Skeleton Creek is a 2009 children's horror mystery novel by Patrick Carman, the first of a continuing series. The second is Ghost in the Machine (published in 2009), the third is The Crossbones (published in 2010), the fourth is The Raven (published in 2011), and the fifth is The Phantom Room (published in 2014). [1]
The story takes place in a small town called Skeleton Creek, that was formerly a gold and silver mining town. It is haunted by the ghost of "Old Joe Bush", a man who died in an accident on The Dredge, a large mining machine. Two youths in the town, Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher, attempt to investigate the dredge and its ghost, while being closely watched by their parents and Ranger Bonner who are trying to keep the two separated after Ryan breaks his leg on the Dredge which leads to Sarah and Ryan not being able to communicate with each other at all. A video series, starring Sarah, also goes along with the novel, which shows trips to the Dredge and ghost sightings such as Old Joe Bush
Prior to the release of Skeleton Creek, a conspiracy website (SkeletonCreekIsReal.com) was created, questioning whether the videos and journal entries were actual events. The basis of the website is that the creator found a hidden directory on Patrick Carman's website. On the directory were files of videos. The creator uses these videos to determine that the events in Skeleton Creek happened in the real town of Sumpter, Oregon. The site has a blog where the creator talks about findings, and videos where he posts things such as the videos he finds on Patrick Carman's website, analysis of those videos, a trip to the Dredge and promotion for The Raven, the fourth book in the series. As of August 13, 2011, no blog entries have been made, and the last video was posted November 1, 2010. Even though it is considered abandoned, updates to the site are made, such as new advertisements for Patrick Carman's other projects. Patrick Carman has admitted to creating the website to promote the book and its sequels. One of these websites is called Sarahfincher.com. It accompanies the book. It is filled with videos that may be spooky for young children. To watch a video you must have reached a point in the book that has a password. Many of the password contains gibberish making the passwords hard to guess. The videos are made, looking like they are only made for Ryan, and many people enjoy playing along.
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in Mighty Ducks, as Pacey Witter in series Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the series Fringe (2008–2013), Cole Lockhart in the series The Affair (2014–2018), Mickey Joseph in the miniseries When They See Us (2019), Bill Richardson in the miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Dr. Christopher Duntsch in the series Dr. Death (2021), and Dan Gallagher in the series Fatal Attraction.
Sumpter is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. The population was 204 at the 2010 census. Sumpter is named after Fort Sumter by its founders. The name was inspired by a rock as smooth and round as a cannonball, which reminded a local resident of the American Civil War and Fort Sumter.
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Ghost in the Machine or Ghosts in the Machine may refer to:
Patrick Carman is an American writer and a graduate of Willamette University.
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Cornucopia is a ghost town built during the gold mining boom of the 1880s in Eastern Oregon, United States. The town was officially platted in 1886 and was a mining town with various levels of success until it was abandoned in 1942. It is now primarily a tourist attraction as a ghost town. It is located east of Baker City high in the mountains of Pine Valley almost due north of Halfway, Oregon, on Oregon Route 86.
Joe Bush is a legendary ghost that allegedly haunts the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge in Sumpter, Oregon, United States. According to legend, dredge workers on the No. 42 dredge at Sumpter Valley claim the ghost leaves wet, bare footprints on the dredge's decks, causes lights to flicker, and doors to open and close unexpectedly. The ghost of Joe Bush also makes an appearance in the book series Skeleton Creek.
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Ghost in the Machine is a children's horror/mystery novel by Patrick Carman, first published in 2009. It is the second book of the Skeleton Creek series, which is followed by three sequels: The Crossbones (2010), The Raven (2011), and The Phantom Room (2014). Like the other books in the series, it includes links and passwords to online videos which form an essential part of the plot.
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