There’s that chill in the air, football season is upon us, and Olive Garden is already pushing the pumpkin cheesecake. We won’t utter the “f” word, but we will say that around this time of year, we love to hear a scary story or two. Wisconsin storytellers have passed down some fabulous urban legends. Here are eight of our favorite Wisconsin urban legends of all time! What are your favorite scary stories from Wisconsin? Tell us in the comments! In the meantime:
Up in Stevens Point, there is an isolated road. So the story goes, in the 1950s or 1960s, a group of Boy Scouts is killed. One version of the story has the troop leader killing all of the children. In the other account, one of the boys drops a lantern, causing a forest fire that kills all of them. People who have visited the area report feeling being watched, seeing a light, hearing twigs breaking under foot, or seeing childlike handprints on vehicles. When it comes to unsettling Wisconsin legends, this is one of the ones that chills the most.
Legend has it that a Wisconsin man caught one of these creatures in the 1890s, and more of them roam in Rhinelander. The hodag is a tortured beast, aware he is ugly, and spends lots of time crying about it. If a hodag is coming after you, be aware that only three things will apparently kill it: chloroform, dynamite, and lemons. Hmmm. Okay, maybe this is one of the weirder creatures of Wisconsin folklore, but it sure is fun. And it's not even the weirdest thing to happen in Wisconsin.
So the legend goes: a famous psychic predicted on a talk show that there would be a mass murder at the university, resulting in 12 students dying. This was right around Halloween, and students freaked out - hardly anyone came out to party. Well, some students didn't take the prediction seriously. The party went well, but in the morning, 12 students were discovered to have been brutally murdered. Yikes.
In 1974, there were numerous supposed sightings of UFOs in Antigo. It's still not totally clear what happened, but one woman apparently interacted with an alien. Mrs. H, who owned a bar and restaurant, was shocked when a funny-looking little man walked into the joint and started talking in very quick English about Medford and the whole world lighting up and left in a flash.
The year was 1998, and two teenagers were walking along when they heard a terrifying scream. When they realized a strange, bipedal creature was in pursuit, they began running as quickly as they can. Apparently, one of the boy's mothers corroborated the report and said she heard a very odd sound, saying it sounded like a train was coming by.
Trips to Baraboo are generally full of fun and shenanigans. But while driving through this small town in Wisconsin, some people have reported seeing a hitchhiker in a tattered green army jacket. When people pass him and look back in their rearview mirrors, the man is gone. No one has actually picked this man up, but he remains on the side of the road waiting for a ride.
So the legend goes: a bride was killed on her wedding night in this area. But she continues to haunt the surrounding region, sitting in the backs of cars, visible to drivers only in the rearview mirror. They say that, years later, a police officer hit a woman on the road here and went back to help her. When he ran back, no one was there. Who did he hit? We don't even want to know. This is one of the creepiest haunted places in Wisconsin and we could have gone the rest of our lives without learning about this one.
This one is grounded in reality. A long time ago, a family was driving over the Siren Bridge when the car went through the guardrails somehow and into the water below, resulting in everyone in the car drowning. But many motorists who have driven through the area report hearing a child's voice over the radio: "Mommy, help me, I can't get out." It is unknown where the voice originates from, but it does scare the daylights out of passers-by. Is this creepy haunting in Wisconsin real? Many locals say yes.
What’s your favorite Wisconsin urban legend? Which Wisconsin urban legends give you the chills the most? Let us know!
If you can’t get enough of Wisconsin’s spooky side, be sure to check out our hub for the most interesting creepy things in Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin Urban Legends
Tori Jane|December 11, 2022
What are some of the creepiest Wisconsin urban legends?
Wisconsin, like anywhere else, naturally has its lore and ghost stories, including some pretty unsettling urban legends! Some of the creepiest Wisconsin urban legends include:
No place would ever be the same without its folklore and Wisconsin is no exception. There are plenty more hair-raising spooky tales and folklore in WI, and some of the most famous Wisconsin folklore stories are:
