October: the season of scare and horror, long lost history and legends that wander the lands of Wyoming. Have you ever seen or heard the bone chilling horror of abandoned places or stories of urban legends not known to many? There are people who don’t believe in such stories and other people who adore the mysteries behind the unexplained. In Wyoming, like many other states across the United States and the world, there are unknown mysterious stories known as urban legends. Here in Wyoming there are a few legends that have been passed on by word of mouth that might send chills down the spine. Some of these include Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful Inn hauntings, The Death Ship Of Platte River, and The Devils Tower.

     There is an urban legend of Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful Inn. According to Yellowstone National Park Lodge’s official website, “In 1903-1904 it was considered the largest wooden lodge in the world.” The reason this Inn has been pegged as a haunted location is due to the paranormal events recalled there. Stories such as the “The headless Bride” were made to scare the guests that spent their time there. However, there are 2 staff members who still continue to work there even with the paranormal activity. This story can be found at the Yellowstone National Park Lodge website under their blog. 

    Next is an urban legend with many stories of how it came to be. Devil’s Tower is a very popular monument in Wyoming, but there are many versions of the story of how it came to be. One particular version stands out. This story has been passed down from the tribes that inhabited the area. 

    According to many versions of this legend there is a great big bear-like-creature that roams the area, and the bear creature would chase small children and villagers who travelled outside their village to a rock. Their cries for help would make the rock grow just barely out of the bears’ reach. The marks on the rocks’ walls represent the claw marks from the bear attempting to get the prey on top but not succeeding. The stories of Devil’s Tower all come with some type of divine intervention that has caused the creation of the monument. 

    This last urban legend, is not as common as the last few. This is the legend of the Death Ship of Platte River also known as “The Ship of Death.” According to Legends of America.com, a website containing urban legends all over America it is mentioned “On the waters of the Platte River there are sightings of a foggy mist that covers the river which is followed by a ghostly ship.” 

    Those who see the frosted ship see a crew of sailors that look as if they are frozen and stand in front of the ship. As the witness watches, the crew will stand back revealing a canvas with the body of a person the witness knows laid out. Then, that same day, the person seen on the canvas passes away. The first sighting took place around 1862 by a trapper who saw his fiancé on the canvas who passed away later that day. There is no solid photo of this ship but it does bring a cold shiver to those who experience it.