Random Creepy Legends And True-Life Stories From Yellowstone National Park (12 items)

(#1) A Headless Bride Walks At Midnight

According to one story, a newlywed couple decided to spend their honeymoon at Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. But the two had a fight over money, and eventually the husband stormed out, leaving the new wife behind. After a few days with no sighting of the bride, the staff went to check on her - and found her beheaded in the bathroom. Her severed head was eventually discovered in the Crow's Nest.
People claim to see the bride walking down from the Crow's Nest at the stroke of midnight. According to an employee, she floats down the stairs and along the corridor until she reaches the door of the room she was murdered in. Then, carrying her own head under her arm, she vanishes.
(#5) A Ghostly Drowned Man Appears On Stevenson Island

One Yellowstone ghost story from the 1920s concerns an employee who was told by his supervisor to go inspect the wrecked E.C. Waters steamboat on Stevenson Island. Supposedly there were party-goers aboard it the night before, but the man encountered much more than floating beer bottles or hung-over trespassers. A storm began to swell just as he came across a body in soaked clothing that resembled the fashions of an earlier century. The man had no pulse, his eyes were bulging, and his face was blue. However, as suddenly as the employee had come across the body, it vanished - as did the impending storm.
(#6) A Rampaging Bear Killed A Man In A Tent

An estimated eight people have been killed by bears in Yellowstone National Park's history from 1872 to 2015. However, an attack that occurred in 2010 was one of the most shocking ever recorded. Kevin Kammer of Michigan was pulled out of his tent and dragged 25 feet to his death. Deb Freele of Ontario and an unidentified man were also attacked by the same bear, and were hospitalized for severe bite injuries in Wyoming.
Park warden Capt. Sam Sheppard stated that the attacks of three different people asleep in different tents was "highly unusual."
(#12) Bison Gore Hapless Visitors

Five people were attacked by bison at Yellowstone National Park in 2015 alone, with most of the incidents involving photo ops gone wrong. One woman turned her back to a bison near the Fairy Falls trailhead, intending to take a photo, but getting gored instead. A man with the same idea approached a bison while taking photos of it with his tablet. It charged him and tossed him into the air several times. A teen turned her back to a bison as well, attempting to take a selfie with it - the bison tore into her with its horns.
(#2) A Man Died While Attempting To Save A Dog

In 1981, David Kirwan and Ronald Ratliff drove to Yellowstone. They stopped to admire the hot springs, but Ratliff's Great Dane got out of the car and ran right into Celestine Pool. Against the warnings of bystanders, Kirwin dove headfirst into the 200+ degree water to try and save the dog. He soon swam back to shore after realizing he couldn't help.
Earl Welch, a fellow tourist, attempted to help Kirwan. Welch claims that Kirwan must have been blinded by his plunge, because his eyes were completely white. Kirwin died from his burns shortly after being rushed to Salt Lake City hospital. The dog didn't survive either, and the fat from its disintegrated body caused small eruptions in the hot springs for several days after the incident.
(#3) The Ghosts Of Drowned Native Americans Haunt The Lower Falls

A ghost story was born in the Lower Falls of Yellowstone in 1870, when a group of militia men set out to explore the area for signs of gold. The men's pack horses were stolen by Native Americans. The militia men pursued the thieves, and the chase ended up on water. With the horses swimming alongside, the Native Americans attempted to cross the river by raft - but were swept over the falls.
Today, visitors might still hear chanting while standing near the Lower Falls, or see the water turn red, as if stained with blood.