Lake Placid

But that's how we grow and learn, isn't it. Sometimes, though, those ghosts return in ways that make us question everything, including reality. And on one fateful autumn day, a family in Mesa, Arizona, got a shocking visit from their past that taught them a very valuable lesson drive carefully. Around the middle of October of two thousand five, Lorraine Hamburg received an envelope in the mail. It was from the Mesa Police Department, and inside was a photograph of her husband, James,

driving himself and her straight through a red light. The camera had caught it all, and now missus Hamburg had a ticket to deal with. Lorraine called her adult son Stephen in a panic that had to be a joke. She thought there was no way his father had ran that red light. Stephen also knew the ticket was bogus. For one, there was no way his father had been driving that car. Stephen's wife had borrowed it to run

errands that day. Furthermore, Lorraine couldn't have been in the passenger seat, since she had been at home that week recovering from open heart surgery. Lorraine's son, Stephen knew this because he had been helping care for her. Stephen told his mother not to worry and offered to handle the whole ticket situation for her. He marched down to the court house and presented all of the fact to Detective

Terry Dorn, arguing to have the ticket dismissed. The detective said she'd consider it, but only after she had conducted a thorough investigation. The prevailing theory at the time was that the photo had been an old one on file that had been accidentally mailed to the Hamburgs Police. Forensics enhanced the image and quickly saw that that couldn't be the case. One look at the background revealed one of the buildings behind the car hadn't existed before last year.

The building certificate on file confirmed it. The traffic cam was in fact recent if only someone had mentioned something to Stephen. Weeks went by and the young Hamburg reached out for an update from the police, but he received only radio silence. With his mother growing more worried by the day, he did what anyone looking to get an answer from the government officials would do. He contacted the press. Once the story made it into the local paper, things

moved a lot more quickly. They began questioning the police for more information on the case. Could the authorities be covering something up? They thought? Might there be a scandal of foot in Mesa, Arizona? Why, they wondered, weren't they cooperating with Stephen and his family to get the matter resolved. The police asked Stephen for one last piece of evidence

to clear his parents name. Once he handed it over, they had no choice but to dismiss the ticket, even though the picture clearly showed his father, James, and his mother Lorraine in the car. Ultimately, they realized that there was no possible way James Hamburg could have been driving that day. It wasn't because Stephen Hamburg's wife claimed that she had been using the car when the photo was taken, and it wasn't because his mother was on mandatory documented bedrest.

It was because Stephen had provided something that swayed them completely. His father's death certificate, James Hamburg, you see, had been dead for five years. Canada is home to numerous idyllic towns and villages, each boasting their own unique landmarks and features that make them hard to not fall in love with. The small mining town of flynn Flon was named after a character in a turn of the century science fiction

novel and holds an annual trout festival each July. Ontario's Port Hope makes visitors feel as though they've been traveling back in time to the nineteenth century, and Hudson in Quebec is a haven for artists and crafters along with the vibrant local theater scene. And then there's Minnawonka Landing, located in Canada's Banff National Park. Minnawonka Landing is one

of the oldest settlements in Alberta. Nestled within the snow capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies along the shores of Lake Minawanka, the town can trace its history back thousands of years. Archaeologists have found arrowheads, tools and other artifacts left behind by the town's Aboriginal ancestors. Minnawaka Landing and it's thirteen mile long lake have become a draw for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts looking for an escape from their

busy city dwelling lives. That all started in the late eighteen hundreds, when visitors to the lake saw an opportunity to cultivate the beautiful, unkept wilderness surround it into something lucrative. The local city folk and Calgary often came to Lake Minawanka to view the splendor of the rocky mountains and to swim in its cool crystalline waters. Without a place to stay, however, their trips were limited unless they felt

like camping over for the night. After the first hotel went up, it didn't take long for others to capitalize on the town's potential. People moved in and built cottages. They started small businesses and restaurants, peppering the land with commerce, all framed by nature's majestic beauty. Soon, the hard working people of Calgary had a place to stay and food to enjoy, allowing them to plan trips to the growing resort town. However, Minawonka Landing still resided within the borders

of a Canadian National Park. The Park Service wanted to improve the lake shoreline and reduce the surrounding water levels, so they built a dam in Almost twenty years later, a second dam was installed as a way to store water in case of a drought. It wasn't until the start of World War Two when Minawonka Landing was truly put to the test. As North America entered the fight, resources such as rubber and tin became as valuable as gold,

and so did something else. Power. The meager power being supplied to Minawonka Landing was enough for a hotel and some shops, but it couldn't sustain the rapidly growing cities nearby, so a power plant was constructed, as well as a third hydro electric dam. The effects were disastrous for this small resort town. The dam and the plant were loud and disrupted the picturesque tranquility that everyone had come to expect. As a result, shop owners closed their businesses, people moved away,

leaving behind a village lost industry, lost to time. You can still see Minawonka Landing today. It's right where they left it. About seventy miles west of Calgary. It's a ghost town now, and its historical significance has made it even more of a tourist attraction than it was when it was inhabited in thriving. Just make sure you pack your scuba gear when you visit. You see Minawonka landing can't be accessed by car or train, and a boat

will only take you so far. To see the town today, you'll need to dive thirty ft below the surface of the lake. It's all still there, the hotel, the cottages, the sidewalks, and the shops and all are mostly intact. Some of the homes still have their windows in place too. It all happened by design. In order for the damned

to function properly. During the war, the town at its base had to be flooded, But the water that fills the lake happens to come from Glacier's up north, and that icy flow has kept the town preserved all these years later. Sometimes the most interesting sites to see are often right there in front of you. Just be sure not to forget to take a peek below the surface. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet

of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious. H