Santee Sand Pits | San Diego River Ghost Haunt

Santee Sand Pits | San Diego River Ghost Haunt

1960’s Archaeologist, turned psychical researcher, T. C. Lethbridge is generally accepted for introducing the idea that H20 (water) is capable of recording powerful human emotions. The theory may seem far fetched to some, however, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have already produced digital storage bits from mere droplets of water.
The San Diego River runs west from the Cuyamaca Mountains through the cities of Santee and San Diego.  The land trail following the river was a major travel corridor used by the Kumeyaay Indians, early European settlers, and Local San Diego residents. There is a “darker” side to the San Diego River, which at one time was highly prone to floods and resulted in multiple deaths throughout San Diego’s history.  In addition to flood deaths, there have been accidental drownings, murders and suicides along the entire stretch of the river. The exact number of deaths along the river is unknown, but a quick search of the Union Tribune archives lead to 50+ stories (for a few of the more interesting stories see chart).
Santee ,Ca. is already accepted by many paranormalists for having several possible hot spots including The Old Spanish Dam in Mission Trails park, Edgemoor Hospital (demolished), the 1913 Edgemoor Dairy Barn (Santee Historical Society), and an area between Magnolia and Cuyamaca St. known as the “Sand Pits.”
One local recounted to San Diego Haunted, “recently, I was exploring the Sand Pits on foot and had a chilling experience. As I was walking around the wooded area, I felt some sudden chills and goosebumps. It was a warm day and I was in good health. I was walking on a small trail near the river and I felt a presence of something. I was alone and did not see anyone around where I was. The trail passed to an area that may have been a Kumeyaay burial site (common to the area).”
One of the earliest reported accounts of paranormal activity in Santee, Ca comes from locals who attribute the possible activity to the accidental drowning death of a boy in 1978. The decedent was witnessed by County Medical Examiners, supine on the sandy northern edge of the San Diego River (west end sand pits), approximately 700 feet west of the Cuyamaca Street bridge, Santee, California.
One commonality to all the suspected haunted locations in Santee is the proximity to the San Diego River, leaving one to ponder is the river fueling paranormal activity? Local paranormalist Matthew Barron believes it may be. “The idea of water fueling paranormal activity has been around since the 1960’s, water is a conductor for energy, and humans are largely water based -So I am very open to the possibility however, I think this is a theory that needs to be studied more closely before drawing a final conclusion,” explained Matthew Barron.