I’m finding that I have so much information and do little time that I’m a day behind with this blog, but that’s ok.
My original plan for Friday was going to be to go down to lake pepin and try to find Pepie, the alleged monster that resides in the lake.
I changed the plan for 2 reasons 1- to save some drive time. And 2- it was Friday the 13th and I thought I should do something spooky. So I redirected us to Ferguson Falls, Minnesota to a gorgeous abandoned building, that the town has structured a park around. It’s in amazingly good condition given that it’s been shut down for about 13 years. It was originally known as Minnesota’s 3rd Hospital for the Insane when it opened in 1890. By 1904 there were about 1500 patients. Population continued to rise for some time but by the 1970’s there was a decline. Mental health was being treated differently by then and people were more aware that lobotomies and shock treatments might not be the best options. By 1985 the hospital was rebranded into a treatment center rehab facility. In 2008 it was shut down.
the architecture is stunning. I wish you could tour the inside. It’s huge and i find it a shame that such a beautiful structure is just empty. In my research I did not find anything that said it was haunted, However I did come across tales of murder, escape, and horrific mistreatment of patients which would be common from any asylum of the times I think. That’s why so many movies and tv shows use that troupe. Is troupe the right word for that? maybe not, plot line might be more fitting.
Our next stop was an allegedly haunted lookout turned memorial. It’s referred to as a “castle” but it’s just a pretty simple lookout tower on top of Elk Mount Park in Wisconsin. In 1934 a tree was planted and a plaque was placed with the dedication to the deceased mail carriers of Dunn county. Soil from all the mail carries routes were placed at the spot. It’s rumored that in 1980 a hiker fell to his death there. Strange screams, feelings of something trying to push people down the stairs, and disembodied laughter have all been reported. Then again, there’s also a rumor that a dragon is buried beneath the tower.
