Vallecito Stage Station - Anza Borrego Desert, California
Date - October 13, 2001
Time - 7pm PDT
Weather - 70 Degrees, Clear, Little or No Wind, Low humidity
Moon - New
Investigators - Steve Kompier, Wes Brooks

Background
The Vallecito Stage Station is listed in several books and numerous websites as being haunted, however, I have never seen or read of an investigation being conducted to support the claims.

The station was built in the 1850’s as part of the Butterfield-Overland stage route. Most stops along the trail were for only a few minutes to change horses and drivers. Passengers ate a good meal only once every 24 hours at what were called "Home Stations." Vallecito was a Home Station, and good meals were provided to the Butterfield-Overland travelers from produce and meat supplied by farmers on Mt. Palomar.

Meals mentioned as having been served at Vallecito include beef stew, venison and sauerkraut. There were two coaches a week, and passengers could wait for the next coach, but the only sleeping accommodations were their own two blankets on the dirt floor.

Legend
The most often told story about the haunted Vallecito Stage Station, is that of "The White Lady of Vallecito". She had arrived at the station sometime in the late 1850's and she has never left. She was on her way to Sacramento to get married. The bride had become deathly ill during her journey and died at the station.

She was buried in an unmarked grave at nearby, Campo Santo cemetery, a few hundred feet from the station. It is said that if you camp near the old Vallecito Stage Station, you too will see "The Lady In White" at dusk, restlessly pace the worn earth where the station once stood, waiting for her stage to come.

Speculation
I found this story certainly plausible, however, there are some questions that can't be answered and this raises the possibility, that this legend may be fictitious.

In discussing the legend with Kent Duryée, who has researched the valley extensively, several points are made:

The first is, why is she buried in an unmarked grave? Wouldn't her name have been recorded on a passenger manifest?  Wouldn't someone who was on the stage with her, know her name from the many days they were traveling together on the trip?

If it is known that she was going to Sacramento to marry a man who had struck it rich, wouldn't her name also be known at the time of her death?  Her name is said to be, Eileen O'Conner. Why is her name known 140 years later, but not then?

It is said that the station keepers went through her belongings and found a wedding dress and buried her wearing it. Wouldn't there have been some letters or other items that would have identified her?  Was her fiancée ever told what had happened to his betrothed?

I think you can see my concern. Kent Duryée suggests that when the station was rebuilt in 1934, it is possible that the men who were doing the work, made the story up. There are two marked graves in the cemetery and they are covered by a stack of rocks.

The unmarked grave is between the two marked graves and is also covered in the same way and with the same type of rock. Could the workers have had extra rock left over and they made the unmarked grave and concocted the story?

Skeptical? Maybe. Cautious? Definitely.

The Investigation
Wes Brooks and I drove the 90 miles to the station and arrived at 6 pm. We wanted to arrive before dark so that we could shoot some daylight pictures and get a feel for the layout of the station and immediate area.  The legend says that "The White Lady" rises at dusk and is seen waiting for the next stage, so this determined when we would start our investigation.

Wes conducted a thorough thermal scan to determine temperature consistency and a baseline, while I took EMF readings. There is a power line about 50 feet west of the station, but this had no impact on the baseline EMF readings.  All readings and indications were nominal.

During this time, photos were taken since it was still daylight. We set up the video camera and waited for dusk.

Around 7pm, we determined that it was as close to dusk as it was going to get, so Wes took another thermal scan and noted that the readings were about 5 degrees cooler, which is consistant with normal cooling.

The video camera was directed at the station and was positioned on a tripod about 50 feet away, which is well within the range of the IR light source. Video taping began at 6:55 pm.

The station is home to many bats and they were flying around, as where some very large insects. All of which were captured on video and as a result, this would affect any results in a negative way since it would be difficult to discern an insect from an orb or other anomaly.

We video taped and thermal scanned at 5 minute intervals for a duration of 30 minutes, which put us into well after dusk at which time, we took the video camera and still camera up to the station. I video taped while Wes took still photos and thermal scans.

We concluded our investigation and packed up the equipment for the drive home.

Results
The video tape and photographs showed no anomalous images, coupled with the lack of any suspicious thermal or EMF readings, there was nothing recorded or detected to support the alleged haunting of the Vallecito Stage Station.

Final Thoughts
Is the legend of "The White Lady of Vallecito" fact or fiction? That's undetermined at this point. Is the lack of any recordable evidence, proof enough to discount a haunting? Not necessarily, but it could lend some validity to the legend being just a very well told story to be enjoyed by the many campers who frequent the area.

Steve Kompier
Oct 2001
Lead Investigator
www.ghostinvestigations.com
 

DISCLAIMER
The results presented are as recorded. Any enhancements are noted. You are asked to form your own conclusions.