Joe Bush (ghost)
Encyclopedia
Joe Bush is the name of a ghost
that allegedly haunts the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
in Sumpter
, Oregon
, United States
. Dredge workers working on the No. 3 dredge at Sumpter Valley often reported strange happenings involving the ghost. The ghost is said to leave wet, bare footprints on the dredge's decks and cause lights to flicker and doors to open and close unexpectedly.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
that allegedly haunts the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge is a historic gold dredge located in Sumpter, Oregon, United States. The dredge was built during the gold rush that consumed most of the western states throughout the mid-19th century. Gold was discovered in Sumpter in 1862, but the advent of using a large machine to...
in Sumpter
Sumpter, Oregon
Sumpter is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census. Sumpter is named after Fort Sumter by its founders.- History :...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Dredge workers working on the No. 3 dredge at Sumpter Valley often reported strange happenings involving the ghost. The ghost is said to leave wet, bare footprints on the dredge's decks and cause lights to flicker and doors to open and close unexpectedly.
Theories of identity
Controversy surrounds Joe Bush's actual identity. There are two main theories:- Chris Rowe worked on the No. 1 dredge as an oiler maintaining the gearbox. In 1918 he was inexplicably crushed in the gears that he worked on while on duty. No one was present and an explanation never developed. When the gears from the No. 1 dredge were transferred to the No. 3, the one that still stands in Sumpter Valley Dredge State Park, Chris Rowe's ghost traveled with the gearbox. The problem is that reports of the ghost were never reported on the No. 1 dredge.
- While documentation does not exist for the employment of anyone named Joe Bush, former workers said there was a mechanic named Joe Bush on the No. 49 dredge during its operating years. He was employed for a few years but may have provided an alternate name for employment records.
External links
- Montana Standard article about the ghost of Joe Bush
- Lisa Britton, The Legend of Joe Bush, Baker City HeraldBaker City HeraldThe Baker City Herald is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, Oregon, United States, since 1870. It is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays by Western Communications and has a circulation of 2,715. The Herald was formerly the newspaper of record for Baker County...
, October 31, 2007. - Lisa Britton, Sumpter's Spooky Old Dredge Inspires Author's Ghostly Tale, Baker City HeraldBaker City HeraldThe Baker City Herald is a tri-weekly paper published in Baker City, Oregon, United States, since 1870. It is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays by Western Communications and has a circulation of 2,715. The Herald was formerly the newspaper of record for Baker County...
, February 10, 2009.