Folklore and Legends

What disturbing secrets surround the cold, deep waters of Lake Michigan?

Sudden violent storms and rocky shoals have claimed the lives of countless mortals foolish enough to brave the treacherous surf of Lake Michigan. But is there another, unnatural force at work? A force that spirited away a ship’s captain from a locked cabin without a trace? A force that caused a perfectly airworthy jet to fly into the waves, taking all its passengers to a watery death? Perhaps these tragedies are linked to numerous UFO sightings over the lake. Or perhaps a clue might be found in the prehistoric Stonehenge-like structures discovered deep beneath the crystalline blue surface.

Historian and storyteller Gayle Soucek will explore the mysteries behind the area known as the Lake Michigan Triangle.

A great read for those interested in Wisconsin history as well as those who like a great campfire story, Wisconsin Legends & Lore explores a rich diversity of stories from around the state.

Wisconsin is a land rich with stories. It was the “mother of all circuses,” a place of buried treasure and home to eerie ghosts and monsters. Native American legends, tall tales told at lumberjack camps and taverns, ghost lore and modern urban legends all form the wonderful mythology of the Dairy State. Many know of Rhinelander’s famous Hodag, the Beast of Bray Road in Elkhorn, Milwaukee’s haunted Pfister Hotel and the Ridgeway Ghost. But few have heard obscure tales like the Christmas Tree Ghost Ship of Two Rivers, the Goatman of Richfield’s Hogsback Road and the legend of the Witch’s Tower of Whitewater.

Author Tea Krulos, an expert in all things strange and unusual, digs up Wisconsin favorites and arcane lore.

Milwaukee is full of weird borders, streets that do not line up right, creepy cemeteries and other curious things.

Many locals have heard about the crooked bridges downtown, the sewer Socialists and the attempt on Teddy Roosevelt’s life. Not as many know about the time Josette Juneau saved Milwaukee, the city’s link to The Exorcist or its ghost towns like Oakwood, Saint Martin’s and Root Creek. And yes, a lion really lived inside the library. Employees used bowling balls to play fetch with it.

Milwaukee-based historian James Nelsen shares joyous and amazing stories of the Cream City’s strange history.

Wisconsin’s capital city is haunted!

From restless spirits roaming the University of Wisconsin to ghostly Confederate soldiers lingering at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison is filled with otherworldly entities. Spirits do not rest in peace at Taliesin, and the tragedies that occurred on the Capitol grounds shed light on the building’s numerous paranormal reports. The city’s outskirts are just as eerie. From the prowling Beast of Bray Road to what is thought to be Wisconsin’s most haunted bar, a spinetingling location is never far away.

Join author Anna Lardinois to discover some of Madison’s most macabre tales.

A tour guide and founder of Gothic Milwaukee shares the spine-tingling tales of the Beer City's famous, and not so famous, specters and legends.

Beneath Milwaukee's calm façade, its ghastly past awaits. The overbearing spirit of Frederick Pabst keeps persistent watch over the mansion that shares his name. The remains of the Newhall House Fire, the city's deadliest disaster, may lie beneath a new building, but those who lost their lives that night refuse to rest in peace. Even the suburbs hold their share of ghoulish secrets, including the furtive dwarves of Haunchyville, the fabled Bray Road Beast and the stubborn spirits lurking in Deacon West's house.

Tour guide and founder of Gothic Milwaukee Anna Lardinois shares the spine-tingling tales of the Beer City's famous, and not so famous, specters and legends.

“A breeze—a spine-tingling breeze—to read. It's extremely well crafted, organized into deliciously digestible segments and laden with descriptive yet straight-forward language. Lardinois stocks the stories with so many peculiar historical tidbits that the text is simultaneously scary, fascinating and educational. (Did you know the ashes of the founder of The Skylight Theater are still beneath the stage?)” —OnMilwaukee.com

The Rock River Valley is best known for its beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities. But like the Rock River itself, there is a darkness that lies just under the surface.

This region’s history is filled with eerie tales of ghostly encounters that suggest that the line between the living and dead is thinner here. The river starts near Waupun, Wisconsin, where the nearby Wisconsin State Prison Cemetery contains a dark entity that haunts the grave of the man that killed her. It travels southward through towns with veiled stories of things that go bump in the night. Towns like Beloit, Wisconsin, where the students at the local college have shared stories of the entities that linger in the halls.

Crossing the state line, the city of Rockford, Illinois, has its own claims of ghostly encounters. The river finally joins the Mississippi in Rock Island, Illinois. Ghosts of the gangsters that once called this area home still reign at the Rock Island Roadhouse.

Author Kathi Kresol weaves together the legends, history, and personal encounters with the spirits of the dead all along the route of this historic river.