1000 Steps
By shannon cahill
5 Jul 2008
The story goes like this...there was once a rich merchant who lived in Spokane, Wa. In the 20s, he decided to build an elaborate crypt to be buried in and private steps to reach it. He had it built, but he lost his fortune and was not able to afford to be buried in it. His ghost was so angry that it haunts the crypt and the stairs to this day. After his death, Satanic rituals were performed there, adding to the menace of the place. It is said that no one can climb to the top of the "1000 steps" because they will be overcome with fear. I have heard many stories from people who tried, but were scared witless.
Of course, drunken teens are generally witless to begin with.
My mother and I both enjoy photographing cemeteries. I've been to Greenwood before and have taken some really great black and white shots. Today, we decided to find the fabled "1000 Steps."
From the street, they are overgrown and nearly invisible. From the top, they are broken and overgrown with branches. The crypt was there, empty as the story goes, except for hoses and rakes that the caretakers store there. The only thing that could have been misconstrued as "Satanic" was the graffiti on the back of the crypt. Someone spray painted a pentacle, but it is right side up.
All was quiet at 8:30 in the morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. My mother and I climbed down from the top, but there were several stairs missing, preventing us from going all the way down. They can be navigated from the bottom, but there was no where to park the car.
We took pictures of the crypt and surrounding graves before moving on to other parts of the cemetery. When I got home, there was something strange in two of my shots--six spots in a line in front of the crypt and those same six spots in a shot 90 degrees to the right of the crypt taken about five minutes later. I checked, there is nothing on my lens and they are not in any of my other shots.
I swear I didn't photoshop them!
My mother is "sensitive." We sometimes joke that she talks to dead people. I didn't feel anything at all. No apprehension, no fear, nothing. She did make a comment that the spirits were laughing. They think it's funny that people think they are evil.
In any event, we had fun, and maybe there is a little truth to the stories, I'll let you decide for yourself.
