Yes, this is going to be another shameless plug for one of my books, LOL!
I grew up in Simi Valley, California, in Ventura County, nestled up next to Chatsworth, in Los Angeles, County. The hills surrounding my town were like a huge connected ring and we were the "bowl" inside them.
I was an avid hiker and there were many interesting sites to explore for a kid growing up in the 1970's and early 1980's. After all, we were the "home" to Charles Manson, The Great Eleven Cult, the Pisgah Grande cult, and not too far away, between Simi Valley and Chatsworth, the WKFL Fountain of the World, led by Krishna Venta, who met his end when two of his followers blew him to Hell with dynamite.
Yet for all my explorations I never once came across this abandoned old ranch tucked into the hills that I had thought I knew so well. The existence of the ranch was brought to my attention by its caretaker when I was conducting a paranormal investigation at his business partner's property. He told me the story about the ghost of a monk who terrified his construction workers and they refused to be at the ranch after sundown. He asked if I was interested in seeing it and conducting an investigation. Oh, hell yes!
My first visit was one filled with wonder that this large property had been existing under my radar. There were three houses on the property, the first one having been built by the first homesteader in 1911. If you ever watched the television show Little House on the Prairie (also filmed in the hills of my hometown) you can get a good idea of the style the homestead house was build on, but on a smaller scale.
The second house was built around 1922 in the hacienda style, but in its later years used for storage after a fire destroyed the kitchen and part of the living room.
The third house was built in 1950 and still contained all of the furniture and personal items of its last owner.
Besides the three houses there were also outbuildings and a pet cemetery.
It was an amazing and creepy place!
I wrote a book about the location. Here is the description from the back cover of my book...
Quail Run Ranch, a place forgotten to time, sits hidden in the hills of Southern California. Although it looks sedate and unimposing, the very land it sits on has a rich and ancient history, going back to the Tongva. This land holds the stories of prehistoric settlement, Spanish conquest, enslavement by a powerful foreign master known as the Church of Rome, and abuses by mission fathers who promised salvation in exchange for obedience. The very stones hold the memory of western settlement and a family of master masons and artisans, descendants of a defrocked priest from Switzerland, who left an indelible mark on the land in the form of the buildings they hand built and decorated with superb craftsmanship. With the last owner gone, the ghosts of those who once lived here have chosen to stay. Most of the spirits are benign and gentle, except for the Shadow Monk, who has caused grown men to flee in abject terror.
