Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

The Legend of Turnbull Canyon

Nationality: Korean-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: May 2009/ April 2012
Primary Language: English

My informant told me about this legend of a haunted canyon named “Turnbull Canyon.” This specific canyon is in Whittier and many high schools around this area know about this specific legend. He stated that at his high school Sunny Hills High School, everyone would go to this specific haunted canyon to prove themselves, have a thrill, and sometimes couples would even go there for a night of “romance” per say. This specific canyon includes tales of a abandoned gate with a dark hole within the bricks that hold the gate. Supposedly if you go towards this hole, you will see eyes of a demon as this hole is a portal to hell. Also this canyon is supposedly a breeding ground for Satanists and also white supremacists. There was an incident where either Satanists or white supremacists chained a girl to the back of their car and dragged her down the canyon, dismembering her body. There is also a tree at a specific turnout that  is supposedly haunted as a man hung himself at that spot. If you go to that tree at 2 a.m., you will see the body hanging there. There is also a house which use to be a mental hospital, however a tragedy occurred there. If you go in to this specific house you can see ghosts and hear screams from the tortured patients.

My informant stated that he went to this canyon during high school with his friends as they were bored. He said the personal experience that he had was that he heard noises coming from the house that use to house mental patients. This scared him so much that he drove down with his friends as soon as possible. Another of his friends stated that he saw a group of hooded figures in the woods who seemed to be doing a certain ritual.

My opinion of this piece of folklore is that it is a prime example of a legend quest. High School students around this area would go to this place to have a thrill as they would have story to tell to others about how they survived Turnbull Canyon. What is interesting about this legend is that when I did some research about it, there are incidents of a murder involving a woman found and also a mental institution which burned down. Thus these show where the inspiration for some of the legends came from. However nothing else could really be proven about the occult happenings.

Illiamna Lake Monster

Nationality: Caucasian- American
Age: 20
Occupation: Commercial Fisherman/ Student
Residence: Homer, Alaska/ Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English

My informant states that there have been accounts of people seeing a giant monster in the lake. My informant states that his friend whom is a bush pilot has seen a giant ripple shaped as a V, moving through the lake. My informant stated that this creature is known to be bigger than a blue whale and people have seen it for over hundreds of years. People have seen sightings of this creature. This creature is described as giant whale like creature, however it is a fresh water creature. People are not scared of this creature and actually still fish there even though this legend is prevalent in Alaska. My informant has also heard that there have been attacks on fishermen and people by this creature as people have been knocked out of their boats.

My informant heard this from his friend and he tells this story to guests who visit him in Alaska. He also states that this is a very popular legend in Alaska, as many different television shows that focus on capturing “mythic creatures.” have attempted to catch the laker monster.

When I asked my informant if he has nay ideas what this creature is, he stated that it could be a whale that adapted to freshwater. Scientists and Alaska Department of Fish and Game have actually research for this creature and have not found anything. My analysis on this is that it is the same as other tales about lake monsters in other countries. The water has always been mysterious for human beings as it is an environment where people are out of their comfort zone, thus fears start to creep into people’s mind and create monsters. This could also be a tourist attraction for people to visit this specific lake.

Interestingly this legend was annotated in two television shows, one was the River Monster’s episode Alaska Horror, where the host, Jeremy Wade attempted to capture the lake monster. Jeremy Wade in the end of the episode stated that he believes that the creature is a giant white sturgeon, however he had no proof that his claim was true. Discovery Channel also had a special where two fishermen from The Deadliest Catch attempted to capture this creature, however they came up empty again.

The Legend of the Wildman

Nationality: Caucasian- American
Age: 20
Occupation: Commercial Fisherman/ Student
Residence: Homer, Alaska/ Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English

The Legend of Wildman

According to my informant, there is a place called “Devil’s Bay,” which is a little bay on the Alaskan peninsula. It is hard to fly down there or even drive there; the best way to get to this place is to boat in or floatplane in. Thus this location is very secluded. In this location there is a man who is described as a mix between a bear and a man. This creature stands on its legs, is very hairy, and has blood-red eyes. This creature also feasts on human beings. This legend is very popular legend in Alaska. 

My informant stated that one of his friends and his crew mates  were fishing in “Devil’s Bay;” they soon encountered this creature while they were exploring the hills of this place. They stated that they were chased out by this red-eyed creature. Thus they got in their skiff and returned to their boat and reported this incident to their captain. The captain of this ship was telling the commercial fishing boat, that my informant was on about this encounter, as the captain thought it was hilarious that his crew members were so frightened. However later in the night, while the ship was still anchored in “Devil’s Bay,” the captain heard a noise at the front of the ship, which woke him up. He went to check what this noise was and was alarmed to see the “Wildman” climbing the anchor line to get on the bow. Thus the captain rammed the boat in gear and left the bay immediately at night and radioed this to the ship my informant was on. My informant and other witnesses have claimed they heard this captain’s report and were terrified due to the fact that whatever this creature was, it attempted to climb onboard. 

My informant shares this legend to warn people about “Devil’s Bay,” due to the Wildman’s aggressiveness. He also stated that he could not sleep due to how scared he was of this report on the radio, due to the fact that it tried to climb the anchor line. My informant stated that the creature could be a bear or another creature. My analysis is that this is another version of a legend quest for fishermen, due to to the location only being able to be reached by boat. It is also another version of the yeti or bigfoot, howver what is interesting is that there is a specific report by natives that this creature enjoys feasting on humans. This creature is in the end an interesting adaptation of bigfoot as this creature has blood red eyes, can climb and swim, and also eats people.

Beer before, liquor never sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.

Nationality: Japanese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: July 2009/ April 2012
Primary Language: English

Liquor before beer you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor never sicker.

My informant stated that he learned this lesson the wrong way. He stated that one night in high school he was doing multiple beer bongs and then took shots of liquor after. He stated that by the end of the night he was in the worse pain of his life from vomiting. His friend soon came over to him and stated that he did not follow the golden rule: “Liqour before beer, your in the clear. Beer before liquor never sicker.” Ever since then, my informant states on nights he knows he is drinking, he will take a shot first and then drink whatever he wants after.

My informant also states that he now tells this to all of his friends. When I asked him if there is any scientific proof of this claim, he stated that there was none that he knew of. He also states that he has heard some people say the opposite way, that “beer before liquor, you in the clear, liquor before beer, never sicker.” He however states that all of his friends follow his variation.

This is an interesting “urban legend,” as it deals with a popular practice in drinking alcohol socially. What is interesting is that this folklore is spread through experience and there is in fact no scientific proof that this is true. Some ideas of where this came from is that liquor is much more potent than beer, thus have liquor layer your stomach before beer may been a good way to protect one’s stomach. Either way, the people that follow this legend, believe whole heartedly as it in their mind prevents a horrible night. Whether or not it is a placebo effect, or if it actually works is up to the believer.

Legend of Blackstar Canyon

Nationality: Caucasian- American
Age: 27
Occupation: Student
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English
The Warning Sign

This sign warns individuals that the county is not held responsible.

My informant tells me that there is a very eerie hiking path within a canyon in the city of Orange. This canyon warns it entrants that the area is not maintained by the city and also the government is not responsible for any injuries or loss that occurs in this place. He states that this was a local spot to hang out in during high school, to either go do drugs or go and get scared. My informant states that kids in high school would take flashlights and cameras, to go and take pictures of the haunted landmarks while night-hiking.

The landmarks that are known are the haunted tree, overturned bus, the forsaken campsite, and also man known as Blackstar Bill. The haunted tree is supposedly haunted by the ghost of many unfortunate people that were punished with nooses there by white supremacists. These ghosts are miserable and angry and if you do something disrespectful to the tree, ghosts will appears. My informant stated that his friend decided to urinate on the tree and they heard noises, thus they ran away as fast as they could. The overturned buss is another landmark that is known for being haunted, as children died there unfortunately as the bus driver loss control. The forsaken campsite is known to be a very eerie-looking campsite that looks like it has been left alone for a long time. Supposedly there are very insane people that live at this campsite that are the remnants of an abandoned mental institution. There also is reasoning that this campsite is home to Satanists and White Supremacists who meet here. Lastly Blackstar Bill is a deranged mountain man that lives within a cabin in the woods. He will shoot at you with no regard for human life and will state that you are trespassing on his property, thus he has the right to kill you. These are the landmarks that kids usually try to get to a night and take pictures of. My informant states that he once went there and saw odd red eyes within the overturned bus and never has gone back. He also states that there are signs along the hiking trail that state that police will not help you beyond these points.

My informant states that the Legend of Blackstar Canyon is still prevalent within many Orange County high schools. He states that he told his younger brother about this myth and that he already knew about and also ventured there before.

This definitely is a legend quest that offers high school kids on a boring night a thrill. What is interesting is that the landmarks are shared by many different high schools, yet with different stories at some parts. An example of this would be the haunted tree; instead of summoning a ghost when you anger the tree, another version is that you summon a very demonic creature that resembles a chupacabra. This could possibly be a latino spin on the legend, but this demonstrates how legends change for different people. What makes this a legend is the fact that there have been sightings of Blackstar Bill by many people. However the meeting site for occultists cannot be proven. Either way high school kids perform this ritual to state that they have been there and survived. It is basically a rite of passage for these high school kids, once they can drive and get there.