'Ghost Adventures' recap: 'The Pioneer Saloon'

Courtesy: The Travel Channel
BY MICHELLE LOCKHART O'DONNELL

Zak Bagans, Nick Groff , and Aaron Goodwin kick off their eight season of Ghost Adventure by investigating the Pioneer Saloon.

Good Springs, Nevada holds the oldest standing saloon at over 100 years old. Built in 1913, the Pioneer Saloon held ground to the vast growing Mining community of Good Springs, Nevada where many deaths have occurred in a mining accidents or physical death from actual murders that took place.

While walking through the grounds of the old saloon, owner Noel Shuckles tells the guys about some odd events that go on within the walls of this building and surrounding property. Examples include: smells of cigarette smoke, to apparitions of a man and woman, unexplained power outages, hearing a woman cry in the bathroom, and experiencing chest pains.

During the walk though they discover a 100 year old poker card table and later found out Paul Coski was shot and killed at that table for winning a decent hand one night. The bullet holes that caused his death still remain in the walls of the saloon.

After learning of this event,  the owner then tells them that the building was a refuge to a plane crash that occurred nearby in 1942. Actress Carol Lombard died in the crash, and he believes her spirit resides in this building where her husband, Clark Gable, waited two days to hear of the news about his wife.

It is also interesting that the saloon was built over Bell's Mine mineshaft.  As Zak and Aaron check it out, Nick climbs to the site of plane crash only to find remnants of the plane in pieces,
“It’s sad to think that so many died right here where I’m standing” says Nick, "there must be some residual energy from here to the saloon."

Meanwhile at the mine, Zak and Aaron discover dynamite from the 1960s and also where unexplained crying has occurred in the corridors. Declared to be unsafe in some areas of the mineshaft, Zak directs Nick to lockdown there as part of the investigation.

Lock Down
Zak and Aaron investigate the old saloon, while Nick Groff and Bill take off to investigate Bell’s Mine. The Lock down begins with Zak and Aaron playing a little poker at the 100 year old card table, with three dimensional HD night vision cameras running. Zak plays poker with all of the personal things that Paul Coski would have had ... whiskey, cigars and cards.

With cameras running, the duo notice what appears to be an apparition and they quickly try to prove how it manifests. Meanwhile, Zak seems to be agitated by a chirping cricket while trying to do an EVP session at the poker table. When he tries to discover its location, the REM POD device (used most commonly now on investigations) goes off. After this, they turn on a device called a Spirit Box and start asking questions. Aaron asks, “What was the last drink you had?' and the response is "Whiskey."

They later include the owner in the lockdown, and Noel asks a few of his own questions in hopes of a response from the Spirit Box. He asks, “Can you tell me the name of the spirit that is here?" and a female voice appears to answer “Ruby.” He then asks, “Do you know that you have died?" and again a woman answers, "Yeah." Zak then asks, “How many of you are here right now?” and a woman appears to answer “Nine." Later on they discover that a woman named Ruby Barns did live in the surrounding area of the saloon.

Noel then tells Zak that there is a trap door that leads to the mineshaft from under the bar; he has never opened it until tonight’s lockdown. Zak places a camera in the location and saw more Black Widow spiders than apparitions.

Meanwhile, Nick and Billy are not having much luck in the mineshaft. With bats flying at them and what may appear as animal eyes, Nick goes into unsafe territory in hopes of catching some great evidence. With a possible scream and 300 feet down below the ground in dangerous territory, Nick decides to head back to the saloon.

This episodes ends with a few supposed anomalies, some EVPs and they possibly find out whom the woman who cries, really is. Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin end their lockdown at the 100 year Old Pioneer saloon, and set out for a new ghost adventure.

Watch an all new episode next Friday at 9 p.m. ET on The Travel Channel when the guys investigate the "Black Swan Inn."