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The Legend of the Ute Spirits of the Mist on the Grand Lake

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On misty mornings on the Grand Lake in the Rocky Mountain National park in Colorado, it is said that the ghosts of the Ute tribe are haunting the cursed water after drowning in it after a bloody battle.

“Since that dark night when the storm frowned,
And night her mantle had thrown around,
The ghosts of the warriors lain,
Rise up from their graves again,
Again in battle line they stand,
The dead chief leading his command.
They then engage in deadly fight
And stop not till the morning light;
For at the first faint streak of day
These ghostly forms will fade away.
By Joseph L. Wescott as told by an old Ute Chief

Rocky Mountain National Park, located in northern Colorado, is a breathtaking expanse of wilderness encompassing over 415 square miles of rugged mountains, alpine lakes, and diverse ecosystems. Established in 1915, the park is renowned for its stunning vistas, including the towering peaks of the Continental Divide and the picturesque Trail Ridge Road, which offers panoramic views from over 12,000 feet above sea level. Visitors to the park can explore over 350 miles of hiking trails, encounter a rich variety of wildlife such as elk, bighorn sheep, and black bears, and experience the serene beauty of lush meadows and dense forests. 

The park also houses many of the infamous haunted places, like the real hotel that inspired Stephen King’s iconic novel, The Shining.

Read More: Check out the ghost stories from The Haunted History of The Stanley Hotel, the hotel in the Shining is based on.

Within the majestic beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park, where peaks touch the heavens and valleys cradle secrets, lies a tale that weaves through the landscape like the mist that graces its peaks. 

Rocky Mountains: On misty mornings in the rocky mountain national park by Grand Lake, it is said that the ghost of the Ute Spirits from a bloody battle is still haunted the now cursed lake.

The Ute Tribe on the Grand Lake

Legend speaks of a group of Utes who, centuries ago, established a camp near the serene Grand Lake. This is Colorado’s largest natural body of water and in the time when the natives occupied the land, it was known as Spirit Lake. There are many stories around this lake, some claiming that the spirit of a mighty buffalo is roaming the lake when it is frozen, only leaving hoof prints behind.  

But the most haunted story about the Grand Lake is the Legend of the Ute Spirits. Where the tribe originally came from is uncertain, could they have come from the Great Basin or Mexico? Perhaps they were descendants of the Paleo-Indians who used to hunt mammoths and mastodons in the area. In any case, they held a stronghold in the Western slope of the Rockies for a long time. The nomadic tribes spent their summers in the area until the land was taken by the U.S government in 1803. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

The indigenous had lived in the area for thousands of years and the Ute tribe was primarily at the west side of the park around Grand Lake and Lake Granby. They were hunters and gatherers and migrated every season on the hunting grounds along the Western slope of the Continental Divide.

The Ute People: In addition to their ancestral lands within Colorado and Utah, their historic hunting grounds extended into current-day Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico. The tribe also had sacred grounds outside their home domain that were visited seasonally. Group of Ute Indians on the War Path. 1868. Andrew J. Russell, photographer.

This picturesque scene, however, would soon be marred by tragedy. The Utes found themselves unexpectedly ambushed by a rival tribe, the Arapahos and possibly the Cheyenne as well. The Arapahos were a neighboring tribe, originally from present day Canada who had migrated to the present day Colorado around 1790 because of conflict with their neighbors. They mostly settled in the eastern part of the park, and conflict between the two tribes escalated.

Originally they mostly fought over hunting ground, but after gold was found in Colorado in 1858, both of the tribes were pushed further away and confined them to reservations and by 1878, the Arapaho tribe were pushed into a reservation in Wyoming and Oklahoma, and the Ute pushed into the southwest corner of Colorado and Utah. 

Ute Camp: Prior to living on reservations, Utes shared land with other tribal members according to a traditional societal property system. Instead of recognizing this lifestyle, the U.S. government provided allotments of land. The Utes were intended to farm the land, which also was a forced vocational change. Utes were forced to perform manual labor, relinquish their horses, and send their children to American Indian boarding schools. Almost half of the children sent to boarding school in Albuquerque died in the mid-1880s, due to tuberculosis or other diseases. Photo: Charles Craig, Uncompahgre Ute Indian Camp, 1893

But before the land was completely lost to them, there was fighting around the Grand Lake and evidence of fighting on the west side of the lake and maybe the east side close to Moraine Park. The Arapaho entered the area through Forest Canyon, avoiding detection by Ute scouts.

According to stories, around 300 Utes were killed, with few being able to escape. In a desperate bid to escape the violence, the women and children of the Ute tribe embarked on a canoe or some sort of raft, seeking refuge from the impending danger.

As fate would have it, a sudden gust of wind, an unseen force, disrupted the waters and capsized the canoe, plunging its occupants into the icy depths. The lake, once a source of solace, became a watery grave, claiming the lives of those who sought refuge on its surface.

The Ute Spirits on the Lake

The Ute, grief-stricken and haunted by the memories of that ill-fated day, came to view Grand Lake as a cursed place. They shunned its shores, steering clear of the watery abyss that held the echoes of their collective tragedy. The misty mornings that embraced the lake seemed to carry the whispers of the lost Ute women and children, their spirits forever entwined with the ethereal elements of the landscape.

Read More: Check out all haunted Lakes

Today, visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park may find themselves enraptured by the mist-kissed mornings, where the veil between the seen and the unseen grows thin. The legend holds that you can still see ghostly forms in the morning mist rising from the lake and hear the wailing of the lost women and children beneath the winter ice. 

It is also said that during these moments, the spirits of the Ute women and children manifest, their ghostly figures beckoning onlookers to join them in the depths of the lake.

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References:

The Legend Of Grand Lake | KRKY Ski Country 

The Ute Legend of Grand Lake | Grand County History Stories 

Native American History of Rocky Mountain National Park – Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides 

https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ETG19140711.2.21&e=——-en-20–1–img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA——–0——

Rocky Mountain National Park: An Indigenous History 

The Legend of Grand Lake 

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The Ghost of the Farmer of Norton Creek Trail

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In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a ghostly lantern is said to haunt the Norton Creek Trail. It is said that the helpful light, guiding lost hikers to safety is the ghost of a farmer who died years ago when looking for his lost daughter. 

The eerie beauty of the Fontana area you will find the Norton Creek Trail that holds a chilling legend that has both fascinated and frightened locals and visitors for generations. Not only does the area hold over 200 known cemeteries along the trail, it is also said that the area is haunted. As you tread along this path, you might witness a ghostly light floating in the woods, an ethereal glow that has become the cornerstone of a haunting tale.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

Norton Creek Trail, nestled within the stunning expanse of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offers hikers a serene yet eerie journey through lush forests and along the rippling Norton Creek. While the trail is known for its natural beauty, it is also shrouded in local folklore

The Legend of the Ghost Farmer

The story begins with a dedicated farmer, a man of the land whose life was irrevocably shattered when his beloved daughter disappeared into the dense, shadowy forests surrounding Norton Creek. 

What happened when the daughter went missing, no one ever found out. Perhaps she just wandered into the woods and got lost, perhaps she had an accident on her way og encountered an animal. Perhaps it was something worse, rooted in deep folklore from the natives. 

According to the stories, he was one of the European settlers and didn’t know about the stories about the notorious Spearfinger lurking in the woods according to the Cherokee tribes and most likely took his daughter. 

Desperate to find her, the farmer ventured into the night, carrying only a lantern to light his way. He never returned, and most likely died, perhaps finally being reunited with his daughter in the afterlife. 

Although, there are those claiming that his spirit remains in the same woods he disappeared, endlessly searching for his lost child.

The Legend of Spearfinger

But what took his daughter? Was she only lost in the woods, or something more ominous. Some stories claim that it was Spearfinger, a fearsome figure in Cherokee legend who took her. She is a monstrous being known for her stone-like skin and a long, razor-sharp finger made of obsidian, which she uses to cut out and consume the livers of her victims. 

Disguising herself as an old woman, Spearfinger would prey on unsuspecting children, luring them with her seemingly benign appearance before revealing her true, terrifying form. Then she would kill them and eat their liver. 

Read the whole story about The Cherokee Legend of Spearfinger in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Haunting of the Farmer on Norton Creek Trail

Those who have encountered the spectral light on Norton Creek Trail describe it as a beacon of hope in an otherwise foreboding landscape and the ghost of the farmer is said to lead people back on their path. 

If you find yourself lost or in need of guidance, the farmer’s ghostly lantern is said to lead you back to safety, guiding you to the trailhead where you can return to the world of the living. The light flickers and moves with an uncanny intelligence, as if driven by the farmer’s undying hope and paternal love.

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The Scariest Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains 

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The Cherokee Legend of Spearfinger in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Disguised as an old woman or a loved one, the liver eating Spearfinger has terrified the Cherokees for centuries. She hides in the mountain, attacking children to eat their livers.  

In the mist-laden embrace of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park between North Carolina and Tennessee lies a haunting tale, a Cherokee legend that weaves through the dense forests and shadowy trails under the misty mountain peaks. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

The legend of Spearfinger, or the U’tlun’ta in the Cherokee language meaning “she had it sharp’, is said to live in this area. According to Cherokee lore, Spearfinger is no ordinary witch; she is a sinister entity with a penchant for deception and a hunger for the flesh of unsuspecting children.

The Legend of Spearfinger

The legend unfolds along the winding paths of the Great Norton Creek Trail, trails along the Chilhowee Mountain and by Little Tennessee River. Among her favorite places she calls home is the thunder mountain, Whiteside.  

Spearfinger is said to disguise herself as a kindly grandmother or a family member of children she sees to sneak up on her victims. Dancing in clouds, she sang her favorite song with her raven friend:

Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.

Liver, I eat it. Su sa sai.

Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.

Armed with a finger that resembles a sharp, knife-like blade that looks like a spear or obsidian knife, she lures innocent children away from the safety of their homes and into the heart of the ancient woods. Once under her spell, Spearfinger reveals her true form, her mouth stained with blood from livers she has eaten and with her Nûñ’yunu’ï, which means “Stone-dress”, for her stone-like skin. With a single, fatal stroke, she cuts her victims and consumes their tender body parts.

Arrows cannot pierce her stone skin and she is strong, picking up boulders without any effort. She is also said to often clutch her right hand tightly, as she is hiding her heart in her palm, her only weak spot. 

Stories About Spearfinger

The Cherokee have traditionally been very cautious about strangers, and were suspicious of those who wandered off alone. They could come back as the liver-eater in disguise, and there were many stories about this. 

Some tales told about her deceiving people by hiding the victims after turning into them. She went to their families and waited until they were asleep so she could steal the children’s livers. 

Hunters in the woods told about an old woman with a strangely shaped hand, singing her song and scaring them so they ran off. Because Spearfinger is quick and doesn’t even leave a scar, making the victims ill before they die after a few days. 

When birds flock to the sky, villagers say it was her. Her presence was marked by the graceful dance of the birds, as if they were paying homage to her mysterious spirit. The villagers whispered about her shadowy figure, weaving tales of her mystical connection to the natural world.

The Spearfinger Place

But where did she come from? What is her purpose? Was she just a story parents told their children to keep out of woods and strangers? According to the storyteller, Kathi Littlejohn of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, she says that there are portals to the other worlds. The upper world of the creator, the middle world of humans and the underworld were creatures like Spearfinger comes from. 

Years ago, sometime in the 19th century, the Cherokee pinpointed the location where the ruins of Spearfinger’s Tree Rock remain, in Blount County, Tennessee. This area, rich with history and legend, is known as Nantahala. The Cherokee name for the place is U’Tluntun’yi, which means “The Spearfinger Place.” U’Tluntun’yi holds a significant place in Cherokee lore as it is believed to be where Spearfinger built a rock bridge that offended the higher spirits who struck it down with a bolt of lightning, giving her a body of rocks. 

The Death of Spearfinger

The Cherokee called a great council, including towns like Tomotley, Tenase, Setico, and Chota, which were haunted by the liver eater, Spearfinger. The medicine man, adawehi, revealed Spearfinger’s deception and proposed a trap: a pit covered with brush and a smoky fire. Spearfinger, drawn by the smoke, approached disguised as an old woman. Though initially mistaken for one of their own, the medicine man recognized her trick. Despite arrows breaking against her stone skin, Spearfinger fell into the pit, unharmed by the stakes. 

Birds descended to help; a titmouse misled them to aim at her chest, but a chickadee correctly indicated her right hand. The hunters severed her heart by hitting her wrist, ending her curse. Stone Man, her ally, dismissed the warning of her death and continued his ominous song. In gratitude, the chickadee was forever known as the “truth teller.” Cherokee storytellers still recount Spearfinger’s legend and mark where her stone form fell.

But even though the Cherokee claim to have killed the liver-eating witch of stone, there are still stories of her cackles and shrieks echoing through the mountains. The legend tells of how she would lure unsuspecting travelers into her lair with promises of shelter, only to devour their livers in a grotesque display of her insatiable hunger. Some say her spirit still haunts the darkest caves and craggy peaks, seeking vengeance for her demise.

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References:

The Cherokee Legend of Spearfinger 

Spearfinger – Wikipedia The terrifying legend of Spearfinger as told by a Cherokee storyteller

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The Ghostly Presence of Beverly at Lake Quinault Lodge

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At the old Lake Quinault Lodge in Olympic National Park, it is said that the ghost of Beverly, the former employee that died in a fire, still haunts the suit named after her.

Lake Quinault Lodge was built in a span over 10 weeks in 1926 and still stands like it did then in the middle of nature. The Lodge has drawn people wanting closer to nature for years but also bore witness to a tragic tale that left an indelible mark on its storied history. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from USA

This remote Lodge far from most things in the In the Pine peaks of Olympic National Park in Washington was built in 1926 and still today it cling to its rustic and spartan way of living with no internet and designed to socialize with other guests. A lot of the conversations are about  the designated house ghost, a former employee called Beverly. 

Lake Quinault Lodge : The old lodge said to be haunted by Beverly, the former housekeeper who died in a tragic fire. // Source: Flickr

The Haunting in The Beverly Suite

One time a guest was unpacking her bag inside of her booked room when she was suddenly face to face with a woman. The woman told her name was Beverly and that she worked at the hotel. The guest got so upset about the unannounced staff and went to complain to the front desk. The ones working behind it had to tell her that they did in fact not have a worker called Beverly, not anymore. The guest checked out the same night. The room the woman was staying in was called The Beverly Suite.

There are plenty of different rooms in the Lake Quinault Lodge, one of them being The Beverly Suite filling up the entire third floor in the Boathouse Building. The staff used to call it that after they noticed that their ghost seemed to prefer to appear inside of it. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Hotels

According to the story, there was a woman named Beverly, once the dedicated housekeeper of this remote haven. However, one night a fire engulfed the lodge’s attic in the Main Lodge, in some versions the Boathouse that used to serve as a kitchen. 

The fire claimed the life of the unsuspecting Beverly who slept soundly in her room, or worked in the kitchen. 

Interior: Inside of Lake Quinault Lodge as it was in 2017. // Source: Joe Mabel/Wikimedia

The Death of Beverley at Lake Quinault Lodge

Beverly’s untimely demise cast a melancholic shadow over Lake Quinault Lodge, but her spirit, it seems, refused to depart from the place she worked. In the quiet corners of the lodge, her apparition is said to wander, a ghostly specter that traverses the halls with a quiet grace and her presence is thought to be most powerful in the attic. 

Witnesses to Beverly’s ghostly manifestations recount the subtle opening of windows as a testament to her lingering benevolence. The gentle touch of her unseen hand, still imbued with the essence of a caring housekeeper, leaves an ethereal trail that hints at her enduring connection to the lodge and its occupants.

Although mostly a friendly ghost it has been said she sometimes throws glasses and silverware. 

The True Haunting of the Lodge

But was there really a fire at the Lake Quinault Lodge that took the life of one of the employees? Was there ever a housekeeper named Beverly? One year we dated was 1924, when the owner of the hotel was Olena Egge. On an August day she brought her family to a picnic of Higley Peak and saw black smoke through the fog.  

In this version Beverley was her cook and chambermaid and the fire had started in the flue in the kitchen. All was gone at the hotel except the fireplace and chimney. After this, the hotel we see and stay in today was built on top of it. 

Lake Quinault Lodge: The original building that was completely destroyed by the fire and the starting point for the ghostly legends of today.

It is said that she watches over the lodge, a silent guardian from beyond the veil, ensuring that the tranquility of this remote retreat is maintained. As the winds sweep through the dense forests surrounding Lake Quinault, whispers of Beverly’s presence are carried through the air. 

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References:

LeRoy Tipton’s take on local lodge history – Washington Our Home 

Lake Quinault Lodge – FrightFind 

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The Black Doctor of the Pines: A Haunting Tale from the New Jersey Pine Barrens

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In the shadowy depths of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a spectral figure roams the dense woods, forever etched into the folklore of the region. This is the tale of the Black Doctor of the Pines, a ghostly healer whose presence still stirs the hearts and minds of those who traverse these eerie lands.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, a vast expanse of dense forests and mysterious wetlands, is a place steeped in eerie folklore and haunted legends. Covering over a million acres, this wilderness is not only known for its natural beauty but also for the chilling tales that have emerged from its shadowy depths. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

Among the most famous of these is the legend of the Jersey Devil, a fearsome creature said to inhabit the Barrens, terrorizing locals with its unearthly screeches and terrifying appearance. Ghost towns, remnants of once-thriving communities, now stand silent, their abandoned buildings whispering secrets of the past. These tales, woven together with the haunting stillness of the landscape, create an atmosphere of mystery and unease, making the Pine Barrens a place where the past and the supernatural seem to coexist.

The alleged ghost we are looking closer at here though is Dr. James Still, the real man that would be remembered at the Black Doctor of the Pines:

The Pines: the Jersey Pine Barrens are filled with ghost towns, mills no longer in use like this within its thick canopy of pine trees. It is also here the Black Doctor of the Pines are said to be haunting.

Dr. James Still the Man and the Legend

James Still (1812-1882), the man who would become known as the Black Doctor, was a determined individual with a passion for healing. In the mid-19th century, however, his aspirations were stymied by the pervasive racial prejudices of the time. 

The Black Doctor of the Pines was born at Indian Mills and lived in Burlington County most of his life. One out of 18 children from the former slaves, Levin and Charity Still, his family was heavily involved in the abolitionist movement, and his brother was William Still, a founder of the Underground Railroad as well as Peter Still, a man who rescued himself from slavery. 

Forbidden from practicing medicine due to his race, Still sought solace and purpose in the isolation of the Pine Barrens. Here, amidst the thick canopy of pines and the whispering winds, he pursued his medical studies through textbooks and, as some legends recount, learned the secrets of herbal medicine from the Native Americans who had long called these woods home.

Still studied the healing powers of herbs and plants, and developed medical practices based on his own observations. He began earning a modest income by regularly selling his homemade oils, tinctures, and essences to Philadelphia druggists Charles and William Ellis.

Read More: Check out more of the haunted tales of the Pines like the Jersey Devil here

The Black Doctor of the Pines didn’t hide away in the pines forever though as he ended up becoming one of the wealthiest men in Burlington County and built a wonderful house and hospital, married and had eight children. Although he became rich, he remembered the poverty he came from, living a frugal life.

The Ghost of The Black Doctor of the Pines

Some chilling accounts tell of a tragic end, where local residents, upon discovering his clandestine practice, lynched The Black Doctor of the Pines in a fit of racial hatred. These stories speak of dark nights and ghostly figures swinging from the branches, their spirits forever restless.

What really happened though is that he died of a stroke in 1882. He is buried in Colemantown Cemetery in Mount Laurel, New Jersey with his family around him.

The legend of James Still has endured, and his spirit is said to linger in the Pine Barrens. When the rumor of him haunting the pines started to spread it was uncertain, but it is said to happen when people need it.

Those who venture deep into the woods at night may encounter a mysterious figure, holding a flickering lantern, gently guiding them to safety. Lost or injured wanderers have described feeling a sense of peace and protection, as if an unseen force were guiding them away from harm as well as fixing their ailments.

The Black Doctor of the Pines, whether a victim of violence or a benevolent healer, remains an enduring symbol of resilience and compassion. His ghostly presence serves as a reminder of both the darkness and the light that can exist within the human spirit. So, if you ever find yourself lost in the vast, silent woods of the Pine Barrens, keep an eye out for a flickering lantern light. It just might be James Still, the Black Doctor, continuing his eternal vigil, ready to guide you home.

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References:

NJDEP | Dr. James Still Office Historic Site | New Jersey State Park Service 

James Still (doctor) – Wikipedia 

Legends and tales of the New Jersey Pine Barrens – Wikipedia 

Inside the New Jersey Pine Barren’s Legends and Abandoned Ghost Towns 

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The Mysterious Faces of Goblins Gate in Olympic National Park

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Nature can create strange shapes, and our human eye often looks for their reflections in things. In Olympic National Park, the Goblin’s Gate has made people look twice to the faces staring back from the river.

In the heart of Olympic National Park lies a place of eerie enchantment: Goblin’s Gate you can find on the Elwha River Trailhead and people passing the gate, comes back with strange stories about it. 

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It is a narrow gorge stretching 20 feet across the river. The gorge has been talked about for a lot of reasons, how it reminds people of some sort of gate from a medieval castle as well as the strange faces people have claimed to have seen there. Could this be a strange haunting or simply the eye finding faces out in the wild?

Goblins Gate: Part of the Elwha River at Goblins Gate. // Source: Elwhajeff/Wikimedia

Naming it Goblins Gate

Legend has it that early explorer Charles A. Barnes stumbled upon this gorge on the Elwha River when he was on an expedition with the Seattle Press in 1989 and 1890. This was the first successful crossing over the Olympic Mountains done by the Europeans, and they were naming many landmarks still used to this day.  

Barnes is also the one who named the place and the very name itself gives the place an eerie feeling. He described the gorge with the gushing waters like this: “…like the throat of a monster, silently sucking away the water.” And as a resembling “multitude of faces…with tortured expressions.”

The name came after witnessing haunting faces carved into the rocks at its edge, like goblins and monsters. Some speculate that maybe he had indulged a bit too much in Wild Turkey that fateful day. Some have speculated after that there is something strange about this place. 

Olympic National Park: The lower parts of Goblins Gate from the river

The Mysterious Goblin’s Gate

As the turbulent waters of the Elwha River surge through the narrow opening of the gorge, these stone faces of Goblin’s Gate appear to beckon travelers toward the abyss of Rica Canyon. 

Attempts to tame the Gate with a bridge have been met with eerie failure. The first bridge was swallowed by the river’s rage, while the second succumbed to a mysterious rot, disintegrating before it could fulfill its purpose. This type of defiance from nature that won’t be tames has also spurred a couple of legends of its own:

Could it be that unseen spirits guard the Gate, refusing passage to those who dare to cross?

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References:

National Park Ghost Stories 

Goblins Gate – Wikipedia 

Goblins Gate — Waterfall Trail 

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The Ghost Ship of the Everglades of Cursed Pirates

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A pirate ship once got lost in the mangroves and swamps of the Everglades in Florida. They were cursed by the crew they made to walk the plank and are now The Ghost Ship of the Everglades are doomed to sail the murky waters forever. 

Everglades National Park, with its mysterious labyrinth of bald cypress trees, shadowy hammock forests, and winding rivers, takes on an eerie ambiance after the sun dips below the horizon. 

Centuries ago, pirates plagued the seas from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean. They attacked merchant ships to steal the goods and it could be a very lucrative business. The pirates also sometimes ended up on the Florida coastline as well. 

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In 1901 one of these stories were printed in the national newspaper, the New York Daily People and the Chicago Tribune, about a 300 year old curse about a pirate ghost ship cursed to sail the narrow rivers in the Everglades forever. 

The Ghost Ship of the Everglades: It is said that a pirate ship was cursed to sail the narrow Everglades for eternity after they made the crew of an entire ship walk the plank.

The Ghost Pirate Ship

The story goes that a merchant vessel was sailing through the waters near Cape Florida in the 1700s, just beyond the bounds of Miami. Pirate lore in Florida are initially from the Florida Key area after Spanish vessels came and many pirates took hold around St. Augustine. But did they ever sail to the swampy waters of the Everglades?

The Ghost Ship of the Everglades: The story of the cursed pirate ships made the news in 1901. Read the full story here.

Read Also: The Paranormal Activity At The St. Augustine Lighthouse 

According to this story, seizing the opportunity for a lucrative plunder, the pirate ship set forth in pursuit. However, the resourceful crew aboard the merchant ship, well-acquainted with the treacherous waters, hatched a plan to elude their pursuers by navigating through the intricate channels of the Everglades.

The pirate ship finally caught up with the merchant ship in the end though and looted the goods of the merchant ship. The pirate captain was furious about how long it took to chase them, that he made the whole crew walk the plank and made the skipper’s wife watch before she herself had to walk the plank and end up in the boggy water. 

The wife prayed to God to curse the pirates, and he did and pushed them deep into the Everglades, making them haunt the Everglades for all eternity, a place they would never escape from. 

The tidal wave brought the pirates stuck in the swamp, making them die of starvation and fever one by one.

The Ghost Ship of the Everglades of Cursed Pirates

The Ghost Ship of the Everglades has been haunting Florida’s south coast since the days of pirating marauders. The ship’s phantom crew is cursed to sail the seas for all eternity, after giving chase to a merchant ship and getting lost in the twisting channels of the Everglades’ swamp lands. 

Read Also: The Pirate Haunting Burgh Island

According to the story in 1901, the Natives that stayed in the wetland as well as hunters spending much time navigating the same rivers, came back, telling stories about having seen the The Ghost Ship of the Everglades with its rotting masts and hill. The crew are now all skeletons, still trying to find their way out of the Everglades. 

Was it ever a pirate ship sailing the fresh water sea of the Everglades? Although we don’t have much documentation, we have a long tradition of tales instead. And perhaps, the dim lights of the skeleton crew working ever since the golden age of piracy speaks for itself as it glides through the river of mangroves and alligators.

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References:

Creepy Stories in the Everglades 

Ghost-ship of the Everglades Story Chicago Tribune, 1901 – Newspapers.com™

https://www.timotis.com/news-1/the-history-of-pirates-in-florida

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The Ghost of Edgar Watson and the Shadows of the Swamp

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For years the notorious outlaw Edgar Watson lived in the Everglades where his workers had a habit of ending up dead or disappearing around payday. When the authorities ignored their plea, the villagers took law into their own hands, and are now forever haunted by the man they took out. 

In the year 1910, the humid air of Chokoloskee witnessed a chilling event—the demise of Edgar Watson, a plantation owner with a sinister reputation. Watson, a man known for his malevolent deeds, was not only a ruthless serial killer but also a plantation owner who showed no mercy to his own servants, most of whom were black, Native American or some form of vulnerable migrant with no place to go. His blood-stained legacy extended to anyone who dared trespass on his property.

The Everglades in Florida is a 1.5 million acres of marshy swampland of alligators and crocodiles and other deadly things, like people. Like a last frontier you find the small town of Chokoloskee at the edge of the chain of islands and mangroves called The Ten Thousand Islands. 

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Since 1965, there have been 175 unsolved murders around these parts and that is only those bodies that were found.  Who knows how many missing bodies are just waiting to be discovered or have already been taken by the alligators and sharks? 

Ever since settlers came to this place, it has been known for being a place for outlaws far from the long arms of the authorities and the Everglades has been a place where people disappear and some never return from. 

Chokoloskee Island: Looking like a picturesque place with its lush and sunny beaches, this part of the Everglades are so remote and a place that attracted people on the run from authorities and those living a life that didn’t do well in the light of day. // Source: William “Patrick” Ma…/Wikimedia

The History of “Bloody” Edgar Watson

Edgar Watson was born in 1855 in South Carolina and seemed to be violent from his early years, thought to him by his abusive father. After he murdered two people he went on the run from Florida to Oklahoma, renting a place from Belle Starr, another well known outlaw known as the Bandit Queen of the Old West. 

Edgar Watson: Notorious outlaw from the Old West and fugitive in Florida, Watson is thought to haunt the town that took law and order into their own hands.

According to legend, he shot Belle in the back as she was riding her horse, killing her as well. He feared that she was about to turn him into the authorities for a murder he did in Lake City. And although he was tried for her murder, he was not convicted. 

Even though he was a wanted man in Florida, he returned in 1891 and murdered another man in what he claimed was self defense. This is also when he went into the Florida Everglades as a fugitive, a perfect place to hide and dispose of dead bodies that seemed to pile up around him.

On his land by the Chatham Bend area he started up a sugar cane syrup business that was quite successful and he started to hire people. He hired a lot of African-Americans and Native Americans as well as vagabonds, migrants or other fugitives to work for him at his farm. When they wanted to get paid, however, legend is he murdered them instead and threw their bodies into the river. 

This is said to have gone on for 15 years and rumors started to be told about what really happened there, but there was no definitive proof. Bodies started to wash ashore close to the small town of Chokoloskee. When a runaway worker told them what was going on they also found the body of a woman named Hannah Smith whose foot was revealed in the swamp after a hurricane blew through the Everglades. The worker claimed that there were plenty more. 

They all knew about Edgar “Bloody” Watson and knew he was carrying a gun under his black trench coat and some of his runaway workers told horrible tales. The authorities didn’t want to get involved because they didn’t think it was their jurisdiction. So the people of Chokoloskee were left to their own devices. 

In 1910 he was attacked by the townspeople at the Smallwood Store, the last frontiers of Florida. This was both a trading post, post office and a market for all things people could need in this remote part of the world. Everyone was armed and they shot and killed him when he tried to pull the gun at them back. This is said to have taken place on the sandbar right below the store. 30 rounds of bullets went into his body, although the first shot went right between the eyes. 

The Ghost of Chokoloskee

Ever since then the Everglades have gotten another haunted legend to go with all the others and today Edgar Watson is remember as a notorious outlaw and murderer. The place is still remote and the town has around 300 people living in Chokoloskee. Some say that there are more ghosts than living people in the town. 

The legends claim that Edgar Watson is still haunting the area. Around 50 skeletons have since been found around his old property according to the local legends, although not verified at all. How many that were murdered or if there were any at all is not known for sure.

The Smallwood Store closed in 1982 but is still open as a history museum and especially around this building people swear to have seen him, and according to legend, there is still blood splatter on the walls from the shoot out. 

The people working in the museum have been called up in the middle of the night by people claiming to have seen movement inside of the building. But when investigating, there is nothing. Could it have been the ghost of Edgar Watson? Or perhaps one of the other ghosts rumored to roam the island?

The Haunted Shop: The Smallwood store has stood in isolation on the southern tip of Chokoloskee Island for more than 100 years. This was the place where the villagers finally took the life of Edgar Watson and where he is thought to haunt in his afterlife. // Source: Wikimedia

Other Ghosts Haunting the Smallwood Store

Another ghost said to linger in the store is the ghost of C.G McKinney who started the first post office as well as the first school on the island. He moved to this place after he abandoned his wife and his five children and ran off with the nanny. They settled on Chokoloskee Island and had five more children, naming them the same as his previous set of children. 

The last ghost said to haunt the place is a boy that is said to have once been a pirate. He is said to have died when he got trapped in his fishing net at the age of 120. He is said to come to the market in search for a new net in the middle of the night. 

So if you see the lights switched on out in the remote parts of the Everglades, perhaps it is just a nightly walk of the outlaw Edgar Watson.

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References:

Ted Smallwood Store – Wikipedia 

Smallwood Store 

History – and ghosts – at Smallwood’s Store in Chokoloskee 

Edgar J. Watson’s Island Graveyard of Horror – Chokoloskee, Florida 

Creepy Stories in the Everglades 

Chokoloskee, Florida – Wikipedia 

The town that killed an outlaw | Florida Originals Chokoloskee – Ghost Town

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Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Disaster and Ghosts

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In 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades killing most of the passengers. Years after the crash, people talked about seeing the ghosts of the crew, not only around the crash site, but on other flights of Eastern Airlines. 

In December 1972 one of the worst plane crashes in US history happened. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was headed to Miami from New York, but due to an electronic failure and pilot error, it crashed in the Everglades on the 29th. It most likely happened because when the autopilot was accidentally shut off for a moment as they were investigating a burned out indicator light.

The plane was a very new model, only put into production four years prior. The crew was an experienced one with Captain Robert Albin Loft as the pilot. With him, he had his Flight Engineer, Donald Louis Repo. 

The last transmissions of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 were:

Stockstill: We did something to the altitude.

Loft: What?

Stockstill: We’re still at 2,000 feet, right?

Loft: Hey—what’s happening here?

In less than 10 seconds after this exchange and message, the jetliner crashed and a huge scandal and tragedy of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 started.

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from the USA

This glip caused them to lose too much altitude and they crashed. A couple of days after it hit the Florida wilderness, the wreckage were pulled from the swamp. 96 of 163 people on board were killed in the swamp upon crashing and these people are said to still haunt the area. Back when it happened it was the second most deadliest crash in US history, although it today ranks among the top 16 or thereabouts. 

The Haunted Crash Site in the Everglades

Right after the crash came the ghost stories. After a frog hunter Robert Bud Marquis saw the crash and tried to pull people out from the burning wreckage, that night and the following day, saving dozens of lives. 

The place was a terrible inhospitable place though and rescue workers had troubles finding their way, alligators, snakes and other swamp horrors made it all more difficult, many died upon impact, some of injuries, and some drowned in the murky water. 

Haunted Plane: Wreckage of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 how it crashed in the Everglades in Florida. Many died and many have claimed to have seen its ghosts.

Hunters, poachers and hikers in the swamp started to swap tales about seeing strange things around the crash site of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. 

Marfa lights are said to have just happened to pop up in the swamp and ghost were looking at those walking through the area. Things wearing rags swam in the swamp.  

The Haunted Eastern Airline

What is also a peculiar thing about this particular haunting, was how the ghosts from Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 traveled. Paranormal events were soon experienced on other Eastern Airlines planes that used parts cannibalized from the wreckage of Flight 401. And according to the stories, there were a lot. 

Crew members and passengers claimed to have seen ghosts on other L-1011s like the one that went down. This was especially reported the following year after the crash and were less and less told as the years went on. 

The odd occurrences were documented in the 1976 book “The Ghost of Flight 401,” and the airline eventually replaced all the parts salvaged from the doomed flight.

Especially the pilot and flight engineer Bob Loft and Don Repo is said to have been spotted in the swamps as well as on airplanes from Eastern Airlines flights when there was a problem. Almost as if to help out.

The Mystery Passenger

Robert Albin “Bob” Loft (1917-1972)

On one occasion, the captain was asked to see a passenger wearing a pilot uniform in 1973 as the Tristar flight was bound to Miami from JFK. One of the vice presidents were travelling with the flight and noticed a pilot in full uniform and went to talk to him. During their conversation, he realized he was talking to Bob Loft who vanished into thin air right before his eyes. He went to get a crew member and they conducted a search, but the ghost passenger was nowhere to be found.  

Seeing his apparition and mistaking him for a live passenger has happened more than once. One time, the passenger was travelling first class and the flight attendant had said he was unresponsive when they talked to him, only smiling. Also, he wasn’t on the passenger list. The man was no longer there when the flight attendant returned. The pilot recognized him at once as Bob, his former colleague from Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. 

The Face of the Ghosts

Another flight from New York to Miami, one of the flight attendants opened a overhead locker and found Bob’s face looking back at her. 

Donald Louis “Don” Repo (1921-1972)

Seeing their faces has been one of the things repeated and another flight from JFK to Mexico City a flight attendant named Fay Merryweather saw Don’s face on the oven door. The face had reportedly warned them about fire on the plane. When the plane returned to New York an engine failed and had to be shut down before it went up in flames. 

Another time on a flight from Atlanta to Miami on a N318EA, the crew heard knocking from what was known as the hell hole. They were having a meal at 39 000 feet and nothing should be knocking on the trap door. Reluctant to open the door, they did and Don was found under the floor after knocking and they found a problem that could potentially have caused serious troubles. 

Even Repo’s son believed the haunting and claim that his father attended his wedding night, leaving Eastern Airlines merchandise in their hotel room even though they hadn’t told anyone about where they were staying, 

Helpful Ghosts from Eastern Air Lines Flight 401

One time everyone was said to have seen the appearance at the side of a pilot who was worried about the weather. The ghost said that they would all be well because they were watching over them. 

Another time during take off the voice spoke through the loudspeaker, reminding the passenger to wear their seat belts. None of the crew had used the microphone. Once a motorist were doing checks and the ghost of Repo came to him in his uniform. He told there was no need to do checks as he had already done it before vanishing. 

A captain going from Miami to Atlanta was checking the instruments before his flight. He then saw the same and the ghost told him, there would never be an incident like that again as they wouldn’t let that happen. 

Airline Scandal and Action Taken

Still, sometimes still reports about people sightings ghosts on Eastern flights happen, their description sounding very much like the 55 year old Bob and Don. Although it was mostly an assurance, it did disrupt air traffic. Like when a crew member saw Don warning them about a faulty electrical circuit and Bob being seen doing his usual pre-flight checks, unnerving the pilot so much that he canceled the entire flight. 

The gossip about this particular ghost sighting was so severe that the management warned staff about them losing their jobs if they spread these ghost stories about Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. It is also said that entire flight log pages with haunted incidents were torn out. The airline even thought about taking legal action if the reports didn’t stop.

Publicly they went out to deny all haunted rumors, but just to be sure, they reported to have removed all the salvaged parts they had used. It is also said that the vice president of the Eastern Airlines was annoyed as well as worried about the rumors and made an internal investigation. The Flight Safety Foundation found the cause of the ghost sightings to be true worries, so he had an exorcism performed. As the report said: “The reports were given by experienced and trustworthy pilots and crew. We consider them significant”.

It is said that the vice-president went on a plane in 1979 to prove that there was no plane present on the plane. But when he boarded, he found the ghost of Loft in the seat next to him. Screaming the ghost disappeared, but ever since then, the two ghosts were never seen again. Or were they?

Salvaged Parts Today

Today, Eastern Airlines doesn’t operate anymore. It is said that they took the parts out from the planes, but is this true? The flights went further and further, sometimes to flights bound to Asian countries. It is said that the ghost sightings stopped, but there are still reports about people seeing the pilots onboard flights to this day.

The salvaged parts of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 have become something paranormal investigators and collectors are interested in. One of the parts can still be found in Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. 

There is also an original floorboard from the Flight 401 found in the archives at  History Miami in South Florida, believed to be cursed. 

Skeptics about the Haunted Rumors

After the crash and the following ghost stories, the story about the ghosts from the flight seeped into popular culture. Movies, songs and books have all taken part of keeping the legend alive. But was the mass media stronger than the actual ghost rumors?

There is some debate about just how big the haunting was though, or if the rumors of it were blown out of proportion. In Robert J. Serling’s 1980 book From the Captain to the Colonel: An Informal History of Eastern Airlines it was even claimed that none of the salvaged parts were used in other aircraft.

It is also said from Jim Ashlock who worked in public relations for the airline until it was put out of business that Fuller, the author detailing the hauntings in his book, made everything up. It is worth knowing that he usually wrote about UFO cases.  

According to the same book, the rumors about seeing Bob came from a joke from a pilot that did an emergency landing and said he thought Don Repo’s ghost was on the plane.

Although it definitely lessened and the haunting from Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 faded since the initial incident, there are still reports about sightings, even from the 2020s. Like a flight from Chicago to Miami in 2020. Although it was a Boeing 737, the haunting was said to have taken place when the plane was going over the Florida Everglades.  According to this passenger, a man in pilot uniform, with an ID badge saying Robert Loft, saying his name was Don sat in the seat next to the passenger, even though there was no one assigned to this seat. 

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References:

The Ghosts Of Flight 401….. 

Grounding the Ghost of Flight 401 

Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 – Wikipedia 

Ghosts On A Plane? The Story Of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401

Florida Time: The Ghost of Flight 401 

Ghosts of Flight 401 

Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 – History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute – Survivor Stories & Memorial 

The Ghosts of the Eastern Airlines flight 401 ✈️☁️

My Flight Was Haunted By The Ghosts of Eastern 401 

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The Legend of the Badlands Banshee Haunting the Prairie

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From the Dakota prairie a legend of a wailing woman is said to haunt the area known as the Badlands. It is said that the Badlands Banshee will find those staying in her barren domain after dark. 

Deep in the Lakota’s Mako Sica, more commonly known as the Badlands is a landscape of sandstone with rugged terrain and goes from impaling cliffs to deep canyons, and amidst them all, we find the legend of the Banshee of the Badlands. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from USA

The Badlands in Dakota are often described as hell without fire, because of its barren terrain and the smoke seeping from the earth. This is where the word comes from as it was “bad land to traverse“. Despite of this, there are plenty of people that have traveled through these lands, and come back with the tale of an encounter with a wailing woman.

The Banshee of the Badlands

Banshee: The Banshee is an Irish entity from folklore that takes the form of a female wailing spirit. It is said that if you hear a banshee cry you will soon suffer the death of a beloved. Although the Banshee is Irish, most cultures have stories about the spirit of these wailing women.

The most retold version of the legend tells three cowboys traveling through the Badlands many years ago and stopping for the night around a campfire, the only light in the barren landscape as their herd is grassing. 

This area used to be at the bottom of the sea, but is today filled with rattlesnakes and coyotes while the bison grass on the prairie. This also used to draw the settlers from Europe to farm and cowboys would lead their flock over the grassland. 

Settling in for the night, the three cowboys noticed that something was wrong, and that someone was watching them from afar. Suddenly they saw through the darkness, a woman, almost translucent. She was described as pretty before turning scary and it’s clear, this is not a human, at least not a living one. Without saying anything else she unleashed a blood-curdling scream, her jaw twisting unnaturally wide, her eyes darkening. 

The horror of the night was far from over though and they heard a music from a fiddle coming through the night, although no one was playing and the night went on like this and the woman disappeared as the music grew louder. 

Eventually two of the cowboys fell asleep, exhausted by it all. The next morning when they awoke to blue sky and the music silenced. They found one of them missing and followed his footprints of his heavy boots, leading all the way to a steep cliff before vanishing right in front of the edge.

The cowboys quickly left as they didn’t want to be the Banshee’s next victims.  

Behind the Prairie Legend

So who, or what even is the Banshee of the Badlands? There are two battling versions as to who she was when alive, some claim a native woman killed by a settler, or vice versa. The first written account from this legends is from Charles M. Skinner from 1896 in his collection called Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, but it suggests that this is a much older story. 

Read More: Check out The Banshee Curse Haunting Duckett’s Grove to read more about ghosts called Banshee.

People claiming to have seen her, have approached her, unsuspecting of her supernatural presence. Until asked a question, the Badlands Banshee is said to have simply silently observed the people passing through her domain. But when they talk to her, she will unleash her terrifying scream. Her terrifying shrieks differ from the wolves and prairie dogs of the desert pierce through the Badlands’ silence, echoing into the depths of the night. 

Stories says the Badlands Banshee looks beautiful from afar, bathing in a ghostly blue light, but when she starts to scream, her eyes blacken into a dark void and opens her jaw unnaturally wide when she screams. According to others though, she looks weathered and gestures to people passing through the Badlands as if she needs help or want to speak with them. 

Bison grassing in the Dakota Badlands Prairie

Haunting the Watch Dog Butte

According to reports, her haunting is particularly often around Dog Butte or Watch Dog as it’s called and that it was here that the woman behind the ghost died all those years ago, one of the sandstone cliffs defining the landscape in the Badlands.

How did the Badlands Banshee die though? Was she pushed from one of the buttes as some of the versions of the legends suggest?

It is also said that the Badlands Banshee had a lover who died with her, and that is the reason why she screams, like her name and legend claims. 

According to legend, cattle refuse to graze near the butte, as they have sensed with a sort of sixth sense never to go near her domain. Also the cowboys herding the flocks reportedly also avoid the place as it is thought to be haunted by the Badlands Banshee.

Skeleton Companion Playing the Music

But what about the music that the tale of the three cowboys encountering her? To further amplify the terror, the Badlands Banshee is said to occasionally bring a spectral companion—a ghastly skeleton that revels in the eerie tunes of music around the campfire. 

According to the story, the skeleton companion searches for music and if he hears it, he will sit down and listen to it, and it is even said that the skeleton will play a violin if he sees it and plays it all night. 

It is said if you hear the music grow fainter as the day starts to light up the sky, never follow the sound! Apparently, the skeleton will only lead you astray to rocky pitfalls you will never escape from, like what happened to the one cowboy. Much like what is said happened to the Badlands Banshee herself. 

The Haunting of the Badlands Banshee

Today the Badland National Park where the legend of the Badlands Banshee has spread is managed with the National Park Service as well as the Oglala Lakota tribe in the south of the park. 

So what is the Badlands Banshee? a ghost or a monster? Who was she when alive? Is this from old native american folklore, or a story the Irish settlers brought with them from Europe to explain the piercing shrieks coming from an unknown animal across the prairie?

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References:

12 Haunted National Parks | Shaka Guide 

Banshee Of The Bad Lands – Legends of America