One of the army barracks at Fort Tejon near Lebec, CA
Photo from Flickr courtesy of tkksummers.
Near the small town of Lebec, which lies south of Bakersfield in Kern County, is an old military installation called Fort Tejon. Built in 1857 to protect the San Joaquin valley from Native American attacks from the south and east, it has seen it's share pain and suffering throughout the years.
More than 1,000 Native Americans were imprisoned under inhumane conditions at the fort and several hundred died there. It's said an entire village was forced into nearby Lake Castac and drowned. The area is said to be heavy in psychic energy, especially around the old hospital and officer's quarters. But the spot that seems to be the most haunted is the Le Beck Oak Tree.
The ghost of a French trapper, Peter Le Beck, has been seen many times near the tree. The grave of the Frenchman lies underneath the tree. No one really knows why he haunts his grave, or even how he died. There is one story stating that he died from a grizzly bear attack and another says he was killed by a Chief Black Bear (who coincidently was hanged from another oak tree a few hundred yards away).
Today Fort Tejon is on the National Register of Historical Places and is a state historical park. And it seems that Fort Tejon embraces it's paranormal history as they recently had their first annual ghost walk on Oct. 16, 2010. Which just happens to be the 173rd anniversary of Le Beck's death.