It's amazing how many people would like to see ghosts and how they're willing to travel for the experience. The grief and traumas that arose when the American government broke its treaty with the local native tribes in South Dakota left more than enough potential for true ghost stories. Even before advent of the HBO TV series, Deadwood, that small mining town was a popular tourist destination for Old West history buffs who wanted to pay homage to Wild Bill Hickok. The South Dakota Road Guide to Haunted Locations informs visitors some of the many places where they can go to find phenomena, but it dumbs down its content for its readers.

This trade paperback divides its main body into four different parts by sections of the state, including eastern, northern, western, and central (the southern portion being the most populated). The "central" part of the book is supported by plenty of black & white photos of the sites, a preface, foreword, acknowledgments, introductions, a historical chronology of the state, and author bios.

Almost all of the haunted sites Authors Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk cover in this 2006 book provide some form of reasonable public access. Entries open with location, contact info as applicable, and directions, if they are in more remote areas. They then go on to describe the ghostlore, history, and their investigation.

With personalities like Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane, and Laura Ingalls Wilder taking up residence in South Dakota, the Mount Rushmore State certainly has had a lively and colorful history. The Ingalls Homestead, where Charles and Caroline permanently settled, can be found in De Smet. Although their original house has long since disappeared, a replica matching its exact dimensions has been built on the same exact spot. Despite this, there are still claims of cold spots and shadowy figures.

At Easton Castle in Aberdeen, people believe the spirit haunting it is Leslie Gage, who was the niece of L. Frank Baum. Baum based his character, Dorothy Gale, on her for The Wizard of Oz. Now used as a combination veterinary clinic and private residence, the apparition of woman has been seen on the third floor. Another person was allegedly chased by a knife-wielding spirit.

In the Badlands, ghostly noises can be heard when driving through them at night. Apparitions have also been seen. According to Native American legends, it was the site of a war between two major spirits, Unktehi and Wakinyan, representing water and thunder & lightening, respectively. Wakinyan cast down fire to dry up the sea.

Lewis & Fisk do provide plenty of details on the sites they cover, but the biggest complaint is how it is presented. With the many lists and block paragraphs with blank lines in between, it treats readers like it's too much of a strain for them to read a long block of type. In book form, this is much easier to deal with than all of the white space, which requires more pages that drive up the cover price. The format of this content is a better layout for a web page or a magazine than a book. One can argue that the simplistic nature of the layout is attractive and easier to follow when out on the road, but it is much more likely that most their audience will be reading it at home. There is also a quibble about its typos and the graininess of some of its photos.

However, there is no complaint over the amount of research Lewis & Fisk put into this book and how well it is organized. Some entries have more detail than others, but some sites also have more resources. The Bullock Hotel, for instance, is probably South Dakota's most famous haunted location after Unsolved Mysteries devoted a segment to it. The amount of phenomena that occurs at that establishment definitely warrants the attention provided.

It is quite clear that one or both of the authors visited the sites they cover and did contact first-hand witnesses, so this book isn't just folklore. The South Dakota Road Guide to Haunted Locations is definitely worth the investment to anyone interested in pursuing the paranormal in the Mount Rushmore State. ...Or avoid it, if that's preferred.

Recommended:  Yes