Press seeking local ghost stories, photos of creeptastic decorations

The air is turning cool and crisp.

Leaves are deepening into rusty reds and autumnal oranges.

As the days grow shorter and night sets in earlier with each passing moment, All Hallow's Eve slowly creeps around the corner.

In celebration of the spooky season, The Press is seeking local ghost stories to flesh out in the month of October as Halloween draws near.

In the past, reporters have explored ghosts of the Wild West at the old Kootenai County Jail in Rathdrum, things that go bump in the night at the Roosevelt Inn, the resident spirits of Spirit Lake's White Horse Saloon, paranormal activity at Rathdrum's Mountain View Alternative School, flashlights turning on and off seemingly by themselves at historic hotels in Wallace and familiar phantoms at the Fort Ground Grill in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Even the more outlandish encounters have been reported, such as the picky poltergeist some claimed inhabited a cash register at the former Coeur d'Alene Kmart.

North Idaho has long had its campfire tales and legendary lore. Five years ago, author Deborah Cuyle compiled a collection for the "Haunted America" series in her book, "Ghosts of Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley." The book features storied Coeur d'Alene people and sites as well as tales from Farragut State Park in Athol, D-Mac's at the Lake in Hauser, the Sprag Pole Inn and Museum in Murray, the Brooks Hotel in Wallace and more.

In an Oct. 13, 2020, Press article, Cuyle said researching Coeur d'Alene's paranormal past posed a challenge as information about its darker history wasn't thoroughly reported.

"They kept stories under wraps in Coeur d'Alene. Finding articles on stuff made it pretty hard," Cuyle said. "Digging some of the old bones was more difficult in Coeur d'Alene."

Halloween happenings don't only manifest in haunted hotels or restaurants. Originating as an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain, Halloween has morphed into a celebration of candy and jack-o-lanterns that ranges from the cute and cuddly to the terrifically terrifying. Creativity knows no bounds as people decorate their homes and yards with spiders, skeletons, witches, pumpkins, tombstones and everything in between.

Contact paranormal reporter Devin Weeks at 208-664-8176 x 1201 with stories to share this Halloween season. Know of a ghoulishly decked-out yard that will make readers shriek with delight? Snap a photo and send it to [email protected] ... if you dare.

    Shenanigans afoot in Post Falls, Halloween 2024. Send us your spooky stories and photos of creatively creepy yard decorations in Kootenai County to share this Halloween season.