6 Spine-Tingling Hauntings Said to be True in South Dakota

This Victorian building is found in the beautiful downtown section of Deadwood. Though the hotel offers guests nothing short of a lavish stay, rumor has it that it's haunted by the builder and longtime owner Seth Bullock. As the city’s first sheriff, Bullock was described as tall with piercing ice gray eyes. Guests have reported seeing a ghost with these same features known to move plates and glasses, turn showers on, and unplug electronic devices. Perhaps most chilling of all, some guests claim they’ve heard a male voice call out their names at night.

In recent years, residents of this apartment have reported spooky activity and sightings of a barefooted ghost roaming the halls. Sudden drops in temperatures, pounding on doors, slamming cabinets and ghost-like voices are just a few of the alleged terrifying occurrences.

This town with a population of 663 has had so many unexplainable happenings that the whole town is considered haunted. Supposedly Little Oak Road is the most terrifying area, as it was constructed over an old cemetery. Locals say that a male spirit with red eyes frequently terrifies those who pass over it.

This charming resort located near the edge of Lake Elsie was once The South Dakota School for the Blind. Herrick Hotel, which was the boys’ dorm, is supposedly still home to the ghosts of young boys. Dark figures are seen throughout the building and chilling youthful laughter can often be heard.

Built in the late 1890s, Orpheum Theater is a popular center for Sioux Falls cultural events, with nearly 100,000 people visiting each year. What some of these patrons don’t know, however, is that a ghost nicknamed Larry may be among them. Larry was first spotted in 1959 when an actor rehearsing his lines saw a spirit peering at him from the balcony. There are numerous rumors about Larry’s identity, but a popular theory is that he was a construction worker who fell to his death.

Guests say that a young bride in a white gown walks the halls of the 8th floor of Hotel Alex Johnson in search of her killer. It was reported that she jumped out of a window in the 1970s, but foul play is now speculated. Other guests swear that the window in room 812, the scene of her violent death, opens on its own.