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Paranormal investigators try to connect with spirits at Weyburn’s Soo Line Museum

The footage for Purgatory Adventures can be viewed on their YouTube channel
Purgatory Adventures
Curtis Riersgard, left, and his uncle Nathan Riersgard investigate sites in southeast Saskatchewan for paranormal activities, including a recent visit to the Soo Line Historical Museum in Weyburn.

WEYBURN – Curtis and Nathan Riersgard recently held a paranormal investigation at the Soo Line Historical Museum for their YouTube Channel, Purgatory Adventures. The uncle and nephew investigators have been investigating paranormal activity at several Saskatchewan locations for the past 18 months.

In the YouTube video of the Soo Line Historical Museum investigation, residents can see some strange occurrences related to the team hearing voices on their spirit box, and seeing a weird light in the REM pod.

They had even set up a camera in the front area, where Tanya Musk, curator of the Museum, is sitting at her desk and also hears a weird noise that alerts her attention. The team were in the Weyburn Mental Hospital room at the time, nowhere close to being heard by Musk.

Before the investigation, the investigators had driven down to Souris Valley, to take a tour of where the Mental Hospital had once existed, and where the former nurses residence is now the public health building.

Curtis was especially interested in learning the history of the Weyburn Mental Hospital during his visit at the Soo Line Museum. He mentioned feeling dizzy and having a queasy feeling while investigating the patient’s room.

There were some strange noises discovered in that room, nearby a grave marker.

Residents can watch the video of Purgatory Adventures exploring the Soo Line Museum by going to their YouTube channel. Those with sensory issues are reminded that the camera does move around a lot, as the pair investigates.

For Curtis, his interest in the paranormal started eight years ago. "We went to a place called Criddle Vane Homestead near Brandon, Manitoba. I captured something there that made me curious to find the paranormal. I have a video up actually where I showcase some of the evidence I captured there," recalled Curtis.

The first investigations were more of just adventures for the team, but then Curtis got into video editing, and later they decided to try capturing some evidence of paranormal activity and to video journal their investigations of the area to share with others. The team started the YouTube channel called Purgatory Adventures to share the results of the research with a broader audience.

Bekevar Church in Kipling was the first investigation the Purgatory Adventures team completed and promoted on their YouTube Channel. They couldn't go inside the church at night but could check out the property.

According to a recent interview with the Estevan Mercury, Curtis had explained, “We had a gentleman come in, he was the historian, and he grew up with the building. Jack was his name. Jack came in, and we investigated with him for a bit, when we were capturing voices that were calling out to him through our spirit box. We have a device where spirits can talk through it. And we're actually capturing his name come through it, and if you watch the video, you can actually hear it too. It was crazy. And that's how I got started."

They acquired the equipment through the years of investigations, learning what is out there and what they may need to find the evidence of spirits present. For example, the spirit box they have rapidly scans through radio frequencies. They also have an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter, which detects EMF activity, and a REM pod – a special ghost-hunting piece of equipment with a light.

In previous investigations, Curtis had seen many different unexplained paranormal situations, such as the common orbs and strange lights. The most unique to him has always been when items start moving on their own, or a figure will move on camera when there is no one else in the building with them.