reached full capacity in 1880. Today it is a popular attraction for passing tourists.
Walk about carefully and read the old inscriptions, and you’ll discover pioneer families, soldiers, politicians, small children, Mexicans, Native Americans, unknown people, rich and poor, educated and illiterate . . . buried side by side.
Nearly five hundred people were buried at El Campo Santo. One of the graves belongs to notorious Santiago “Yankee Jim” Robinson. He stole San Diego’s only row boat, and was hung at the site of the nearby Whaley House.
Supposedly all sorts of ghosts, vapors, hovering torsos, spectral figures and weird apparitions have been seen at this cemetery. And supposedly they set off car alarms along San Diego Avenue.
One ghost is said to be a prostitute who was denied burial. Another is said to be Antonio Garra, a notable Native American. As chief of the Cupenos tribe, Garra led an uprising in 1851 against the people of San Diego due to unfair taxation. When finally captured, he was made to stand beside an open grave and executed by firing squad.
If such ghosts do exist, it seems they have one definite reason to be upset! In 1889 a horse-drawn streetcar line was built right through the hallowed cemetery. In 1942 the tracks were paved over with asphalt, creating the busy roadway. Today, according to a sign by the sidewalk, there are numerous graves directly under the street!
People read plaques and headstones in Old Town cemetery.Do not disturb the peace and tranquility of those who have reposed from earthly cares.More than 20 men, women and children lie buried beneath San Diego Avenue.Grave site marker embedded in San Diego Avenue asphalt.The Holy Field contains many of San Diego’s original residents.Sign in wall that encloses El Campo Santo.
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