The Sinister Story Behind This Popular South Dakota Island Will Give You Chills
Many of South Dakota’s most haunted places seem to be in the Black Hills, in little towns like Deadwood where murders were common. But some stories are even older than that. Reports of strange happenings on LaFramboise Island have been circulating since the days of Lewis and Clark. Is it haunted? You decide.
Framboise Island Nature Area is located just southwest of Pierre, in the middle of the Missouri River.
You can reach the island via the causeway from Poplar Avenue. It's a beautiful place to spend the day, but some people who visit here, especially at night, claim to have seen and heard some creepy things.
Lewis and Clark explored this area in 1804. They nicknamed it "Bad Humor Island," because they had an unpleasant encounter with the Sioux here. Their journals don't mention what the issue was, but they were apparently quite shaken by the situation.
The trail here circles around the island and also cuts through some of the heavy forest here. It's about seven miles long. Some people claim to see a Native American woman who warns them to turn back and steer clear of the hiking trails here.
Others see people in the trees along the trails. Reports of other ghostly beings in the darkest parts of the woods are fairly common. Voices and footsteps have scared more than one hiker off the trail.
One common story is the scariest of all. A young child appears at dusk to hikers near the river, and seems to be in great distress. As the hikers follow, the child leads them deeper into the forested part of the island...then disappears.
Many people say that they've seen orbs and have even claimed to have captured them on film. Some say that the dark presence here can be most felt down by the river; others say that they've felt the most terrified along the trails.
AdventureVanMan filmed his visit the LaFramboise Island last year, and he didn’t see anything unusual. Here’s the video of his trip, posted on YouTube:
I don’t usually believe in ghosts…but I’ve never visited LaFramboise Island at dusk. Have you hiked at LaFramboise Island and experienced anything unusual? Tell us your stories in the comments!
If you’re interested in visiting more of South Dakota’s supposedly haunted places, take our haunted road trip.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
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Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
