Truth or fiction, weird stories from across the state fill a book

Posted: 1/18/2008

I've been a fan of tall tales and legends for as long as I can remember.

The more I learn about Nevada lore, the more I realize I've hit the Mother Lode moving here. So when I saw a book titled "Weird Las Vegas and Nevada" in the bookstore, it piqued my curiosity. Las Vegas resident Tim Cridland, who runs "Haunted Vegas Tours," and writer Joe Oesterle have put together a collection of some of the most offbeat factoids and stories about the Silver State.

The most haunting passage described a Native American legend about the "Water Babies," mystical dwarf people said to lurk in all of the lakes, springs and bodies of water in Nevada. According to legend, they have the bodies of old men and the long hair of girls (not unlike Dog the Bounty Hunter), and their infant-like crying is said to coax curious people into a watery grave. At Lake Tahoe, if Indians wanted to go into the water, they would fill a basket with corn and pine nuts, seal it, and sink it into the lake as an offering.

Note to self: next time we go kayaking, bring trail mix.

Nevada historian Phillip Earl told the authors his own Water Baby story. "I was told that somebody had a corpse of a Water Baby in a big vat of alcohol," said Earl, adding that it was allegedly hit by a car and said to be at the Stillwater colony near Fallon. "I have not seen it. I've been told by two people. In this job, you get told all kinds of things."

Tell me about it.

The authors also say the Tahoe Washoe have many legends about Cave Rock, the stark boulder on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.

"One legend concerns a warring tribe that held the Washoe prisoners," Cridland and Oesterle wrote. "The Great Spirit set the Indians free by putting their captors in a cave below Cave Rock, trapping them underwater. Their wailing and moans can still be heard on certain nights. Some people also say that the Water Babies congregate at this cave, although it is unclear if the babies and the spirits of the Washoes' former captors are the same phenomenon."

A different passage also refers to small, mischievous creatures, this time in the mines along the Comstock.

The authors say mining is fraught with superstitious stories, "from dragons and giant humanoids to vast subterranean cities." One legend, said to be imported by Cornish miners from Cornwall, England, refers to tiny mine spirits known as "Tommyknockers." Descriptions of Tommyknockers were found in newspapers, they said, with reports that they "take the form of little old men. Small bodies with ugly heads and big ears and noses "» [wearing] peaked hats, leather jackets and leather boots." Another report described them as "little, weathered, dried-up creatures "» about the size of a 2-year-old."

Ew. But then isn't everything in Nevada weathered and dried up?

One Nevada miner allegedly quit when he spied "a little old man with whiskers comin' out of the mine pile." According to authors, the 'knockers tapped away alongside miners they favored, revealing rich ore veins. They knocked on walls and caused timbers to creak to warn of cave-ins. These "helpful, yet mischievous" creatures were also blamed for throwing pebbles, stealing tools and derailing ore cars.

Obviously, drinking has always been a popular pastime here.

You can also read about the Walker Lake Monster (apparently, every lake has a monster that is impervious to sonar), red-headed giants at Lovelock Cave, and, of course, the nighttime scenery along "The Extraterrestrial Highway."

This is Nevada, so the ghost stories in this book are abundant, too. Ghosts of the ill-fated Donner Party are said to hang out near townhomes in the Donner Springs neighborhood of southeast Reno. Geiger Grade near Virginia City is allegedly haunted by the lonely ghosts of men who lost their lives in the canyons below, while nearby Gold Hill Hotel may be occupied a former housekeeper who fills the air with the scent of roses, and a former proprietor who enjoys shaking the beds of sleeping visitors.

It's a quick, entertaining read, even at 246 pages. The book is available at the Nevada State Library and Archives, but the good folks at the Minden Branch Library were happy to ship it locally. If you get the chance, check it out. It's an alternative way to get a glimpse of the glitz, kitsch and lore that make Nevada a great (but kinda' creepy) place to be.

Roseann Keegan is a freelance writer and Carson Valley resident. She can be reached at Roseann_Keegan@yahoo.com.