Back Home They Used to Tell About. . .
Back Home They Used to Tell About. . .
A Page of Legends from NDSU
Haunted Rest Area
I have a legend for you. I can honestly say that this is the truth. A friend of mine and I were out at a rest area located right outside of our town of Sykeston, ND. Just to be stupid we went into the women's bathroom and did our thing. While we were in there, I could hear little girls' voices. They were laughing and talking. Right away I didn't know what to do so I hurried up and ran outside as to not look too obvious. When I stepped outside I saw no girls laughing and talking. I did see, however, my friend walking around the corner of the building. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, "Looking for those girls. Didn't you hear them?" I didn't know he had heard what I did, and up to that point I had blamed not seeing them on my imagination. By that time, we were plenty spooked and from then on considered that restroom haunted. We did, however, visit it again to see if we would hear it again, but needless to say, we didn't hear a thing. There, that's my legend, and it's all the truth.
Kindred Lights
Okay--so I don't know the whole story. but here goes. There is an old farmstead a few miles north of Kindred, N. Dak, and Horace, N. Dak. If one should travel to the site at the right time of night, they will find something strange. The old abandoned barn, again at the right time, is glowing with lights on the inside. Now, I have friends who claim to have seen the Kindred Lights. They claimed that when they drove the car up the driveway and took the foot off the gas, the car proceeded to drive by itself toward the GLOWING barn!
Gold in the Grave
The last man to be hung in Bottineau County was buried outside the Catholic cemetary--buried OUTSIDE because he was "unworthy" of actually having a proper burial. Buried with him was the rope he was hung by, the knife used to cut him loose, the sherrif's badge who arrested him and lots and lots of money this guy had been saving up. They buried him with this money because it was looked upon as evil money that was worthless to the community or something like that. So . . . ever since people found out about it they've been digging outside this cemetary--nothing has been found--rumor is the Catholic church moved him
inside the cemetery so that robbers couldn't steal from him.
The Treasure of Bluff Creek
Back where I am from there is this little tiny river known as Bluff Creek that goes just by the town of Bluffton. Supposedly some robbers were fleeing through the area after a recent heist. Upon realizing they could not escape with the amount of gold they carried on horseback, they buried it in Bluff Creek. The robbers were killed during their flight and their buried gold is supposedly still buried in Bluff Creek. The creek, from where it starts from a swamp or something to where it ends at the Leaf, is only about 10 miles long and somewhere in it is supposed to be a lot of money.
The Carlton High School Ghost
In my small high school back in Carlton we have an old ghost tale, it's about a depressed band teacher who hanged himself above our performance stage a long time ago and sometimes you can hear him walking around in the room and moaning. Well, one night after we had gotten done with play practice me and a couple of buddies had a good idea. Go home and get a Owedji board and to up to the room with a couple of girls we know. Well, before we did that we sent up another guy to hide, and when we "summon the spirits" he is going to jump out. So about 10:30 we go up to the dark room above the stage where the teacher hanged himself and we sat down and started on the board. When he jumped out the girls ran screaming to their cars. The girls didn't talk to us for a week.
Satan's Barn
In Hallock, MN, where I'm from, there is a story of a
place called Satan's Barn. It is on a dirt road that
winds into a small woods. There is a rope hanging
from the ceiling up in the hayloft. Supposedly some
man who was possessed by the devil hung himself
there. Some people say on certain nights you can
see his ghost in the barn.
I don't think the story is true, but all the kids from that
area have at one time or another visited the place at
night to see if it tale is true.
Pick City Pump Station
Here's a legend that's not so legendary. As far as I know, its only a few years old (2 or so) and known by only about a half dozen people.
Apparently, out around Pick City, near Morning Star Campground, there is an old abandoned water pumping station. I had never heard of a pumping station before so I had to be told about what they were. From what I gather, they are more or less large community wells. The building on the site is quite small (20' by 20' or less) but they extend outward and downward once underground. There are stairs going down, and passages that lead outward in various directions. The bottom level is basically where the water table starts and the water is brought to the surface for us to use. According to my friends, if you're on the lowest level, there is an underground man-made "lake" that spans in either direction so far that the ends cannot be seen. Well, here is the "legend" of the Pick City Pump Station.
My friends have made several trips to this station and have described it to me. When you enter the first level, there are lockers that held the tools etc. of the workers that worked there. It looks like they left in quite a rush because most of the lockers still contain various things like gloves, tools, etc. After breaking a lock or two and going into the lower levels, my friends were met with quite a surprise. It looked like the station had once been used as a haunted house. There were homemade coffins laying around, dummies hanging from the ceiling, and makeshift body-bags on the floor. things like this were spread throughout the levels of the station. There is also graffiti on the walls and above doors stating things such as "Hell Awaits" and other satanic messages.
This is obviously a creepy place considering its underground and even at mid-day, its pitch dark inside. But its easy to believe that the different things I described are just remnants of a teenage haunted house. However, on my friends last visit to the station, a police officer saw them before they were about to enter. He stopped them and said that he wouldn't go in there if he were them. He said that it was rumored that there was a cult that practiced rituals in the station and that lately they were finding dead animals inside. He also mentioned that the cult may be connected to a double teenage suicide/homicide in the area and that the investigation into that case was being re-opened.
Is any of this true? I don't know, but I intend to find out. We are planning a little expedition this spring to go and see what this station is all about. If any of you know anything, drop me a line. I would be interested in hearing what you have to say.
Glowing Graves
There is a story in my hometown of Wheaton, MN about "The Glowing
Graves," which is a cemetery between Wheaton and Browns Valley
called Lakeview Cemetery that overlooks Lake Traverse. The story is
that there are two big headstones in the corner of the cemetery that
glow on certain nights. And there's another story about some sort of
devil worshipping cult that hangs around there once in a while. A
couple of my friends and I made three or four trips up there during
high school but we didn't see any cults or glowing graves. But there
are others who claim to have seen both the cults and glowing graves.
So I'm sure some weekend when my friends and I are bored we'll be
taking another trip to the "Glowing Graves," but I won't believe it until I
see it.
The Kathryn Bridge
well this tale you might not believe because
actually only about 20 people know about this. There
is a railroad bridge near kathryn, nd, and on certain
nights you can see a ghost like girl standing up
there. People have asked the older adults if there
was anyone killed up there or jumped off the bridge
and died and they said not that they know of. this
is one tale. there are a couple more but i will tell
them later
Vergus Trails
Perfect time of year for these kind of stories huh? Well there is a little
story that is local to my area "Detroit Lakes" There is set of snomowbile
trails called "vergus trails" just south of Vergus MN well half ways down
the trails is a small semetary and an old abandoned farm. I guess the whole
family in the farm were killed or something and they are buried in the
semetary... well it is usually a good "Friday night road trip" location. I
guess there are many stories about it. One being that there is a windmill at
the farm that seems to spin at 90 miles per hour even when there isn't
wind....and alot of other weird things...also in a small town called battle
lake MN there is an old abandoned pig farm. And on this pig farm there was
an old couple that were taking care of there grand kids...well the story
goes like this, The kids went down to the barn to see the pigs and fell in
and got trampled and died. Well to this day on breezy days you can hear the
pigs squilling and in the background you can hear the kids crying and
screaming.....kinda freaking I think
Palmer House
In my home town of Sauk Centre Minnesota there is a hotel called the Palmer House. Supposably this place is haunted. One of the rooms is called the red room, or at least it was before the owners renovated the building. On Halloween the upstairs was always opened up for kids to go up and see this room. The walls are supose to drip blood because someone was murdered in there. At least that's what the kids my age were told. I don't know any real facts about the place, but it was lots of fun on Halloween growing up.
Lover's Lane
I am from Fordville, ND, and I live near Pisek. There is a road near Pisek
called Lover's Lane. There are trees all along both sides of the road, and
they go over the road so it looks like you are going through a cave. I
can't remember the whole story, but if you go there at night, lock your
doors, and shut the car off, a little boy comes and knocks on your door.
There is something about a couple of people hanging themselves there, too,
but I can't remember what that was all about. I know there are some other
people in this class that are from towns near there, so maybe they know more
about it.
Grim Reaper
I am from Fredonia, ND, and went to school in Ashley. I live on a farm by
this old farm church known as the Berlin Baptist Church. For many years it
has been thought to have a resident known as the Grim Reaper. I know you
have all probably heard of him or her, but legend has it that he lives in
this area. It has gone on to say that if you see him, death will soon
follow. One Halloween a man was driving home and claims the Reaper jumped
out from behind a hay bale in front of his car. . . . He claims he saw and he
lives. I don't really know if I believe in the legend of my own community
since for the first 18 years of my life I lived a mere mile from the church
and on the federal aid road number nine. I drove the road for many years,
late at night, and I guess you all know. . . I'm still alive.
(Follow-up) I have also heard of the Grim Reaper that "lives" on federal aid road #9. My ex-boyfried Ryan lives about 10 miles away from the road, and supposedly on a night that there is a full moon he is out running about. There are some grain bins along a road in the area, and Ryan has said that he or someone he knew has seen the Grim Reaper run across the road and between these grain bins. He was wearing black and carrying an object supposedly. The person that has seen this is still alive.
Also one night Ryan was at home watching TV, and his dog started barking. When he looked at the dog, it was staring into the kitchen and couldn't be quieted.
I don't know how true these are, but I have heard of them just the same.
(Follow-up) All right everyone, here is my story. Some of you might remember me saying I'm from Fredonia in my intro. If you read the legends, you probably read about someone from Fredonia who wrote about the Grim Reaper. I have heard the story about the Grim Reaper haunting the church and stuff, but I've never heard the story about him jumping out at cars. The story I know goes a lot more like this, and it is a true story. Back in the 1970s there was a couple who got married in the Berlin Baptist Church, and had the reception in Fredonia which is like 10 miles north of the church on the county road. A guy who lived in by Ashely was on his way home from the reception. There is a really big lake by the church and the highway tails around it for over a mile with sharp turns. He was about a half mile past the church when he rolled his car by the last turn and was killed. The legend has it that at night
you can see him walking in a white robe along the stretch of highway that goes around the lake. People have claimed to have seen him walking, but I've never seen it. I know the story is true because my aunt grew up on a farm across the big lake and she has gone to that church her whole life. Her family went to the wedding and that night after she got home she seen car lights that were not moving on the other side of the lake. She figured it was a parked car along the highway. She didn't know what it really was until the next morning when someone found the guy. She still drives that road frequently, but has never seen his ghost walking. It's kinda wierd because all these things really did happen and she can prove it, except for the part about his ghost walking along. If I find any more out about who has supposedly seen the ghost I'll let you guys know.
Legend of Sica Hollow
I am from Lake City SD. It is a small town with
a population of about fifty. There is a place about
ten miles from there called Sica Hollow. It is a state
park with a stream and a bunch of trees and trails
for walking and hiking. There is also an Indian Burial
Ground on top of one of the hills. Legend has it that if
you stay out there during the night, you hear voices and
chanting and may even see an Indian Spirit. I haven't heard
of anyone brave enough to stay all night. I think this summer
me and some friends are going to pitch a tent on top of the hill
and see what we can find out. Would anyone like to join? We
could bring a video camera and call it the Sica Hollow Project.
Skinner Hill
My friend was telling me about this "legend" in Sawyer, ND. There is this
hill called Skinner Hill, and when my friend was younger she asked her mother
why it was called this name. Her mom told her that 2 people were buried at
the bottom, Old Man Skinner and his wife. Her mother took her to the hill
and showed her the gravesites. No one can read the names on the tombstones.
They apparently died in a car accident at the bottom and from that day on
the hill was named after them. On the day after Halloween, the heavy
gravestones are found to be tipped over and no one knows how that could
happen.
Witch House in Beardsley
I'm from Beardsley, MN, which is a dinky town in the middle of nowhere.
Anyways--a legend from my hometown was that there was this house that an old
witch haunted. Some of my friends and I went in there once about 10 years ago,
and there were really wierd drawings on the walls, except one, the west wall
in what we assumed was the dining room once upon a time. There were
newspapers all over the floor. The west wall with no drawings on it had
dried baby food on it. Anyways--the legend was that the old witch lived
there when the town first got started, then she kept bringing men into her
home and seducing them to have children. The men made it home safely, but
died shortly thereafter. Anyways--the house burned down right after I
graduated--they decided that the house was just an eyesore--it was right on
highway 28 that went thru town. I went to see Blair Witch Project this
summer, and the house in my hometown was exactly the same as the one in the
movie. I don't know if they were just designed the same or what, but that
was the only part of the movie that freaked me out.
Rolling Uphill in Hutchinson
I am from Hutchinson, MN, which is about an hour straight west of the Twin
Cities. Well, there was a haunted hill that was maybe about 15 minutes out
of town that everyone used to talk about. Apparently the site of this hill
was a great Indian Massacre. You would drive the base of the hill, put your
car in neutral and turn off the ignition. Then your car would roll up the
hill. The legend stated that it was the ghosts of the Indians that were
pushing you.
The Lunatic's Spoons
Every year I go camping on Lake Bel Tain, Camper's Paradise, on Goat Island
in Nevis, Minnesota. When I was twelve, my uncle told my cousin and I a
story about an escaped lunatic. He was known for roaming the Heartland
Trail, which is a famous pedestrian path that goes through Nevis, and the
tiny town of Dorset (population zero), which is actually a tourist town on the
path. Well, one summer a women was walking on the path at night and the
guy jumped out of the woods, and gouged her eyes out with two spoons he
stole from a resturant. . . . My cousin and I were walking from the privies
back to our site late one night. We only had one flashlight and it kept
cutting out. We were a few sites away from ours and we heard some rustling
in the bushes. We shined the light on the bushes and saw two eyes, then
the light cut out and we saw a spoon in the middle of the road reflecting
the moonlight. . . . We found out the next morning that it was my uncle hiding
in the bushes trying to scare us. . . . To date I never walk that path without
a pair of chopsticks to counter the lunatic's spoons.
An Electrical Problem on the Vargas Trails
I am from near Detroit Lakes MN, which is about 45 minutes east
of here on US Highway 10. Near Detroit Lakes is a cluster of
minimum maintenance roads called The Vergas Trails. Stories about
the trails have been told of witches and runaway trains for
years. I never really got into all the hype until my junior year
in high school. I was cruising DL with my friend and his girl
friend on a summer night. Because of our extreme boredom, they
decided to take me to The Vergas Trails. So off we went. I hadn't
noticed a thing until they directed me to the old cemetery that
lies on a small hill. I was feeling 10 feet tall and bullet proof
so I suggested we stroll to the cemetery gate. When we got about
10 feet up the hill, my car's headlights cut out. I tried every
thing to get them to work but to no avail. We decided to start
driving (with all the doors locked in complete darkness in a maze
of minimum maintenace rds). About 15 minutes later my headlights
came back on & I never had a problem with them again. --TRUE
STORY
The Fatal Stump
I am from Belfield ND. There is a legend about an old tree stump in the
Lutheran cemetary which is up the road from my house called the devil's
chair. In the early 80s people would party out in the cemetery. One
night 3 guys all sat in this tree stump. Within a month they all died
strange deaths. All were in their early twenties. One died in a car
accident, one had a heart attack, and the other died in a skiing accident.
If you look at the tree stump it looks like a chair or a wicked throne.
So they say if you sit in the chair you will pretty die very soon. None
of my friends or myself have ever sat in the thing.
Gas Chamber in Hatton
I have a legend to tell about the Hatton area. Back in the woods
along the Goose River there is an old abandoned house and family cemetary.
The family's last name is Oss. There are many legends about this family.
One is that they had a gas chamber in their basement and they used it to
kill people. Another is that the kids killed their parents by pushing
them out an upstairs window. The best one is that the kids robbed a bank
a long time ago and buried the money in the family cemetery so that they
wouldn't get caught. There is an old car down by the house that the kids
supposedly stole. Then they bought a bunch of monkeys from a circus and
put them in the car. Finally they took dinner forks and stabbed all of
the monkeys to death.
I know for sure that the gas chamber legend is false because I
have been in the house since I only live about 5 miles from it.
(Reply) I'm from Northwood which is about 15 miles away from Hatton so I also know
the legend about the Oss Farm. I have heard some other additions to that
one. Rumor has it that when the mother died, they put her in her rocking
chair and continued to feed her for like the next 3 days. Also when the
father and the grandparents died, they buried them in the pig pen...even
though they have a cemetary out there. I've also been out to the farm
before and it's REALLY weird on the inside. There are tons of magazines,
letters, and old books on the floor. In quite a few of the rooms you can't
even see the floor. Just thought I'd add that about the farm.
Making a Splash in Minot
Minot High School is one school but with two buildings. Magic
City houses grades 11 and 12 and Central houses 9 and 10. Central
was built around 1910 and housed all four grades until the 1970s.
Apparently Central once had a swimming pool underneath the risers
that form the theatre or what everyone calls "the pit." It is a
real dark and seldom-used area of the school. The reason that the
pool no longer exists is this: Sometime, probably in the late
1950s, a group of intoxicated seniors, practicing the ritual
"freshman friday" tied a small freshman scapegoat to a chair and
threw him in the pool. Since the pool was so secluded and seldom
used even then, no one could hear him screaming, and it would be
about three days before he was found by a janitor. Before I
entered high school, I was told that kids who would be walking
around the pit area (alone) would tell of hearing screams and
splashing, even though there is no swimming pool there today. . . .
(Reply) I'd just like to add that the one about Minot High School and the secret
pool/drowned guy sounds really familiar. At my high school in Pipestone MN
there was supposed to have been a pool underneath the stage in the
auditorium at some point in the school's history, and there was some vague
drowning story involved there, too, though not as developed as the Minot one.
Just thought it was odd that the pools had been in the same place in both
schools, hmmmm. . . .
Legends of Pipestone
Also there's legends concerning Pach's cemetery near Pipestone (I think the
spelling's right on that). It's an old abandoned one where supposedly an
unusually large amount of children are buried (haven't been out there myself
so I'm not sure). But anyway, if you were cool in high school, you'd go out
there at night and various weird things were supposed to happen, like the
ground getting warm around some of the graves, children's voices, etc.
Ooh ooh, another one, although I'm not sure if this really qualifies. . .
there has never been a tornado (or at least an on-the-ground one) in the
Pipestone area, supposedly because the area is sacred ground protected by
Native American spirits or something of that sort.
Vikings in North Dakota
While I was attending NDSU Bottineau, I heard of this myth
that the Vikings had actually been in the Turtle Mountains of North
Dakota back when Lake Souris was there. It's been told that there has
been 3 sites found where the ships where tied up (something about some
rock that were used). This would put white explorers here way before
our history books tell. Also it was said that some farmer found a
Viking sword while plowing in his field.
Something Odd in Absaraka
I am writing because I am wondering if a story I have
qualifies as a good story. OK, here we go. . .
A few friends and I heard a rumor about something odd in the
town of Absaraka, ND. We had also heard that it was
featured on the "Unsolved Mysteries" television show. We had
heard that strange things were going on in the old abandoned
Methodist Church.
So, ten of us went to the site, not too far away from where
we live. We walked up to the church to find many lights around
it, and a big NO TRESSPASSING sign on the side of the church. We
also noticed that many of the windows were boarded up. But one
window was only half boarded up. It was pretty high up, so we
went all the way to the road to look into the window. At first
we saw something that was a reflection from the street lamp that
was glowing above us. Then we focused inside the dark void, and
to our astonishment, we saw a gigantic glowing cross! We knew
that it was inside, because we could not see all of it, and it
moved in the window when we would move from side to side, as if
it was inside the church. People that have made it inside in the
daylight tell us there is nothing inside the church except for
dust and cobwebs. After that, it's hard to go back because
townspeople dislike people snooping around and drive us away.
(I have proof on videotape, if you would like to see.)
Return to Absaraka
I just read the legends page and the one about Absaraka struck a
chord with me. I grew up about 5 miles from Absaraka and played
little league baseball there. I have heard about this
phenomenon before and I have seen it also. It's only unexplained
in the rumors, the people who live around there know what causes
it. There is a street light near the church at just the right
angle to reflect thru the windows (the windows were made to do
this with a cross design in the glass). You can no longer see
this "phenomenon," though, the windows were boarded up
long ago and the church may be torn down now (I'm not sure).
Sorry for taking away the mystery of this story.
Absaraka Again?
There is a town about 45 minutes from Fargo called Absaraka. There is an
abandoned church there that has supposedly been on Unsolved Mysteries. The
story behind the church is that if you look through the windows there is a
glowing cross that hovers in the middle of the church. There are windows on
all four sides of the church, and no matter what window you look through the
cross is alway facing you. A few years ago and lady and her boyfriend
killed themselves. The story was linked to the glowing cross, they were
supposedly worshipping it. The church windows are now boarded up and the
locals chase people out of town who loiter around the church. Has anyone
ever heard this story before? I've heard that there is a cross hanging
from the ceilling and it glows only when there is a full moon because the
moon light shines through the steeple. I guess the cross is made of green
stained glass, but wouldn't Unsolved Mysteries be able to figure this out if
it is true?
(Reply) I grew up in Casselton, which isn't too far from Absaraka. We drove out
there many times to see the cross, but never did. And last time I was out
there the windows weren't boarded up at all. And I never heard the story
of the lady and her boyfriend killing themselves. Some people I went to
high school with swear they could see the cross though.
(Reply) I went out there three times this summer. The windows were boarded up
everytime time I was there. A friend of mine tried to pull them off once,
but he couldn't. I never saw the cross either. The lady I was referring to
that killed herself did this about two or three years ago. She and her
boyfriend were from Lisbon. It was on the news and in the papers. Funny
you didn't hear about.
(Follow-up) I found out I was wrong about the girlfriend and boyfriend both killing
themselves. The boyfriend killed himself, but the girlfriend didn't. They
did it in the Fort Ransom area, which isn't too far from Lisbon. I think the
girl is in the Jamestown hosipital know.
(Follow-up) It happened about two or three years ago. The two people were kind of
insane. I guess their "religion" had told them to do it, or something like
that.
(Reply) In response to the legend of the churgh with the glowing green cross. I
have been there and seen it. It is not on only the full moon that the cross
glows, it is on every night even if there isn't a moon. I have also been in
the church, and as soon as you go into the church the cross stops glowing.
By the way the glowing cross is not located in the middle of the church, it
is closer to the picture of Jesus Christ.
(Still More) Along with other tripped out stories here is another one about the "haunted
church of Absaraka". Absaraka is about 45 miles west of Fargo along the interstate. You have to
exit off and go along all these little country roads to find it but its
there. One night in high school me and some of my friends fed off a special
on unsolved mysteries on tv. They talked about this little white church in
Absaraka that is apparently haunted. They said that in the middle of the
church there was a glowing cross, and no matter which way you look at it, it
always faces you. So we took off from Fargo and went out to Absaraka pretty
late at night. Once we got off the interstate we started following the
signs towards Absaraka. We had been going for what seemed along time and
couldn't find it. Suddenly we came upon a railroad crossing, and we could
see the head-light of a train coming so we stopped. We waited for a while
but a train never came so the fear began. We finally made it out to the
church, and it looked as haunting as it had been portrayed. There were four
of us and we were all too freaked out to go up there, but we finally got out
and investigated the church. We got back into Fargo and stopped as the
excitement rushed over all of us. Someone looked at the back of the jimmy
we went in, and saw dozens of handprints all over the back.....
The Ghost of the Aberdeen Arena
I have a ghost story from my high school. In our arena we have catwalks
above the gym floor were janitors and stuff walk up there and make sure
everything is ok. Anyways, in the 1960s during one of the "Pop, Popcorn,
and Pops" choir concerts a janitor was up on the catwalks throwing
balloons down on the audience. Well, he fell off and died. Now people
say that his ghost still lives in the arena. He has his own chair. It
is something like Section 0, row C, seat 13 or something.
If you are wondering, the high school is Aberdeen Central High in Aberdeen,
South Dakota.
(Reply) Hey! I've heard the story of the ghostly janitor from
Aberdeen Central. I graduated from
Aberdeen Roncalli in 1995. I just thought I'd let you know that I knew
what you were talking about. Some of my friends even claimed they had
seen the ghostly janitor while practicing before one of the big Aberdeen
Roncalli versus Aberdeen Central basketball games. Thanks for the story!!!
(Another Reply) I am from Aberdeen, SD, but I attended Roncalli, so I had never heard of
the ghost of Central High School. I talked to some friends this weekend who
went to Central and they all confirmed his presence. One of my friends was
a janitor at the CHS and hated working alone in the arena.
Big Paddlefish
(Paraphrase, from notes of oral account in class) They had a crew of welders, scuba divers,
working on the gates of the dam at Lake Sakakawea. But they saw these big paddlefish down
there, and so they came out and refused to go back in again. Finally they had to bring a shark
cage out so they could work down there.
I heard this from two different guys.
The Rugaroo (and His Friends)
Where I am from, there is a legend about the Rugaroo. It is supposedly this wolf-like creature that is only around during lent. According to the Indian heritage, if you are Catholic and don't follow the rules of lent this Rugaroo will hunt you down and kill you. Many people have had family visited supposedly.
There is an old convent in Belcourt that is now abandoned, and people have said that if you go in, no matter how careful you are about taking the same path, you always end up somewhere different. My sister is a really big chicken, and she and some of her friends went out there on night in the winter. She chose to stay in the car. The snow was really hard and crunched when you stepped on it, she claimed to have heard someone stepping on the snow, but no one was there. I don't know what happened out there to make it haunted, but it is really creepy even in the day.
There is also and old mental institution near Belcourt called San Haven. It has been closed for many years, but people who've been up there say you can still hear people crying and yelling.
In my area there are many haunted houses. One is in Sarles, ND. It was a doctor's house, anyway a family moved in and their young daughter got really sick. One night she was crying in her crib when her dad walked in and saw a man standing over her. The next morning she was fine.
There is another one in St. John, ND, that a friend of mine lived in. She was babysitting her little brother and sister and heard banging in the kitchen. When she walked in all the cupboards were open just a crack.
That's all that I can think of right now, but I know there are more.
The Moonies
OK so anyone who lives out by Jamestown ND knows about
the cemetary along Highway 20, and the stories of the
statue of the Virgin Mary in it. Some people say that
on nights if you walk up to it, its eyes will glow.
Other strange things have happened. Some have said
that when they drive buy, her normally outreached arms
and hands, would be down at her sides. And on
Christmas Eve, actually it was Christmas morning then,
I was driving home from midnight mass in Jamestown, and
while I was driving up to the cemetary the lights that
usually always shine on it at night, were off, when I
got right across from it the lights turned on, then as
I looked in the mirror, the lights were off.
Another is about the Moonies that live north of
Pingree. The go out in the ditches along this road and
when some one drives by they throw a cat out in the
road to make people stop, and when they do they come
out in sheets to scare the people. Well anyone from
the country knows that nobody will brake for a cat, if
anything they will speed up to hit it. So I had to
drive down that road once and sure enough there was
about 20 dead cats on the road. I think they finally
moved out though cause there hasnt been anymore reports
of the Moonies.
One of my own personal ones is about the house that has
been in my family for a long time. Ever since the
Manleys moved to Pingree they had the farm there. Well
my dad grew up in that house, and we lived there for
awhile, then moved out and no one lived there for a
long time, but my uncle still farms the land so it was
kinda kept up. Well I work for my uncle now, and I
live in the house again since if I dont they are gonna
tear it down. Well so it was summer, and there was a
major lightning storm, and I kept hearing the cattle
bellaring outside, so I figured there was something
wrong. The next morning I went to check, but there was
no cattle at the farm, they were all out at the
pasture. The creepy thing is though, is that my great
grandpa, who lived on the farm, died from being struck
by lightning while trying to get the cattle in.
(Reply) I have also heard of the "Moonies." Living just north
of Pingree in the small town of Carrington, ND, I spent
a few interesting nights on a few back roads near
Pingree in search of the "Moonies." Unfortunately my
friends and I only came across a couple deer and other
wild life but the legend still remains. It didn't stop
us from dressing up in white sheets and scaring the
hell out of half of our school on Oct. 31st.
(Another Reply) Actually we had heard stories of dead cats on the
highways as well but we had nothing to do with that.
We had heard so many stories about the "moonies" that
we would dress up as them for Halloween. We had
nothing to do with the dead cats.
Cherokee Park
I don't know how much this really deals with the Great
Plains being as it took place in the mountains above
my home in Colorado, but I think it envolved a tribe
that dwelled a little in the plains, the Cherokee
Indians. Now this part of the story is fact, theres
books on it. Up in this place that is now named
Cherokee park, a tribe of the Cherokee was living in
the mountains for the summer. One night a rival tribe
the Utes ambushed there camp at night and basically
slaughtered the whole village, which added up was
about 2500 indians, many were women and children. Now
anything after this could be bullshit, but I don't
know. You see my buddy owns some land up by this now
historical place. We go camping up there every now
and then. This park is like 30 miles from the nearest
sign of civilization, you need four wheel drive in the
summer to get into the park. Some of the locals who I
think don't get out much swear that the ghosts of the
Cherokee still haunt the place. People have told us
that they've seen these ghost indians who are
supposedly a grennish color. Now I don't know about
any of that, but the old campsite which your not
allowed into anymore still contains very visible,
untouched skeletal remains (this is a fact). Where we
camp is about 400 yds from the clearing where this
massacre took place. Now weither the ghosts are real
or not this is the eriest damn place I have ever been.
Your scared just being there type place. I've never
seen anything fishy, but I don't think I've slept a
wink when we go up there.
The Haunted School of Pequot Lakes
Hi everyone! Since Halloween is fast approaching I decided to tell all
you guys about the legend of a haunted school around my hometown.
My hometown is Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. The haunted school is probably
about 15-20 minutes away. It has been closed for a very long time. It is to
be said that the principal was so stressed that he hung himself in the
auditorm late one dark and gloomy night. The next day there was an assembly
for the entire school in the auditurm. No one knew where the principal was
until they opened the curtains to start the assembly and there he was
hanging. Several years later they tried to forget about what happened and
kept the school opened, but too many strange, weird, and spooky things kept
on happening so they were forced to close the school. Now, a bunch of kids
from my school go to the haunted school to see what actully goes on in
there. The stories I have heard are that there is a big blood spot under
where the principal was hung. Also that you can hear foot steps walking on
the auditurm floor even though there is no one there, and that you can
actually feel spirits around you. One guy from my school went into the
basement of this school, he said you could feel a spirit walking around you
and he said that he could see a light at the end of the hallway. Everyone
who has walked into that school claim they have never been so scared in they
entire life. Most of the people run out of there screaming. Crazy, I can't
dream of walking into that school, haunted or not. Who knows if it is
actaully true or not. If you talk to they people who have been in there they
would say they beleive in ghosts even if they didn't before. But that is the
legend of my hometown.
Gordon the Janitor
In my hometown of Becker, MN our school has this legend of Gordon the janitor. He was apparently up on the catwalk one night changing a stage light in the auditorium, when the ciruit sparked, and he fell off of the catwalk and fell to his death. Some people still claim they see and hear things up there when it is really dark because he used to live in the school and slept up on the catwalk. It's pretty weird, but most of these types of stories are huh?
Dumb Story
I have another story about a haunted cemetary. Here's how the story goes. There's this cemetary near by my hometown. Of course like most cemetaries it is said to be haunted. I don't really believe it but I know some weird things have happened by the cemetary. There's all kinds of stories about how people's pets have died in that cemetary. I'm not sure if it's just kids killing people's pets and throwing them in there for a joke or what. There's more stories about some kids were playing in there one day and one of them fell in a hole and broke his leg. I think he was just clumsy. It's kind of a dumb story that I think some old guy made up one day but it's all I have.
Weird Stuff in Rugby
In my home town of Rugby, ND there is a house that is said to be haunted.
Last Halloween we went out to the house and looked around. On the bathroom
door, there is an outline of what looks like a ghost that ran into the door.
An old lady still lives in the house. One time the local newspaper was
going to do a story on the haunted house and then wierd stuff started
happening. The old lady said the stuff has been happening for years, but
when the paper wanted to do the story, the stuff started happening more.
The ghost started opening and slamming doors, and turning on and off the
lights. There is also a story that one Christmas the family was out there
and all the kids were playing upstairs. The kids heard a rocking chair in
the attick and went up there to check it out. When they got in the attick,
the chair was still rocking but there was no one up there. The house is
really cool, but it was kinda creepy being in there last Halloween.
The Lost Schoolmarm
Around my home town of Sauk Centre, MN we also have the popular glowing
grave phemona. I have heard of this all through out my life, but I believe
it to be just the way light strikes certain headstones in the graveyard.
It is quite popular in my town and most people have some theories on it. I
believe it to be nothing more than what each person is to make of it.
On a more personal note my family owns land where a ghost roams. In the
1920s or so there was a logging camp, complete with schoolhouse, on or near
the property. The story goes that one night the young school teacher was
cooking supper in the back of the school building and some people came to
talk to her. All they found was pork chops in a frying pan. They assumed
nothing because the chops were not burnt and thought she was answering
natures call. When they came back later the chops were burnt and there
still was no sign of the teacher.
The next day a search party was formed, but they never found a trace of
her again. From there the rest gets fuzzy, but the story believes that she
was either attacked by a bear or some loggers kipnapped her and eventually
killed her. I figure it was loggers because if a bear was that hungry it
would have ate the source of the scent that lured it to the area, being the
chops in the pan.
As a kid I was reminded of this story just about every night that we
grilled. Most people that spend enough time up there will admit to hearing
some very strange noises in the night though...
