Health Issue
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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82801 Features
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Family: Boosting Learning A check-in with the early childhood education liaison of the Sheridan County School District #1.
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ON THE COVER: You Gotta Have Heart
Community: Ghost Stories of Wyoming
Agriculture: Breaking the Silence
Brothers Tyler and Trae Kaufmann in a nursing classroom at Sheridan College, where they earned their associate’s degrees in Nursing.
Here are the ghost stories, urban legends, myths and hollowed haunts of Wyoming, the strange but (likely) true tales of the inexplicable sights and sounds that prove Wyoming is the creepiest state in the wild, wild west.
Mental health services are in short supply in rural America. Find out why and what’s being done to combat the barriers to improving the availability, accessibility and acceptability of rural mental health services in Sheridan.
Photo by Dennis Jacobs, Sheridan College
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Gesund heit! his German word has been a part of the common American English lexicon for over a century. Literally translated as health (gesund) hood (heit), many of us, even those without German ancestry, have become accustomed to using the word rather than, or in addition to the phrase “Bless You” when someone sneezes. My insomnia as of late (yay…), has allowed me to spend some time thinking and researching pretty random things … such as why in the world we’re compelled to verbally acknowledge a particular bodily function of another person in the first place. Perhaps, like me, Google and Wikipedia have become your late-night wingman, always ready and willing to answer the really important, burning questions that keep you up at night. So, now, I feel compelled to share my findings with you, our readers, to kick off our first annual health issue that includes some heavy topics, with a little bit of fun. Come along with me… It is believed that acknowledging the sneeze by wishing someone well is a practice that began a couple thousand years ago, as far back as AD 77, but perhaps even further than that. There is a very old folk belief that when a person sneezes, their soul could be thrown from their body, that the act opened up one’s body to the Devil or evil spirits, or conversely that the body was attempting to force out an invading evil presence with a sneeze. Um, yikes! Further on down the road, 600 years or so later during the bubonic plague epidemic, Pope Gregory the Great commanded that any sneezing, which is generally the first sign that someone was falling ill with the plague, be immediately blessed (“God Bless You”) as part of his order for unceasing prayer for divine intercession. Because of this, by AD 750, it became customary to say “God Bless You” as a response to one sneezing. Now this origin story of the social expectations surrounding the sneeze pertains to the western world. In some Asian cultures, like Korean and Japanese, responding to another person’s sneeze doesn’t exist. So, there’s that. Another nugget of knowledge that I mustn’t forget to address, is the common misconception that your heart stops for a moment when you sneeze,
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making “Bless You” the polite thing to do to welcome the poor soul back to life. So, does your heart stop? Survey says … kind of. Wait, what? What do the experts say? Well, your heart doesn’t exactly stop. According to the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Arkansas Medical School, the intrathoracic (in layman’s terms: the thin fluid-filled space between the two sacs that surround each lung) pressure in your body momentarily increases when you sneeze, which decreases the blood flow back to the heart. To momentarily adjust for
this, the heart changes its regular heartbeat. Not to worry though, they state that the electrical activity of the heart does not cease during a sneeze.
THAT’S A RELIEF! As we head full steam ahead into cold and flu season, I hope you gained some insight into the weird social construct we’ve built around the sneeze. For you hard-core trivia players, I say, “you’re welcome”, and “Gesundheit!” By: Candice E. Schlautmann for 82801 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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Breaking the Silence re American farmers and ranchers enduring the worst economic slide in generations? In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted that this year, net farm income would hit its lowest point since 2006. Following this, a flurry of alarming news reports and articles were published this spring calling attention to agriculture’s silent crisis, highlighting the rising suicide rate within the industry, almost all of them citing a 2012 occupational group study from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The study showed that the farming, fishing and forestry group had a suicide rate of 84.5 people per 100,000 people, much higher than any other group, with the second highest group, construction
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and extraction at a rate of 53.3 people per 100,000. As it turns out, this study is flawed, and the desperately needed assistance for ag families is at risk of slipping even further away than it already is.
HIGH STRESSORS It is no secret that farming and ranching is a high-risk occupation. Farmers and ranchers worldwide cope with a laundry list of stressors that include social isolation, volatile markets, overwhelming workloads and unpredictable weather on a daily basis.
Isolation
A solitary profession by nature, isolation, can become problematic for farmers and ranchers who
most often, work alone. Sure, there are many benefits to some peace and quiet and not being swept away in the modern-day rat race, but if you are already struggling with depression, being alone with your thoughts exacerbates rumination, the link between anxiety and depression. For instance, being alone in a tractor all day with nothing but open space around you makes it easy to repeatedly and obsessively go over thoughts or problems, potentially raising anxiety, and deepening depression.
Volatile Markets
Like many industries, the agriculture sector is dealing with a lingering recession. As previously stated, the USDA predicted that net farm income will hit its lowest point since 2006 this year. That’s OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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following a 50 percent decline in net farm income for American farmers and ranchers from 2013 to 2016. This is forcing many to make difficult financial decisions that affect their families, and cause a ripple effect through their communities and our entire country.
Overwhelming Workloads
Farmers and ranchers have a unique work ethic. The days are long and typically, there are no days off, as I can attest. My husband is out the door by 8 a.m. at the latest, every single day and oftentimes, especially in the summer, isn’t home until 8 or 9 p.m. It’s very rare that he takes time off, and our vacations consist of “staycations” at home, allowing him to squeeze in some work on his “days off ”. In fact, it stresses him out just thinking about all the work that would compound should he be away from the ranch. The work on a farm or ranch is ongoing and cumulative and in reality, is a double-edged sword causing stress, as well, serving as an important aspect of farmer and rancher’s occupational satisfaction.
Unpredictable Weather
This is a given, and farmers and ranchers are constantly “rolling the dice” with the weather. It’s as if mother nature controls the purse strings. A freak hailstorm destroying crops, a spring blizzard decimating livestock and droughts forcing producers to make the heart-wrenching decision to try and sell off their livestock or have to euthanize them to prevent their suffering. A single storm can have a massive
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impact on their livelihood. There is no shortage of worries for the farmer or rancher.
NO SERVICES The crux of this crisis, is when farmers and ranchers need help the most, they don’t have access to assistance. Families in agriculture unfortunately represent one of the most overlooked sectors for mental health research and service availability, with 60 percent of rural Americans living in areas with shortages of mental health professionals. What is important to note, is that a program designed to provide affordable stress assistance programs called the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) was authorized as a part of the 2008 Farm Bill, but subsequently never funded. Through the USDA, FRSAN would have provided much needed funding to state agriculture departments and extension offices for a variety of services such as websites, helplines, farm advocate training, outreach services, support groups, activities and even home delivery of mental health services.
A COSTLY ERROR? In late June, the CDC released a notice through its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in regards to its widely-cited 2012 occupational group study stating that “some results and conclusions might be inaccurate as a result of coding errors for certain occupational groups.” With a call for $10 million to reauthorize FRSAN in the 2018 Farm Bill, this error could have sent the wrong message to Washington D.C. about
the brevity of the plight of American farmers and ranchers. In fact, a recent letter the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture from a collective of agriculture advocacy groups cites the study and its findings in a plea urging reauthorization and funding of FRSAN to “meet the needs of farmers and ranchers as they endure increasing financial, mental, and emotional stress”. In response to the CDC’s retraction, advocacy group Farm Aid released a statement stating it will continue to prioritize farmer stress based on a 30 percent increase to their Farmer Resource Hotline during 2018.
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE As it turns out, the 2014 Farm Bill expired on September 30th, and producers have been left hanging as the 2018 Farm Bill ended up in a conference committee, where members from both the House and Senate failed to negotiate the details of a final bill due to stark differences between the Senate and House versions. All the while, the CDC has yet to reanalyze this important data that is crucial to helping fund FRSAN, and providing a safety net for the backbone of our country.
LIGHT IN THE DARK The silver lining in this tangled web of rural struggles, bungled data and political games is the attention it has brought to American agriculture’s mental health crisis. A piece titled “Why are America’s farmers killing themselves in record numbers?” published by the Guardian in December 2017, received an overwhelming response. Farm psychologist and farmer himself, Dr. Mike Rossman, who was featured received hundreds of comments and emails, many coming from producers asking for help. But, it also reached other mental health providers, organizations and of course consumers, many whom want to help.
AWARENESS AND ACTION As difficult, gut-wrenching, and seemingly embarrassing as it is, farmers and ranchers can help bring awareness by opening up and telling their own stories. Although immense feelings of failure seem to accompany opening up about your problems, it lets other producers know that they are not alone. We need to normalize these conversations. The sense of community within agriculture is strong and we can use this to our advantage to lift one another up fight for a better future and protect our way of life. This issue cannot slip quietly into the shadows again, and the time for action is now. Agricultural producers and consumers alike can make a difference by reaching out to their legislatures at both the state and local level to create life-saving policies focused on mental health services for families in agriculture. Most importantly, if you are battling a mental health issue, be it depression, anxiety or otherwise, please say something. Reach out to your family, friends, or neighbors. You don’t have to face it alone. Here are some additional resources I encourage you to keep handy or share with a friend, because we are all in this together.
Wyoming Crisis Text Line: Text WYO to 741-741
Farm Aid Hotline: 1 (800) 327-6243
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1 (800) 273-8255
Farm Crisis Center: farmcrisis.nfu.org
UW Extension Agriculture Producers and Stress Series: www.uwyo.edu/fcs/faculty-staff/weigel/life/ personal-nature-agriculture/stress.html By: Candice E. Schlautmann for 82801
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You Gotta Have Heart t 17 years old, Trae Kaufmann had to undergo a heart procedure at Denver Children’s Hospital. He suffered from supraventricular tachycardia, or SVT, a condition where faulty electrical connections in the heart, or abnormal areas of electrical activity, trigger and sustain an abnormal rhythm. For Trae and his identical twin brother, Tyler, that experience was a large part of what inspired them to pursue their associate degrees in nursing at Sheridan College.
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“My RN and all the nurses there were amazing and they were really the ones who helped me to get back on my feet,” said Trae.
“They made what was an uncomfortable, scary experience as positive as possible for me and my family.” ~ Trae
That close, personal relationship Trae developed with the nurses at Denver Children’s Hospital during the time around his procedure is part of
what attracted both brothers to nursing specifically, rather than another healthcare profession. “I think what is more attractive about being an RN, as opposed to a doctor or other healthcare professional, is the close relationship you develop with patients,” said Trae. “You are at their bedside every day and actually get to provide care, not just solve a problem. You really get to make a real difference in their lives.” While Trae’s procedure made a big impact on both of them, the Kaufmann twins
Photo: Tyler, left, and Trae, right, in a nursing classroom at Sheridan College on Jan. 15. Photo courtesy of Dennis Jacobs, Sheridan College. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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an increased emphasis on preventative care, and growing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, nursing is expected to grow 15 percent between 2016 and 2026. They can also expect to earn over $65,000 a year as RNs. “We’re the first ones in our family to go into any sort of medical field. They are really excited for us because of the job security and how many options you have with a nursing degree,” said Tyler. Both brothers graduated this past spring from Sheridan College with their associate degrees in Nursing. Tyler hopes to go into pediatric oncology while Trae plans to become a pediatric nurse. “I’m actually hoping to do a residency at Denver Children’s Hospital where this all started for me, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. By: Claire E. Barnes for 82801 The Wyoming Simulation Center, located within the roadway Center, serves the hands-on needs of the Sheridan College Health Sciences programs. The Sim Center houses a replicated six-bed clinic, a classroom, and two high-fidelity mannequins that respond to treatment in real time. Photos courtesy of Sheridan College.
have always had a passion for helping people, especially kids. Growing up in Sheridan, Trae and Tyler spent their summers as lifeguards and swim instructors at Kendrick Park pool. “I loved teaching kids how to swim and helping them develop healthy habits,” Tyler explained. “I think those experiences really helped Trae and I develop a passion for working with kids.” Even as college students, both brothers continued to make helping kids in the community a priority. While in school, Trae worked at Milestones Youth Home as a staff mentor, and Tyler volunteered as a referee at the YMCA a couple days a week. Aside from allowing them to continue to fulfill their passion for helping people, both Trae and Tyler acknowledged that nursing is a great career choice, as well. It is currently one of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. Due to an aging baby-boom population,
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Take Time to Learn About Breast Cancer ith breast cancer as the secondleading cause of cancer death among women, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) encourages Sheridan County, Johnson and Crook County, as well as state residents to take the time to learn more about breast cancer and important, recommended screenings. In 2016, 411 Wyoming women were diagnosed with breast cancer. It is estimated that more than 265,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year alone. Breast cancer is also the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women other than cancers of the skin. “There are many treatment options available for breast cancer,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH.
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends the following breast cancer screening guidelines: Women between the ages of 40 and 49 with an increased risk for breast cancer due to family history, genetic disorder or other factors should speak with their doctor about screenings. Women ages 50 to 74, should get a mammogram every two years. Women older than 75 should speak with their doctor about continued breast cancer screenings. In addition, Harrist said women can take steps to help lower their risk of breast cancer: • Maintain a healthy weight • Stay active • Limit alcohol to no more than one drink a day
Wyoming women who do not have insurance coverage, but who need a breast cancer screening, may contact the Wyoming Cancer Program (WCP). “We don’t want cost to be a barrier,” Harrist said. The WCP reimburses participating healthcare providers for screening services using state funds and federal funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, contact the WCP at 1 (800) 264-1296, wdh.cancerservices@wyo. gov, or visit www.health.wyo.gov/cancer. By: Stephanie L. Scarcliff with WDH for 82801
“For now, the best way we have to find breast cancer early–when it’s small and has not spread–is for women to get regular mammograms.” ~ Harrist
health.wyo.gov (307) 777-7656 (866) 571-0944
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Boosting Learn Q&A: KENDRA BARNEY
hen kids are young, they are like sponges. Every new experience, every new word, newfound observation, and newly adopted behavior is an opportunity for learning and an investment in their life-long success. It’s also an investment in the future of our community. Study after study reach the same conclusion: early childhood education has a titanic impact on life outcomes. In fact, you can never have a more widereaching influence on a person than when they are in their early childhood years. Most parents have innately understood this for years. But, until recently, the government had all but failed to do so. Now, with Kindergarten curriculum and expectations at an all-time high, local school districts in Wyoming are stepping in—and up—with innovative early childhood education solutions to help parents and educators pick up the slack.
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A HELPING HAND
Have you ever needed a boost? What if you did, but were unable to identify that need for yourself? How, then, might you go about getting the help you needed? (For example, if you were three years old and already behind your peers in play, socialization and learning?).
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The answer is simple: you wouldn’t, until now. For the past three years, Kendra Barney has been with Sheridan County School District #1 (SCSD #1), serving as its rockstar early childhood liaison. She joined the district after eight years of teaching at the Campbell County Early Childhood Education Center in Gillette, where she was inspired to focus on early childhood special education. These days, she travels, or “floats”, between classrooms and offices across multiple schools and counties within the district. She’s responsible for personalizing learning for young kids, aged 0-5. Specifically, those who are in kindergarten and, perhaps more importantly, those who are preparing to enter into kindergarten. “Whatever their needs or their parents’ needs, Kendra supports and supplements those needs,” said SCSD #1 Business Manager Jeremy Smith. “She’s our goto gal; the district’s early childhood education everything.” Recently, we were privileged to catch up with the busy liaison and this year’s Superintendent’s Awardwinner for a quick Q&A. We asked about her role, its impact and the next steps she hopes to take. Here’s what she had to say.
Kendra, what do you do exactly?
My role in the district is to increase school readiness skills of children birth through age five in
ing in Sheridan our communities. At the SCSD #1, we believe that by encouraging families to be actively involved in their child's education early on, we give children a head start at long-term educational success. To accomplish this, we’re committed to providing the curriculum, educational resources and trainings, and an early education community. I run two programs that promote our mission. These are Learning with Littles and a Preschool Co-op. Learning with Littles is an hour-long play group hosted each week throughout the school year for children aged 0-5. I provide the educational setting and modeling for what it looks like to learn through play. Parents stay for the hour and participate in learning with their child or children. This time also provides parents the opportunity to connect with other parents who have similarly aged children. As SCSD #1 is rural, it's very important to us that we connect families. The program is provided in Big Horn and in Ranchester, and we are proud to have grown it from 6-8 children to 30 children in each community. The Preschool Co-op is provided in Ranchester, and is for children who are age four, and getting ready to enter into KinderBoost or Kindergarten the following year. The best part about the Preschool Co-op is that it’s free and that it’s run, in-part, by parents. I teach the preschool, but part of the agreement is the parents help co-teach or volunteer in some capacity. Our focus is reaching children in our community that may not be able to afford preschool and to provide support to families by giving their child an educational start before they enter elementary school.
What’s a KinderBoost?
The Pre-K program at Big Horn Elementary Preschool is called KinderBoost. The program, which follows the Big Horn Elementary School (BHES) calendar, takes place Monday through Thursday from 7:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Big Horn Preschool on the BHES campus, which is located at 333 WY-335 in Sheridan. KinderBoost is designed to assist children with a seamless transition into Kindergarten. This is accomplished through the building of a strong core OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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& Logic parenting class and Itty-Bitty Sports, and the district’s relationships with their respective agencies and organizations. That’s important to me. We’re firm believers in the fact that parents are the first and best teachers early on. My primary function as early childhood liaison, is to support and maintain the things our kids and parents need, and to help supplement those need. All with the goal and focus that when those kids enter our doors for Kindergarten, irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds, that they come to us with the tools and skillsets needed to be successful students, respectively. foundation from which each child can and will bolster, or “boost”, their respective academic and social success. Parents of children who participate can expect for their child to enter into a positive, nurturing and caring environment in which their child will have the opportunity to build and strengthen self-esteem and self-concept through socialization and play. The vibe in a BH Preschool KinderBoost classroom is one of tolerance, kindness and sensitivity to the needs of children. My colleague and friend BH Preschool Teacher Lesley Thompson, describes it like this, “We will foster a positive building of self-esteem among our students and kindness will be stressed at all times.” Parents, grandparents and community members volunteer to help in KinderBoost classrooms, chaperone family-friendly and on-campus events and field trips, and provide tutoring services. If your child joins the program, you can expect to see improvements in the cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of their child. Research and data show that young children learn and develop math, reading, writing and social skills through play and hands-on, age-appropriate experiences. Experiences and learning opportunities which can help to better prepare them for the rigors of Kindergarten, school and, ultimately, life.
What are other related issues you hope to explore?
Parents, especially in the Tongue River Valley, know the value of early childhood education, and understand that it’s important. They can see what’s developmentally appropriate and want to be able to attain that for their children. That’s huge! They simply need affordability. I want to continue to work to make that an option for these parents. More parent outreach would be a big one, as well. A lot of our SCSD #1 parents and future SCSD #1 parents are already invested in our program, and its successes. But, I see myself working to expand those programs like Love
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BOOSTING SUCCESS
“Our district provides a range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for students— encouraging students to explore and develop their talents through participation in these activities is an important part of their educational experience. And, here (in Sheridan), that begins even before Kindergarten with our successful KinderBoost program lead by teacher Lesley Thompson and Principal Kathy Powers, with the support of the SCSD #1 Central Office in Ranchester, and the entire administrative staff and faculty there,” said SCSD #1 Superintendent Marty Kobza. “We also offer several opportunities to unite parents, students and the community. These forums, led by Kendra Barney, promote two-way communication and joint problem solving, boosting academic success for all our kids.” To say this woman wears many hats would not be an understatement—it would be the understatement. By: Stephanie L. Scarcliff for 82801 If you have a kid aged 0-5 and live within SCSD #1 limits, contact Kendra today at (307) 655-9541. For more information about the KinderBoost program or to schedule a visit or tour, visit sheridan.k12.wy.us. Space is limited.
Occidental Ghost Stories he Historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo has been serving guests for well over 100 years. Its ledger is filled with the likes of Butch Cassidy, Buffalo Bill Cody, and other colorful characters of the Wild West. And, if you ask some of the staff, there are also the ghosts—er, guests—who loved the place so much they never left. From covers flying off of sleeping guests to heavy vault doors closing on their own, the Occidental is home to more than its fair share of ghost stories.
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EMILY Perhaps the most commonly encountered ghost in the Occidental is Emily, the spirit of a young girl who died of an illness while her mother was
working in the hotel’s bordello. Jennifer Johnson, the historian of the Historic Occidental Hotel, has had many experiences with Emily. “She’s more playful, so you have more interactions with her,” Johnson said. “And, people are less intimidated by her and therefore more receptive to having an interaction with her.” Encounters involving Emily, are often fairly generic. She likes to play with guests’ hair, tap them on the shoulder, and touch their hands. Others will hear laughter or a ball bouncing down the hallway. At times, the touching extends for long periods of time. Johnson can recall one night when she wished Emily was a little less energetic. “All night long, Emily was just playing
with my hair… to the point where you’re like, ‘Just stop,’” Johnson said. Almost any time someone in the hotel feels someone toy with their hair or touch their arms, Emily is the staff ’s prime suspect. Others have more direct experiences with Emily. “Some people—like younger kids who stay here—will have dreams about her,” Johnson said. “They’ll see her with long, flowing hair and a blue ribbon across her waist. And she just says the same three things: ‘I’m lonely,’ ‘Will you play with me?’ and ‘I’d like an orange cat.’” Because of these dreams, Emily has amassed a collection of plush cats, pictures, and other gifts left by those who love her. For many of the guests, it’s a surprise purchase. “This summer, we had a family stay with OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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three little girls, and they actually went across the street to Margo’s and purchased a little glass cat—an orange one—to put up in her room.” Most gift-givers have no clue who Emily is before their heads hit the pillows that night. “We started doing our [ghost] tours last year, and a lot of those gifts supersede that,” Johnson said. “They’ve been here a while. You learn about Emily when you come.” Of course, a few make their pilgrimage to the Occidental with a toy already picked out. Johnson highlighted an incident involving a young child and a plush turtle. “This kid came up with his grandparents, and he had been waiting the whole year to drop that off here,” Johnson said. For a ghost with such popularity among guests and staff alike, some people believe that Emily may not be who she says she is—or, at least, not every action attributed to Emily is really Emily’s doing. Absalome Paranormal founder Kara McCoy said that her experiences lead her to believe that Emily isn’t a little girl. “I think Emily is actually a man entity who loves the attention it’s getting,” McCoy said. McCoy’s hypothesis ties back to an incident occurring in the room holding Emily’s gifts. “When I was in that room… I blatantly
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asked, ‘So, you say you’re Emily, but you’re not Emily, are you?’” McCoy said. “The camera died, and then the door shut. It was just weird.” McCoy’s experience is far from an answer about Emily’s identity, but regardless of who Emily really is, she seems friendly enough— especially if you’re nice enough to bring her an orange cat.
THE LITTLE BOY While McCoy remains skeptical about Emily’s existence (or, at least, her identity), she has several stories about the ghost of a young boy she encountered while investigating the Occidental. “Everyone’s talking about Emily, but there’s this little dude,” McCoy said. “He’s quiet. He does like to cause some mischief. I asked one of the housekeepers, ‘So, you find blankets on the floor a lot?’ And she laughed and said, ‘How would you know that?’ And I said, ‘Well, he just did it right now.’” “Who just did that?” the housekeeper asked McCoy. “The little boy in the tunnel.” McCoy had followed the apparition down the stairs and into the laundry room. “At first, I thought it was her child,” McCoy said. “That’s how vivid he was.” During another moment of the investigation,
McCoy sensed a presence coming near one of the old radios the Occidental staff keeps scattered around the hotel. “I didn’t say anything to anyone, but I just didn’t want to go near that radio,” McCoy said. “So I walked away.” A few minutes later, another investigator left the room. “She came out and said, ‘I need to talk to you…they told me you walked away from that radio,’” McCoy recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m not touching that. I don’t want to be near it.’ She said, ‘Huh… there’s someone there.’” Later in the night, an investigator caught an EVP of a little boy near the radio. It could be the same boy McCoy followed to the laundry room, but McCoy isn’t sure. “Maybe,” McCoy said. “He kind of just roams the place.”
THE DARK COWBOY Perhaps the most mysterious ghost of the hotel, the dark cowboy doesn’t have interactions with the living often. But, when he does make an appearance, he makes his presence known. “You kind of feel his presence a little bit more, and sometimes you’ll smell cigarette smoke before you’ll see him,” Johnson said.
The dark cowboy will often loom by the bar on cold winter nights, appearing long after all of the customers went home. He doesn’t speak; he only stares. “He’s kind of antisocial,” Johnson said. Occasionally, the cowboy becomes more than a stationary presence. Two people were alone in the hotel one night when one of them saw a cowboy walking up the stairs. Suspecting that the cowboy was an intruder, the caretaker followed. “Bob, who was a nonbeliever at that point, started chasing him up the staircase, all the way through the hotel… and down the back stairs to the parking lot,” Johnson said. “When he got out there, there was absolutely no one there. I’d say, at that point, he became a believer.”
THE OCCASIONAL BUMP IN THE NIGHT Below are some additional stories that can’t be attributed to any one ghost. • Two staff members were alone in the hotel on a snowy night when they heard a crash in the adjacent room. They entered the room to find all of the silverware dumped in the middle of the floor. • A state representative and his wife were staying in the hotel, and the couple had been enjoying the establishment’s alcoholic refreshments. The wife took her mixed drink back to her room and placed it on a counter. When she glanced down at it, the stirring stick was moving on its own. • A group visiting the hotel was being loud and using profane language while at the dinner table. An oil lantern, which had been resting in a stable position, fell over and shattered. • A family reserved the bunkhouse but cancelled the reservation after going to the room. The parents saw nothing wrong with the room, but the daughter refused to enter it. “There is a man there,” she said. “He is staring at me. I’m not going in there.” • A heavy vault door swung shut. • A door, which the staff member never close, was found locked with a skeleton key popping out. By: T.J. Parks for 82801 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018
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