GHOSTS OF THE GOLD RUSH EXPLORES CALIFORNIA’S DARK HISTORY AND HAUNTING LEGENDS AHEAD OF NOVEMBER 7 PREMIERE

California’s Gold Rush left behind historic mining towns, sites of
tragedy and stories that have endured for generations. In Ghosts of the Gold Rush, director Brandon Alvis
examines the people and events behind the region’s haunting legends, bringing together historical research,
accounts from local witnesses and reports of unexplained experiences. The 65-minute documentary from
Black Hollow Pictures will make its world premiere November 7 at Kennedy Mine in Jackson, screen in
Auburn on November 10 and arrive on Apple TV and Amazon Prime on November 13.
The documentary travels through former mining communities, abandoned mines and historic landmarks
across California’s Gold Country. Historians and longtime residents provide context for the events that
shaped these places, while witnesses describe reported encounters and paranormal investigators contribute
their perspectives on local ghost stories. The film brings history, true crime and folklore together to explore
how the region’s past continues to be remembered.
Among the events examined are Hangtown’s violent past, the 1922 Argonaut Mine disaster and the Weber
family murders. The film also explores reported hauntings associated with the historic Cary House Hotel.
Interviews, on-location research and cinematic historical recreations connect these accounts with the
documented tragedies and personal histories behind them.
For Alvis, those personal histories are central to the documentary.
“Its familiar story is one of ambition and
opportunity, but beneath that mythology are accounts of violence, tragedy, and lives too often forgotten,
” he
writes in his director’s statement. Born and raised in California, Alvis brings his interest in the state’s history
and more than a decade of documentary and investigative television work to the project.
Alvis directed and edited Ghosts of the Gold Rush and serves as an executive producer alongside Mustafa
Gatollari, whose credits include Haunted Discoveries and Haunted Discoveries: Family Spirits. Craig Owens
is credited as producer. The documentary is a Black Hollow Pictures production, reflecting the company’s
focus on historical storytelling, folklore and the unexpla