For centuries The Chukchansi and Miwok people have LIVED in the Coarsegold area of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The first white settlers came to this area about the time of the big gold strike that occurred in 1849. Many flocked to the hills around present day Coarsegold looking for the precious yellow metal. One settler in particular came to this area for just this very reason, but decided to build a bit of a homestead on the land where the Broken Bit stands now. He had an arrangement with the local Indians in the area, to wed one of the chief’s daughters and as such he was granted a piece of land. This settlers name was Samuel Jones.
On top of digging for gold on his property he also started a farm where he raised animals and planted an apple orchard. Soon he had several children one in which inherited his land after Samuel mysteriously passed away in 1874. Elmer Jones farmed the land with his wife Mandy until his death. The land was then given to his daughter Josephine and her husband Thomas Louis. It’s been said that Thomas did lease parts of his land to gold miners in the early part of the 20 th century. There is a gold mine about 100ft deep on the property and perhaps a second one. It is unclear how much gold was recovered from the property.
Running just behind the Broken Bit across the creek is the old stagecoach road ran from Raymond up to Yosemite, before highway 41 was constructed in the late 1930’s, it was the only road in these parts. President Theodore Roosevelt traveled along this road with John Muir to open Yosemite as a national park in 1903. Today this historic road is mostly forgotten.
In 1947 the land was sold by John Louis, the son of Thomas and Josephine Louis to a restaurant developer who built the Bit of Bavaria and it opened for business in February of 1952. In 1962 it was sold to the Peckinpah family who was prominent in eastern Madera County at the time. Denver Peckinpah was a Madera county judge and Sam was a Hollywood director. The family changed the name to the Broken Bit” it was to be an ironic name a fact lost by most”. It was run by them until the early 80’s when it was sold again. By that time business was not what it had been. It became more of a rowdy bar than a family style restaurant and many of the local residence complained of loud noise and unsavory conduct. Pressure from the County and lack of revenue led to the restaurant closing its doors in 1948 for business for the last time. It was sold in 1989 and it would stand frozen in time for 25years.
In 2004 Russell Crumpton and his wife Retha bought the property and have been working to bring it back to its original luster. At this time the Crumptons run a museum and gold panning exhibit, to show children what it was like to live and work during the gold rush period. Every year thousands of elementary school students get to watch gold panning demonstrations and participate in long forgotten native American an historical traditions as well.
In March of 2008 Spirit Investigations came to investigate reports of apparitions, ghostly lights, and other strange occurrences that were rumored to happen at the Broken Bit. It was said that a young woman had hung herself in the building in the mid 1970’s. Also a rape and murder supposedly happened on the property in the 1800’s. The remains of a female body have been found on the property adding to the grim and ghostly history. A dozen small rooms have been discovered in the attic area. A light switches panel down stairs seemed to control a lighted board in the rooms. This and a couple of small clues (as well as some early rumors) led the Crumptons to discover that a brothel was run here as well. What the team found on the investigation surprised them making a mysterious place like the Broken Bit even more mysterious. During the investigation over 30 evp’s (electrical voice phenomenon) were captured. They rated anywhere from A” quality (clear voices) to C” quality (not clear but still a voice can be heard). A few impressive photographs were captured as well. One of a lady in the rafters and one of a ghostly head outside a back door were also captured. A couple of team members were touched, as well as a few apparition sightings. Sounds of moans and dragging sounds on the kitchen floor were heard by team members. The place seemed full of spirits.
Sensitives in the group as well as a guest sensitive picked up on a suicide as well as the feelings that someone had been savagely raped on this property. While none of these occurrences has yet to be confirmed it is strongly believed by many to have happened.
Haunted tours are being conducted at the Broken Bit where more evidence of the paranormal has been captured and documented. Pictures of apparitions, recordings of disembodied voices and even Indian chants, and many first hand experiences; all make the Broken Bit a fascinating place for studies in the paranormal and a terrifying look into the past.
