Cousins Creating Kozmic Communication

Cowtown Coliseum

A Brief History

Long before the Cowtown Coliseum existed, longhorn cattle traveled through the stockyard streets of Fort Worth on their way to the railheads. Fort Worth was the Chisholm Trail’s last stop for rest and supplies before crossing the Red River directly into Indian Territory. Between 1866 and 1890 more than four million head of cattle were driven through Fort Worth which was soon known as “Cowtown”. When the railroad finally arrived in 1876, Fort Worth became a major shipping point for livestock. 

Due to the success of the Fort Worth stockyards, an indoor livestock facility was a necessity.  In late 1907, construction began on a grand coliseum which was completed in just 88 working days, at a cost of $250,000. In early 1908, the Coliseum’s grand opening featured the Feeders & Breeders Show. The Coliseum soon played host to the original indoor rodeo and many other “firsts” in this grand American indoor livestock arena:

·        1908 - First night-time American Horse Show

·        1917 - First indoor rodeo

·        1923 - First “live” radio broadcast of a rodeo

·        1934 - First introduction of bull riding into the rodeo circuit

The Cowtown Coliseum also hosted many famous entertainment and historical cultural events:

·        1909 - Native American Chief Quanah Parker with 36 Comanche braves

·        1911 - President Theodore Roosevelt addressing a crowd of 5,000

·        1916 - Russian Ballet performance

·        1918 - Jess Willard Exhibition match

·        1919 - Chicago Grand Opera performance

·        1920 - Enrico Caruso performance to a crowd of over 8,000

·        1947 - Bob Wills performed

·        1949 - Bob Hope and Doris Day celebrity show  

·        1956 - Elvis Presley Concert

·        1979 - Former President Jimmy Carter appearance

The Cowtown Coliseum has been featured in many Hollywood movies such as “Tough Enough” starring Dennis Quaid and “Pure Country” starring George Strait. The television series “Walker Texas Ranger” starring Chuck Norris has been filmed in and around the building and grounds.

In 1986 the Cowtown Coliseum was completely refurbished and brought up to code including new heating and air conditioning and a sophisticated lighting and sound system.

The Challenge

 At the invitation of Hub Baker, Manager of the Cowtown Coliseum, Quad Cities Paranormal Investigations was offered the privilege of  investigating this historical landmark. 

The Coliseum majestically remains a prominent arena and community center of today. Quite often the sounds of the past mingle with current events. On two separate occasions in 2007, Parapsychologist and ghost hunter Paula Schermerhorn hosted a sophisticated blend of individuals to explore the historical and perhaps ghostly phenomena of the Cowtown Coliseum.

“The Findings”

Investigation #1 

The first investigation was held at the Coliseum on June 2007. The Quad Cities Paranormal Ghost hunting Group was joined by Jeff Prince, a reporter from “The Fort Worth Weekly”. Jeff and the other team members were provided a brief introduction of the building by Clara Ruddell ,  member of the Tarrant County Historical Commission and the North Fort Worth Historical Society. The coliseum’s caretaker, Mark, recalled stories of unexplained noises, such as the sounds of cowboy spurs hitting the walkway when no one was present. The aging building plays host to wild cats, birds and other small animals, so such occurrences could easily be explained, however, technical advisor, Lisa soon experienced some baffling equipment failure. The “walk through” exuded a feeling of welcome as the caretaker show us the building’s layout. The caretaker soon left, leaving us locked inside; complete darkness and quiet.

The paranormal team was strategically placed on the north and south sides of the building. Cameras with night vision were set up to catch any movement. A motion sensor was set in the dirt arena. Sound recorders poised in the arena to catch any EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). As we were investigating the building, snapping photos, the restroom light at the north side of the building came on. No one was close to the restroom at the time. We all quickly proceeded down to the north end of the building but could not find an explanation as to why the light came on. A presence of a horse was “felt” in the arena. There was also a presence of a male “felt” at the south end of the building. There were numerous photos that illustrated eerie activity on both 35mm film and digital photos. The only movements recorded were the coliseum’s wild cats. It was a very warm and humid evening. We would go into the office about every 30 minutes to cool off. After 4 hours, we concluded our investigation. After reviewing the tapes for EVP, you can hear a child call, “Pig, pig, pig”.

Investigation #2

The second investigation, held in August 2007, was quite different. No reporters. Two of the original team members, Lisa and Paula were joined by an out-of-state sensitive, Deborah, and an outside observer, James. The sensitive had not grown up in the Fort Worth area. She was unaware of the history of the coliseum. She had never been to a rodeo, did not know what went on in a rodeo and received no briefing or history of the coliseum. She immediately sensed the horse in the arena. She picked up on an Indian working on  a covered wagon that was in the building.  A trick shooter was sensed in the stadium area, as well as an elephant. She did not know that there was a circus held at the coliseum. The color red was also coming through very clear to both sensitives. Deborah felt that there was a lady who was large in stature and had red hair sitting in one of the box seats. She also sensed a flood and a fire in the area. While reviewing photos, an audience appears among the lights and seats of the arena. Again, it was a warm and humid night. We again spent time in the air conditioned office to cool off about every 30 minutes.  When we returned to the office after Deborah had sensed the Indian at the wagon, all color drained out of her face when she saw the sketching of Quanah Parker in the office. She remarked that he was the Indian that was working on the wagon. The coliseum had a very welcome feel to it and we were comfortable there. At our last break, everyone was in the office cooling off when we heard the front door slam shut. We immediately ran to the door but it looked undisturbed. Checking outside, there was no one around. It was padlocked up tight allowing only an exit, not an entrance back into the building. Immediately the feel of the coliseum drastically changed. We packed up our gear and left. It was as if the spirits had left the building.

Conclusion

The Cowtown Coliseum conclusively displays ghostly phenomena.  Sound, sight and sensitives clearly defined and displayed the past and present activities in this historic arena. Early settlers and modern day rodeo enthusiasts blend a rich narration of historical and current events at this sight, the stockyards and Fort Worth. The past reminds us and the present reveals that spirits, whether animal or human, continue to entertain, and be entertained, at the Cowtown Coliseum.