The Ghost of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow Rampages in Rockaway Beach

Mrs. Catherine O'Leary's Ghost Cow

The term "Rampage" may not actually be the best term for use in this story, but as it relates to cows in general, "rampage" does kind of fit. As ghosts are concerned, you have to have elevated yourself to some very special infamous behavior to receive a ghost distinction as a cow! Few cows in history have managed to do so, but one has far surpassed all criteria necessary for it's Ghost status. Such is the case of Mrs. Catherine O'Leary's cow, famous for burning down most of Chicago in October of 1871. According to history, over 2,100 acres of Chicago burned destroying over 17,000 buildings. This is an impressive tale of destruction for anyone but especially impressive for a cow! In every case since the 1871 Chicago fire, any fire of suspicious nature has the potential connection to Mrs. O'Leary's cow. At least, this is the official position of the CPBA (Commission on Paranormal Bovine Activity) According to the CPBA, fires that have no reasonable explanation, or cannot be linked to a specific cause, become candidates for the designation of "O'Leary Cow Phenomenon".

Wild Willie

Ghost Cow Video

According to the CPBA report (which is highly confidential and not available to the general public) one, or possibly more structure fires in Rockaway Beach have been potentially linked to the Ghost Cow from Chicago. Why a cow would even be interested in Rockaway Beach is questionable. The only explanation the CPBA could offer was the history and propensity of the community to engage in the odd riot from time to time. They believe the cow had caught wind of the burning of either a police vehicle or part of a building back in the sixties (or perhaps the fifties) that the authenticity of which could not be verified. It seemed to stand to reason that this mysterious story of alleged riots and fires could easily be enough to motivate the ghost of a pyromaniac cow to travel to Rockaway Beach to establish some precedence where none seemed to currently exist. Wild Willie and his side kick  went out to see if they could locate the cow. You can watch a video of his account of it.

Alleged Ghost Cow Fire Site

The fires in question occurred over the past five years on Garden Ave and another on Highland. While investigations have determined no definitive cause for the fires, the CPBA has certified both incidents as official "O'Leary Cow Phenomenon" sites. This distinction alone carries with it certain historical significance. Within days of the designation, the sites were targeted by the local Society for the Preservation of Virtually Everything, Important or Not. (SPVEIN for short) They have vowed to get the sites registered with the National Registry of Historic Paranormal Locations and Events (NRHPLE) By linking the Chicago fire of 1871 to the Rockaway Fire of 2014, they believe that a Historic Ghost tour is plausible. This would no doubt bring Ghost Cow enthusiasts to the community to view what the aftermath of the 1871 Chicago fire may have looked like when mad cows get involved. The SPVEIN is dedicated to the preservation of these important landmarks and has vowed to keep them intact for future generations to enjoy.

As far as the Ghost Cow herself is concerned, nothing more has been seen of her, at least to anyone's knowledge. However it would not hurt to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity concerning anything that resembles a cow or that moo's.