Sunday, October 27, 2013

Mysteries of the Devil’s Gate Dam

Author: Leigh Anne Bloomer

In 1920, a new dam was built in Pasadena, California. The dam was built to control the Arroyo Seco, a seasonal river that often led to serious floods around the area. The Arroyo Seco is a very powerful river when the season is right, but when it’s not, the area seems to be very dried out. During the dry season, as people view the dam and the surrounding area, they start to notice a mysteriously shaped rock formation. Next to the gate that leads to the dam itself, there is what appears to be a devil’s face with horns coming out of the canyon. This is the reason the dam is named the Devil’s Gate Dam. 

Soon after the dam was completed, there started to be a lot of talk about the reasons why the dam was given such a profound name. Many people believed various situations that could have led to the naming of the dam, but one sticks out from all the rest. 

“The rock formation in the shape of a devil’s face located next the dam’s gate.”
In the days of the Native Americans, the area surrounding the dam was considered an evil or haunted place, and was banned from any visitors. The reason as to why the Native Americans believed that there was something going on around the dam is still unclear. Around the 1940s, though, many people came up with a conclusion to the madness of the dam’s mysterious vibe; Devil’s Gate Dam was one of seven portals to Hell on Earth.

 There is one main reason why the dam was considered to be a portal to Hell. That biggest reason being the rituals that occurred at the gate in the 1940s. Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard are two very different, yet alike in thought, men that performed spiritual rituals in the presence of evil.

The men believed that the dam was hiding a magical power that no one else could explain. Parsons and Hubbard continued to perform these rituals and as time went on, their needs began to grow. The two men decided to perform a special ritual that would change their lives completely. This ritual was intended to create a moonchild, a sort of anti-Christ that would overthrow modern society and demolish all religion. No one knows for sure if the ritual ever really turned out to have created such a thing. Soon after the rituals were performed, Parsons died from an experiment he was conducting in his home. The talk of the rituals came to a close after this incident.

It wasn’t long until the mysterious incidents started occurring. In 1956, two young children went missing in the area of the dam. Police were sent out to look for the kids, countless search parties roamed the area for days, and even helicopters were used to find and rescue the children. No hope was found. One year later, a six year old boy was hiking with his family along the paths around the dam. As the family was walking together, the little boy decided he wanted to get ahead of the rest and sprinted in front of them. As he rounded a corner, he was never seen again. Again, search parties were sent out, police were contacted, and even the helicopters, but there was still no luck in finding the little boy. Shortly after, another missing child case appeared, seeming to be just as unusual as the last. A six year old boy was attending camp at a local YMCA. As the little boy was hiking with his group, he told his leader that he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go back. Since the camp site was less than three hundred yards away, the group leader told the boy to walk back as she watched him. This was the last time anyone saw that little boy.

Coming back to present day, only one of these stories has been figured out. The very first incident with the two kids riding their bicycles turned out to have been a kidnapping. A man confessed to burying the bodies and ended up committing suicide in prison many years later. Other than that, all the missing children have never been accounted for. Many people believe that these incidents were all because of the previous activity performed there. The real reason though, which would contain proof, is still a mystery.  


Works Cited:
Antabanez, Wheeler. “Strange Disappearances at the Cursed Devil’s Gate Reservoir.” Weird U.S. Web. 13 October 2013.

Kimbrough, David. “Oak Grove Drive over the Arroyo Seco – Devil’s Gate Dam.” Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Bridge Hunter. Web. 15 October 2013.

Marie, Kelly. “The Story of Devil’s Gate Dam.” The Quest to Find the Land of Normal Define Normal. Web. 9 October 2013.

Media, Magi. “Devil’s Gate.” Photograph. Student Reader. 11 May 2006. Web. 17 October 2013.

Mystery, Man. “Haunted Places: Devil’s Gate Dam.” Religion and Philosophy HubPages. Web. 9 October 2013.

Patrol, LA Ghost. “Devil’s Gate: A Portal to Hell?” Los Angeles Ghost Patrol laghostpatrol. Web. 7 October 2013.


Links for Further Research:

Patrol, LA Ghost. “Haunted Devil’s Gate Dam.” Youtube. 18 May 2011. Web. 17 October 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1V-BA8s9wU
This link takes you to a video that shows the overview of the Devil’s Gate Dam.

Investigation, Supernatural. “Devil’s Gate Dam Pasadena, CA S.I.U.” Youtube. 22 January 2013. Web. 16 October 2013.
The above link shows a visitor’s reactions from visiting the dam.

“Pasadena’s Suicide Bridge.” Weird California. 9 November 2005. Web. 17 October 2013.
This link takes you to a website informing you of the opinions and information about the dam and the bridge it is located by.



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