Author Archives: Cameron Steurer

The Ghost of Lake Bella Vista

The informant and her family used to live in Rockford, Michigan next to Lake Bella Vista. She says she grew up with the legend of the ghost of Lake Bella Vista, hearing it from neighbors and family members. She says she first heard it from her father.

According to the legend, a man who used to live on the lake went swimming late (well past midnight). He dove down under the water, and got his foot caught between some rocks at the bottom of the lake on accident. Without anyone around to help him, the man drowned, leaving his family behind. Years later, a group of teenagers (a horror story trope many will recognize) went swimming in the lake late at night. one of the girls started screaming that something had grabbed her leg, and before her friends could get to her, she was pulled under. Her friends swam to shore as fast as they could to get away from whatever it was that had pulled her under. They found the girl’s body floating in the water the next morning with a black handprint encircling one calf.

The informant says that the story is one usually told to kids at family get-togethers with neighbors and guests. Whoever tells the story usually pantomimes along with the narrative, and involves the audience by grabbing someone in the front row and pulling on their leg just as the ghost in the story had done. The informant says that the most performative part of the legend is when the storyteller puts a big, muddy handprint on the leg of the front-row “victim”.

Treehouse in the Woods Legend

One of the older members of her neighborhood back home in Yorktown Heights used to tell the neighborhood kids about a treehouse that she and her brother built together years ago when they were just children. The elderly neighbor claimed that the treehouse was in the woods just outside of the town limits.

All the children wanted to find the treehouse, and spent months searching as deep into the woods as they could without getting lost or hurt. As far as she knows, no one has found the treehouse yet, but to this day kids still go looking for it as older children pass the legend down to their younger siblings. Some of the parents even join in, some out of curiosity and others to make sure the youngest kids don’t get hurt when they join in the search. While the legend hasn’t been proven false, the treehouse has yet to be found. Unfortunately, the elderly neighbor who supposedly built the treehouse has since passed away, so it’s up to the neighborhood children to keep the legend going.

Los Angeles Tunnel System Legend

The informant heard this legend from a friend who has lived in Los Angeles for her whole life.

Underneath Los Angeles, there exists a system of tunnels that runs the breadth of the whole city. Some say it’s because Los Angeles was modeled after Paris, and the Paris Catacombs inspired Los Angeles’ tunnels. The tunnels existed during the prohibition era, and the legend says that corrupt policemen and officials would smuggle alcohol into and around the city to those who were willing to pay. Apparently, the tunnels were declared an earthquake hazard later on, and the city closed them off to the public.

There is some variation in the legend from person to person, she says. One person she asked about the tunnels said that there was an entire network of criminals still living underground in the tunnels.

 

Lavender and Other Folk Remedies

The informant listed off several folk remedies she learned from her parents and grandparents:

For colds, she said her mother and grandmother would always give her echinacea, and for nausea they would use ginger to calm her stomach.

Her father always uses peppermint for nausea. She says you’re supposed to inhale the peppermint because the aroma is good to settle the stomach and aid digestion.

Lastly, her father uses lavender for earaches. As a child, the informant always used to get earaches. She had developed an immunity to most mainstream antibiotics because of multiple illnesses earlier on in life. Because of this, the bacteria in her ears couldn’t be treated with antibiotics. Her dad would boil lavender, let it cool to a slightly warm temperature, and then pour it in her ears to flush out the bacteria. She says the treatment worked wonders, and got rid of the infections when antibiotics couldn’t. Her father learned this remedy from his own father, who used to get earaches often as well.

Kicking the Flagpole

The informant cites a well-known tradition here at USC: kicking the flagpole on the way to the Coliseum to cheer our football team to victory. Students, their families, professors, and many other USC fans flock towards the Coliseum in a group. Those walking from the direction of campus (usually most of the students, their families, and professors) pass by a group of flagpoles. In passing, each person in the crowd sticks a foot out and kicks the flagpole to bring victory for USC. He remembers the first time he ever kicked the flagpole as a freshman in 2011: “I was excited. It felt good to be taking part in such a huge tradition. I think it was that moment that really solidified in my mind that I was a part of the Trojan Family, that I was allowed to take part in this tradition because I belonged.”

The way he speaks about kicking the flagpole shows that it’s more than just a long-standing tradition meant to show school spirit and bring good luck to the team; it’s also a rite of passage. The moment a new student kicks the flagpole, they’ve crossed a liminal point; they’ve taken part in an important and exclusive USC ritual for the first time. They become a part of the tradition, and a part of the USC family.