Raising Our Spirits 2011

Last night I had the privilege of volunteering with the investigators of the Montana Paranormal Research Society at the annual "Raising Our Spirits" fundraiser, hosted by and for the Western Heritage Center.  Although I am familiar with ghost-hunting and have seen enough episodes of Ghost Adventures to understand the equipment and tactics, this was my first time peeking into a real-life investigation.  First and foremost, I must say that the people of both MTPRS and the WHC were very kind and generous souls to allow me to participate, observe and help wherever I could.  Many thanks!

I found the history and lore of the Western Heritage Center very interesting.  I learned that it had been built initially in 1901 as the Billings Parmly Library and had been expanded to allow more space and a children's wing as the population of Billings grew.  It was narrowly saved from demolition and was preserved as a historic center for the community, achieving incorporation status in 1971.  Currently it houses thousands of western artifacts, photographs and artwork celebrating the history of the old west.

For the event itself, guests split up into smaller groups and each group in turn individually toured one of nine stations throughout the premises.  Investigations and evidence presentations were conducted in each of the locations.  I was assigned to assist MTPRS investigator Shawn at his station in the Dude Ranch Gallery located in the basement.  He had set up a red laser grid, which I have been told allows paranormal investigators to detect movement, mists, apparitions, shadow figures, etc.  Typically it is used in conjunction with a digital video recorder and makes evidence review easier.  While some of the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures shows have had some success with laser grids, Shawn told me and the groups that he was still waiting on his first experience/sighting.

Some of the lore surrounding the Dude Ranch Gallery are reports of an older gentleman wearing a red & black flannel shirt sitting in one of two old western armchairs.  He had been given the nickname "Walter" by members of the staff and has been sighted approximately eight times by various individuals, often passing by and catching a glimpse in their peripheral vision.  I was told that ghosts are often attached to objects that bring them comfort, such as a child spirit being attached to a doll, so I guess the chair serves as a comfort to Walter.  Other reports were that the bathrooms adjacent to the Dude Ranch Gallery were haunted.  Two Cub Scouts had reported having the bathroom stalls rattled and when they investigated, they could not find the culprit.  The water faucet in the bathroom at the far end of the hallway had also been reported to be turned on by mischieveous spirits.  MTPRS was able to confirm this allegation when they investigated there last year.  They experienced the faucet turning on a couple of times, until they set up a camera on it and the ghost apparently got stage fright.  Finally, there is a chandelier situated above an old wooden table, which randomly sways back and forth.  This was debunked by the group in their last investigation, as it appears to be suspended by a thin chain and a vent across from it regularly churns out air.

On the night, I did have a couple of paranormal experiences, but mostly during down-time when a larger audience wasn't present.  In the gallery itself, it seemed a very talkative spirit had found the Obelisk (a device that converts energy into words).  It continually spewed out words for several minutes, but nothing that appeared to be all that intelligent.  It really seemed to be like a child who has just found a toy microphone and has decided to babble and enjoy the sound of his/her own voice.  I heard that in one of the sessions, it was heard saying "spot light" when one of the investigators was shining a flashlight down on the floor.  Speaking of flashlights, I also witnessed intelligent responses from the turning on and off of flashlights on command.  The flashlights were set upon a desk or a table and investigator Lora invited a spirit to turn the flashlights on or off.  It happened at least 5-6 times, enough to convince me that there was something intelligent listening to us beyond the veil.  

The Montana Paranormal Research Society members are all volunteers and it strikes me as how prepared, organized, calm, collected and professional they are when it comes to evidence.  Their approach is scientific and unbiased and they put so much time and effort into their investigations throughout the community and the state of Montana.  I think we'll all sleep better at night knowing there's an answer to that popular 80's question:  "Who ya gonna call?"