(Jools Sinclair and Meg Muldoon | Photo courtesy of Bend’s Ghost Tours)
Meg Kehoe and Jools Sinclair have discovered a way to share their interest in history, love of writing, curiosity of the supernatural and joy of storytelling.
The mother-daughter team are the owners of Bend Ghost Tours, celebrating its one-year anniversary in August. Describing themselves as “spirit guides,” Kehoe and Sinclair lead guests through the haunted streets and alleyways of Historic Downtown Bend where they learn about the city’s macabre tales, long-buried secrets and famous ghosts.
Kehoe said she and her mom enjoy sharing the paranormal history of Downtown Bend with their spine-tingling, historically accurate stories. Guests do not go in the buildings during the tour but rather stand by the place while the story is being shared. “My mom and I make a great team because we get along really well and enjoy working together,” Kehoe said. “We are both good at different aspects of the business.”
A UCLA alumni, former educator and museum docent at the Tucson Museum of Art, Sinclair has a life-long obsession with the supernatural. She has had several encounters with ghosts over the years, including a friendly encounter with the spirit of an artist named Reggie at her house.
A graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and a former reporter for The Bend Bulletin, Kehoe admits she tends to be more skeptical than her mom. Kehoe has never seen a ghost, although she’s heard footsteps and disembodied voices, and she captured haunting photographic evidence of a menacing dark mist. “I was trained as a journalist that if you can’t prove it, you can’t print it,” Kehoe said. “I think I rely on my logical and skeptical sides to find the answers to things that can’t be explained. There are so many stories we have heard about paranormal experiences that raise questions that can’t be answered.”
For example, when she hears a sound she can’t explain she thinks about all the different possibilities that could have caused the sound whereas her mom is more likely to attribute the sound to a ghost.
“We have met many people in Downtown Bend who have had paranormal experiences, but they don’t want to talk about them,” Kehoe said. “That’s where my journalism skills come in handy because I won’t quit until I hear their story or do research to see what happened in that building.”
Kehoe estimates there about 20 known ghosts in Downtown Bend, including ghoulish Gretchen, a mischievous spirit with questionable intentions haunting Bend’s oldest restaurant. They continue to discover more paranormal stories as they visit with the businesses in downtown Bend.
Kehoe and Sinclair said they are often approached by an unannounced guest asking to share a story of a supernatural encounter. Recently, a bartender at a wine bar shared his stories about menacing ghosts moving objects in the basement. “Having unannounced guests sharing their stories happens frequently and we always tell our guests that it wasn’t planned,” Kehoe said laughing.
Understanding there are people who dismiss the idea of ghosts to those who travel to destinations seeking paranormal experiences, Kehoe explained she and Sinclair planned the tour to appeal to everyone’s interest. “We want people to learn about Bend’s rich history and how the town has evolved from having speakeasies and brothels to what it is now,” she said.
They also enjoy sharing forgotten stories that connect their guests to Bend’s history. “We love to tell stories that are not well known,” Kehoe said. “Storytelling is a powerful tool that can inspire and connect people.”
Kehoe and Sinclair describe themselves as perfectionists, determined to find facts to support the paranormal stories. They research buildings using digital newspaper archives and visiting the Deschutes Historical Society and Deschutes Public Library. After their tours, they go over what went well and what they want to work on.
Sinclair and Kehoe plan to write a book about their knowledge on Bend’s ghosts. Kehoe is a bestselling cozy mystery author under the pen name Kehoe Muldoon, and Sinclair is the bestselling author of the Forty-Four paranormal mystery series which has had nearly 1 million downloads internationally and takes place in Bend.
When asked to pick her favorite ghosts, Kehoe quickly shied away from the question. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by picking just one ghost,” she said.
What Kehoe and Sinclair have discovered is all the guests on their tours are respectful of one another. “Everyone respects everyone’s own beliefs,” she said. “We have people who are pretty skeptical about ghosts and those who have had several paranormal experiences.”
As the “spirit guides or ghost folklorists,” Kehoe and Sinclair present evidence they have carefully collected about Bend’s supernatural community. More often than not, Kehoe said, the permanent residents of Downtown Bend do something to present their presence. “Our goal is to always provide the most memorable and enjoyable experience for our guests,” Kehoe said.
On a recent tour, Kehoe said some guests saw a ghoulish face at the O’Kane building. “Some guests saw creepy faces in the mirrors,” Kehoe said. “We may have the tour planned but we always know to expect the unexpected.”
Bend Ghost Tours
Email BendGhostTours@gmail.com, call 541-350-0732 or visit bendghosttours.com for additional information.
Owners: Meg Kehoe and Jools Sinclair, a mother and daughter team.
