'Haunting of Vegas' a historical kick

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'Haunting of Vegas' a historical kick
October 11, 2009
RGJ.com

Clocks might not exist in Las Vegas casinos, but ghosts do, according to a fun little book recently released by paranormal researcher Janice Oberding. "The Haunting of Las Vegas," (Pelican Publishing Company, $12.76/$15.95) Oberding's first book picked up by a publishing house, tells you where all the ghosts in Las Vegas and the region are -- everyone from Elvis Presley, Liberace and Tupac Shakur to a little girl in a Henderson school, Shoney the star elephant and a "mysterious butt print" at the Beckley House.

It also chronicles ghosts' lives, deaths and afterlives -- both sightings by the living and their hunting by paranormal investigators like Oberding. One wonders if hotels should stop keeping deaths quiet, as Oberding describes, and start promoting them to pack rooms with séance participants and ghost hunters.

The book's a kick to read and a fun way to learn Las Vegas and regional history, even though some tales in the book aren't even ghost stories at all, just tales of death or a recounting of the history of a spot like Boulder City or Pueblo Grande de Nevada. All history books should have a ghost story or a story about hookers, mobsters, and gambling after subheads.

It's not perfect. A few stories feature a buildup where ghost hunters or paranormal folk descend on a haunted property, only to have nothing happen. (Though this is entertaining, and to be fair, other stories find luckier investigators.)

Take this example from the Goldfield Hotel. After Ghost Adventurers' Nick Groff and Zak Bagans "had a brick thrown at them in the basement of the old hotel while filming their hit documentary," their peers visit the hotel for another investigation:

"One local group recently investigated the hotel. No ghostly hands hurled bricks, but bats and birds were flying sorties on the fourth floor. And on the third floor a small room gave everyone who entered it feelings of apprehension and dread.

""» The ghost investigation lasted all night "» If either of (two potential ghosts) were present during the investigation, they kept to themselves."

Then a séance is attempted: "Are you with us? Is there anything you would like to tell us?

"Except for a dog that barked somewhere off in the distance, there was only silence."

The first-person accounts of seeing ghosts are often delivered by unnamed sources, which is always suspect and to be avoided in journalism. One can understand the sources' fear of ridicule by friends and family (or a snarky Reno Gazette-Journal book critic) or being visited by more Las Vegas ghosts upon publication. However, one can also understand bored casino workers or vacationers (or other ghosts!) making up stuff. At least Wayne Newton was willing to go on the record in his autobiography and say he saw Elvis, according to Oberding.

Finally, Oberding's casual writing style generally makes for a entertaining read, but it can veer toward the cliche ("So when does the city sleep? It doesn't.") or add an unnecessary aside to a story that could have done better without it. (A ghost witness is quoted as saying, "People don't all of a sudden appear like that," and Oberding adds, "Well ... not unless they happen to be magician's assistants." ) She also snubs commas after clauses and misspells the COMDEX electronics expo "Comdek" twice when recounting the 1980 MGM Grand Hotel fire that killed 87 people.

I don't believe in ghosts, but "The Haunting of Las Vegas" made me question that, and I might try keeping an eye out for these specters just for fun. I'd certainly recommend this book to any non-native resident -- judging by a recent census report, that's most of us -- who wants an entertaining Nevada history lesson or a tourist who wants to court extra shivers up the spine by learning what really happened in Las Vegas, and what really stayed there ...