The chilling locations of Cache Valley’s haunted history
Haunted happenings and things that go bump in the night are nothing new to Cache Valley, home of St. Ann’s Retreat and The Weeping Woman. Students brave enough to face the real, horrifying legends surrounding Logan City can venture deep into the bowels of the Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collections where folklore and supernatural legends can be found.
According to Chapman University in California, 76 percent of Americans have at least one supernatural belief. 58 percent believe in ghosts, 41 percent believe in aliens and 17 percent believe in Bigfoot.
These four locations have their fair share of haunted stories and reports of paranormal activity surrounding them.
ST ANN’S RETREAT
The first haunted site on this list of frights is a well-known local story that has gotten national attention in the past. Pine Glenn Cove, better known as St. Ann’s Retreat or The Nunnery is a property located near the mouth of Logan Canyon. The private vacation retreat was built in 1910 and was owned by the Catholic Church in the late 1900’s. The retreat is large with a swimming pool but public access is restricted currently.
The long history of St. Ann’s includes pregnant nuns, satanic worship and hellish hounds. Stories tell of a nun who tried to flee the retreat with her baby but was hunted down and killed.
The horror doesn’t stop there. In October 1997, 38 teenagers went out to see St. Ann’s and were followed by three watchmen who herded them into the swimming pool. They tied up the teens and shot at them throughout the night. The three men eventually went to court, but the teens reported that the men looked possessed as they harassed them.
In 2016, the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” visited the retreat to look for demonic energy.
THE WEEPING WOMAN
In the middle of the Logan Cemetery, a statue of a weeping woman marks the grave of the Cronquist family. Legend has it that students who stand in front of the Weeping Woman in the middle of the night on a full moon and say, “weep woman, weep” the cause the statue to cry.
Over a period of 12 years, the Cronquist family lost five of their eight children. The monument was built in 1914 to commemorate the death of Julia Cronquist. The plot number is A_100_45_4.
CHRIST BROTHERHOOD IN SMITHFIELD CANYON
The Christ Brotherhood was started in California but eventually relocated to Utah. Halsey C. Wallace was a proclaimed psychic in the 60s who took her followers into the Smithfield Canyon where she had a commune. She promised miracles and healing from her god, an alien named Star.
CAMPUS GHOSTS
Ghosts at Utah State University have been sighted in various places including the Kappa Delta sorority where Patty, the house ghost, can sometime be found tormenting the residents.
In Old Main, organ music can be heard playing on graduation day. This can be attributed to the ghost of Thurza Little, a pianist who died before graduating.
On All Hallows Eve, it can be fun to visit these sites, however, all of these locations are available all year. Students should be wary of danger during their after-dark Halloween activities and avoid trespassing on private properties.
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@GrahamWoodMedia