Small-town legends

Are there spirits in Spirit Lake? Were there devil worshippers in Rathdrum? Who is “Big Girl” in the White Horse Saloon? And who killed the Syltes’ cow?

Myths and legends abound in many communities, and the small towns of Spirit Lake and Rathdrum both have had their share of mysterious happenings.

Legend has it that Spirit Lake took its name from a Native American legend that explains the Salish name “Tesemini” – “Lake of the Spirits.”

When an Indian chief’s daughter eloped with an unacceptable young brave, her father pursued them. Out of fear of being separated, the two embraced and jumped into the lake. Their bodies never were found. The legend says that “Tesemini” carried them away.

Whether or not there are spirits in the lake today, some believe there are other spirits around town. Residents share tales of mysterious happenings in the old Spirit Lake Elementary School that served many years as a community center.

According to longtime Spirit Lake resident Jerry Milsap, “Mildred Woolen, community center coordinator, flat would not stay there by herself. If she was up there doing something and somebody else was ready to leave, she would put away her books or whatever and leave with them. Mildred would swear she could hear people walking around, talking and laughing, when there was nobody there.”

Milsap says he had a strange encounter in the building. He and his son had finished some repair work, put away a vacuum cleaner, locked up and left the building. While passing by later, his son noticed they had left a light on. The two re-entered the school to find doors unbolted and the vacuum in another room.

“I just kind of laugh about it now, but I’ll tell you what – that night it spooked me,” Milsap said.

Spirit Lake Police Chief Wiley Ronnenberg agrees there is something “weird” about the old school. While doing some construction in the evidence room, he found he could not keep his radio tuned to a country-music station. No matter what channel he turned to, he said, the radio would return time and again to ‘50s and ‘60s music.

Denise Forbes-Kegel, owner of the White Horse Saloon, says, “I got a ghost!” The ghost has pulled lots of tricks, such as taking money out of the tip jar, stealing keys and moving tools.

“Every morning, we say, ‘Good morning, Big Girl,’ and when we leave, we say, ‘Good night, Big Girl – we’ll see you in the morning.’ ”

Forbes-Kegel said she believes her ghost is a woman who was staying in one of the rooms upstairs when either her son or husband was killed. So she stays, waiting for him to come back.

Not to be outdone, employees at the Linger Longer Lounge report they have a ghost with dark hair and a penchant for changing TV stations.

And what about those Rathdrum stories that surfaced during the early 1970s? Is there any truth to those stories about devil worshippers, killings, animal mutilations and chains of hooded figures forcing motorists to stop and then using them in satanic sacrificial rituals?

One theory, offered by a local resident in the 1970s, was that the stories were rumors made up to try to keep Californians from moving to the area – kind of reverse community development.

Dr. Henry York Steiner, a folklorist at Eastern Washington University, used to discuss Rathdrum stories with Jim McLeod, a former professor at North Idaho College, who spent years researching legends and myths of North Idaho. According to Steiner, they came to believe the stories were rooted in the hysteria and paranoia of the times, rather than on actual facts, making Rathdrum’s stories something akin to urban legends, maybe – “rural legends”.

“They have all the earmarks of urban legends,” said Steiner. “It always happened to someone else, there are similar stories in many parts of the country, it takes on a life of its own – one sighting leads to another, and it is fairly persistent.”

Because of the Manson Family murders, the early 1970s were a time of spookiness, both nationally and locally, making people suspicious of communes and spiritual sects. North Idaho had many such groups at the time and they became targets for rumors. Steiner said stories about robed figures forming chains across roads near small communities have been around for years. “But, nobody has ever turned up a solid piece of evidence.”

However, two things did happen in Rathdrum that may have started the rumors. First, in the fall of 1972 a mutilated cow was discovered on the Sylte Ranch – the only one ever found in the area – but, as a result, Rathdrum became noted for animal mutilations and/or sacrifices.

Then, in November of 1973, Rathdrum residents Ron and Rita Marcussen disappeared, along with their car. This strengthened rumors of hooded strangers forcing cars off roads.

The truth is that both of the Marcussens’ skulls were found later near Athol, and a person of interest was discovered with their car – making “hooded figures” forcing the couple off the road unlikely.

No facts support the strange stories that came out of Rathdrum in the ‘70s. Although Spirit Lake may have its “spirits,” the fact is there were no devil worshippers in Rathdrum.

What we still don’t know, however, is who killed the Syltes’ cow.