The Weirdest Haunting You've Never Heard Of

One of the most ignored but terrifying stories of paranormal activitiy can be found just west of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, in the Jediah-Smith Wilderness.

In 1856, a group of settlers were lost after losing their way from the Oregon Trail. They wandered the wild and untamed land for weeks, until winter forced them to make a settlement in a small valley, behind what is now the Teton Range. For many days they struggled against the elements, until one night the colony just...dissapeared.
Around springtime the next year, another group of settlers were passing through the area on the lead that there might be a good pass through the Rockies around there. They stumbled upon the camp of the mysterious settlers, but found no one there. The camp looked as if it had just be made, all of their supplies (the non-perishable) were still laying around as if someone had just left it there. It appeared to be another Roanoke Island case, where the settlers mysteriously dissapeared with no explanation, but the weirdness didn't stop there.
Upon further investigation, the settlers discovered one of the men of the original settlement-still alive. He was lying in the fetal position in a small shelter made of snow under a tree. When he was questioned, however, they discovered that he couldn't talk. He just sat on the ground and shaked, eyes constantly fixed on the sky.
When all appeared normal again, the situation turned upside down on them. After removing the remains of the camp, the settlers moved on and kept the situation in only the back of their minds. When travelling across their newfound pass the next winter, they came upon a disturbing sight: the camp that they had taken down. It was put back in the exact same way it was originally found. But no one was there. This happened a total of 5 TIMES! It seemed that the settlers didn't want their final footprint on the Earth to be removed.

Sounds like a time portal or something. There was someone on here posting about stuff like that in Utah. Does Jamestown count?

fascinating story.

I wonder if there has any related events in recent history. Are hikers or campers still experiencing similar occurences?

Thats definitely interesting, wonder if we could find it on Gurgle maps or something, or know anyone who's been there recently and or might be interested in well, not staying the night, but at least setting up cameras after moving some stuff about?

't'd be interesting for sure!

Pretty interesting.

Has there been any wierd activities in that area since then?

I wonder if there was a modern investigation there.



[edit on 6-2-2008 by ucanneverdie]

reply to post by ucanneverdie


Officially, the sightings of the ghost camp stopped around 1957, but there have been unofficial reports recently (usually between the months of January and March).

Of course, there has been a restriction on the backcountry area around there due to increased bear activity, so that could explain why the sightings have dropped off.

As for investigations, due to the harsh winter climate of the Rockies and the remotness of the valley, no one has been able to successfully conduct an investigation there. Another reason is that the story has largely been ignored, yet there have been credible eyewitness acounts. The journal of the settlers who found the place even had the story down to the very precise detail. It seems this story is too weird to be credible to most.

I might try to get out there soon and set up a trail cam, but the valley is so big it would be hard to cover the entire tract of land. Plus it is downright freezing here in Jackson, so I can't imagine how severe the cold is back there in the bush.



[edit on 6-2-2008 by Jaysrule5]

[edit on 6-2-2008 by Jaysrule5]

very interesting story. it would have been great to video record the town being recreated to its original way. it's one of those events that would need to happen again in current time to be able to document it the way it needs to be.

speaking of which, where does this story come from? is it documented or cited anywhere?

reply to post by banyan


Ask any locals in the Jakson area, they will tell you everthing you need to know. We have the journal and the journal entry of the settler who first saw the place in our local museum. This crime is that no one has taken any interest in it outside of our town, even though the accounts and details are more than credible.

I have a theory called the solid fear state. It's when a person sees or experiences the most frightening thing possible to their species. They then are unable to talk, because they are striken with fear. They shiver and make weird movements.

This may be possible, if it is, then it fits right in with this story.

As for investigations, due to the harsh winter climate of the Rockies and the remotness of the valley, no one has been able to successfully conduct an investigation there. Another reason is that the story has largely been ignored, yet there have been credible eyewitness acounts. The journal of the settlers who found the place even had the story down to the very precise detail. It seems this story is too weird to be credible to most.

I might try to get out there soon and set up a trail cam, but the valley is so big it would be hard to cover the entire tract of land. Plus it is downright freezing here in Jackson, so I can't imagine how severe the cold is back there in the bush.

Yeah it's getting down to near 0 Degrees Fahrenheit at night, but your daytime temp. is surprisingly the same as the Mid-Atlantic Region right now. I would've thought Wyoming would be colder this time of year, Alaska is making your temps. look like Summer time. Is this an average winter for you in Wyoming?

[edit on 2-11-2008 by TheAgentNineteen]

Not sure if it matters, but the correct spelling is:

Jedediah-Smith Wilderness

Here's a link to a Map of the area.

Interesting story. Got a web-link or where you heard the story? Your recounting is a little confusing.

reply to post by TheAgentNineteen


Jackson is on the warmer side of the Teton range. If you cross over to the wilderness side, it would become considerably colder (and snowier).