The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (239 page)

             
Tomorrowland
(
Tomorrowland
–
DL Park
) – The more I researched the topic of ghosts at
Disneyland
, the more I was struck by how many times people mentioned
Tomorrowland
.  Why weren’t there more reports about hauntings in
Frontierland
or on
Main Street
or in
New Orleans Square
or
Fantasyland
?  Why wasn’t anyone reporting ghosts in the dense foliage of the
Jungle Cruise
or along the eerie queue of the
Indiana Jones Adventure
?  And why weren’t there more reports about
DCA
?  Why was the highest concentration of spooky reports in
Tomorrowland
, a realm that was supposed to be high-tech and forward-looking—a playground of the future, and not of the past?  What I discovered was that although there have been minor injuries and a handful of fatalities throughout both parks, since
Disneyland
opened in 1955 the most intense concentration of violent incidents and fatalities seems to have been in
Tomorrowland
.  Do more incidents—more intense incidents—equal more ghosts?  Could that be the supernatural equation?  Over the decades
Tomorrowland
has been the site of a fatal stabbing, a random bullet wound (the shooter was outside the park, but the bullet made it through the berm), and multiple tragic accidents that include the CM who perished at
America Sings
, two young men killed  (in separate incidents) by
PeopleMover
cars, and the death of a young
Grad Nite
gate-crasher who was struck by and pulled under the
Monorail
.  If the suddenness, tragedy, and violence of a death is more likely to imprint its energy on the surroundings, or “create” a ghost, then
Tomorrowland
would certainly be the most likely place to find restless spirits.  What, if anything, do
you
experience in
Tomorrowland
?  (It might not be anything more frightening than the 1980’s hairdos of the
Captain EO Tribute
!)

And in conclusion …
When it comes to ghosts at
Disneyland
, the claims are intriguing, but each Guest and Cast Member is entitled to his or her own belief.  Just remember if you do anything sleuthing to be respectful of the resort rules and of other Guests–and have fun! 
Did You Know:
  In 1937,
Disney
released an eight-minute long
Mickey Mouse
short called
Lonesome Ghosts
. 
Mickey
,
Donald
, and
Goofy
play “ghost chasers”.  They run
Ajax Ghost Exterminators
, and are bamboozled into investigating a haunted house by none other than the mansion’s quartet of bored spirits.  Delightful
Disney
sight gags ensue, and our cartoon heroes triumph, in their own way, when
they
end up scaring the ghosts! 
Walt
and his creative team were always well ahead of trends;
Lonesome Ghosts
, a spooky little charmer, pre-dated “Ghost Busters” by many, many decades.

             
NEW!
 
Interview with Kelly and Jim Schuck of the
Paranormal Answers Research Team

             
              April 2013

             
The Schucks, Indiana-based paranormal investigators with their feet on the ground–and major
Disney
fans–share their ghost-hunting history, philosophy, and top paranormal do’s and don’t’s.  A treat for anyone seriously interested in the field.

1. How long has your group,
Paranormal Answers Research Team
, been ghost hunting, and what is the story behind it?

             
Founded January 2012. Jim and I had started investigating with another group for about a year prior. Six months after we started investigating, we came across a truly haunted house. We had a few spirits follow us home. Seriously. This wasn't what I had signed up for! After the initial month of dealing with additional roommates, I discovered that I was indeed a sensitive. The friendly spirits were invited to stay; however, the negative ones had to go! It was due to this eye opening experience that we agreed to part ways with the other group. We consider our perspective unique because while we take advantage of my sensitivity, we only present hard evidence to our clients. In other words, just because I hear something, that is not enough to make a claim. We want documentation on video and/or audio. I don't know of any other group out there where you can hear the spirit guide's comments being documented on audio.

2. What was your most remarkable case so far?

             
We have had three cases that are equally remarkable for different reasons. Our Beech Grove case was unique in that the female spirit was still existing in the past, looking for her husband and had not crossed over into the light. She didn't realize she was dead. This was the first time I had my spirit guides help cross another spirit into the light. At Melody Inn we captured some impressive light anomalies (not orbs) and wild evp's. We were able to back up the employees' personal experiences and document additional activity. The basement at Browse Awhile Books in Tipp City, OH was one of our more "scary" investigations as I was physically attacked on camera. We also had physical manipulation of our equipment. We compiled so much evidence there that we had to split it into three parts.

3. What do you find are the most typical things people mistake for ghosts (e.g., houses settling, air in pipes, pets)?

             
It really varies from case to case. For instance in our Muncie investigation, we attributed most of their "activity" to the building's extreme vibration. It was built on concrete pylons over an open-air garage and shook due to everything from cars going by to people running up the stairs. This caused things to shift and fall. In other cases, you find people who want to believe in a haunting so badly, they see faces and such matrixed into things like wood grain on doors and light reflections in windows.

4. Have you ever encountered a ghost or unusual phenomena during your trips to
Walt Disney World
?

             
Not yet, but I'm sure it will happen.

5. What is your favorite equipment; what gives you the most reliable and impressive results (e.g. infrared camera, voice recorder, thermal)?

             
We have a lot of equipment, but the things from which we get the most results are our digital voice recorders, full-spectrum HD camcorders and our MEL meter which measures electro-magnetic frequencies, temperature and has a built-in REM pod. The REM pod senses EMF energy in close proximity and gives us visual and audible alarms.

6. In the last decade, ghost hunting has gained more respect in the mainstream. How does your group strive to keep/advance that respect?

             
We are dedicated to having our findings documented with audio and video. If personal experiences can't be documented, they just make good stories. Like many other good paranormal teams, we try our best to find logical explanations for suspected activity. The group has to be 100% convinced of evidence before we will present it. We've seen several groups that seem to be in such a hurry to release evidence that they don't scrutinize it properly.

7. What are the top 5 ghost hunting tips/instructions you would give to amateur ghost hunters ("Do's")?

             
1. Use a prayer of protection before each investigation and let the spirits know they are not allowed to follow you home after each investigation.

             
2. Always get permission in writing for any place you are investigating.

             
3. Carefully review your evidence looking for natural causes of anything you record.

             
4. Tag noises, voices or other contamination you might hear on a recording that could later be confused as evidence.

             
5. Network and find an established group with whom you can learn and mentor.

8. What are the top 5 things ghost hunters who are serious about their research should avoid ("Dont's")?

             
1. Don't provoke in order to get a response or see what could happen. The results can be very negative.

             
2. Don't assume that because it looks paranormal, that it is.

             
3. Don't ever put a team member in a dangerous situation by having him or her investigate alone.

             
4. Don't stay in a situation that is too intense for you. Let your team members know you feel uncomfortable and walk out calmly.

             
5. When starting out, don't assume because you don't have the best equipment right away, you won't get any evidence. One of our best pieces was caught on an old "high 8" video camera we borrowed.

9. Have you encountered any patterns about why spirits might linger (e.g., if a person died suddenly, or violently, or was very attached to a place or a person)?

             
Spirits who died suddenly may have never crossed over and are here because this is what they know--their comfort zone. Frequently, if a spirit was attached to a place, they are in visitation. Some spirits have crossed over but return to watch over loved ones.

10. Do you have any special advice for people who are looking for ghosts at
Disneyland
, a busy, crowded theme park full of noise and motion?

             
I would attempt "investigating" very early in the morning or very late in the evening when it is less noisy. However, unless you can get permission to investigate an hour or so after the park closes, you will have way too much contamination.

11. What links would you like to share with people who want to learn more about your group and the evidence you've gathered?

             
Our web site:
http://www.paranormalanswersresearchteam.com

             
Our FaceBook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paranormal-Answers-Research-Team/414713468620523

             
Our YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ParanormalAnswers?feature=mhee

12. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

             
Just remember that even without a physical body, spirits are still people too. Always show them the proper respect that you would expect for yourself.

                           
It's been our pleasure.

                                          Kelly & Jim Schuck

             
                           
Paranormal Answers Research Team

Other California Attractions

If you’re visiting California for a week
or more, you might want to visit destinations in addition to the
Disneyland Resort
.  And if you’re a
Disney
fan, you’ll want at least some of those places to be related to
Walt
and his amazing creations.

Walt
moved to California in 1923 and it remained his home until his untimely death in 1966.  California is therefore rich with locations that relate to
Walt
.  Here’s an eclectic list:

Ahwahnee Hotel
. 
Disney Connection?
  Yes.  Young
Walt
and wife
Lilian
stayed at this beautiful Yosemite hotel in the 1930’s; its rustic, natural charm was an enormous influence on the
Disneyland Resort
’s Art-and-Crafts masterpiece the
Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
.  Blending Four Diamond luxury with Yosemite’s rapturously lovely natural landscape, the
Ahwahnee
(according to the Yosemite online library, a Miwok word for “large mouth”) has hosted royals and world leaders, as well as
Walt
–and it can host you and your family, too!