The Most Mysterious Events In America's Wilderness

America is rich in wilderness, and none more exquisite than the 84 million acres of woods, mountains, and deserts in the United States National Park System. The allure of these sacred parts of America’s wilderness is obvious, and the marriage of people to wilderness has promulgated mysterious events of truth, legend, and possibly myth. Hikers vanishing, strange creatures being spotted, and camping groups disappearing with no trace are just a few examples of the eerie mystique of our country’s national parks.

Devil’s Den State Park

One of the strangest incidents in America’s wilderness occurred in 1946, when Katherine Van Alst, an eight-year-old girl, disappeared from her family’s camp for six days. The search and rescue crew hit weird paydirt when Katherine was found 30 miles away and 600 feet higher than the camp. She walked calmly out of a cave and announced, “Here I am.” Nobody knows, or nobody’s telling what really happened to the girl.

Come To Zion

A religious hymn matches the legend of Angel Margaret at Zion National Park. In 1972, a family hiking one of Zion’s pristine trails, found themselves in horrible crisis when young Becky slipped over the edge and fell thirty feet where a tree branch caught hold of her dress and suspended her over the canyon’s valley, below. The family could only watch her and pray. Then the sibling started singing “Come to Zion, come to Zion. Zion’s walls shall sing with praise.” In an incredulous moment, a woman somehow appeared by the tree, retrieved Becky and safely brought her up the steep cliff to the loving arms of her family. The woman introduced herself as Margaret and departed as mysteriously as she had appeared. America’s wilderness indeed has spiritual character, as well.

The Gettysburg Ghost

History tells us of the terrible, bloody battle that took place at Gettysburg during the Civil War. Over three days of brutal combat, roughly 50,000 men were killed, and the creeks were said to have run red with blood. Groups of Civil War re-enactors gather at Gettysburg every year, and some swear to have seen authentic soldiers from the bloody war, carrying the old weapons. Ray Hock was one such witness of the mystery. He was approached by a haggard figure who handed him some cartridges, then vanished. Hock had the cartridges examined, and they were, in fact, genuine Civil War issue from 1863. (I wonder what they’d be worth at auction or on ebay.)

Hopi Indians Of the Grand Canyon

One of the most famous regions of America’s wilderness is the Grand Canyon, which has more than its share of mysteries and folklore. The Hopi Indians have inhabited the canyon for 2,000 years and possibly built an underground citadel within the canyon. They believed in the god Maasaw, the keeper of death. You don’t want to disturb Maasaw, and some visitors can attest to that. In places where lights’ coming toward you is virtually impossible, people have been scared off by noises of tapping rocks and weird lights, supposedly the work of Maasaw. Many accidents have occurred following the clanging of rocks in Maasaw’s part of the canyon.

The Cult Of Santa Fe In America’s Wilderness

Rangers of the Santa Fe National Forest are speechless to explain how several giant cones of timbers have appeared mysteriously in this section of America’s wilderness. The wooden structures are about 20 feet high, 12 feet in diameter, and are made of fallen trees and branches. The most plausible explanation offered is that a cult must need them for conducting rituals.