About This Location
Arana Gulch is a 67-acre open space preserve on the east side of Santa Cruz, featuring grasslands, wetlands, and coastal views. In 1863, the gulch was the site of a brutal murder that created Santa Cruz's most famous ghost.
The Ghost Story
Arana Gulch, nestled in the heart of Santa Cruz, has been haunted for over 160 years by the ghost of Andrew "Jack" Sloan—a man whose violent death on February 11, 1865, sparked one of the most enduring ghost legends in California.
Sloan, a 39-year-old living on 7th Avenue, was riding his horse home from dinner in downtown Santa Cruz along the old Soquel Road when he and his brother-in-law were ambushed by three bandits: Jose Rodriguez and brothers Pedro and Faustino Lorenzana. The confrontation escalated into a brawl. When Sloan had one assailant cornered, the bandit called for backup. Sloan took three bullets to the torso. He staggered and collapsed into the nearby creek, dead.
His funeral was one of the largest in Santa Cruz history, and his death inflamed racial tensions in the community. Sloan was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery—but his spirit apparently never left the gulch where he was murdered.
Thirty years after his death, on July 25, 1895, the Ghost of Arana Gulch made front-page news. A woman and her daughter were riding their buggy to town when an apparition ran directly in front of them and vanished into thin air. The sightings continued.
In 1913, children from a family living at the gulch came home excited about their new friend. They described him in exact detail: a tall, thin man in a dark overcoat and wide-brimmed hat—precisely what Sloan was wearing when he died, according to the coroner's jury. At age 90, one of those children verified the story, adding that his sister had seen Sloan multiple times.
In 1932, a family whose car overheated on the side of the road witnessed a stranger in a dark coat emerge from the gulch and pour water into their radiator from the creek. When the driver started cranking the automobile, the helpful stranger had faded back into the bushes.
The last reported sighting came from a couple living along the gulch who said they often saw Sloan crossing their deck at night in front of their sliding glass door, accompanied by a low-lying fog. Jack Sloan also makes occasional visits to Evergreen Cemetery, where his body rests but his spirit clearly does not.
Researched from 6 verified sources including historical records, local archives, and paranormal research organizations. Learn about our research process.
