Making Friends
at Fairbank
Paranormal investigators can make friends and establish relationships with those who have crossed. Several spirits in different locations expressed a willingness to engage in further contact. People who were outgoing and friendly on this side seem to be the same way on the other side. How do we know? The spirits said so.
A little girl afraid to cross over hangs out with the spirits of other children, but casts a lonely eye across the veil to the family she wants to join. We encountered this spirit at Fairbank ghost town. We wondered about the force that kept her on this side. We also wondered if we could help her rejoin her family. On the same trip we met the spirit of a miner taking it easy at his house across from the mill. He appeared to be someone perfectly content to remain right where he was.
We had come to Fairbank prepared to do whatever we could to help any spirit in need of help. We had been instrumental in helping others cross over to a better life after death. We were surprised on this venture when we met spirits who didn’t want or need any help. Does a paranormal investigator even have the right to try to ease someone over to the other side when that person just doesn’t want to go?
These are two of the spirits we encountered on our visit. The experience was as rewarding as it was puzzling. And our education into the workings of the spirit world continued—as did our growing list of questions about those workings.
Fairbank on the San Pedro River is one of the best-preserved ghost towns, and one of the easiest to access; it is about ten miles west of Tombstone. Fairbank is located in a lovely spot and because it is close to the river it’s quite lush, especially after the Arizona rains. In contrast to the mesquite- and cactus-studded Chihuahuan Desert surrounding it, the small town features large trees and shaded pathways. Originally, the area was part of a Spanish Land Grant known as the San Juan de las Boquillas y Nogales grant. The town was founded in 1881 as Junction City. The name was changed to Kendall when it became a stage stop on the road to Tombstone. Later the name was changed to Fairbank, after N. K. Fairbank, a Chicago financier who funded much of the town’s development, including the nearby Grand Central Mill, a large ruin in much worse shape than the nearby town. Still, the mill is an impressive site dominating the once-bustling community.
Fairbank was the nearest railhead to the famous “town too tough to die,” Tombstone, which at the time was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of more than 15,000 residents. Fairbank’s population was about 100 served by a Wells Fargo office, five saloons, four stores, three restaurants, a hotel, a school, and a jail. Most of the residents worked for the Central Mining Company’s Grand Central Mill or for the railroad. Four different railroads were served by three depots. The mill’s ten stamps ran 24 hours a day seven days a week and the constant booming of the machinery could be heard for miles in all directions. This goes a long way toward explaining the need for so many saloons.
Fairbank folded and cashed in most of its few remaining chips not too long after its founding, suffering from a double whammy of financial misfortune. The mines in Tombstone flooded, which closed them down and slowly the other mining operations failed or became too costly to continue operations. With no ore to process there was no longer a need for the mill or mill workers. As the number of jobs dwindled so did Fairbank’s population. At the same time the area’s farmers suffered from a drought, further aggravating the small community’s financial woes. A flood in 1890 pretty much finished off Fairbank.
Some of those residents haven’t given up on the old railhead yet and still wander the streets that are empty except for the occasional tourist, history buff, or paranormal investigator.
We arrived on a very hot July morning to an empty parking lot and a day full of promise. A number of well-preserved buildings provided a look at what the business end of town was like during its heyday. The area where the people lived across the highway is now little more than a series of rubble piles. A narrow trail out of the town plaza led about a quarter of a mile to the cemetery, which is located on top of a rocky hill, offering a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape. Like the town, Fairbank’s cemetery has seen better days—much better days. Unlike the town, the cemetery is slowly being reclaimed by the desert. Ironwork, crumbling brick structures, rock outlines, and crude and broken crosses mark a hilltop being taken over by scrub brush, desert flowers, and weeds.
Rhonda’s intuition directed us to a section they named the “family grave site” on a previous visit. It’s a multiple burial protected by an ornate wire fence anchored by heavy iron bars. There are no headstones or identifications of who lies beneath, but clearly the interred were people of some prominence. We sat down among the scurrying ants and began our first session of the day.
D: Good morning to whoever is out here with us. We came out to talk to you to see if you’re wanting to talk to us this morning. We have two devices out here. They’re voice recorders. They will record your voice, which means we can play back later and hopefully hear what you have to say. And also our friend Dan here has a pendulum and I’m pretty sure you know what that is. So, we’re just going to do a little bit of a Q&A session here and talk to you a little bit. Please, please feel free to talk to us at any time, interact with us at any time. That’s what we’re here for.
Let me start off easy by asking is there anyone here with us this morning?
DB: Okay, I’m getting a yes. And I asked earlier, before we started, and I got a yes.
D: Okay. Good.
R: Are there any children here with us?
DB: Strong yes. I think there’s more than one.
R: Yeah. I do, too. I already knew that. I just wanted your confirmation there.
Is there a little girl here with us?
DB: A good, solid yes.
D: One of the last times I was here I heard a voice of a little girl saying, “Help me.” Is that you?
DB: Yes.
D: Okay, well, we are here to try to do that if that is something you want us to do.
R: Do you still need help?
DB: Yes.
D: Do you need help to try to get away from here?
DB: That’s a pretty solid yes.
D: We can try to help you with that. That’s one of the things we do.
R: Honey, do you need help finding your family?
DB: I’m getting a yes.
D: Do you know if your family may have crossed over and went to the other side?
DB: No.
D: Okay.
R: No her family didn’t go or no she doesn’t know?
D: She doesn’t know.
R: I think they did.
DB: I get a confirmation on what you just said.
R: I think they went over and somehow you got confused and didn’t make it over with them?
DB: That’s another yes.
D: You know or I guess I’ll let you know that you can cross over at any time you want to. Did you know that you could cross over?
DB: That’s a strong yes.
R: Well, your family is right over there, honey. They’re over there waiting for you.
DB: She knows. I’m getting a yes.
R: Do you want to go over there?
DB: Yeah, that’s a yes. A weak yes, but it was a yes.
R: Do you enjoy playing here with the other kids?
DB: That’s a strong yes.
D: I was going to ask if there was something keeping her here, but that pretty much answered my question.
R: Why don’t you take the other kids who are here and help them cross over?
DB: I got a no on that.
R: No.
You can come back. Do you know that?
DB: I’m getting neutral. My interpretation is that it means confusion, but that’s what I’m getting. Neutral.
R: Once you find your family you can come back and play with the kids. Did you know that?
DB: Yes.
R: Okay. I just wanted to make sure.
D: You have to be ready to go.
R: Are you ready to go?
DB: Yes. I got a definite feeling of yes before the pendulum even started swinging.
D: Yes.
R: I think you should go into the light or whatever you see to cross over. Go find your mom and dad and your siblings. Then when you want to come back you can do that.
DB: I’m getting a good solid yes. I stopped it and let it start again and I got another yes.
R: When you come back just make sure you tell your parents so they know where to wait for you, honey.
DB: I think she’s going.
D: Maybe she just needed an adult to give her permission.
R: I think she was confused that she wasn’t going to be able to find her parents and then come back. It was like going to a friend’s house and then trying to find your way home. That’s the type of feeling I was getting.
DB: This is interesting. I was getting the feeling that she was fading and the pendulum circle kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller and it just started slipping out of my hand.
D: Interesting.
DB: But the circle went down from about a three-inch circumference to a pinpoint circle … just a slow, slow winding down.
R: Yeah, she didn’t …
DB: Flash out.
R: Right.
DB: Like at Tombstone. (Reference to an earlier session)
R: Right.
DB: And that was instantaneous.
R: She just kinda’ moseyed away.
DB: Mosey is a better word than faded.
D: Hopefully she made it.
R: I think she found her parents. That’s what she was afraid of—not being able to find them—and then come back … so, that’s why I said plan with them where to meet them when you want to come back.
DB: Well, I just asked if the little girl is still here and I got a no. That may be wishful thinking on my part, but that was a definite no.
R: I definitely think she went.
DB: I think so. I felt … moseyed is a better word than fading.
R: It’s almost as if she skipped over.
D: Yep.
DB: There was a definite shift in pendulum movement. I’ll show you. (demonstrating) Slowly, slowly, slowly, but I’m controlling that. But it was a lot smoother than I’m making it. But it was a lot smoother than what I just did.
R: It was kinda’ like when you were a kid and you have your kids wait on the front porch to watch you when you went somewhere. It was almost like that … as if she wanted us to watch her so she would be safe … in case she got lost. Does that make any sense?
DB: Look at this. I just asked my High Self if we just helped somebody cross over. Look how wide that’s spinning.
D: Yeah. That’s wide. That’s a big yes.
That’s one of those not real dramatic …
DB: It doesn’t have to be dramatic.
R: It wasn’t emotional, but she definitely needed some grownups to help her with direction.
DB: I’m wondering if there’s anyone here who saw that happen if they would like to say something about that.
D: You can come here and tell us. If you saw that happen. Can you tell us if we’re right? Did the girl cross over to the other side?
DB: It would help us with confirmation. We have what’s best for her at heart.
R: Why are you here? Why are you still here?
D: If you wanted to leave, if you did see the little girl go you can follow her and go to the same place if that’s what you want. (pause) I have to say if you’re going to stay somewhere, this isn’t a bad place to have beautiful scenery to look out at. We will be here for a while today. We’re going to leave here. We’re going to walk down to the Grand Central Mill. You’re welcome to come with us.
And if you did talk to us hopefully our little recorders picked that up. And if you did talk to us we can always come back and talk to you again if you’d like to.
R: Did you live in town?
D: A lot of bird sounds today.
D: Yeah.
R: A lot of nature sounds for sure.
I feel like there’s a man here as well. I don’t know what you guys are picking up.
DB: That’s what I’m getting. Almost like a caretaker.
R: Yep.
DB: But not of the cemetery, but more of a caretaker of who’s here.
R: Like a caretaker of the spirits. And I feel like he was kind of a rancher guy, a … not a miner, just a very laid back …
DB: I just got an impression, for what it’s worth, that he’s here out of choice.
R: Yeah. I think that’s right, Dan.
DB: Well, I think we did what we set out to do. I hope.
D: We at least got something, maybe.
We appreciate you talking with us if you did. We appreciate you allowing us to share your space. As I said, we’re going to head down to the Grand Central. If you want to, come along.
We walked on an elevated stretch of land, the old road above the lower riverbed, under a canopy of shade, which provided a welcome respite from the increasing heat of the day. In an earlier visit Dwight noticed an area with spotty growth broken by small plots of bare earth. He thought that might be the location of a residence or support facility for the mill. We examined the area and found his speculation right on target. The area was littered with old refuse and trash. Except for the ubiquitous modern beer or soda can, all the trash was tossed during the days when the mill was in operation. We found a fairly cleared area and began our second session of the day.
D: We are directly across from the Grand Central Mill site at the “cabin” site.
DB: It’s a rather warm day.
D: We are here and we hope that there are people with us here now. We like to preserve history and that’s what we’re trying to do here.
DB: Let me tell you how this works. I just asked my pendulum, “Are there people here” and got a yes.
D: Okay.
DB: We’re the three people here? So you have to ask if there are spirits here.
D: Yeah.
DB: That’s why you have to be careful when you ask questions and use a pendulum.
R: Yeah.
D: Right.
DB: Because I’m thinking one thing and I’m asking something entirely different.
D: True. True.
D: So there is …
DB: Spirits here.
D: Spirits here other than us?
Are you a male?
DB: That’s a yes.
D: That’s what I thought.
DB: Is there more than one spirit here? I’m getting a no.
D: Okay, so there’s just one male.
Well, good afternoon, sir. We thank you for allowing us to be here. Were you a worker at the mill across the way?
DB: Yes.
(Sound—loud pop)
R: That was a water bottle.
DB: Water bottle I think. Curious timing, though.
D: Did you die working at the mill?
DB: No.
R: Did you have … did you get a disease?
DB: Yes.
R: Did you have tuberculosis?
DB: Neutral. He may not know what that is. Consumption.
R: Do you have consumption?
DB: Yes.
D: Let me ask you, sir, to help with this consumption, did you drink a lot of bitters?
DB: Yes. Fast yes.
R: You might note that you’re (Dwight) sniffing a lot. Just for the recorders.
D: We did find a lot of … found a bottle out here, in fact out there, that was bitters so we figured it might be used for medicinal purposes. Is that true?
DB: He was swinging yes.
D: Well, sir, sorry to hear that. Are you happy staying here?
DB: A good, firm yes.
R: It is pretty out here.
D: It’s beautiful out here. You’ve got a really good private area here.
R: Hotter than hell, but it’s pretty.
DB: Was it hot for you?
No.
D: Good.
R: That’s good to know.
DB: Are you alone?
I’m getting a yes.
R: Do other people visit you on the other side?
DB: Rephrase that.
R: Do people come back here to be with you? Do they come back to this place?
DB: Yes. Yes. That was me both times.
R: That’s good to know.
DB: Didn’t mean to step on you. (Audio reference.)
R: No, that’s fine.
D: Allergies are killing me out here.
R: Did you have allergies when you were alive?
DB: Yeah.
R: They’re really pretty bad out here.
Were you married?
DB: That’s a yes.
D: Did your wife leave here before you did.
DB: Strong no.
D: Okay, so she stayed. Stayed here with you. That’s good.
DB: I’m curious. Did you die at this location? Where we are?
DB: That’s a yes.
D: Is there anything that you left behind? Let me rephrase that. It was kind of a general question.
DB: But I was getting a yes answer.
R: Did you leave all your possessions behind here?
DB: No.
R: Maybe, did you leave a couple of trunks or footlockers.
DB: Fast yes.
(Dwight picks up a modern plastic hair comb.)
R: Is that your comb?
D: I doubt it. It’s plastic.
R: I’m being a smart ass. Thank you for having a sense of humor.
DB: Was your nickname “Ace.”
D: Yeah …
(much laughing)
Sir, I’ll ask you, you lived right across from the mill. Was it extremely loud all the time?
DB: That’s the strongest yes so far.
D: I can imagine. I don’t know how you slept.
R: Maybe they were just so tired from working they could sleep through that noise somehow.
D: I’m thinking a little liquid libation was probably some sleeping tonic.
R: Yeah.
DB: I’m getting a big yes.
D: Yes, sir. I understand completely.
DB: So you’re perfectly content to stay here?
That’s a yes.
D: That’s great. I hope you’re happy. We really appreciate you allowing us to talk, to communicate with you today. Would you like us to come back some time and talk to you again?
DB: Immediate yes.
D: Okay. We will certainly do that. We live near here. Dan came a lot further, but we can always make that trip.
DB: It’s a powerful yes.
R: We live over by Tombstone by Fort Huachuca.
D: Well, sir, I’m going to close it down. It’s getting kind of hot for us. I know it’s hot for you, but I do want to thank you for being here with us and talking with us. And we will be back sir. Thank you again.
DB: We do appreciate it.
R: Nice to meet you.
D: End of EVP session two.
So, what was the bottom line to our effort? Emotionally and psychically we each believed we had made contact with the little girl and the miner. As usual, there is no way to prove it, but we firmly believe we helped the girl cross over and at last rejoin her family.
When and if we can, we try to help those spirits cross over who want to make that journey. Occasionally we encounter someone who can’t be helped or who refuses for whatever reason to be helped.
And we occasionally encounter someone who is perfectly happy to remain where he or she is. It seems to us that sometimes a spirit returns to a place of happiness and contentment or where he feels he belongs. This was the case with the miner, and in this situation we did not feel right in trying to encourage him in a path he so obviously didn’t want to take.
So, bottom line—we’ve made a new friend, someone from the other side. We’ll be back from time to time just to say hello. We think he’ll like that. And we always appreciate good company.
Readers interested in Fairbank history can find good information at:
www.arizonaghosttowntrails.com/fairbank.html
www.ghosttownaz.info/fairbank-ghost-town.php