DEVIL'S GATE DAMLocation: Pasadena, CA
Accessibility: Easy Created: 1920 |
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Where is the entrance to hell located? I may just be hidden near a dam in the heart of Pasadena, California.
Devil's Gate Dam is easily visible and accessible from the I-210 Freeway. In fact, thousands of people drive right past this haunted structure every day, and many do not even know it's dark story. The dam was built in the 1920s to help control seasonal flooding along the Arroyo Seco River. Built at the narrowest point in the river, the dam was named for a sharp outcropping of rocks that seemed to resemble the face of the devil.
Devil's Gate Dam is easily visible and accessible from the I-210 Freeway. In fact, thousands of people drive right past this haunted structure every day, and many do not even know it's dark story. The dam was built in the 1920s to help control seasonal flooding along the Arroyo Seco River. Built at the narrowest point in the river, the dam was named for a sharp outcropping of rocks that seemed to resemble the face of the devil.
In the 1940s, a group of occultists held rituals inside the dam intended to open up a gateway to hell. Jack Parsons, a co-founder of Nasa's Jet Propulsion laboratory along with Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, were among the group. It is uncertain if they were successful in their efforts to open a hell gateway, and in the 1950s, Jack Parsons was killed in an accidental explosion.
In the years following, several children went missing near the dam, some while they were biking in the canyon, some allegedly seeming to disappear into thin air right in front of their parents. Among these were Tommy Bowman and Bruce Kremen. |
Although the gorge is now dammed up, the Arroyo Seco still has a decent flow of water running though it during the rainy season. It was reported by early settlers that the rapids flowing through the gorge made a laughing sound, which they attributed to the river's relationship with the coyote spirit.
Many dark stories surround the Devil's Gate Dam. Are they true, or just the works of active imaginations over the years?
Many dark stories surround the Devil's Gate Dam. Are they true, or just the works of active imaginations over the years?