By Denise DePaolo
Photos by Michael LiedtkeÂ
Rare is the person who hasn’t been spooked by a shadow, felt an unexplained sense of dread, or avoided the dark side of the street. Yet each October 31, we light jack o’lanterns and hand out treats to ghoulish children, often while donning a similarly terrifying façade.
Our fascination with things that go bump in the night has turned Halloween into an eight-billion-dollar-a-year industry. It’s also helped paranormal TV programming to flourish year-round. Learning about purported hauntings through our TV sets is safe. The legends associated with far-off places have no impact on our everyday lives. But, we must remember, every community has its stories. Including ours.
Homes and museums and mines right here have strange and turbulent not-so-distant pasts. Now, some South Dakota communities are using their ghost stories to bridge the gap with history, all while having a little Halloween fun.
To read the full article, pick up October’s issue of 605 Magazine or click here.
