Joe Bush is a legendary
ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
that allegedly haunts the
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge is a historic gold dredge located in Sumpter, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Gold was discovered in Sumpter in 1862. Three gold dredges were put into service in the Sumpter Valley district between 1912 and 1934.
De ...
in
Sumpter,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. According to legend, dredge workers on the No. 42 dredge at Sumpter Valley claim the ghost leaves wet, bare footprints on the dredge's decks, causes lights to flicker, and doors to open and close unexpectedly.
[Schoeningh, D. (1999). Dredging up the Past. "Oregon Trail". November, 4-5.] The ghost of Joe Bush also makes an appearance in the book series ''
Skeleton Creek''.
History
According to Wes Dickson, an employee of the Sumpter dredge during the 1940s, "it all started as a joke, and I'd blame George Hansen", explaining that Hansen was a fellow employee who spread the legend of Joe Bush. George Hansen said that, "anything that happened on the dredge, or something went wrong, it was Joe Bush".
Popular culture
In the ''
Skeleton Creek'' book series, a man named Henry trying to get gold from the dredge pretends to be the ghost of Joe Bush.
See also
*
List of ghosts
The following is a list of ghosts:
African folklore
* Adze, Ewe vampiric being
* Amadlozi, Nguni spiritual figures
* Asanbosam, Akan vampire
* Egbere, Yoruban malevolent spirit
* Kishi, Angolan two-faced demon
* Madam Koi Koi, Nigerian gho ...
*
Madam Koi Koi
Madam Koi Koi (Lady Koi Koi, Miss Koi Koi, also known in Ghana as Madam High Heel or Madam Moke and in Tanzania as Miss Konkoko) is a ghost in Nigerian and African urban legend who haunts dormitories, hallways and toilets in boarding schools at ni ...
References
External links
''Montana Standard'' article about the ghost of Joe Bush*Lisa Britton
''
Baker City Herald
The ''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 EO Media Group and has a circulation of 2,304.
History
The ''Herald'' was established ...
'', October 31, 2007.
*Lisa Britton
Sumpter's Spooky Old Dredge Inspires Author's Ghostly Tale ''
Baker City Herald
The ''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 EO Media Group and has a circulation of 2,304.
History
The ''Herald'' was established ...
'', February 10, 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Joe (ghost)
American ghosts
Baker County, Oregon