 "Man’s
best friend” or not, many of these dogs were shot, left chained at the
claim site to die, or released into the wild, when the gold played out
and the miners left the area. Over the years, numerous tales of
sightings of these many spectral hounds have been told by exploring
visitors and locals alike. A few even tell of being attacked by
these ferocious canine apparitions.
One story, told on the
Shadowlands Website, describes two brothers who were compelled to
test the validity of the canine tales. Exploring the area, they
soon found an old mine shaft where they noticed an ancient weathered
chain embedded into the rock wall near the entrance. Entering the
old mine, they came upon a pile of bones that appeared to be those of a
large dog. As the sun was quickly setting, they determined to camp
near the mine shaft. Sitting around a small campfire, they listened to
what sounded like coyotes yipping in the distance. Not alarmed, they ate
dinner around the fire until both men began to feel uneasy as the
atmosphere changed, seeming thick and somehow charged. Before long, they
heard the sounds of large dogs panting in close proximity, followed by
low and hateful growls.
With hair
no doubt standing up upon the back of their necks, they then heard the
sound of paws circling the campsite and scratching noises coming from
the shaft where the chain was lying. Stealing a glimpse at the
shaft, the chain began to move, seemingly being tugged away from the
rock wall by an unknown force. As the pulling continued, harder
each time, the brothers fumbled for their gear and stumbled to their
feet. One of them pointed the flashlight toward the chain where
scratch marks and blood stains could be seen on the rock. Suddenly, the chain dropped and one of the brothers felt something brush
against his leg before both were frantically running towards their car. As they drove as fast as they could out of the canyon, they could hear
wild panting and canine foot steps as a pack of invisible wild strays
kept pace with them for several miles.
Locals
refer to these spectral hounds as The Hell
Dogs of
Eldorado Canyon.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated November, 2010.
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