I arrived outside of Naked Lounge Saturday night with a camera slung over my shoulder — one that would prove to be unusable. Light from passing cars and street lamps cut through the darkness to illuminate the group of 14 people I would be with for the next 90 minutes. The only other light, aside from the occasional phone screen, was an old-timey lamp that cast a warm glow around a man with a leather satchel and a tan, Mountie-style cowboy hat. That man was Dustin Vaught, the person who would be guiding our tour through downtown Chico’s haunting stories.
Vaught made small talk with each attendee until the tour commenced at 8 p.m. There was a family of four, with two kids who took an interest in the history of Chico, often sharing their insights on various historical buildings. One of the couples fit right in with Vaught’s seamless blend of humor and history. There were also two friends who immediately began a bantering with Vaught — a lighthearted back-and-forth that continued throughout the night.
I don’t believe in ghosts, nor am I spiritual — much to the displeasure of some of my friends. But even I raised my hand that night when Vaught asked the group if we wanted to see a ghost. The possibilities were far more plentiful than I had imagined, with about a dozen stops, each with its own stories.
A ghost that continuously reappeared throughout the footsteps of downtown was not one that manifested itself, but rather an echo that provided a clue to Chico’s past. That echo was Annie Bidwell, wife of John Bidwell.
Annie despised alcohol. Before Madison Bear Garden was the bar we know today, it was the home of John Bidwell’s lawyer, Franklin Lusk. Much to Annie’s displeasure, John would spend late nights drinking at the Lusk House. After he died, Annie refashioned the old getaway for John into the headquarters for the prohibition party.
With Annie’s passing growing more and more distant, a subtle hand on the town may yet remain, as bartenders have reported feeling a ghostly hand on their shoulder.
The Bear also contained a piece of another common theme of the night: Masonic symbols. The symbol shown at The Bear was a pentagram on the lower part of The Bear. John, a freemason, designed the downtown with geometric shapes, which are sacred to the freemasonry. This is also reflected in the diamond shaped througout city plaza.
Just across the street from City Plaza stands the Silberstein Building, a place where séances were once regularly held. Following the Civil War, spiritualism rose to prominence across wide swaths of the U.S. It became so popular that in 1912, Chico passed an ordinance requiring people to obtain a permit to hold séances.
Now, not requiring a permit, Vaught reached into his satchel and asked the captivated group if anyone had a question to ask the spirits. “Will I get a good tax return?” piped Zach Louden, a man somewhat new to Chico. Everyone inched closer as Vaught pulled out a purple cloth wrapped around a mystical orb. The orb, which Vaught insisted was a powerful instrument, was a Magic 8-Ball. Upon shaking it, the spirit’s answer to Louden’s question was: “Outlook good.”
As the group walked up to Hotel Diamond, even I felt a chill slither down my spine. Hotel Diamond was infamous for its hauntings, and on more than one occasion, I heard someone’s firsthand retelling of an encounter. It was here that Vaught told us about a traveling salesman who committed suicide on the third floor. While staying on that floor, guests have frequently reported hearing a knock and a man in a suit attempting to sell them items.
When some ghost hunters arrived in Chico to investigate the haunted hotel, they captured a series of phrases through radio waves: “Evil spirit, stay away, the tree.” This warning — though still unclear what “the tree” means — may have referred to the woman in white, reportedly seen throughout Hotel Diamond and in the adjacent parking garage.
But not all the spirits of the night had malicious intent. Some people have reported seeing a little girl, allegedly one who was killed by a carriage on Salem Street. One night at The Bear, a chef heard what sounded like a little girl laughing. Confused as to why a child would be in a bar, he looked around but saw nothing. Later, he left to go on his break and bumped into a shaken coworker who told him she had followed a little girl into the bathroom. But upon entering, the bathroom was empty.
Sometimes, despite my insatiable curiosity, I find myself nearly devoid of the wonder I once felt in Chico. My drive to learn is fading — just as more and more untold stories are being lost to time. Tonight, I didn’t see a ghost, but my curious spirit flickered back to life as I was reminded that every place in our beautifully small town has stories worth telling — and sometimes, that story is riddled with mystery and hauntings.
Chico Haunted Tours is part of Artober Fest, with each tour being led by Dustin Vaught. The $20 ticket goes to support the El Rey Theatre, which has a frightful story of its own — if you want to know its story — and the countless others I didn’t mention — follow the man with the lamp on Friday or Saturday night.
Chris Hutton can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]
