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With our native and wild west history, we have loads of local legends. big foot is of course one of the most famous.
In Northern Alberta, the Cree Indians spoke of the Wendigo. A creature that looked and smelled, like a long dead corpse, and would eat human flesh. The Wendigo has als obeen described as a large bear like beast that is covered in white hair, and walks like a man.....? Who knows?...Both descriptions leave me thinking I would rather not see one. I can still remember when I was a kid, we had a travelling museum stop by our school. Inside was a costume made by a Cree medicine man that supposedly was a Wendigo. Just the site of that suit freaked me out...It had a reel eery feeling to it as well.
One of the least known, yet one of the coolest, is the legend of Siksikum...which means "the Black one" in the language of the Blood Indians. Settlers called him the Black Rider, and Tom ThreePersons, a local western hero, called him Billy (or Billy Blazes) and wasnt shy about admitting he had made a deal with the rider. The rider was a white man who wore an all black outfit, rode a black horse with all black tack and gear. He would ride up to people (who were always alone) and offer them a special deal....their soul for prosperity. There are no modern sightings that I know of, but the Blackfoot, Blood, and Paigan tribes often reported seeing Siksikum...even before the white man was common in these parts.
One guy who refused to deal with siksikum, was instantly struck ill, and he was taken to the Catholic Church near Gleichen Alberta where several exorcisms were said to be performed before he was normal again.
Another popular monster legend is the monster of Lake Minnewanka. Your classic Ogopogo/Loch Ness monster. I think it was last seen in the eighties. I looked it up on the internet, and was surprised to see sightings go way back into ancient history. also of interest is the beast being reported in the Bow, Battle, Athabasca, Clearwater, and North Saskatchewan rivers in the province. Plus it was seen in many other lakes in Alberta...the latest, most prominent sighting being Saddle Lake.
As for ghosts...too many too mention. Those fellars are everywhere in this province. where I grew up there was an old school house sitting in the middle of a field, and it was said on some nights you could hear children singing, and see lights in the windows...I personally never saw or heard anything. There is also an old house sitting on a hill near what is now Spruce Meadows thats supposed to be haunted. A man was hung there for abusing and killing a child in the early nineteen hundreds. On the anniversary of the event, it is said you can hear either a childs screams, or a child weeping if you go up to the house. This one creeped me out, and I never went near the place.
Finally, there is the legend of the "old barn". This barn used to sit on a farm between Calgary and Chestermere Alberta. It burned down a couple years back...supposedly by the people who bought the farm since it freaked them out.There is an apartment building there now, as the area was swallowed up by Calgary The barn was supposedly haunted by the spirits of men who were hung there..Never heard what they were hung for? I used to drive by this place everyday to go to work, and have seen weird balls of light floating near the barn...which isnt wired for electricity!! In the 90's somebody went in there with a camera to take pictures...They didnt last more than an hour before they reportedly tore out of there running like crazy and told the land owner they saw men with twisted necks floating in the barn. They conveniently left the camera in the barn, and when they went back to get it, either the camera..or the film? was gone...dont remember which exactly anymore.
In Northern Alberta, the Cree Indians spoke of the Wendigo. A creature that looked and smelled, like a long dead corpse, and would eat human flesh. The Wendigo has als obeen described as a large bear like beast that is covered in white hair, and walks like a man.....? Who knows?...Both descriptions leave me thinking I would rather not see one. I can still remember when I was a kid, we had a travelling museum stop by our school. Inside was a costume made by a Cree medicine man that supposedly was a Wendigo. Just the site of that suit freaked me out...It had a reel eery feeling to it as well.
One of the least known, yet one of the coolest, is the legend of Siksikum...which means "the Black one" in the language of the Blood Indians. Settlers called him the Black Rider, and Tom ThreePersons, a local western hero, called him Billy (or Billy Blazes) and wasnt shy about admitting he had made a deal with the rider. The rider was a white man who wore an all black outfit, rode a black horse with all black tack and gear. He would ride up to people (who were always alone) and offer them a special deal....their soul for prosperity. There are no modern sightings that I know of, but the Blackfoot, Blood, and Paigan tribes often reported seeing Siksikum...even before the white man was common in these parts.
One guy who refused to deal with siksikum, was instantly struck ill, and he was taken to the Catholic Church near Gleichen Alberta where several exorcisms were said to be performed before he was normal again.
Another popular monster legend is the monster of Lake Minnewanka. Your classic Ogopogo/Loch Ness monster. I think it was last seen in the eighties. I looked it up on the internet, and was surprised to see sightings go way back into ancient history. also of interest is the beast being reported in the Bow, Battle, Athabasca, Clearwater, and North Saskatchewan rivers in the province. Plus it was seen in many other lakes in Alberta...the latest, most prominent sighting being Saddle Lake.
As for ghosts...too many too mention. Those fellars are everywhere in this province. where I grew up there was an old school house sitting in the middle of a field, and it was said on some nights you could hear children singing, and see lights in the windows...I personally never saw or heard anything. There is also an old house sitting on a hill near what is now Spruce Meadows thats supposed to be haunted. A man was hung there for abusing and killing a child in the early nineteen hundreds. On the anniversary of the event, it is said you can hear either a childs screams, or a child weeping if you go up to the house. This one creeped me out, and I never went near the place.
Finally, there is the legend of the "old barn". This barn used to sit on a farm between Calgary and Chestermere Alberta. It burned down a couple years back...supposedly by the people who bought the farm since it freaked them out.There is an apartment building there now, as the area was swallowed up by Calgary The barn was supposedly haunted by the spirits of men who were hung there..Never heard what they were hung for? I used to drive by this place everyday to go to work, and have seen weird balls of light floating near the barn...which isnt wired for electricity!! In the 90's somebody went in there with a camera to take pictures...They didnt last more than an hour before they reportedly tore out of there running like crazy and told the land owner they saw men with twisted necks floating in the barn. They conveniently left the camera in the barn, and when they went back to get it, either the camera..or the film? was gone...dont remember which exactly anymore.
WHEREVER YOU ARE IS WHERE YOU ARE AT
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