A look back at 1900s ghost sightings reported in Utah newspapers
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Courtesy: Salt Lake Telegram via Utah Digital Newspapers originally published Sept. 10, 1929.
To keep up with October's spooky spirit, we sifted through historical ghost sightings reported in Utah newspapers.
Ghost story No. 1: In the fall of 1929, a group of boys in Provo allegedly stumbled upon a ghost believed to be lurking in Utah County, per the Salt Lake Telegram.
- After the apparition popped out from a nearby bush, the boys threw rocks at it, but their "missiles" did not harm the phantom, and they ran away.
Ghost story No. 2: One evening, a Murray man said he encountered a ghost on his way to visit the home of a special lady friend, The Salt Lake Tribune reported in 1904.
- Worried he would be late, he took a shortcut across the cemetery (bad, bad idea) where he saw a sight that "made his blood run cold."
- There he reportedly witnessed an apparition of a "snow-white" child, about 3 to 4 years old, rise from the ground and above a tombstone. As he stared, the creepy kid disappeared.
- While making his hasty exit, the phantom appeared to the man two more times before vanishing.
What happened next: His experience spread through the local community, drawing spectators to the graveyard who hoped to witness paranormal activity.
But, but, but: When the tale reached the skeptical cemetery sexton, who was working the night of the ghostly sighting, he said: "Now if there had been any ghost at that cemetery, don't you think I should have seen it?"