Ep. 275 - Haunted Flagstaff

 
Moment in Oddity - The Aroostook War
Suggested by: Katrina Rae Saulis

There was a time in America when one lone state declared war without the backing of the rest of the country. This was the only time it happened in US history and it was called the Aroostook War. The state involved was Maine, of course. The Aroostook War was named after Maine's northernmost county and the dispute got started because the borders there weren't clearly defined. Maine gained statehood in 1820 and began issuing land grants, but Canadian lumberjacks ignored them and continued to cut timber in the Aroostook region. They went further by kidnapping an American land agent in February of 1839. The war was on and came to a head...in a bar. An Aroostook militiaman raised a toast to Maine in a local bar and the Canadians drinking in the bar didn't like it and a fight broke out. Noses were bloodied and eyes were blackened. Not a shot was fired and the two governments came to an agreement on the border. This episode was the last confrontation between the United States and the United Kingdom and the fact that it was considered a war without a single shot and settled basically with a bar fight, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - First V2 Rocket Falls on London

In the month of September, on the 8th, in 1944, the first V2 rocket fell on London. The V2 had been sent by Hitler and the Germans and it left a huge crater that was 30ft deep. The rocket took only seven minutes to travel from mobile platforms near The Hague in the Netherlands, to Chiswick. The rocket had three quarters of a ton of explosive on board and it broke the sound barrier so there was no sound as it flew.The blast killed three people, demolished 11 houses and damaged over 500 other houses. The youngest victim, Rosemary Clarke, was just three. Her brother John recalled, "The best way of describing it is television with the sound off. You're deafened. That's what it boils down to. Seeing an airing cupboard crumble in front of you without a sound is an eerie experience." An aftershock followed that sounded like multiple thunderstorms and then there was an eerie silence. The residents thought that a gas main had exploded. Residents quickly figured out that this was not a gas problem when government officials arrived. The truth about the Germans' new weapon was an open secret, but not acknowledged publicly until November 10. Londoners took to calling the V2 rockets "flying gas pipes."

Haunted Flagstaff (Suggested by listener: Susan Johnson)

Flagstaff, Arizona has its roots in the railway and its growth in the timber industry. The flourishing town became a hotspot for tourism with the Grand Canyon just up the road. This meant hotels were needed and two that remain today are the Hotel Weatherford and the Hotel Monte Vista. They not only have a history, but they also have a reputation for being haunted. Another building with ghost stories is the Flagstaff Public Library. Susan Johnson of Freaky Flagstaff Foottours joins me to share the history and ghosts stories of these locations as well as the horrific true crime story about the Walkup Family that has some hauntings connected to it as well. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of Flagstaff, Arizona!

The memorial for the Walkup children is simple and yet very moving because it is clear that these four children alllost their lives on the same day. It's a grave marker that tells a horrifying story. Do the spirits of the children still remain in the home where their lives were so violently taken from them? Are the hotels and library in Flafgstaff Haunted? That is for you to decide!

Show Notes: 
Freaky Flagstaff Foottours: http://freakyflagstafffoottours.com