Haunted Hotspots (ID)

Idaho's Haunted Hotspots

The following is a working list of places that are alleged to be haunted in the state of Idaho. As the paranormal is experienced differently from person to person, please let us know if you have had any experiences so we can update our page. For pictures, click names, and for local maps, click addresses. All authors notes will be in green.

American Falls

Harms Memorial (American Falls) Hospital & Nursing Home - 510 Roosevelt St.

The hospital is also a nursing home. Many patients have died here. The night staff has had call buzzers go off in the nursing home, when no one rings them. The hospital is so old that the buzzers cannot be reset at the nurses' station and have to be reset in the rooms. The buttons have been pushed in the men's and ladies restrooms but the staff would have had to help the patients there in the first place. Also, the doctor for whom the hospital was named visits, leaving behind the smell of cigar smoke. Various other, long dead, hospital residents appear in the corner of your eye, or can be seen seated in a chair in a long hall. There is also a tall man who seems to like to stand near the entrance and make sure that everyone is doing their job.

Athol

The Brig at Farragut State Park - 13400 East Ranger Rd.

This location was said to be the site of a homicide and at least one suicide during World War II, when Farragut Naval Base was home to over 300,000 service men. The former brig, which is the only original building remaining on what is now a State Park and camping area, has been the scene of several apparitions. They have all been described in detail by at least half a dozen employees, These employees worked in the brig building, which was for many years used as a State Park maintenance building. All of the employees who have encountered a ghostly visitor talk about a balding man who might have been in some kind of uniform - possibly a prisoner's uniform. People who have not actually seen the apparition talk about hair-raising experiences with large objects being mysteriously "relocated" or objects flying across the cells - which still exist in the building.

Bayhorse

Yankee Fork - map of Bayhorse

Bulgarian Monk was named for his clothing, not his religious practices. He wore a hooded burlap robe tied at the waist with rope. The young recluse was rarely seen, except when he chased adventurous boys away from his cabin. It is a sport he is said to have enjoyed, as did the children. However, one day while chasing them, he slipped and fell off a boulder and into the Salmon River and drowned. In the early 1900's his ghost was reported chasing young boys throughout the Sawtooth Range.

Boise

Boise State University - 1910 University Dr.

A young girl hung herself in the dorms when she found her love with someone else. Her presence can still be felt in the dorms.

Cottonwood Cemetery - Council Spring Rd.

There have been reports that the children buried here roam the area in and around the cemetery. The ghost of a woman has been seen in the cemetery and in a nearby school.

The Field at West Fairview Ave. and North Milwaukee St.

The field contains unmarked graves and people have heard strange laughing here during the night. Local myth says that the skulls of people cremated, that do not burn all the way, are stored in a room with boarded up windows. Many strange apparitions have been witnessed here.

Intersection of North Discovery Way and West Chinden Blvd.

In the area of Joplin Cemetery on Chinden Rd. and the surrounding six-block radius, there have been supernatural presences seen and felt.

Loon Creek - off of I-84 in Boise

The ghost of Manuel Sato haunted the deserted hills along this creek for years after his death in 1870. He was cooking breakfast when a robber snuck up to his campsite and knifed him to death. The outlaw had recently robbed a bank and is said to have buried his plunder nearby. Soldiers from Old Fort Boise, hunting for the lost loot, encountered the ghost of Manuel Sato, who seemed to have been directing a pack of invisible mules.

Old Idaho State Penitentiary - 2445 Old Penitentiary Rd.

The old penitentiary is filled with feelings of uneasiness. In rooms that no light can penetrate, an eerie light can bee seen. Also, the old bells or alarms can be heard going off.

Caldwell

Canyon Hill Cemetery - Canyon Hill Lane

When you park between the trees, facing the cemetery, the midnight jogger will appear and tap on your window. She "runs" around the cemetery at night, but has no legs, and seems to hover there.

One group of friends went to the cemetery and parked between the two trees. They claim that they turned off the lights and got out of the car. Shortly after, they saw a black figure in front of one of the trees. It was laying down with its arms crossed, as if laying in a casket.

Old Saratoga Hotel and Restaurant - map of Caldwell

It is said that the upper floors, the restaurant and bar area were haunted. There have been reports of a chilling, cold feeling upon opening some of the doors to the guest rooms. Many nights, employees that stay to close up after hours experience moving chairs, swinging glass racks, and footsteps. After demolition of the ruins, a new office strip mall was built. Many current employees complain of strange noises.

Coeur D' Alene

Lake City High School - 406 North 10th St.

The school is haunted by an unidentified apparition that paces back and forth behind the last row of seats in the auditorium. He is most likely to appear just before the lights are turned off before a play begins. He is also seen after a production during cleanup or just before the cast leaves for the night. The strange presence is blamed for scattering items and opening doors in the back stage and storage area.

Lake Coeur D'Alene - map of Coeur D' Alene

What the Indians called "water mysteries" are said to inhabit this lake. Unexplainable noises and the figure of a fish-woman have been reported near a large pointed rock here. A mysterious wind sometimes churns up the lake, and a huge horned creature is said to lift boats out of the water.
The fish woman was seen near a large rock off Conklin Park.

Señor Froggy - 704 East Sherman Ave.

This favorite "Old Town" Mexican restaurant is built around an original structure that stood in the original old town of Coeur D'Alene near the lake. Restaurant workers often see apparitions that look like shadows and feel a strange, cold presence while retrieving supplies in the cellar. Rumors state that a construction worked was killed when he fell while the foundation was being poured. His saw was left between the walls where he is said to have fallen. The last sighting was on July 6, 2002 in the public restrooms across the basement hall from the stockroom where the shadows are seen. Guests will often be seen making a running exit up the basement stairs without any explanation. The most common remark to the restaurant manager is "You know, that basement is really creepy!"

Craters of the Moon

Craters of the Moon National Monument - near Arco

According to Shoshone and Bannock legends, a race of warrior Indians came into this valley from the north. They lived in stone huts and pushed the native tribes from the streams and hunting areas. A great Shoshone medicine man is said to have brought the fury of the earth upon intruders and wiped them from the face of the valley. Evidence has been discovered that an ancient village here was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Modern Indians considered the present Craters of the Moon area to be possessed by the Devil, and avoided it.

Emmett

Emmett Middle School - 301 East 4th St.

A deceased music teacher still returns to his former school. The man has manifested several times in the halls, music room, auditorium, and various other parts of the school.

Fremont County

Mesa Falls

The spirit of a Shoshone Indian haunts the Lower Mesa Falls. Her form, dressed in white, is seen within the mists of the cascading water. She seems to warn people of the dangerous currents of the waters beneath the falls. She is said to be the spirit of a girl who died trying to rescue a loved one caught in the rushing river.

Genesee

Joyce Building - 206 Walnut St.

This single-story brick building was built in 1880 and has been used for a variety of commercial purposes, including a museum for rocks, crystals and Indian artifacts. Sara Joyce purchased the property in 1974 and moved there with her daughter Heidi and her granddaughter Solara. Almost immediately, the family noticed strange happenings and unexplainable sounds. One night, the ghost of a tall, thin, elderly man, bathed in an eerie blue light, appeared in the doorway of Sara's bedroom and asked, "Do you see me? DO you seem me?" Not long afterward, the phantom of a huge silver-gray rat appeared in the kitchen. Sara's son Bill later discovered the mummified corpse of a large rat under the floorboards when he remodeled the kitchen. In fact, whenever Bill visited to help renovate the building, he would be plagued by spirits interfering with his work. Once, a visiting ballet dancer from Australia was awakened by a female ghost, with long black hair, that tried to get in a sleeping bag with her. The property is currently owned by Heidi (Joyce) Linehan.

Hailey

Wood River Camp (at Baker Creek) - map of Hailey

The ghost of a big immigrant miner, Russian John, started haunting this creek bed in the 1920's. His apparition steps out from behind bushed and has frightened several campers.

Idaho City

Boot Hill Cemetery - map of Idaho City

This once- booming Gold Rush city is now a small town of only about 300 people. Of course, that does not count the ghosts that linger from Idaho City's violent past. Many are said to wander through the Boot Hill Cemetery after dark.

Idaho Falls

Ammon Cemetery - 267 Romrell Ln.

Legend has it that the ghost of a little girl haunts a tree in the cemetery. This tree is close to her grave and is a perfect climbing tree. The little girl reportedly sits in the tree and waves to passers-by. She was an avid tree climber, and loved to play with the neighborhood kids, before her death. Most accounts list her cause of death as a drowning. Many people speculate that because she was so open and friendly in life, and her death was such a lonely one, she feels lonely and tried to make friends with other people who drive past on their was to or from the hills surrounding the town.

Kimberly

Stricker Ranch

Sticker Ranch was at one time part of the Oregon Trail (stop 10 on this link), where many people died due to the long journey. There is still today a small cemetery, out in an open field, where at certain times of the night people have sighted ghosts running. There is a particular cabin, in which people have seen the doors open and lights flicker inside. As soon as you are on the property, you can immediately feel the presence of the people that once died there.

Lewiston

Waha Lake - intersection of U.S. Hwy 95 and 12

The apparition of a Indian maiden wearing buckskin has been seen sitting beside the water here. Once approached, she disappears into the water leaving behind a whirlpool of white foam. Adult Nez Perce Indians stay away from the lake, although teenage boys are sent there for their gaurdian spirit quest.

Nampa

Gots Point (on Lake Lowell) - map of Nampa

There is a legend about a girl that was killed while skiing here in the late 1970s. Many people claim to have seen her ghost sitting on the rocks of the shore watching the water. Upon approaching here she disappears.

Owyhee County

Owyhee Mountains - map of Owyhee

Some caves in the Owyhee Mountains are said to be inhabited by naked canibalistic dwarves. The two-foot-high creatures are exceedingly strong, and one of them can carry a dead elk on his back. According to legends of the Shoshone and Bannock Indians, the dwarves can be identified by their long tails, which they sometimes hide by wrapping them around their bodies. The dwarves have been accused of kidnapping little children and eating them.

Pocatello

Idaho State University - 921 South 8th St.

Frazer Hall, which houses the Speech and Theater departments is said to be haunted by a ghost called Alex. Sightings include phantoms piano players, ghosts in the audience of the theater and footsteps roaming the fourth floor.

Pocatello High School - 325 North Arthur Ave.

If you stand on the front lawn of the high school and look up into the library windows late at night, an apparition is observed. Also, apparitions can be seen in the windows in the back of the school. It appears to be a man illuminated with a dull light.

Preston

Deseret Thrift Shop - 36 South State St.

This popular thrift store is haunted by the spirit of a man who is said to haunt many stores along State Street. He is blamed for eerie electrical problems with phones, clocks, intercoms, alarms, lights, and several other appliances. It is believed that the man was an electrician that used to work in the older buildings downtown.

Rupert

Kelly Bean Company - map of Rupert

Employees here have seen and felt the strange presence and a black figure out of the corner of their eyes every night. It usually occurs between 7 and 9:30p.m. in the bean sorting room across the street from the main warehouse. Other times, they have smelled food cooking when this was impossible.

Twin Falls

Twin Falls Brewing Company at Mugger's Brew Pub - 516 2nd St. South

This is an old building listed on the National Historic Register. Although it used to be an old flour mill, it is now a brewery, pub and restaurant. Employees have heard footsteps and other strange noises and have felt unexplainable apparitions and disturbances. The apparition has been given the name of Flour Fred. It is suggested that an at-work accident is responsible for his presence.

Wind River Reservation

Bull Lake - North of Pocatello

This lake is haunted by a great white buffalo. Shoshone Indians call the body of water the "Lake that Roars." One winter long ago, Indians chased a heard of Buffalo onto the ice here. As the ice started to crack, and the heard fell into the middle of the lake, their leader, a great white bull, let out a horrendous roar that can still be heard.