Wanna hear a scary story? Maybe of the Black Dahlia or even Bigfoot? Stories, tales, legends, all kinds of myths and folklore are a huge part of many cultures. Starting from as long ago as when the natives inhabited the United States, stories have been passed down and told again and again for centuries. These stories reach the ears of people to this day, which is why they harbor such importance. Stories are memorable, and if i’m anyone to say, scary stories are the best ones. Urban legends are stories, usually of scary monsters, weird phenomenon, ghosts, and other kinds of bizarre occurrences. Urban legends have had a spooky, almost sinister impact on the United States because all over the states, all over the world, these legends are plentiful and influence many. California alone has a pretty wide variety of legends to go through. Tales of an ancient lake monster or giant ghosts that watch over the Santa Lucia Mountains. These legends are what we’ll be visiting to uncover just the tip of some California’s culture .
However, before we get to the good stuff we should talk about how stories even came to be, even past the natives, and how they impact us. Finding the earliest stories is pretty much impossible, however I do have examples of some of the earlier ones that definitely had an impact. The main ones, and one probably the most impactful ones, being religious scriptures such as the bible. The bible is the story of god and Christ, said to have been written in the 10th century BCE. Despite that, people now, to this very day, still read altered versions of the bible and are faithful to its teachings. I’m sure we’ve all heard of heaven and hell, Adam and Eve, God and Christ. Which leads me to the impact of stories, as the bible isn’t the only story to be so impactful to start whole religions. These stories have vast followings and impacts that go deep in history. Different stories, different religions, all over the world. Scriptures are celebrated and stories like the bible are almost like a code of conduct to some. Stories are impactful. They have been for quite some time. This goes for urban legends as well, even if not to this scale. Stories of haunted areas, scary places, weird phenomena make people cautious of the place and what might happen at said place. It’s only natural.
To start, one great example of this is Turnbull Canyon. Turnbull Canyon is located near Whittier, California, as part of the Puente hills preserve. Turnbull Canyon is feared by many as a popular urban legend about the canyons ghastly happenings, occult meetings, and brutal murders have started circulating. As stated in this breakdown of the legend called The Ascension to Hell, “Turnbull Canyon has long been rumored to be home to occult meetings, ghostly haunts, the scene of brutal murders and tragic accidents” (Valenzuela). The urban legends around Turnbull Canyon practically stem right off of these components. Not only that but a rumor of an insane asylum, disgusting and wretched, is also in the realm of legend, hidden away and also backed by the same breakdown stating that even if you don’t believe in ghosts, the residents of Whittier have reason to be concerned about the rumors of such a thing.
Another urban legend originated from California is one based around the Santa Lucia Mountains. A seemingly normal destination is made to be a horrifying place with truly dark events occurring there. The Santa Lucia Mountains are apparently home to giant humanesque phantoms, as summarized by this article, “This legend takes us to the Santa Lucia Mountains which run from Avila Beach to Monterey. The Dark Watchers are said to be giant humanesque phantoms that lurk inside these eerie mountains” (Morgado). The basic premise of the legend is that there are these giant ghosts watching over the mountains that are only visible at twilight. Moreover, there is evidence of native Indian history depicting similar ideas as stated again in this article “These ghostly figures first emerged in Chumash Indian history and lore. The cave walls were donned with drawings by the Chumash that depicted these phantoms” (Morgado). These stories caused a bit of commotion for people around the area as people went to try and see the ghastly apparitions themselves. None of them prevailed and the rumors aren’t proven to this day.
This one might sound a little familiar, as it sounds a lot like the Loch Ness monster from lake Loch Ness. However this one originates from Lake Elizabeth instead, and is known as the monster of lake Elizabeth. The lake itself is said to be supernatural, apparently formed for the sole purpose of birthing supernatural beings, as said in this article “Nestled near Lancaster in Los Angeles County, Elizabeth Lake is shrouded in an intriguing urban myth, suggesting it was formed not by natural forces, but by supernatural ones” (Sona). The monster itself is said to be an amalgamation of a variety of different animals, forming one mystical beast that haunts the lake. The article has a more detailed description of the creature, stated to be “described as an amalgam of various animals with an imposing presence. Imagine a being with the elegance of a giraffe’s neck, the intimidating gaze of a bulldog, and the mysterious aura of bat wings, all wrapped up in a 50-foot long” (Sona). To this day the beast has not been seen outside of the pictures taken of the beast from years ago.
One more urban legend is in regards to the infamous prison Alcatraz. A prison guarded so well that it is said not a single person could escape. Located on an island in California that is even harder to reach, it is said that this prison holds demons and is haunted by the spirits of the dead guards as well as the enraged spirits of the prisoners who died there. The prison creaks and groans and the spooky rooms have a ghastly atmosphere like the medical ward and the cells themselves. The cells, “According to legend, sometime in the 1940’s, a man was put down there and, throughout the night, screamed to the guards about a demonic creature with glowing eyes in the cell that was trying to kill him” (Allan). The man was ignored by the guards and the next morning when the guards opened the cell, they found the man strangled to death. The prison’s scary reputation helps with law enforcement as people don’t want to go to such a prison and are wary of committing any crime that’ll land them there.
Stories like these have been circulating for the longest. All over California there are urban legends for a number of different places. These dark mysterious stories are as popular as they are because of just that, they are mysterious and people are naturally drawn to finding out if they’re real. These stories will continue to appear, for as long as time flows, no matter what. That’s why stories are impactful and that’s where urban legends fit into California’s culture. Who knows what kind of stories might come up next.
Work Cited
Morgado, Deanna. Culture trip. “California’s Creepiest Urban Legends.” Culture Trip,
27 Nov. 2017. theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/californias-creepiest-urban-legends.
Valenzuela, Alexandria. “The Ascension to Hell.” Poetinis: Drink in the Truth
22 Jan 2016. https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=journalism.
“Urban Legends about California That’ll Blow Your Mind.” Www.california.com,
19 July 2021.
www.california.com/urban-legends-about-california-thatll-blow-your-mind/.
“16 Creepy Stories and Urban Legends from California.” Ranker,
29 Sep 2021.
www.ranker.com/list/creepy-california-stories-legends/laura-allan.
