By: Jennifer Rook
Friday nights in October…darkness comes early and the light of the harvest moon casts creeping shadows across the landscape. The chill in the air only helps create a sense of impending doom as a car full of teenagers slowly makes its way up the windy hill. The stereo is off and the only sound to be heard is the howl of a lonely coyote in the distance. The teenagers speak in hushed whispers as they strain to hear the sounds of the night.
The vehicle slowly bumps along the dirt road and hearts beat faster as they near their destination. Whatever danger lurks in the gloom is all in the imagination of the willing participants in one of the Basin's creepiest time honored traditions. Searching for local spooks, creeps, ghosts and other unfriendly foes has kept teenagers and adults occupied on lonely Friday nights in October for generations. The stories handed down from parent to child have become some of the best known Uinta Basin Urban Legends and the temptation to see if the stories are real is sometimes too great to resist.
Screams pierce the night air as yet another Basin Urban Legend is confirmed. The night is a success. Someone is thoroughly frightened and has a story to tell his or her posterity. Long live Uinta Basin Urban Legends!
Pickle Head- One of the most popular urban legends in the Vernal area is the story of Pickle Head. Hundreds of teenagers have searched for Pickle Head over the past four decades at the Dry Fork Cemetery. Legend has it that Pickle Head's husband loved her so much that when she died he couldn't bear to let her go. The bereaved husband had his wife's remains interred, except for one body part. He was so sad at her passing and knew he would miss her too much that he placed her head in a pickle jar so that he could gaze upon her beauty even in her absence. The husband passed away shortly after his eternal love, but confused family members didn't know what to do with his wife's head. Knowing of his undying love for her, family members commissioned a special "head"stone constructed in which the pickled head was placed inside. Right where it remains today. Find it if you dare! No one knows where her husband is buried, but some swear his spirit remains with her body and is quite protective of her. Intruders and thrill seekers beware!
Devil's Stump- Taking a trip to Devil's Stump is not for the faint of heart. The blackened tree stump on an abandoned ranch in Duchesne County is said to have spontaneously combusted one night during a satanic séance ritual. Apparently, the stump bears the likeness of the Dark One and the evil presence of something wicked can be felt just by being in the vicinity. Not many dare get too close, but many make the attempt.
VooDoo Cabin- There is an old, long-abandoned cabin, several miles south of Ouray that was once occupied by a successful cattle rancher from Louisiana. The cattle rancher was happy with his grazing acreage in the scarcely traversed land, but an infiltration of deer hunters soon disrupted his peace. Local hunters soon learned the hard way however, to stay away from this man's lease. Hunters began complaining of sharp, disabling pains in their shooting arms that would overtake them as they drew their rifles in the rancher's self proclaimed territory. Some out of state hunters decided to be brave one, chilly October night. The men entered the cabin only to find shocking evidence of voodoo, complete with small dolls made in their likeness and plenty of evidence of animal sacrifice. The men beat a hasty retreat and warned all who may go near to stay away.
The Glowing Headstone- The story of the glowing headstone in a Vernal cemetery that marks the grave of a once beautiful young woman dates back to the early 1900s. The young woman buried inside the grave is said to have been left at the altar by her love. Heartbroken and stricken with a deep depression the jilted bride jumped to her death off a tall, sandstone cliff near Vernal. She was buried in a local cemetery and her parents placed a white marble headstone atop their daughter's grave. As soon as the headstone was placed, locals began to notice a strange glow in the cemetery. Two young men were walking by late one night when they noticed the glowing headstone so they ventured into the cemetery to check it out. This would prove to be a fatal mistake for at least one of them. A cold chill crept over the cemetery and a strong wind began to blow. Scratching noises were heard beneath their feet near the glowing headstone and a terrible wailing and moaning sound ensued. It was "confusion and mayhem" as the men ran for their lives, but only one man made it out alive. The other was never heard from again, nor was his body ever found. Many locals believe the young bride found a suitable companion to join her forever; others believe she still searches for the perfect mate, while others believe she is just getting revenge. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Baby's Crib- In yet another graveyard near Vernal an urban legend begins with a child's grave surrounded by an iron fence. By day it's a regular iron fence around the small grave. By moonlight it takes on the strange likeness of a baby's crib, with iron bars forever keeping the baby inside. Late night thrill seekers have reported hearing the cries of a baby as they approached the "crib". Maybe he just needs you to pick him up…
UFOs- Visitors from another planet? Yes indeed. The Uinta Basin is apparently a hotbed for alien activity. National Institute of Discovery Science researchers, Colm Kelleher and George Knapp, have dubbed the Uinta Basin, "a heavyweight contender for UFO capital of the world." Since the 1950s, thousands of UFO sightings have been reported in the area. Many Basin residents have reportedly seen evidence of signs of life from un-earthly visitors. Crop circles, cattle mutilations, flying objects with many lights, varying in shape, size, and color and intelligences that "just seemed to know what we were thinking" have also been reported. These stories of UFOs are compared with Native American legends, such as otherwordly entities called "tricksters", and "skinwalkers", which have the reputation of being malevolent and are capable of being transformed into another form such as a person, wolf, coyote, bear, bird, or any other animal and would be also capable of mind control and other trickeries.
Bigfoot- "In a remote mountain range, near the town of Altamont, Utah, the search for a "large, hairy, ape-like creature" continues….." Anyone been messin' with Sasquatch lately? It may seem like fun on television, but anyone who has encountered Bigfoot is not laughing. Basin residents have reported seeing creatures that could only be the legendary Bigfoot from the mountains above Vernal to the far reaches of the Basin near Hanna and Tabiona. A truck driver fighting his way home during a snow storm, trying to find traction on snow packed and slick roads near Bluebell says he definitely encountered Bigfoot when he decided to stop his truck to chain up one blustery winter night. The man stopped his truck and peered into the whirlwind of snow coming down to make sure there wasn't any traffic coming towards him. His heart skipped a few beats as he found himself staring straight into the face of a large, hairy, ape-like beast standing a few feet in front of his truck. The beast approached the side of the driver's truck, not taking his eyes off the driver the whole time. The truck driver knew immediately he was staring right into the face of Bigfoot and decided not to chain up after all. Especially since the ape-like creature was at eye level with him as he sat in the driver's seat of his semi-truck. Driver and Bigfoot stared at each other for just a moment before the driver decided it was time to move out. The creature kept pace with the truck as the driver began to roll away, but eventually disappeared in the snow bank along the side of the road as the trucker pulled away. The driver didn't stop until he got home…not even to change his underwear.
There are many more stories of specters and otherwise strange happenings in the Uinta Basin and plenty of opportunities to frighten even the bravest man. Just remember to be respectful of the dead and their final resting places or you might just become the next Basin Urban Legend. See you in the cemetery!
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