Chapters
Shownotes Transcript
Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my 100th Mint commercial. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, honestly, when I started this, I thought I'd only have to do like four of these. I mean, it's unlimited premium wireless for $15 a month. How are there still people paying two or three times that much? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be victim blaming here. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash save whenever you're ready. For
$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds lower above 40 gigabytes. See details. This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all-new Prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class-leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com slash EV to see offers.
This US state is home to a major archaeological find: 14,500-year-old mammoth bones with human-made tool marks, suggesting that people have lived in the Western Hemisphere longer than experts had previously believed. Native American tribes formed over thousands of years after the mammoth hunters arrived. Eleven Native American tribes still live in this state today.
This state's name might have come from a Native American word, "Mesconcing," meaning roughly, "It lies red," or, "This stream meanders through something red." It probably refers to this state's reddish sandstone. It is famous for its cheese, so famous that it has a cheese museum. On the second Saturday in June, the National Historic Cheese Making Center creates a 90-pound wheel of Swiss.
These are some facts about the beautiful, mysterious state of Wisconsin. But what you may not know is that Wisconsin also has a dark side. Welcome to Destination Terror, your passport to the scariest places in the world. From haunted hotels to locations of unexplained creature sightings, we will travel to places that will provide excitement, adventure and horror.
Today we are discussing horrifying Wisconsin, the home of the Beast of Bray Road, as well as numerous other creatures and haunted places. So if you are into travel and all things scary, listen close and you might just discover your next exciting adventure destination. But hopefully, not your final destination.
Destination Terror is an EerieCast original podcast hosted by me, Carmen Carrion. If you would like to send us a suggestion or submit a story with your own experience, you can email them to carmencarrion at gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at Carmen Carrion. If you enjoy the show, please follow and rate Destination Terror on Spotify and Apple Podcasts to help us grow.
Also, check out eeriecast.com for more scary podcasts, such as Tales from the Break Room, featuring allegedly true and terrifying stories that happened on the job. Working as a party clown was probably the worst idea Mason had ever had. Well, it wasn't actually his idea. The idea had been his roommate Randy's. They were looking for ways to earn extra money so they could save for their first college spring break trip.
First of all, Mason hated kids and the only thing he hated worse than kids were clowns. There were few options where they could work around their school schedules and their current part-time jobs, so advertising online as clowns for hire seemed to be a good choice, until Mason landed his first gig. He lived in a dorm at the University of Milwaukee and the job was for a sixth birthday party that would be taking place in Delavan.
It was over an hour from the school and a place he had never been to. He would have to spend most of his day in a car dressed in a clown suit. God, he should have just become a stripper. He would have made more money. The idea made him laugh out loud. He could twilight as a stripper in his clown suit and work as a stripper clown. He was cracking himself up and it was helping lighten his mood.
Being a clown was trial and error. He had to repair his makeup three times. First, because the neck of the clown suit was tight and squished his face. And after that, because he kept forgetting he had the makeup on. Throwing his suitcase full of magic tricks into the backseat of his Prius, he cursed Randy again. Randy had conveniently been too busy to take the job and had passed it on to Mason. He had the feeling that he was a real clown for listening to his roommate.
The trip wasn't as bad as he expected. He had listened to his playlist, which was always a good distraction. He had to stop in a little town called Elkhorn for gas. He knew this town was famous for something, but he couldn't remember what it was. He would have to look it up later. With a tank full of gas, he hopped back into his car and headed on to Delavan. He arrived 30 minutes early, which gave him time to go over his tricks and check his makeup.
He was about to get out of the car when he realized he wasn't wearing his red clown nose. Reaching into his bag, he pulled it out and stuck it on. To his surprise, it wasn't uncomfortable like he had expected it to be. The party went on a lot later than he had expected. All he had to do was pretend to trip or anything else stupid and the kids would burst out in laughter. The kids took the lead from the beginning, so he didn't have to put much thought into what he should do next.
They requested magic tricks and balloon animals, which Mason had practiced to a point of self-pride. The only bump in the whole afternoon was when a little girl insisted on a story. Mason hadn't been prepared for that and was relieved when the birthday boy's mother showed up with a children's book about clowns. They all seemed to have a great time, and by the end of the party it was getting dark.
A few of the kids still hung around. Many had already left, except for the one little boy he was still in hiding because he was terrified of clowns. Mason was exhausted by the time he headed out of Delavan, and by the time he drove back through Elkhorn, it was completely dark. He passed the gas station where he had filled his tank earlier, but at some point he must have made a wrong turn, because the road he was on suddenly turned to gravel.
He hadn't set his GPS because he was sure of his sense of direction, and when he opened his phone to type in the address, there was no signal. The GPS wouldn't work without it. Looking for a place to turn the car around, he figured his best bet was to head back towards the gas station, in the direction he had come from. Once he was there, if his GPS still wouldn't work, maybe he could buy a map or get directions.
There were no street lights and it seemed like miles before he found a driveway to turn around in, but he finally did. Pulling in, he had to be careful because the ditch was deep on both sides. He made it in okay, but when he began to back out, the car bounced and he heard a loud thump. Afraid that he had hit someone's dog, or worse, he put the car into park and climbed out.
Walking around the back of the car, he inspected the area. There was no sign of damage to the car and no trace of whatever he had backed into. He shrugged and then realized he must be a sight. A clown in a Prius out in the middle of nowhere, skulking around on a dirt road in the dark. He would have laughed at himself again, but his train of thought was interrupted by a sound from behind him.
Turning around, he could barely see the bushes on the side of the road. They were more like a black blob shaped like bushes. But he could also tell because one large section was shaking while the rest were still. There was no breeze to be felt and as he watched the shaking became more violent, making a brushing sound like something was trying to claw its way out. Mason wasn't an idiot. He wasn't going to stick around to see what it was.
He jumped back into his car and took off down the dirt road. As he looked into the driver's side mirror, he could see something large behind the car. It looked like it was chasing him. It was probably a dog from a farm close by, but god it was huge. He pumped the accelerator not wanting to lose control on the gravel and was relieved when the road turned back to pavement. He was checking his mirror again when he heard the loud bang and pop.
Mason looked at the dash display and the tire air pressure warning light came on. His stomach turned when he realized he must have had a blowout. Putting the car into park as close to the edge of the road as he could, Mason took a deep breath and prepared to get out and change the tire. A task that normally would be annoying now seemed completely terrifying. Shutting the door quietly, he slowly approached the back hatch of the car.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, he popped the hatch and pulled out the spare, rolling the spare around to the side of the car. He froze when he heard a low guttural growl coming from somewhere in the dark. He tried to hurry, but his heart began to race and the adrenaline pumping through his veins made him clumsy. He managed to get the busted tire off, but he could still hear the growling coming from behind him.
Picking up the spare, he mounted it into position when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Mason knew right then that it was behind him. He didn't even have to turn around. In mere seconds before he even had a chance to react, it was on his back, pushing him to the ground as its sharp fangs buried into the back of his neck like a deadly vice.
This episode is brought to you by Experian. Are you paying for subscriptions you don't use but can't find the time or energy to cancel them? Experian could cancel unwanted subscriptions for you, saving you an average of $270 per year and plenty of time. Download the Experian app. Results will vary. Not all subscriptions are eligible. Savings are not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required.
He's the most terrifying serial killer you've never heard of. Haddon Clark has confessed to several murders, but investigators say he could have over 100 victims. At the center of the mayhem, a cellmate of Haddon's that was able to get key evidence into Haddon's murder spree across America
In the early 1800s, Colonel Samuel Phoenix spotted a rack of elk antlers caught in a tree in the woods of Wisconsin and proclaimed the area Elkhorn.
The area's pristine beauty and fertile soils drew the attention of Daniel Bradley, his brother Milo, and LeGrand Rockwell in their quest to create a village. By 1846, when the first town meeting was held, Elkhorn boasted a population of 539. The town has a Christmas card town reputation and is recognized every year through a series of oil paintings created by resident artist Jan Castle Reed depicting the city's historical landmarks.
In 1851, it became the home of Walworth County Fair, deemed as one of the best county fairs in the nation. Today, the event draws over 100,000 visitors to the city. The Norman Rockwell setting is not the only thing that draws visitors to this small town of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The town has a darker side to its history, which began back in 1936. The first sighting happened in Jefferson just a short drive from Elkhorn.
Mark Shackleman had arrived at St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children just before midnight, carrying only a flashlight on his belt. Shackleman was the night watchman for the school, and it was his job to patrol the grounds every night.
At the time, the school was located inside a former Franciscan convent outside of Jefferson, and the grounds spread out and covered several old buildings, an orchard, and open fields used for the preservation of several Native American burial mounds. Shackelman was in his 30s at the time, and the job was a means to provide for his family. It was a fairly uneventful job, and in Jefferson, there wasn't much going on other than the mischievous teenagers goofing off.
During that late night watch while crossing the fields, Shackleman saw a shadow. What he saw was a creature digging into one of the mounds. It appeared to be a dog or a wolf, but even from that far away he could tell it was way too big to be a normal canine. While he was watching, the thing suddenly turned around and looked at him, and then slowly stood up, rising to a height of over six feet tall, with a canine face covered in thick fur
It had the muscular body of a man. The creature let out a guttural growl that echoed across the open field, causing Shackleman to step back. His heart was racing, realizing if this thing attacked, he may not be able to outrun it. But to his relief, it turned and ran off into the trees. The next night during his rounds, Shackleman came upon this beast again, in the same area, but this time the creature snarled and bared its fangs.
Shackleman was ready for a fight as he gripped his flashlight, prepared to use it as a weapon. The creature growled the same as the night before, but this time the sound seemed half human and half beast. Luckily, once again the creature turned and left. That was the last time he saw the creature. Shackleman said he would never forget the horrifying feeling he had or the way the creature seemed to speak to him with its threatening growl.
The run-in with this scary beast stuck with Shackleman for years to come. This was the first sighting of the creature that would come to be known as the Beast of Bray Road. The sightings became widespread during the 80s and 90s, but the largest number of sightings happened in Elkhorn, the location of Bray Road. There was a report by a woman who claimed that the creature had tried to break into her home and later attacked and injured one of her horses, leaving a gash along its back.
She also claimed that the creature left behind footprints, and they were at least 12 inches long. Another woman spotted it crossing the road in front of her car, while later another saw it crouch down on the side of the road, eating a small animal. Later there was a young girl who claimed the beast had chased her through the woods, giving her a horrifying fright. The sightings continued, and soon there was a report from a young woman that she had spotted the creature while driving down Bray Road.
She said that something hit her tire and when she stopped to investigate that is when she saw it. A massive wolf-like creature standing on two legs. Frightened, she jumped back into her car and slammed the door. As she spun her tires trying to speed away the creature jumped onto the trunk of her car but slid off as the car sped up. After she came forward with her story, others began to share theirs as well.
Of course, a lot of people were on the fence about whether the creature was real or not. Many believed the stories were made up. The incident did, however, prompt further investigation. The Week, a Walworth Weekly newspaper, sent Linda Godfrey to investigate and to collect stories. Godfrey was skeptical when she began the assignment, but as she met with witnesses, she began to believe the sincerity of their stories.
Godfrey was so inspired by the stories that she wrote The Beast of Bray Road, telling Wisconsin's werewolf. In the book, she shares the stories she gathered from witnesses, who have had encounters with the creature. The mysterious beast garnered so much public attention that eventually someone decided to bring it to life on film. In 2005, a horror film was made based on the actual accounts of the sightings.
The film follows a local sheriff who is finally forced to accept that a string of horrifying deaths is linked to a predator, which possesses both human and wolf DNA. In 2018, a documentary film was released. This film covers the sightings as well as Linda Godfrey's research into the beast. Wisconsin is not just the home of The Beast of Bray Road. It has many more mysterious creatures and creepy destinations to add to your travel to-do list.
On March 19, 1908, Wisconsin newspaper, the La Crosse Tribune, ran a very short article with the headline "Beast Causes Terror." With only a few lines, the story told of how a wild beast, described as a panther, was terrorizing the residents of Eau Claire, attacking and eating their livestock and stalking the children of a local farmer.
The article never mentioned if any of the locals had banded together to hunt the beast or if any notable evidence had ever been collected. It appeared to be nothing more than a short article set between many other articles in a newspaper that many people outside the area would never see. But the newspaper failed to follow up on what was that the beast continued to be seen long after the article was posted.
In fact, the Beast of Euclid would go on to be spotted numerous times well over the course of a hundred years. In 1980, several children reported seeing a creature that appeared to be part bird and part human. There is one witness whose story is on record, and this is how it goes: "When I was about 10 years old, we lived in the country on the side of a bluff.
It was a very isolated place, lots of trees surrounding the house. My grandparents had a trailer on our property right next to our house. One day my grandma started screaming. When we went to see what was going on, she was hysterical and screaming about a birdman looking at her through the window. She said she was sitting in her chair watching her shows and saw something by the window. When she got up to see what it was, there was this tall birdman looking in at her.
She said it was about 6 feet tall and covered with yellowish feathers and had a very long beak. A few years before that happened, my sister insisted that Big Bird came to visit us one night. She said he took us outside and showed us all kinds of neat stuff and played with us. Then she said the next morning we went outside and found big yellow feathers. I don't remember ever seeing or playing with Big Bird in the middle of the night or ever finding any big yellow feathers.
She talked about it for years and insisted that it happened. Then she just never talked about it anymore. I asked her about it once when we were teenagers and she didn't remember a thing about it. Not even that she talked about it for about a year. It was around 1980 in the summer that my grandma saw the Birdman at her window and around 1977 in the summer when my sister said we played with Big Bird. It happened about five miles west of Mouston, Wisconsin.
The creepy factor for Wisconsin continues to grow. Located at the top of a hill that is the second highest point in Dane County is the old Lakeview Sanitarium. Constructed in 1930 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and general hospital for Dane County, the building has not been used for its original purpose since 1966, but during its prime, it was used to house over 100 tuberculosis patients at a time.
Now the building is home to the Dane County Department of Health and Human Services. But people say it isn't the building that is haunted, but the woods behind it. Before the sanitarium was built here, the spot overlooking the lake would have been considered sacred to the Native Americans who lived in the area.
So the people who feel unhappy vibes and displaced spirits might be connecting with those who passed long before the sanitarium was there. If the city did indeed build an ancient burial ground, the activity here could go back for centuries. Did you know there is an area in Wisconsin with a reputation equivalent to the Bermuda Triangle?
The lesser known Lake Michigan Triangle has acquired just as much unexplained behavior as its Bermuda counterpart, and its history is downright haunting. The Lake Michigan Triangle encompasses an area that stretches from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington and Benton Harbor in Michigan. From as early as 1891, this triangle has acquired a history of unexplainable activity.
It was during this year that a schooner by the name of Thomas Hume set sail to gather lumber. Heavy winds set in and seemingly overnight the boat and its crew of seven men disappeared altogether. Search parties failed to find even a scrap of driftwood. In 1921, another tragic event occurred in the waters of Lake Michigan. Just 30 years after the Thomas Hume disappeared, a ship by the name of the Rosa Belle encountered a similar fate.
The vessel was discovered overturned in Lake Michigan, yet not one of its 11 passengers could be found. Even more chilling is the fact that damages to the vessel implied a collision, yet no other ship reported an accident or could even be found. After reports of these shipwrecks were announced, more and more incidents were reported, recounting bizarre cases of disappearance and paranormal activity.
The list of hauntings and sites of paranormal activity, including UFO sightings in Wisconsin, goes on and on. The state, which is well known for its cheese and beer, is surprisingly one of the most fascinating places to explore if you are looking for a good scare. Scaring people who love to be scared is exactly what Dead by Dawn Productions had in mind when they opened the Bed and Breakfast, which boasts the horrifying name "Dead by Dawn."
After 25 years of operating one of Wisconsin's most popular haunted houses, Dead by Dawn Productions in Manitowoc opened a haunted-themed bed and breakfast, where their priority, as they say, is to ensure an unrestful night's sleep. Dead by Dawn operates year-round with three themed rooms and overnight activities filled with terror. It's a different kind of hospitality.
The owners say, this is for people who, like us, love Halloween. You will not get a good night's sleep, but will make it worth the distress and anxiety you encounter in the dark. With its hauntings history and creature sightings, deciding where to start your terrifying visit to Wisconsin will be a difficult decision to make.
Whether you go hunting for the Beast of Bray Road or explore the many haunted places, be sure to let us know what you find. That is, if you make it out alive. Overnight, Duncan's Pumpkin Spice Coffee has sent folks into a cozy craze. I'm Lauren LaTulip reporting live from home in my hand-knit turtleneck that my nana made me. Mmm, cinnamony. The home with Duncan is where you want to be.
Get started with Greenlight today and get your first month free at greenlight.com slash Spotify.
The golf cart hit a bump, causing Cammie to bite her tongue. Her dad had always wanted a son and she wished he had had one. He drug her on every golf, fishing, and outdoor excursion that he planned. She didn't always hate it, but she had wanted to sleep in today. After a whole week of staying up late cramming for semester exams, the last thing she wanted to do was hit the greens at 8 in the morning. Besides, she was 14. Wasn't that a little too old for her dad to still be dragging her around?
She pushed her shades up after the bumps sent them sliding to the end of her nose and sighed. Her dad looked at her and smiled. "Come on, Cammie. You know you will have fun. We always have fun." Cammie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in stubborn determination to show him he was wrong. It was her goal today to make him regret bringing her, so maybe he would quit asking.
She didn't understand how these old people could get up at the crack of dawn just to spend their whole day hitting balls towards a tiny hole in the ground. It was just a stupid sport, if you could even call it that. Fourteen-year-old girls shouldn't be forced to spend their Saturdays with a bunch of boomers. It was practically abuse. The cart came to a sudden halt before the ninth hole. The tee was situated on a hill and there were ponds on each side.
Cammy found herself trying to decide if she should play her best game to get it over with or should she do terrible in hopes that her dad would get frustrated and call it a day. She finally opted to give it her best. She had been playing so long that she was actually very good at it, even better than her dad. Maybe if she beat the socks off him, he wouldn't want her as a golf partner anymore. Before long, Cammy had gotten lost in the game and was having a good time just like her dad said she would.
She forgot that she was mad at her dad. This is the way it usually happened, and her dad had definitely known that. They had made it to the front nine of the back nine when a wasp buzzed past Cammie's head, causing her to hit the ball way off course. It went tumbling down towards the woods and rolled right under some bushes. Her dad chuckled. "Looks like you get a redo fair and square on that one." Cammie laughed in return. "You bet I do. That wasp sabotaged me."
You go ahead and go, Dad. I will go get the ball, she said as she turned and jogged towards the trees. She had barely taken off before her dad began sizing up his next swing. He had his three-wood mid-swing when he heard Cammie let out a blood-curdling scream. Without hesitation, he dropped the club and ran in his daughter's direction. He didn't see her at first. She had pushed her way through the bushes to find the ball.
He found her on the other side standing underneath a large oak tree, with her hand covering her mouth, staring at the ground. "Cammie, what the hell? You almost gave me a heart..." He began but stopped when he followed her gaze and saw the grisly sight of a chewed up hand laying on the ground. "Oh my God, Cammie, get away from that! We have to get someone," he said, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her away.
"Dad, what do you think did that? And who do you think it is?" she asked. "I don't know, honey, but our golf game is over. There will be cops crawling all over this place after we report it." He sounded annoyed, but Cami knew he was more worried than anything. They were pushing their way back through the bushes when Cami saw the golf ball laying on the ground. She reached down to pick it up and noticed that it was laying next to something red.
Grabbing the object instead of the ball, she picked it up and examined it. It was rubbery and had a hole carved in one side. She didn't know why, but she had the sudden urge to squeeze it, so she did. When it made a sharp honking sound, her dad turned around and looked. "What is that?" he asked. "I don't know. I found it in the bushes." "It looks like a clown's nose, doesn't it?" she said.
"You should probably put it down, Cami. It might be evidence," her dad said sternly. Cami immediately dropped it, but as soon as she did, she realized that it left something on her fingers. Something that looked very much like blood. "Gross!" Her dad pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "Here, wipe it off as best you can, and wash your hand as soon as we get back to the clubhouse." Cami nodded. He wouldn't have to tell her twice.
They began to make the short walk back to the golf cart, but stopped halfway when they heard a growl. Turning, they looked back at the forested area they had just left. What they saw did not make sense. Sitting just outside the line of bushes was a creature. It was covered in dark fur from head to toe. It looked very much like a wolf, but it was squatting like a man. Cammie jumped when her dad put his hand gently on her shoulder.
"Cammie, turn and slowly walk back. If I say run, you run like your tail is on fire." Together they turned back around and walked slowly to the cart, her dad looking over his shoulder the whole time. They made it to the cart safely without running, and once she was seated, Cammie finally looked back. The creature was still there, watching them as her dad turned on the golf cart.
As they drove off, Cami locked eyes with it and watched amazed as it stood up on two feet and walked back into the forest until she could see it no more. Thank you for joining us to explore creepy Wisconsin. Be sure to tune in next time as I take you to the Gongyum Asylum, one of the spookiest places in South Korea.
I'm Carmen Carrion. Remember, you can send me suggestions and stories of haunted places to my email, carmencarrion at gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at Carmen Carrion. Be sure to check out eeriecast.com for more terrifying podcasts. Until next time, be safe out there until I see you at our next destination.
