Saturday, November 7, 2009

Episode 18: Putt-Putt Poltergiests



This miniaturized merry-land, originally called GOLF LAND II, first dropped its draw-bridge for the public in July of 1975 at a cost of $705,000, and covered five acres of land owned by the city of Los Angeles, but never developed because of its “undesirable nature” (pictured at the bottom). Due to its highly visible site at the north-west corner of the intersection of the 405 and 101 freeway (the busiest interchange in the world), most Angelinos know this place even if they have never set foot inside the fanciful oasis. For the uninitiated, this miniature golf kingdom consists of a mighty castle surrounded by three royal courses designed by the putt-putt savant, William Rameson, who not only figured out each hole, but also designed all the fanciful structures. Over the years, it has been the home to various celebrity miniature golf tournaments.
It may be a place for family fun during the daytime, but late at night, after the park closes, golfers of another kind appear. According to the night shift, all the paranormal activity occurs in the middle section of Course 3, along the northern border of the property, parallel with the southern bank of the Los Angeles River. One encounter involved a giggling little boy, peeking up from behind the bushes (on the hill at the northern most point of the property) who vanished when told that the park was closed. Also, a woman has been seen near the fake "haunted house" on the 6th hole (pictured above) walking along the fence who disappears when a flashlight is shined on her.

The origin of these ghosts (as past down through the decades) is that one night, while playing a round of mini-golf, a mother and her child met with an unfortunate end. The next morning, both were found at the bottom of the adjacent river below course 3 with head injuries. Whether these deaths were the result of a tragic accident or foul play is still a mystery. Although no one has ever verified this story, the legend still persists to this day.
It is also interesting to note that this tale is not unlike the legend of La Llorona , the ghost of a weeping Mexican mother (usually dressed in black), who wanders the banks of rivers and other bodies of water in the South-Western United States and Mexico, grieving for her own drowned children. Could there be a connection? (for more info)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Probably dead people who never got paid by Bill

David Swift said...

The land was owned by my family form 1940 to 1960 until the city made them sell it for the 405 fwy. Before that, it was just farm land...the property was a farm, but had many horses... on the property was a barn, main house (Spanish Style) and a triplex (Spanish Style). The main house had 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, grand room with 14 ft ceiling with crowned molding and arched windows, huge kitchen, dinning area and a reading room... my father told me it was build in the 20's. The property line was from Sepulveda Blvd all the way back into the flood basin, 10 acres in all. Eucalyptus tree mark the lines of the property... and the fire stations was located across the street, and A orphanage down the ways.

THEIR WAS NO CEMETERY ON THE PROPERTY!