Edmonton Ghost Photo' No Hoax
[Original headline: Phantom in the fort?]
'Ghost' in photo with Klondike Kate can't be easily explained
 The phantom of Fort Edmonton appears to have been caught on film in what may be the best photograph ever taken of the paranormal. And the owners of the photo say there's not a ghost of a chance it's a hoax.
It happened in late May, when local photographer Chris Koslo was shooting Klondike Kate in the old jail house at Fort Edmonton Park. The park was closed at the time and there were only two others with them -- Derek Brooks, who kept watch outside the jail house, and his assistant Theresa Tsoukalas, who stood near Koslo during the shoot.
When the photos came back, Tsoukalas noticed what looked like a reflection of a person in the glass case behind Klondike Kate. Only the so-called reflection didn't remotely resemble anyone who was at the tiny jail house that day.
"I just knew it was a ghost right away," she says. "I saw the orbs of light around him and knew it was unusual."
 The 'ghost' in the photo, who also appears on the negative, has since been shown to Fort Edmonton staff, two psychics, and Barbara Smith, author of Ghost Stories of Alberta. They all seem to agree that whoever is in the photograph isn't of this world.
"I have seen dozens of photos of ghosts, but I have never seen a photo more remarkable than this," says Smith. "When I saw it, my eyes bugged open. It's quite phenomenal."
Smith goes on to say you'd be hard pressed to find a building on Fort Edmonton that isn't haunted, a statement suported by years of mysterious goings-on at the park.
One building in particular, the Firkens House, takes centre stage in one of Smith's books. She says the most recent owner of the house had previously seen the ghostly image of a man sitting at the dining room table, and felt a ghost jump on her back on another occasion.
The ghost is believed to be the son of a former owner of the house. The story is that the young man died inside his home and his spirit continues to roam restlessly between the confines of the walls.
"The park is made of a bunch of old buildings, so it's very easy to haunt," says Fort Edmonton spokeswoman Jan Archbold.
"But I think in this case, it must be something directly related to Klondike Kate, because we've had no experience with ghosts in the jail house."
Klondike Kate, Linda Atherton-Molnar, isn't so sure the entity is linked to her, but is certain of what she saw in the photograph.
"I'm a Christian and I don't want to sound like some kind of oddball woman," she says hesitantly. "But that's really not a reflection of anyone who was there and that's all there is to it."
Skeptics narrow it down to two possibilities: either it's a reflection of someone who slipped in and out of the room undetected, or a reflection of the photographer.
But Koslo was wearing a T-shirt with no photo vest and the man in the glass case appears to be wearing some kind of tie or vest. And everyone at the shoot asserts the jail house was so small it would have been impossible for someone to get past them without causing a stir.
"It's kind of changed my view of the paranormal," Koslo says. "I mean, I've seen the Sixth Sense and my wife is Catholic, but real ghosts?"
The Edmonton Klondike Days Association currently has the photo locked safely inside a vault and plans to have it further examined by experts.
"It looks like the spirit is back in Klondike Days," jokes association general manager Bob Gray.
• Story originally published by:
Edmonton Journal via Canada.com | Misty Harris - June 28.02
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