We have no idea how this spot got it's name, or who named it. It has nothing to do with wizards, neither would it make a good den for anything. Wizard's Den is a big hole in a bridge, and while cold and wet, it's really nifty! The bridge is condemned, dangerous, *and* illegal to be on, so please be satisfied with a description. There are many holes in this bridge, a few large enough to loose a Volkswagen through, and there's nothing between you and the river. One of the larger holes is positioned over a support strut, and the maintenance ladder is still strong enough to support one medium-sized person at a time, provided the person moves carefully. Once down the ladder, you must navigate a creaky metal grate that I suspect to be older than dirt, then jump down to the cement of the support itself. At the outer edge of the support is one of the best (and smelliest) views of downtown Tulsa.
During the rainy season, you're about fifteen feet above the river and gosh it's nasty. Also in this strut is a mural made from magazine clippings and pictures. Years of visitors have added to the size of this mural, and one visitor brought enough lacquer to cover the results. It's a little disturbing, which is probably why my guide decided to regale me with stories of suicides flinging themselves to their doom from the very spot where I stood. While I haven't been able to find any proof of this, it's easy to imagine it happening. The swirl of the muddy water is mesmerizing, and the force of the wind blowing the hair away from your face is intoxicating...one wrong step and you're swept down into the swift current. It's beautiful, but possibly deadly...and I bet you didn't know it existed.
This out of the way family plot dates back to at least 1896, according to the still-legible grave markers. While it's doubtful that those interred in this small graveyard are actual vampires, it's easy to see how this place got its name. The ground in front of many markers has sunk, leaving depressions ranging from six inches to a little over a foot. Time and bored teenagers have done their damage, toppling headstones and erasing names and dates. Knee high grass obscures many markers and odd lumps, making for treacherous footing. Brambles add to the difficulty in navigating, even in broad daylight. Imagine trying to make your way through this area at night, with only a faltering flashlight to see by. Imagine tripping over a hidden gravestone, getting tangled in the thorny brambles and falling into a sunken grave...wouldn't you think of vampires, or zombies clawing up from their restless graves, trying to drag down a little company? Not even for a moment? I didn't think so. But a little more exploration, revealing another section of the cemetery, would bring back a little unease.
This other section is truly the highlight of the place. It's fenced off, but the gate is broken, allowing easy access. There are only four gravestones in this area, but if you're not even a bit creeped out by these, you're a braver man than I. The first grave you come to has a two and a half foot deep depression, about three feet wide and a bit over five feet long. While it's true that wooden coffins and bodies decompose over time, leaving about two feet of empty space, that process takes many years. The woman in this grave died in 1962. I don't know exactly how long the decomposition process takes, but factoring in embalming fluid, well treated wood, and modern lacquer...I'm fairly sure it takes a little longer than 40 years.
Maybe she was exhumed? Maybe, but most people would add the extra few pounds of dirt it would take to refill the hole, simply because an open grave is a creepy sight.
But moving on, the next grave in the row is only a little better. Instead of sinking, this grave looks as though it never settled. In fact it looks only a few months old, even though the marker says that its occupant was interred in 1954. Exhumed again? That's quite a bit of interest in such a tiny place in the middle of nowhere.
The third grave in this row was once covered in a cement slab, and it still is ...sorta. It's cracked in many places, and has been pushed out of the way by a berry tree growing from the exact center of the grave. I had my gauss meter out and running the during the entire visit, and it was going nuts in this fenced area. I mentioned to my ghost hunting companion that it might be a bad idea to taste the berries, and the meter jumped...wonder what that means.
Although this graveyard is not condemned, overly dangerous, or illegal to be in (during normal hours), it *is* a graveyard and deserves respect, so I won't publish directions.
