Ghostly Happenings in South Dakota

Ghostly Happenings in the Black Hills

The Gaslight Restaurant and Saloon north of Mount Rushmore in the former boom town of Rockerville is haunted by the friendly spirit of a man named Samuelson Harney. Pieces of his old hotel bar were moved to the Gaslight Saloon along with the ghost of Samuelson. People have seen a well-dressed, transparent man greeting them at the door.

The Black Hills Playhouse has entertained people since 1946. It is inhabited by a ghostly spirit thought to be either the founder Warren “Doc” Lerr or a Depression-era worker. Whoever he is, the ghostly spirit helps actors lay out their costumes before shows.

Beneath Pactola Lake are the remains of a mining town that was swallowed up by a man-made reservoir in the 1950s. It is haunted by the ghost known as the “mad Pactola fisherman”. This is the ghost of a man who appears ice fishing with a grin on his face and vanishes without a trace.

Alpine Inn was originally built in 1884 for tin mining executives. Here, diners have seen several ghostly spirits, among them a woman in an old-fashioned gown who shows up in the dining room and the halls.

The Ghost of Sheriff Seth Bullock

Situated in Deadwood, the historic Bullock Hotel is a three-story landmark greeting guests since 1895. It was built by the first sheriff of Deadwood, Seth Bullock. After his passing, he chose to remain at the hotel.

Guests staying here have heard unexplained footsteps, mysterious knocking, and have had an overwhelming feeling that someone was watching them from the shadows.

Paranormal investigators rank it among the most authentically haunted buildings in the American West.

The Ghostly Spirits of Two Lovers

Devil’s Gulch is located in Garretson.

It is associated with local folklore saying that in 1876 the well-known outlaw Jesse James leaped across the 18-foot gorge on his horse while attempting to escape capture after a robbery.

This area is haunted by the ghosts of two lovers who died in each other’s arms. In the 1800s, a white outlaw and a band of Indians kidnapped a woman named Nellie Harding and took her to Devil’s Gulch. Her fiancé found them and was successful in killing most of the kidnappers, but unfortunately both he and Nellie were fatally wounded. Now visitors to this area have heard moans and screams and seen the ghostly apparitions of the lovers.

Spooky Happenings

Situated in Aberdeen, Easton Castle is a yellow-brick mansion that is surrounded by dense forest. It was built in 1888 by wealthy businessman C.A. Bliss. This Queen Anne-style home has hosted extravagant parties with guests like author L. Frank Baum, known for the novel “The Wizard of Oz”

Over the years, among paranormal activity here is the ghostly spirit of Mrs. Easton. Late at night, creaking floorboards and disembodied voices have been heard. A shadowy figure has chased people with a knife. In the halls, partygoers from the past have been seen.

The mansion is privately owned, but the grounds are open for camping.

Haunted Rooms

Situated in Rapid City, the Hotel Alex Johnson opened its doors in 1928 and was called “the showplace of the West”. Among the famous guests staying here was US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Even after his death, the former owner, Alex Johnson, has chosen to stay at the hotel. The two rooms that experience the most ghostly activity are Room 802, where a young couple heard phantom music and had the feeling of being choked. They had their pet dogs with them, who were behaving strangely and getting agitated when in the room. In Room 812, the windows tend to pop open on their own. Guests step out of the shower to find “help me” written on the fogged-up mirror. This is attributed to the fact that a bride jumped from the window of this room on her wedding day.

The Ghost of Larry

Situated in Sioux Falls, the Orpheum Theater is one of the most haunted places in South Dakota. This historic theater was built in 1913 and sold to the Sioux Falls Community Playhouse in 1954. (pictured above)

The theater is home to the ghostly spirit of a man named Larry. Among the strange things that have happened, the new owners discovered an old, ornate casket in the boiler room, but when they returned to clean out the room, the casket was gone.

Suddenly objects began appearing and disappearing. In 1959, an actor named Ray Loftesness saw the figure of a man bathed in a blue-green light standing on the balcony pointing at him. Afterward, he felt a blast of cold air and was knocked unconscious by a falling sandbag. Unfortunately for him, this happened twice.