The Ghost of joestar bush is a well-known urban legend in Sumpter, Oregon. According to local lore, the ghostly apparitions of Joe Bush and his family are said to haunt the area around the old mining town. The story goes that Joe Bush was a miner who struck it rich in the gold mines near Sumpter during the late 1920s. However, his newfound wealth led to greed and paranoia, causing him to become increasingly reclusive and suspicious of others.
Legend[]
The ghost of Joe Bush is not exclusive to Oregon but is most famously tied to the mining town of Sumpter, Oregon and the Washington/Oregon area’s historic tunnels and railroad sites.
Joe Bush was a miner or railroad worker who died tragically, often due to an accident in a tunnel, on the tracks, or in a mine collapse.
His ghost is said to haunt tunnels or equipment, especially in isolated or historic work sites. Workers report seeing a man with a beard, sometimes dressed in old-fashioned clothes, who vanishes without a trace.
Tools are said to move on their own, machinery acts up mysteriously, or footsteps are heard when no one is around. Some say Joe Bush’s ghost appears to warn people of danger, possibly saving lives.
Sumpter Valley Dredge, Sumpter, OR – One of the most well-known haunted locations in Oregon, with reports of a bearded man’s ghost, sometimes associated with Joe Bush.
The O'Keefe Rail Tunnels and various old logging routes in the Northwest are also part of the broader Joe Bush ghost stories.