The gold rush during the 1800’s brought as much sickness tragedy and death to fortune seekers as it did riches. Many gold seekers fell victim to disease, accidental death and extreme disappointments in return for their sacrifice. This story is not very different than many other tales of gold rush miners and their families. However this story turns from disappointment to darkness and has managed to put Luana’s Canyon on the map of paranormal travels forever.
Luana’s Canyon is situated just southeast of the small town known as Kingman, Arizona. It was during the 1800’s that a family lived in the canyon in a small wooden shack. The husband was a dreamer and wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for his loving wife, Luana and their small children. He would venture off into the mountains in search of gold and food for his family. The only food that the small family had to eat was what the man would bring home from his gold hunting expeditions.
The man would leave and would not return for two weeks each time. But he always returned and his family always ate. But as we all know, all good things must come to an end. One day the husband kissed his family goodbye and rode off on the back of a mule to once again provide for his family. Unfortunatley it would be the last time that his family would see him.
Apparently the man had become another victim of gold rush tragedy. His wife waited for her husband for many days after his expected return and soon realized that something was terribly wrong. The food slowly started to dwindle until eventually there was none left. The mother and her children soon found themselves starving. Without food and without her husband, the mother slowly began to slip into madness. Her children became pale and weak. They were constantly begging for food but the mother had none to give. Each day that passed pushed the mother closer towards the brink of insanity until she eventually snapped. Unable to cope with the reality of watching her children slowly starve to death, she murdered them and cut them up into small pieces. It is also said that she took the time to put on her white wedding gown before the horrific act. When the mother had finished this horrible deed, her white wedding gown and the walls of the tiny wooden shack were painted with the blood of her children. Locals in Arizona call the house where the murders transpired the “Slaughter House” because of this.
The woman then carried what was left of her children down to the edge of the river and tossed them in. She collapsed in a blood soaked heap and began to wail loudly for her children. She was overcome with sadness and guilt. She remained on the river bank and continued to scream and wail until the next morning when she would succumb to starvation herself. She died crying for the children that she had murdered, but were doomed to die anyway.
Many folks in Arizona claim that the wails can still be heard within the canyon. On a quiet night locals say that anyone brave enough to venture into the canyon can hear the wails and sobs of the heartbroken and psychotic mother. The wailing of Luana’s Canyon is more than just urban legend according to ones who have heard the creepy calls of the murderous mother. Is Luana’s Canyon haunted by the restless and disturbed spirit of a mother gone mad? If you are ever in the Kingman area, be sure to pay a visit to Luana’s Canyon and you just might find out for yourself.
