Devil's Gulch, Split Rock Park
Devil's Gulch in Garretson, South Dakota, is considered haunted by two different legends: one involves the outlaw Jesse James, and another concerns a frontier couple. The James legend says he jumped the 20-foot-wide gorge on horseback to escape a posse after a robbery attempt. The second, more explicit haunting legend, speaks of a frontier couple who died there, with visitors sometimes reporting eerie sounds, feelings of unease, or seeing a face in the water. Outlaw Jesse James supposedly leaped across the 20-foot-wide chasm on his horse to escape a posse pursuing him after the Northfield, Minnesota, bank robbery in 1876. While not always considered a "haunting," the legend is tied to the location, with the area featuring a walking bridge over the gulch. Another legend claims that a frontier couple met their demise in the gulch. The story goes that they died in each other's arms after the man tried to rescue a woman from a different, ongoing gunfight that also involved the ringleader. Visitors to Devil's Gulch have reported feeling emotional unease or hearing eerie sounds from the palisades, with some also claiming to see a face in the water.