Thief River Falls has its share of strange, yet true haunted tales that linger through the years — from cries in the park to unexplained footsteps echoing after dark. Whether you believe in ghosts or just love a good mystery, these local legends will make you see our city in a whole new light.
Hartz Park
Dead Man’s Trail is the site of a legend of a young Native American woman whose baby was carried away by the rushing river and over the rapids to the rocks below. She cursed the river, saying it had stolen the tribe’s future chief. Visitors to the park have reported occasionally seeing the woman’s apparition or heard her crying.
Basement of Crystal Shop
The owners of the Mystic Raven shop on Third Street believe they have a ghost in their store. People have been known to stop in with their dog and it returns to one spot and barks at “nothing.”
Duplex in Thief River Falls
An individual was once a small child living in an old duplex in Thief River Falls. While they played in their bedroom, they had turned to their right and looked up seeing a transparent Civil War soldier. They had asked his name he said it was ”Marshall Goodie” and asked if he could play. They drank tea together and played off and on for days. After becoming scared of the ghost solider, the child no longer was able to see him. They told their mother he looked like Captain Crunch because of his suite not his pill box hat. (Gould Johnson, 1843 to 10 Apr 1890, had a homestead on Mar 1, 1886 in Section 17 of 153 and 43, n half of ne quarter, SW quarter of the NE quarter and Lot No. 2, about two miles south of town between Highway 32 and the river) (“obit” in 19 Jan 1899, first person buried in Greenwood Cemetery).
Residence, west of St. Hilaire
A former manager of Pioneer Village in Thief River Falls from the early 1990s, noted that on one occasion, a gentleman from St. Hilaire brought three elderly men who had lived in the area all their lives to the Village to identify some photos of the early days. While there, they realized that they lived directly north of the manager’s home. When the manager explained where they had lived, they exclaimed that “that’s where the haunted house was!” The gentlemen went on to tell the story about spending a Sunday afternoon there and falling asleep on the living room couch, only to wake up to see a dense “fog” covering the floor. When the guy jumped up and shouted, the fog disappeared.
Northland Apartments
A resident noted seeing a saw a ghost inside a Thief River Falls apartment building across the street from the college. They claimed it was a little kid rocking back and forth on a rocking chair. It didn’t scare them, as much as it astonished them it being there. The resident said they only saw them once, however, their previous girlfriend said it was always sitting there.
House just north of Downtown
A family had moved to Thief River falls, when a child had noticed suspicious activity. There was constant footsteps inside the home, knocking on their bedroom window and felt someone touching their arm as they drifted off to sleep. They also stated how they heard someone playing their flute at early hours of the morning, with a black figure walking in their backyard.
Haunted Business in Downtown
In the 1890’s, people said there was a haunted store in town. A person could walk by on the sidewalk at night and suddenly a light would flash on inside. There was no electricity, of course, and no lights. The store was closed and locked up. Sometimes two people would be walking there together and one would see the light and the other would not. After some investigation, it was determined that, while there was no light in the building, there was a large mirror. With a saloon across the street, if you were walking by the store and someone opened the front door of the saloon, the light from there would be reflected in the mirror.
As the lights flicker and the stories fade, one thing’s for sure — Thief River Falls holds more mysteries than meets the eye. Have you experienced something eerie of your own around town? We’d love to hear your haunted tales… if you dare to share.