IDAHO
ALBION NORMAL SCHOOL (ALBION)
BACKGROUND: It was established by the Idaho Legislature in 1893, as one of two normal schools in the state. (The other, in Lewiston, is
now Lewis–Clark State College.) Citizens of Albion had actively lobbied for the school's establishment, and donated land and labor for the
new campus. The school remained a small institution throughout its history, focusing on the training of teachers and drawing its student
body primarily from south-central Idaho. Albion Normal offered a two-year teacher training program until 1947, when it was renamed
Southern Idaho College of Education (SICE) and authorized to confer baccalaureate degrees. The school remained troubled by low
enrollment and a lack of funding, however, and was finally closed by the state in 1951, as was its counterpart in northern Idaho, Lewiston's
NICE. The academic programs at Albion were transferred to Idaho State College (now ISU) in Pocatello. Lewiston reopened in 1955 as
Lewis–Clark Normal School and became LCSC in 1971.
PHENOMENA: People hear disembodied voices and footsteps when there is no one else was in a building and when there was no electricity
on the campus, lights were seen on in various windows. A caretaker was mowing the lawn one day outside Miller Hall when an irrigation pipe
coming out of the building slid two feet out in front of him untouched by human hands. Thinking there were some kids having fun inside, he
checked the boarded-up building to find no one there. An excavator operator working on the property said he saw a young girl in the
windows of one of the otherwise empty buildings and refused to go inside after that experience. At Comish Hall, there have been sightings of
a pale-skinned woman with dark eyes wandering between the kitchen and the living quarters whose description matches that of a woman
who was the cook there for 40 years.
TRIVIA: The school was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures.
AMMON CEMETERY (IDAHO FALLS)
BACKROUND: Was established 1912 for the Ammon homestead area.
PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >>According to local legend, a child’s ghost appears in a tree near his or her grave, waving at passersby.
Drivers and passengers must remain in the car as it slowly drives past or the friendly spirit will not appear. A little girl haunts this cemetery
and has been seen climbing a nearby tree and waving to visitors. Some say she is wearing a white dress while others claim she is wearing
overalls. Though she wanders the cemetery freely, she is said not to ever go near the gates. There have also been stories of hand prints
appearing on fogged car windows and a severe feeling of anxiety when entering the cemetery.
AMMON PARK (POCATELLO)
BACKGROUND: This 10-acre treed park offers a playground, picnic tables & an on-leash dog walking area.
PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >>The park is home to the notorious “Blue Girl,” who wanders around around the swing sets at night and
then vanishes instantaneously. There have been other accounts of the playground swings swinging by themselves, as if there's an invisible
child playing on them. Another story states that when two boys wandered into a utility shed in the park, the door slammed shut and locked
on its own. When other kids rescued the trapped boys, they said the latch was mysteriously flipped shut from the outside. Many people
report the feeling of a presence there watching them.
BATES MOTEL (COEUR D’ALENE)
BACKGROUND: The Bates Motel in Coeur d’ Alene were officers barracks both before and during WWII and was later sold and converted into
a motel known as The Roadway Inn. Several years later it was sold again, this time to Mr Randy Bates who renamed it The Bates Motel. This
was long before the move Psycho was ever released, but the name certainly made it popular once the movie did come out. It has actually
been suggested that the author of Psycho, Robert Bloch, stayed at the motel some time in the fifties and kept note of the name. The now
iconic Bates Motel sign was put up by a production crew in the eighties when a movie was filmed there and left behind when production
wrapped.
PHENOMENA: Both guests and staff say that there is near constant paranormal activity there and the majority of the unexplained
occurrences seem to be centered on rooms 1 and 3. Guests who are given these rooms often report getting the unsettling feeling of being
watched. They also experience cold spots, strange noises, lights turning on and off and ashtrays either being knocked off tables or moved to
another spot when no one has been in the room.
BEAR RIVER (PRESTON)
BACKGROUND: The Bear River Massacre took place on January 29, 1863. After years of skirmishes and food raids on farms and ranches, the
United States Army attacked a Shoshone encampment located at the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek in what was then
southeastern Washington Territory. Colonel Patrick Edward Connor led a detachment of California Volunteers as part of the Bear River
Expedition against Shoshone Chief Bear Hunter. Hundreds of Shoshone men, women and children were killed near their lodges, while two
dozen soldiers died. That number of Shoshone victims reported by local settlers was higher than that reported by soldiers. Western
Shoshone acquired the site in 2008 to protect it as a sacred burial ground.
PHENOMENA: It’s been said the spirits of those killed still roam the countryside with the cries of babies and wails of the dying still heard. In
the wintertime, visitors report seeing ghostly footprints in the snow and the feelings of being watched by an unseen presence.
BOISE ST. UNIVERSITY (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934, and has been awarding
baccalaureate and master's degrees since 1965. The school became Idaho's third state university in 1974, after the University of Idaho
(1889) and Idaho State University (1963).
PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >>In one of the dorms, a young girl named Dinah hung herself after being stood up at a school dance held
in the ballroom and took her life in the women’s lounge. No official written record of Dinah or any sort of phantom that haunts the building
exists but there are many on line sources that reveal personal experiences that people have had in the building that may relate to her. The
“Murder House” was the site of a brutal killing in 1987 when a man cut up a number of people and scattered their mutilated body parts
around the neighboring area. Bloodstains on the walls can still be seen and blinds on the front window will open and close randomly.
Sometimes at night with the blinds open in the front window, it’s said a lady has been seen standing there looking out. The building is now a
fraternity house.
BJ’S BAYOU (ROBERTS)
BACKGROUND: The building is over 120 years old and once housed a hotel. It was abandoned after the 1976 Teton Flood. Robert Berlin and
his wife Cheril bought the abandoned building and transformed it into what it is known as today — a Cajun restaurant.
PHENOMENA: There is said to be the spirit a Chinese man that he was either a laundryman or a cook at the hotel who was dragged him out
of his room by local cowboys who beat him to death, put him in a trunk, and threw the body into an outgoing train. Sometimes the trunk
can be heard going down the stairs in the middle of the night. There is also the ghost of a small boy that’s said to enjoy playing hide-and-
seek and wearing a sheet over himself, no less. When seen, he runs back to where he was first spotted and vanish from sight. A ghostly
soldier walks the balcony along with a shadowy cowboy who comes through the door wearing a hat and a duster that will scan the room
then suddenly vanish. Sounds of children’s laughter and women in conversation are often heard with apparitions of both being seen. One
strikingly beautiful ghostly woman is said to wear a green dress with her hair in a bun and and often appears when there are social
functions. There are also mischievous spirits who like to hide silverware or tools that can’t be found later on.
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY-IDAHO (REXBURG)
BACKGROUND: Founded in 1888, the university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church),
transitioned from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001, and was known for the greater part of its history as Ricks College in
honor of Thomas E. Ricks, the Bannock Stake president at the time it was founded and the chairman of the school's first Board of Education.
PHENOMENA: The haunting on campus is said to be caused by the spirit of a young girl who was murdered there. Her tiny, misty apparition
is said to be seen roaming the grounds near the Hart Building walking from the east door to the Romney Building and then retracing those
steps. A child’s footsteps can be heard with some feel a chill run through them, signaling she is near. She is also said to become extremely
agitated at any who might block her path.
CANYON HILL CEMETERY (CALDWELL)
BACKGROUND: The cemetery dates back to the 1800s and there are some very tragic stories about some of the people who are buried
there. There are suicide victims, murder victims and even a woman and her five children who were killed when their car went off the road
and plunged into the water.
PHENOMENA: There are reports of an elderly woman that sits on a bench in the empty cemetery late at night. When you look away and then
turn back to find her again, she has vanished. At midnight people have claimed to see a female jogger who vanishes from the road behind
the cemetery after a car passes her. Urban legend alert >>Legend is if you park at the gates at midnight, she will tap on the window of your
parked car. The most bizarre part is when people look directly at her, they realize she has no legs. There are also reports of automatic car
windows going up and down on their own.
ENDERS HOTEL & MUSEUM (SODA SPRINGS)
BACKGROUND: Built in 1917, it became the epicenter of the small mining town of Soda Springs. It was built for William & Theodore Enders
by C.K. Blocker at a cost of $75,000.00 with a $16,207.00 loan from one Dr. Ellis Kackley to get the project started.
PHENOMENA: In the basement, there is an entity rumored to be a former employee or owner with footsteps and disembodied voices
reported there. On the 2nd and 3rd floors, footsteps and voices are heard there as well as the sight of an apparition seen floating through
the area with one guest claiming she saw something levitating by her that had “the consistency of cobwebs.” A rocking chair in one guest’s
room began rock on its own and another claimed an old-fashioned toilet in the hall flushed by itself. In another room, a guest heard
splashing in the bathtub that immediately stopped when they went in to check on it. The hotel is also said to be haunted by a man named
Mr. Pape who - legend says - was staying on the third floor in 1920 when he slit his own wrists and then ran amok in the hallways trying to
kill other guests. A deputy sheriff staying at the hotel shot and killed him during this incident, but Mr. Pape’s spirit is said to roam the third
floor and reveal itself in mirrors, frightening guests with a maniacal gaze.
EGYPTIAN THEATER (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: It has also been known as the Ada Theater. Inaugurated in 1927, it is the oldest theater in the city. When it opened the local
press wrote that it "embodies the characteristic features of the land of the Nile, from the truncated pyramids which form the great pylons, to
the lotus bud pillars with their ornate frescoes". The theater's architecture is of the Egyptian revival style, inspired by the newly-discovered
tomb of King Tut. The great lotus pillars flanking the screen are based on those of Karnak. The theater has been renovated by Conrad
Schmitt Studios.
PHENOMENA: Staff and patrons have witnessed objects move on their own, doors opening by themselves and felt taps on their shoulder
when no one else is around. Footsteps have been heard echoing across the empty stage. Irvan “Irv” Kummerfeldt, an NIU associate
professor of journalism, died of a heart attack at the top of “Aisle One” in the Egyptian Theater’s auditorium in 1988 and theater visitors over
the years have reported seeing a man who fits his description. Witnesses say they see his apparition for a fleeting moment before he
disappears. For 35 years, a man named Joe worked in the projection room at the top of the stairs until one night while climbing those stairs,
he suffered a heart attack and died. Since then, staff have said they smell odd aromas throughout the theater and hear laughter coming
from a man who isn't there when they attempt to locate him. Most of his activity is in the projection booth or the last row of seats in the
upper balcony. There's also the apparition of a kindly woman reported who people believe was part of the managerial staff from early days
of the theater. This woman is dressed in late 1920's attire and walks around areas of the theater looking quite pleased.
TRIVIA: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum film premieres were all hosted at The Egyptian
Theater.
GOODING TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL (GOODING)
BACKGROUND: In 1920 the building was erected to serve as the dormitory for the Gooding College founded in 1917. The college served
students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree until 1938. Because the Methodist Church had provided substantial funds to keep the school
going, the buildings were donated to the church when the school closed. In 1941 the Methodist Church gave the building to the state of
Idaho for the development of a tuberculosis hospital, however, shortages of equipment and personnel during World War II delayed the
opening of the hospital until May 1947. The hospital was in operation until 1976. After the building was abandoned, Idaho State legislators
have wondered what to do with the building and there have been unsuccessful attempts to have the building demolished. Recently the
building was purchased by Gary Hannon, who refurbished a small section of the historic building to house guests at the "Get Inn". He offers
eight guest rooms, which had previously served as the nurses' dorms when the Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital was in operation.
PHENOMENA: Since its closure as a hospital in 1976, there have been reports of phantom footsteps in empty halls, unexplained whispers
and the apparition of a woman, a little girl and a man in a white lab coat walking the halls.
IDAHO STATE PENITENTIARY (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: A functional prison from 1872 to 1973. The first building, also known as the Territorial Prison, was constructed in the
Territory of Idaho in 1870; the territory was seven years old when the prison was built, a full two decades before statehood. Serious riots
occurred in 1952, 1971 and 1973 over living conditions in the prison. The 416 resident inmates were moved to the new Idaho State
Correctional Institution south of Boise and the Old Idaho Penitentiary was closed on December 3, 1973. during its 101 years in service saw
well over 13,000 inmates, 215 of which were women. For most of the early years that the prison was functioning the inmates were well
behaved and there was very little violence, but in the mid 1930s that behavior began to change.
PHENOMENA: Visitors and museum staff are convinced ghosts still haunt the grounds and many of their claims center around the building
known as “5 House”, where Ray Snowden, Idaho’s “Jack the Ripper”, was hung. Many report his final agonized attempts to breathe
(according to records, it took over 15 minutes for him to suffocate to death) can be heard throughout the building, particularly at the former
site of the gallows. Guests and tour guides claim that sinister feelings, strange sounds, voices and dark entities still exist in the cell blocks of
the penitentiary, particularly near the former solitary confinement cells. Most people that have entered the penitentiary say that they
experience a feeling of being watched and it’s very common to hear reports of apparitions and shadowy figures moving about the abandoned
prison. People hear footsteps echoing in the halls when there is no one else around. Disembodied voices have been heard and those who
have participated on walking tours have reported being touched and sometimes even pushed by unseen hands.
IDAHO STATE REFORMATORY (ST. ANTHONY)
BACKGROUND: The reformatory was built in 1921 and for the next 60 years it served as a rehabilitation center for troubled girls. Inside the
building one can still see etchings from some of the occupants right up to the 1980s. In the 1940s it’s said one of the residents had been
talking about killing herself and while some there felt she was just venting, she in fact did hang herself on a door transom. In 2013, the
Olsen family purchased the property, looking to move their young family from Southern California to a safer and quieter environment.
During the renovation, they decided to open up an Airbnb.
PHENOMENA: Soon after opening their BnB, the Olsens began hearing stories from locals about living children playing with child spirits on
the property. They decided to turn a wing of the building into a Halloween haunted attraction to raise extra cash and during performances, a
girl about 5-years-old was seen in the ”surgical room” standing next to some props accompanied by the aroma of sulfur when she appeared.
There are also sounds of her crying somewhere in the building, at times calling out for her mother. In the foyer, conversations between
younger men have been heard and a local woman claims she saw the ghost of a former doctor one day while playing there as a child years
earlier. Her sister had locked her in a cabinet and the “doctor” opened it and let her out. She said he spoke to her, saying something about
“needing more vegetables”.
IDANHA HOTEL (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: Built downtown in 1900 to fulfill the housing need for travelers getting off the train stub line from Nampa. The hotel opened
along with the 20th century on January 1, 1901. It was designed by William S. Campbell after visiting every modern hotel between Boise
and New York and it quickly became the hotel in Boise with an astounding construction cost (at that time) of $125,000.
PHENOMENA: Said to be haunted by multiple ghosts. Several years ago during the remodeling to convert rooms into apartments, many
workers and employees in the building reported a wide range of phenomena. In the early 1920s a man allegedly killed his wife with a pair of
scissors and buried her body beneath the building where Basement Gallery is now and it’s believed her spirit still roams the hallways. The
ghost of a bellman shot by a guest in the 1970s is said to move the elevator up and down. The second and fourth floors are said to be the
most haunted. Word has it that the ghostly activity has quieted down in post-renovation.
KOOTENAI COUNTY JAIL MUSEUM (RATHDRUM)
BACKGROUND: The original jail was built in 1892 and consisted of a wooden structure that housed the prisoners. In 1891 four steel cells
were installed in response to a lawsuit brought against the jail by the city which stated that the jail was insecure and a disgrace to the city
due to the condition of the building and a large hole in the floor through which a person could escape.
PHENOMENA: One particularly unsettling report concerned an alarm tripping one night. After local police informed the treasurer and she
came in to shut it off, she found the iron door to the cell area had been unlocked and opened. What made this all the more unnerving is that
the door only opens from the inside. The police then informed her that 30 seconds after the jail door alarm went off, another alarm was
tripped in the adjacent exhibit room where the kitchen used to be and 45 seconds after that, something set off the alarm just around the
corner in the old sheriff's office, where the door to an antique safe was found opened much wider than usual. No exit alarms ever sounded.
Workers who built the annex told stories about strange goings-on in the jail where they would shut the door on the cell and put a rock in
front of it to hold it closed. Each morning when they returned to work the rock had been moved. A window in one of the upstairs rooms
opens on its own and a set of footprints in the dust under the window greatly unnerved the staff there because they led into the room from
outside. A few of the tour guides consequently refused to go upstairs.
LAKE COEUR D’ALENE (COEUR D’ALENE)
BACKGROUND: The lake has been used for transporting lumber by water in Kootenai County since the timber industry started in the region.
Prior to a fire in 1917, Harrison was planned as the county seat of Kootenai County, but after the fire, the mills were moved mostly to the
city of Coeur d'Alene, which developed more and was designated as the county seat.
A number of Ford Model T automobiles sitting on the bottom of the lake are the result of people in the early 1900s choosing to drive in
winter across the frozen lake. But they did not always judge how thick the ice was, and went through. Steamboats on the bottom resulted
from being burned and sunk as wrecks when they were no longer of use to ferry people around the lake. Since the late 20th century, divers
frequently visit these ruins on the bottom as part of their recreation. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe owns the southern third of Lake Coeur d'Alene
and its submerged lands as part of its reservation.
PHENOMENA: What the Indians called “water mysteries” are said to inhabit this lake as visitors report unexplainable noises coming from no
visible source, footsteps coming from the bushes and disembodied voices surrounding the lake. Urban legend alert >>The figure of a fish-
woman have been reported near a large, pointed rock that juts out of the lake. A mysterious wind sometimes churns up the lake, and a
huge horned creature is said to lift boats out of the water.
LAKE LOWELL (NAMPA)
BACKGROUND: Built by the Bureau of Reclamation to provide irrigation water for Canyon County agriculture, Lake Lowell opened in 1909
and is one of the largest off-stream reservoirs in the American West with the capacity to irrigate over 200,000 acres of land. It has also
become a popular recreation destination for the county’s citizens and visitors.
PHENOMENA: Its been said there is a ghostly apparition there seen sitting and staring out at the lake which is allegedly the spirit of a
woman who drowned in the 1970s while water skiing. Locals say that when you attempt to approach her, she dissipates into a mist. Around
the lake people report otherworldly sounds, phantom footsteps and disembodied voices. Strange mists float across the water and many
report being touched by unseen hands.
MESA FALLS (ASHTON)
BACKGROUND: The Mesa Falls are the only major falls in Idaho not used for irrigation or hydroelectric projects and as such, maintain a look
and feel of nature undisturbed. At 110 feet and 85 feet, respectively, the Upper and Lower Mesa Falls offer equally spectacular views in a
beautiful forest setting.
PHENOMENA: According to local legends, there is a ghost of a Shoshone Indian girl that lingers around the Lower Mesa Falls who is said to
have died while trying to rescue someone caught in the river. The girl is said to be seen in the falls, dressed in white, and phantom
drumbeats and footsteps can be heard along with the feeling of a presence watching you.
MONARCH HOTEL (POCATELLO)
BACKGROUND: Built in 1909, the Monarch Building was originally owned by Canadian-born Philip St. Marie and one of the first hotels in
Pocatello. The top two floors served as the Monarch Hotel and in 1927 the first floor housed the Solor Cigar Store and the Savoy Cafe. At
one point it was also used as a brothel and the basement as a speakeasy and Chinese opium den. Now it is a low-income apartment
building.
PHENOMENA: People have been scratched and pushed by unseen forces and shadowy figures have been seen roaming the halls and rooms.
It’s been said that one of the spirits there is that is that of a young man who died of a drug overdose in the 1980s.
NIGHT MOVES GENTLEMEN’S CLUB (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: Supposedly the building site is a former warehouse.
PHENOMENA: Staff and patrons have reported many sightings of apparitions, felt cold spots and witnessed swinging chandeliers, objects
being thrown and spirits appearing in photographs. Managers refuse to talk about the happenings as they have been extremely unnerved by
them quite often. It is believed several spirits haunt this club, including a little girl.
OWYHEE PLAZA HOTEL (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: This has been a Boise landmark since it’s construction in 1910. Originally, the roof was used as a garden space with a
restaurant, dance floor, and bar and was a popular hangout until 1940 when the Ore-Ida company bought the top three floors to use as their
corporate headquarters. It was sold in 1992 to it’s current owner and is now one of the premier hotels in Idaho.
PHENOMENA: Staff and guests maintain that the Owyhee is home to apparitions seen in meeting rooms, the lobby and its lofts. The most
haunted area is considered to be room 136 where a guest who was staying there with her husband woke one night and saw the apparition of
a woman standing in the room. There was no fear, just a peaceful feeling. When she asked who the spirit was and what it wanted, it simply
vanished from sight.. There are strange noises heard throughout the hotel and many claim to have the feeling of being watched.
PETE’S TAVERN (NAMPA)
BACKGROUND: A fixture of downtown Nampa since the 1940s. The building was built more than a century before that and once housed a
butcher shop, a Chinese laundry, and even a speakeasy during Prohibition.
PHENOMENA: There are a host of unexplained happenings in a back room called the “Cave.” which during the Prohibition era was used as a
speakeasy. Multiple voices have been recorded in there; a grouchy man that repeats only one word, a female with a Southern accent, a
whispering female and a young man who has the gift of gab. There are reports of a cold feeling in the room and the sensation that items
around you are being moved. Patrons have had their hair played with, their backs touched, whispering in their ears and tapping on the bar.
PIERCE MINING TOWN (PIERCE)
BACKGROUND: E.D. Pierce discovered gold in Canal Gulch in the Fall of 1860, and the town of Pierce was established at the site. The pierce
courthouse, built in 1862 and still standing today, was Idaho's first government building. In 1863 an estimated 800 Chinese miners moved in
to work the claims that were abandoned as prospectors moved to the next rush in Idaho City. In 1885 a gang of vigilantes hung five Chinese
that were accused of murdering a local business owner. By the 1890's a timber industry had been established in the area which helped
sustain Pierce well into the twentieth century, allowing the town to avoid becoming a ghost town like many other early mining camps.
PHENOMENA: Paranormal occurrences here include apparitions, disembodied voices and footsteps throughout the town. The Clearwater
Hotel, no longer standing, was said to be especially haunted and at the Cedar Inn, guests are awakened by loud banging on the walls,
strange sounds coming from dark corners of the building and misty apparitions roaming the hallways.
PIONEER BOOTHILL CEMETERY (BOISE)
BACKGROUND: The first burials took place in 1863 during a population boom after gold was discovered in the nearby Boise basin. The
cemetery expanded over the years as more people started businesses and provided services. After the main rush had ended, a huge fire
broke out destroying almost 80% of all buildings, which were rebuilt by the wealthier residents who had remained in town.
PHENOMENA: There is said to be a misty figure of a young girl who is seen standing next to some Chinese graves and staring at the head
stones before simply vanishing. There are more unexplainable mists, the type which only show up on photos and aren’t seen by the naked
eye, likely with a rational explanation. Then there is the apparition of an old man thought to be a prospector who died in the area. He
appears in old western gear, a short beard and a vest-jacket. The surrounding neighborhood is also the scene of a number of strange
experiences, with the old grocery store and the old saloon being the focus of these hauntings.
POCATELLO HIGH SCHOOL (POCATELLO)
BACKGROUND: Locally known as "Poky," it is the oldest of the three traditional high schools of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District, and
serves the southwest portion. The school was built in 1892 at a cost of $18, 281. It was originally called West Side School, holding all grades
in the same school. PHS was the most impressive building in the area during the early 1900s and on many occasions the school served as a
town square where concerts and athletic contests were held. Two presidents of the United States spoke on the grounds of Pocatello High
School, President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 and William Howard Taft in 1908. In 1914, a fire started in the boiler room and the high
school burnt completely to the ground and rebuilt in exactly the same location. In 1939, the old school was remodeled and additions were
made including a new gymnasium currently known as "the pit." In 1996 major renovations were added to the school which took three years
to complete.
PHENOMENA: Legend has it that sometime between the 1930s and 1950s, two female students made a suicide pact. One hung herself by
her locker, but the other had second thoughts and didn’t follow through. It’s said the scent of the dead girl’s perfume was prominent by her
old locker and the school removed it, but it still lingers in that area. Custodians claim to see the apparition of a young girl wandering the
halls as they make their rounds at night and passersby looking into the library have seen ghostly figures through the windows. Alarms will
activate for no apparent reason and the sound of piano playing can be heard coming from the auditorium when the school is otherwise
empty.
POWER COUNTY HOSPITAL (AMERICAN FALLS)
BACKGROUND: After the previous hospital was deemed outdated, ground was broken on March 3, 1960 for what was to be known as the
Power County Hospital and Nursing Home. It was officially dedicated in April of 1961 and had 18 nursing home beds and 16 hospital beds,
with room to expand to 60 more. The hospital quickly grew, became more modernized and in the early 1980s changed its name to the
Harms Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home in honor of Dr. Frank Harms, who served the area for close to 40 years.
PHENOMENA: At night, the buzzers to the nurses' stations go off by themselves, summoning them to empty rooms and bathrooms.
Apparitions have been seen both out of the corner of one the eye and with direct vision. One has been seen sitting in a chair across a long
hall. Deceased former patients have been seen wandering the halls, before vanishing into thin air. A rather tall man is often seen standing in
doorways and observing the actions of others. A strong smell of cigar smoke wafting through the otherwise smoke-free facility is said to
belong to Dr. Harms.
ROSE HILL CEMETERY (IDAHO FALLS)
PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> There are two stories associated with Rose Hill Cemetery and both border on the bizarre. One involves
a series of gruesome killings in the area that had the markings of a wild animal attack. The locals, knowing that most animals will attack
humans only if other sources of food weren’t available, began to have some doubts as to the identity of the perpetrator. Somehow it came to
be believed the murders were the work of a werewolf, so a search party was organized one night under a full moon and the creature was
cornered and shot dead. It was then mutilated and the body parts buried in two different graves at the cemetery with the rationale it would
deter the beast from returning from the dead. Legend says that two stones were installed, one that read “were” and the other “wolf”. This
did not stop the creature from being resurrected as the graves were found dug up and a bite taken out of the stone that read, “wolf”. The
other story concerns a mausoleum where a friendly soul is buried who will respond to anyone who knocks on the walls with one of his own.
SHOSHONE ICE CAVES (SHOSHONE)
BACKGROUND: The cave was discovered in 1880. Early residents of Shoshone harvested ice from the cave, giving the town a reputation as
being the only place for hundreds of miles where one could buy a cold beer. In the mid 1930s, the Works Progress Administration attempted
to develop the cave by opening a second entrance. Ice melted rapidly and the project was abandoned. Geologist Russell Robinson in 1954
reestablished ice formation in the cave.
PHENOMENA: It’s been claimed that employees hear phantom footsteps and hushed voices. Some have suggested the Indian princess
Edahow haunts the caves since she was buried in the ice many decades ago.
SIDEWINDERS BAR & GRILL (MURTAUGH)
BACKGROUND: Built about 1908 during a period that the residents of Murtaugh, nearby Milner Dam irrigation workers and Union Pacific
employees suffered great loss and unimaginable hardships. For most of its life the historic building has served as the towns main gathering
spot, message center, watering hole, gambling joint and in generations past, a brothel.
PHENOMENA: Through the years, many have witnessed a shadowy figure, the sounds of laughter, or the saloon's piano playing off at a
distance. These experiences occur at various times, or after patrons leave, leaving just two or three people to bear witness to what goes on.
The most frequent event is the volume of the stereo or jukebox peaking to maximum without warning or assistance from anyone near it.
Despite the surprises there, nothing is considered malevolent or threatening in any way.
SNAKE RIVER (IDAHO)
BACKGROUND: The largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. It
rises in western Wyoming, then flows through the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, the rugged Hells Canyon on the Oregon–Idaho
border and the rolling Palouse Hills of Washington, emptying into the Columbia River at the Tri-Cities, Washington. Prehistoric Native
Americans lived along the Snake starting more than 11,000 years ago. Salmon from the Pacific Ocean spawned by the millions in the river,
and were a vital resource for people living on the Snake downstream of Shoshone Falls. By the time Lewis and Clark explored the area, the
Nez Perce and Shoshone were the dominant Native American groups in the region. Later explorers and fur trappers further changed and
used the resources of the Snake River basin. At one point, sign language used by the Shoshones representing weaving baskets was
misinterpreted to represent a snake, giving the Snake River its name.
PHENOMENA: According to local legend, a group of Native Americans living near the Snake River hundreds of years ago were going through
a terrible famine. They wanted to spare their babies from the horrors of starvation, so they went to the river and collectively drowned their
children in what they thought was a mass mercy killing though the story differs with another blaming white settlers in the 1800s for
drowning their kin. Others say it was a war between settlers and Native Americans that was at the center of the drownings. Whatever the
truth, the descriptions of the hauntings stay consistent. Visitors to areas of the river report misty apparitions and the distinctive cries of
babies and water splashing in the dark. Some claim to see small, ghostly figures floating under the surface of the water and the ghost of a
woman in a flowing white dress.
STRICKER RANCH (HANSEN)
BACKGROUND: The Stricker Ranch or Stricker Ranch Stagestop, Rock Creek Station and Stricker Homestead, dates back to 1865. The
homestead was built in 1901 after Herman Stricker, a German emigrant, purchased the Rock Creek Store at the stage stop in 1877 and
created the first trading post between Fort Hall and Fort Boise on the Oregon Trail. He later married Lucy Walgamott and the two operated
the store and saloon and rented out rooms in their home.
PHENOMENA: Visitors to the location at night report ghostly figures running through the field and a small cemetery that remains on the
property. There are claims of doors opening and lights flickering on and off inside an otherwise empty cabin at the ranch. Urban legend alert
>> One bizarre story tells about a stain on the staircase leading from the upstairs bedrooms to the first floor parlor. The stain runs down the
staircase and is said to be the blood of Herman Stricker who was killed by an axe-wielding Lucy. This story has been exposed as a false
legend.
THE BRIG AT FARRAGUT STATE PARK (ATHOL)
BACKGROUND: “The Museum at the Brig” is a former naval training center and a military jail. Now it is a camping site which frequent
visitors. Made of concrete blocks, it has an inner courtyard and a square design and is one of the few structures which remain from over 700
buildings which made up the Farragut Naval Training Station during WWII.
PHENOMENA: Individuals who visit the Brig report full-body apparitions and objects moving about by themselves. Most of the apparitions are
described as wearing a uniform of some kind. It is also believed to be the site of a murder and at least one suicide during WWII, when
Farragut was still a military base and a home to over 300,000 men. Anomalous orbs have been reported as well as claims of faces peering
out between bars. Most employees who have witnessed one particular apparition work in the brig building, which was also the maintenance
building for many years. All who have encountered the ghostly figure describe him as a balding man wearing prisoner’s clothing. Others
working in the Brig speak of objects flying across the cells and large objects being “relocated”. Of the hundreds of campsites throughout the
park, each have their own stories that include flickering lights, strange sounds, and other paranormal sightings.
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