While walking his dog, Leland sees the ghost of a Civil War general upon his horse.
Sacramento, California is where I grew up in a neighborhood that happens to be right along the Sacramento River, not but a few miles from the very spot where John Sutter founded what is now the capitol of California.
On one warm late August night, my pit bull Deja Vu and I took our daily walk as we did, rain or shine every night for ten years up until her passing away in November, 2010. On this hot night, she and I passed a house that really was a big eyesore for the neighborhood of well-kept and upper-class homes along the Sacramento River.
This house always looked abandoned; whether or not it was I never knew. There were five cars on the driveway under tarps and looked like they had not been driven or moved for a real long time. The uncut grass with a big thick and strong-looking old oak tree right in the middle of the lawn. Funny thing, this tree looked like it was in better condition than the whole house.
I always got this weird and eerie feeling from this house because of the silence and the darkness. Every time Deja and I walked by, it was always an uncomfortable feeling, but I never really thought much about it.
On this night, as we were getting close to the house, from about a house and a half away, I noticed something big standing under that big oak tree, but I couldn't tell what I was seeing because of the darkness. As we got closer, I clearly saw a man sitting on a horse under this tree. He was looking toward the Sacramento River, but all I could clearly see was the rear to the mid-section of the horse and only the waist of the rider.
I was within feet of this, but I could clearly see that the horse was a beautiful shinny black and strong horse with a blue with gold trim saddle blanket. And the rider had gray riding pants, which looked like officer's pants with knee-high riding boots, black and shiny.
I stood there thinking, Man, I've got to get some sleep or something... until my dog suddenly snarled and growled at the same thing I was seeing. The horse with the waist of this rider just sat there as if they didn't know we were there and kept looking toward the Sacramento River.
I didn't tell anyone because I felt this was a treat meant only for me... which got even better. Two days later, while walking to William Land Park, which is also a historic park, I noticed a granite rock that has been there for the last fifty years. I remember seeing it as a kid whenever my dad took us to the Sacramento Zoo.
But on this day, I walked right past it and noticed something written on this rock, which said, "This is the exact spot where troops from the area were trained before leaving for the Civil War, which was under the command of Brig. Gen. (forget the first name) Bowie, the brother of the famed Jim Bowie, who fought at the Alamo, and of the Bowie Knife.
So, I thought to myself that the phantom I saw might well been Brig. General Bowie, looking over his troops training, or looking to the river for peace of mind for whatever reason. I have no doubt that this was meant for me because of my love of history, especially local history, and the love and interest of the paranormal.
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On one warm late August night, my pit bull Deja Vu and I took our daily walk as we did, rain or shine every night for ten years up until her passing away in November, 2010. On this hot night, she and I passed a house that really was a big eyesore for the neighborhood of well-kept and upper-class homes along the Sacramento River.
This house always looked abandoned; whether or not it was I never knew. There were five cars on the driveway under tarps and looked like they had not been driven or moved for a real long time. The uncut grass with a big thick and strong-looking old oak tree right in the middle of the lawn. Funny thing, this tree looked like it was in better condition than the whole house.
I always got this weird and eerie feeling from this house because of the silence and the darkness. Every time Deja and I walked by, it was always an uncomfortable feeling, but I never really thought much about it.
On this night, as we were getting close to the house, from about a house and a half away, I noticed something big standing under that big oak tree, but I couldn't tell what I was seeing because of the darkness. As we got closer, I clearly saw a man sitting on a horse under this tree. He was looking toward the Sacramento River, but all I could clearly see was the rear to the mid-section of the horse and only the waist of the rider.
I was within feet of this, but I could clearly see that the horse was a beautiful shinny black and strong horse with a blue with gold trim saddle blanket. And the rider had gray riding pants, which looked like officer's pants with knee-high riding boots, black and shiny.
I stood there thinking, Man, I've got to get some sleep or something... until my dog suddenly snarled and growled at the same thing I was seeing. The horse with the waist of this rider just sat there as if they didn't know we were there and kept looking toward the Sacramento River.
I didn't tell anyone because I felt this was a treat meant only for me... which got even better. Two days later, while walking to William Land Park, which is also a historic park, I noticed a granite rock that has been there for the last fifty years. I remember seeing it as a kid whenever my dad took us to the Sacramento Zoo.
But on this day, I walked right past it and noticed something written on this rock, which said, "This is the exact spot where troops from the area were trained before leaving for the Civil War, which was under the command of Brig. Gen. (forget the first name) Bowie, the brother of the famed Jim Bowie, who fought at the Alamo, and of the Bowie Knife.
So, I thought to myself that the phantom I saw might well been Brig. General Bowie, looking over his troops training, or looking to the river for peace of mind for whatever reason. I have no doubt that this was meant for me because of my love of history, especially local history, and the love and interest of the paranormal.
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