1000 Steps

A 1000 Steps

According to urban folklore, the mythical "Thousand Steps" cemetery is one of the most haunted places in Spokane. More than one local blog has made fantastical claims of ghostly encounters near the abandoned stairway. The place captured my attention about a year ago when my sister encouraged me to write about it in my blog.

I wrote the blog as a simple matter of curiosity, perhaps the way a social scientist observes a cultural phenomenon. To my surprise, my 1,000 Step blog generated more interest than any other post. At least once a day, one or two people find my blog as a result of a Google search for the cemetery.

Earlier today I returned for another chance to photograph this unusual place. In most ways, it fails to measure up to the hype. Instead of a thousand steps, I only counted fifty two. And in spite of what anyone might believe about ghosts, the only evidence of spirits I found were the empty bottles of liquor left behind by presumably flesh-and-bone humans.

However, in my own way, I took an interest in the place because of its aesthetic appeal. I'm fascinated by the remains of abandoned structures and recently created "ruins." These ghosts dwell only in the shadowy beauty of human memory.