I heard that somebody snagged Charles Manson’s Dodge Power Wagon out of Ballarat, CA and took it to parts unknown – possibly to restore it.
FAKE NEWS
It’s still there.
The Manson stayed at the Barker Ranch, in the mountains, southeast of Ballarat, sacrificing, etc. 
One of the girls, rather than be raped and sacrificed to Satan, ran down the mountain while the rest of the “family” was sleeping and made it to Ballarat. The sheriffs were called and Charlie’s Power Wagon has been there ever since.

18 COMMENTS

  1. I agree. While I wouldn't mind having a Power Wagon, and that one appears to be restorable, there's too much negative history to that one.

  2. Just curious, why is it still there? A little elbow grease and several thousand dollars and it would be good as new. I'm surprised no one has nicked it yet.

  3. Most of the people who make it to Ballarat are there for the history. And that PW is clearly part of the history. Nobody stole it, nobody defaced it, inner city people don't seem capable of getting that far from their fetid homes into Death Valley.

  4. Death Valley lends itself to strange goings on – at least as far back as the first settlers. I'm not suggesting magic or space aliens. But strange. Books on the subject of Death Valley make for interesting reading. I recommend Death Valley and the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion, by Richard E. Lingenfelter

  5. A though after posting a reply. How arduous was the trip for the woman fleeing the Manson family. Looks like harsh terrain, especially at night.

  6. Indeed. I am reminded of the B-24 'Lady Be Good'.

    "After some parts were salvaged from the Lady Be Good and technically evaluated, they were reused in other planes belonging to the American military. However, some planes that received these spares developed unexpected problems."

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Be_Good_(aircraft)

  7. Precisely my thought. There is a lot in life that I am unable to explain rationally, and there are situations that I studiously avoid because of that. Parting out Charlie's PW is something that I'd never do.

  8. She RAN down a steep canyon road that's challenging to navigate with a high clearance, heavily modified 4×4 and then across about 7 miles of desert to a shack where an old miner lived. That shack is all there is of Ballarat. Horror and moral terror impelled her.

  9. Ok, I have to ask….especially because Wikipedia is the source.
    Lady Be Good was found in 1958

    Why would parts be salvaged and installed into aircraft 15 years after the fact?

    These other aircraft were already into the supply system of the time. Why was a small component necessary to be taken out and reutilized?

    I seriously question Wiki.

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