Granger was a mechanical prodigy, often described as a genius when it came to mechanics. Even though he dropped out of school in grade 8, he continued to astonish friends and family with his mechanical aptitude.
Granger grew to be a large man, standing 6'3 and weighing around 240 lbs. He was shy, and because of his size and personality, he gained the nickname "Gentle Ben". His demeanor often made him the target of bullying.
In his early 20s, Granger found an old abandoned steam engine, neglected and rotting a few kilometers from his parents home. He made his way through dense forest and was able to drag this engine back home. Keep in mind that this engine had been there since the Great Depression, and it had roots and trees growing through it.
His home became known as the "Sleepy Hollow Museum" due to the old tractors and engines and such in various states of restoration that were located there. Working on the steam engine for 2 years at his home, Granger was able to restore the steam engine to its former glory and in 1973 the Province of British Columbia purchased it and it now is on display at the BC Forest Discovery Center in Duncan, BC.
When I read he restored a steam engine, I thought like a car engine or something. No, it was so much more than that. He restored a steam locomotive! It is known as "Shawnigan Lake Lumber Co. Locomotive No. 2"
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| Shawnigan Lake Lumber Co. Locomotive No. 2, on display at the BC Forest Discovery Center |
Later Granger restored an old bulldozer and would use it to help neighbors and family with various odd jobs that needed to be done.
His attention soon focused on aviation. He restored a World War II P-40 Kitty Hawk, and displayed it for a few years before eventually selling it to a collector.
Soon, Granger's interest in aviation evolved into an interest in space and space travel. That interest changed to obsession and all of his time was devoted to studying space, UFOs, and space travel. Often thinking on how alien beings would power their spaceships, he kept his room full of books about aliens and UFOs. He would collect all the books he could find on the subject.
Granger built a spaceship in his yard, and it became a focal piece of Sleepy Hollow Museum. Using two satellite receiving dishes, he made a living space, almost like a treehouse. He outfitted it with a television, couch and a wood burning stove. He spent a lot of his time here, sleeping and thinking about how flying saucers might work.
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| Granger's Space Ship |
Late 1980, Granger started telling his friends that aliens spoke with him telepathically while he was laying down in his spaceship. He became convinced that these aliens would take him on a journey throughout the stars.
On November 29, 1980, a storm hit Duncan BC hard. Gale force winds knocked out power to the community. On this day, Granger, who was not properly dressed for the storm, left his home driving his blue 1972 Datsun pickup leaving behind all his possessions including $10,000, and a note that read:
“Dear Mother and Father, I have gone away to walk aboard an alien spaceship, as re-occurring dreams assured a 42-month interstellar voyage to explore the vast universe, then return. I am leaving behind all my possessions to you as I will no longer require the use of any. Please use the instructions in my will as a guide to help. Love, Granger."
Drawn on the back of the note was a map of Waterloo Mountain, which is about 30-ish kilometers away, but no one could figure out what that meant.
Earlier on the 29th, Granger had spoken at length with his stepfather and told him how grateful he was for everything he had done for him, and how he always treated him as a son, rather than stepson.
The Taylor family and friends kept hope that Granger would return after the 42 months were up, but he did not return. No one saw Granger Taylor again. The Taylor's keep his bedroom untouched for when he returns.
March 1986, forestry workers discovered a blast site on Mount Prevost which is near the Taylors home. At the blast site, bone fragments and small pieces of a truck were found. Although the truck pieces were identified as being from a pink vehicle, not blue, the RCMP stated, "Until further evidence is found, the RCMP is assuming these are Taylor's", and the coroner declared that Granger had died in the blast.
Granger was known to carry dynamite that he used to blast tree stumps, which was a common way to do it at the time. He was well versed in its use and safety.
It was discovered after Granger went missing that he had two wills. In each, the word deceased had been scratched out and replaced with departed.
He told one of his friends once that if he ever wanted to disappear and start over, all he would have to do was grow a beard and move. No one would recognize him.
Granger did use recreational drugs according to one source. Often taking acid multiple times a day. He never had a bad experience or trip while using LSD however. But this may have influenced him to believe that aliens were speaking with him.
I think Granger would be a fascinating person just to talk to. He sounds like a genuine guy, someone that you can sit down and have a beer with. By all accounts, he had a profound effect on the people in his life, with one friend saying that he is the man he is today because of his friendship with Granger.
Some things about this case stand out for me. Granger was well versed in the use of dynamite, so that makes me believe that the explosion wasn't an accident. The truck fragments were identified with the wrong color, and there were no tests done, to my knowledge, on the bone fragments. It was just assumed that they were his. I have heard people suggest that the explosion was an attempt to propel himself to space, or where he could be picked up by a spaceship.
Remember though that Granger was a mechanical genius, that method seems rather crude for someone of his intellect. He talked to his friends about how easy it would be for him to just disappear.
To this day, we don't know 100% if it was Granger's bone fragments in that blast site. Or if it was, did he blow himself up by accident or was it suicide? It seems like we won't know unless further testing on the bone fragments is done and that info released to the public.
The most likely story is that Granger, unfortunately, decided to take his life that day in the mountains.
I like to think that maybe he is traveling the stars with the extraterrestrials he was so determined to find. Maybe in some way, he is.
Thanks for reading.
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Never heard of this one before, great read!
ReplyDeleteI like this one. I also choose to believe that Granger is flying amongst the stars.
ReplyDelete