Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Diane Browning
Correspondent

LOGAN CANYON-Maybe it is a legend. Maybe it isn’t. But some of the locals here in Cache Valley believe that St. Anne’s retreat in Logan Canyon is haunted.

The particular details vary, but a general theme repeats among the different versions-the area is frequented by the ghost of a nun.

In broad daylight, St. Anne’s retreat looks innocent enough. A carefully maintained set of cabins with their window covered with shutters, St. Anne’s grounds include rock-lined pathways and manicured lawns. It is the kind of place to seek out in order to “get away from it all” and to find some peace in the forested hillside.

In addition to the cabins, there is a main lodge on the property and a small swimming pool. Overall, there is nothing particularly ominous about the setting-in broad daylight.

But according to legend, St. Anne’s, which had been used in the past as a retreat for nuns, is haunted:

One version holds that one of the nuns had been raped and murdered at the retreat at the retreat. Another version holds that a nun had given birth to a child while at St. Anne’s and had drowned the baby in the swimming pool.

Regardless of which happened-if either ever actually did-the ghost of a nun was born.

According to Nancy Bodily of Logan, local high school students used to travel up to St. Anne’s at night “mainly just to scare each other.”

Bodily never saw the ghost. But she said legend has it that a nun comes out of the woods accompanied by two white Doberman pinschers with red eyes.

“If you see the nun,” Bodily says, “and if you’re a first-born son, it means you are going to die.”

The nun has been said to appear along the road going through Logan Canyon. And the danger of seeing her there is just as great for first-born sons as of seeing her at St. Anne’s, Bodily says.

“If you’re coming down the canyon,” Bodily says, “she’ll appear out of nowhere.”

The lodge at St. Anne’s also is haunted. According to the legend, a person who tries to spend a night in the lodge will be “bodily disturbed.” No further details were provided.

“It’s just one of t hose things you talk about when you’re a teenager,” Bodily says about the St. Anne’s ghost. “I would imagine that the legend still lives on.”

A note to the adventuresome: St. Anne’s is located on private property and is patrolled regularly by a night watchman.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1190890 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1980-1989; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> "St. Anni s Retreat"
Natalie Hamson
Logan, Utah
April, 1984

Natalie is twenty-one years old. She has lived in the Cache Valley all her life.
She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was Natalie
Boehme before marrying Dale Hamson in 1979. She's been married four years and has a
daughter that is two years old.
Dale and Natalie were at our home watching television when Natalie first told my
husband and me this story. Natalie said that she had been a sophombre at Sky View High
School when she first heard it. After I heard the story I was really interested in the
retreat, but not totally convinced the story was true. Since that time I have heard many
other Cache Valley residents say that St. Anne's was haunted. Most of the people that
could tell me anything about St. Anne's had lived in the Cache Valley many years or all
their lives. St. Anne's is a Catholic Retreat that is located up Logan Canyon.
The story that Natalie told me was that a male friend of hers and a bunch of other
guys went up to St. Anne's one night to see if it really was haunted. They took with them
loaded shotguns, rifles, and pistols. They were exploring around the place and saw
some dogs. The dogs were Doberman Pinchers and when they saw the group of men,they be­,
an barking at them. ~he dogs started chasing the men ready to attact~ The men
started firing at the dogs with their guns, but the dogs wouldn't drop. The dogs· chased
the men back to their truck. The men jumped in and left St. Anne's Retreat.
Natalie told me that she knew other people who refuse to go to Sto Anne's because
of the stories they have heard about it. Shei;aY's ·there"are other's'tories of visitors
seeing St. Anne walking along a cliff with a lantern for a light, then just vanishing.
Natalie also told me that she would like to visit St. Anne's some time, but not at night.
She said that last summer there was some kind of a Catholic childrens overnight meeting
at the retreat, and that you wouldn't catch her up there overnight because she believes
the stories she has heard.
Marion Dart
Logan, Utah
Pasco, WA
Utah &tate University
Intro. to Folklore
Spring, 1984

Urban Legend
"Disappearing Babies"
Informant Datal
Betty Warner
Logan, Utah
January 21, 1987
Betty Warner was born c;n January 31 1963, in Logan Utah. She
grew up in a near by town called Smithfield. She now resides in 10gan
and is attending USU. She is an active member of the LDS church
and is working as a Nurses Aid at Sunshine Terrace Rest Home.
Contextual Datal
This story was heard during a childcare class at Sky View High School.
We were all working on quiet books and to pass the time we were telling
stories of things that had happened to us or our friends.
****************************
I once heard of some kids from HIyum that went up to the old
Catholic Nunnery in Logan Canyon. There was three boys and three
girls. It was really late at night when they went, the guys had wanted
to really scare their girlfriends. They got out. of their car, walked
down the path towards the Nunnery. Along the way was a couple of ponds,
When they walked past the ponds little hands reached up.·and grabbed
all of them around the ankles. They were all so scared that they took
off running back to the' car. Some of the guys started asking around
as to why this happened. An old Pr ist that lives here in the valley
told them that when there were people from the church living there,
some of the Nuns became pregnant. by the Priests. The Nuns would carry
the baby to full termJand then to save the Church from embarrassment,
they would drown their babies in the ponds. When strangers enter
\
the property and walk by the ponds the babi~s spirits will grab at
them, they try and pull themsel~ out of the water to keep from drowning.
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Betty Warner
Logan, Utah
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Urban Legend
"The Old Nun"
Informant Datal
$IVI'/
Betty Wa..-rner
Logan, Utah
January21, 1987
Betty Warner was born on January 31,1963, in Logan Utah. She
grew up in Smithfield, Utah. She now resides in Logan and is attending
USU. She is an active member of the LDS church and is working at
The Sunshine Terrac, Rest Home.
Contestual Datal
This story was heard while my child care class in high school
was working on their quiet books. For entertainment we would pass
time by telling stories.
************************
I once heard of some girls that went to girls scout camp up
Logan cany:on, a few years ago. There was about 12 girls plus a few
leaders. The girls were between the ages of tweleve and fifteen.
They were 6i tUng around the campfire telling ecarey stories, one of which
was the "Old Nun" story. This story is about an old nun that died
very angry that she had lost her youth and beauty. She had resided at
the nunnery, also in Logan canyon. Before she died, the nun would
walk past the girls scout camp and long for the days of her youth.
She became so obsessed by this idea that she decided . by drinking
the youths blood she would again be young. Well, the kids of the camp
tried to laugh off their fear not wanting to admit to apy.one that they
really were scared. The group broke up after the story telling finished
and went their seperate ways. The leaders of the camp became increasingly
concerned as the girls began to disappear one by one. They called
and hunted for the missing girls not getting any response at all.
A couple of girls from the camp had gone on a walk together. Suddenly
they came running back into the camp screaming and shaking terribly.
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page 2 The Old Nun
The girls reported seeing an old lady dressed as a nun, with an
ax and blood dripping from her face walking near the camp. The next day
when the sun came up six of the tweleve girls were found murdered around
camp •
Betty Warner
Logan, Utah
Utah State University
History 124
Winter Quarter 1987
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Urban Legend
"St. Anne's Retreat"
Informant Data:
Unknown
1976
High School friends from Sky View High School, Smithfield,
Utah.
Contextual Information:
Myself and some friends from Sky View High School were dragging
Main Street in Logan. We decided to drive up Logan Canyon because
someone had heard that there was a pla'ce up there that was haunted.
All teenagers are interested in haunted houses or buildings.
*******************************
While driving up the canyon, someone told the story about
how a nun had become pregnant while staying at St. Anne's Retreat
for nuns. When the other nuns found out about what had happened, they
told the unfortunate young girl that she could no longer be a nun.
The young girl was distraught.
That night the girl took an ax and killed everyone. When
she was done she drowned herself in the swimming pool.
Her ghost is thought to still be wandering the area, haunting
St. Anne's Retreat forever.
Scott Lambert
Logan, Utah
Utah State University
English 124
Winter Qtr. 1987
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Urban Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Jalyn Rinderknecht
Logan, Utah
January 21, 1987
Jalyn Rinderknecht was born January 16,1968 in Logan, Utah. She is a
member of the L.D.S Q1urch and is partly an active member. She attends
Utah State University and is majoring in Pre-veterinary Science. Her
hobbies include horseback riding, skiing, fishing, hunting, camping,
animals and rodeo.
Contextual Data:
On our way up to the Nunnery in Logan Canyon everyone was telling
stories about what had happened when they went up last. This story was
one told.
One night a couple of my friends and I came up here to check the
Nunnery out. We psyched ourselves out so bad that we were a little
scared when we got there.
Walking toward the Nunnery we heard dogs barking from the distance
and a scream. It had been said that this nun used to kill the first
son of the family and little babies.
We heard another scream and decided we'd better get out of there, so
we ran back to our car but when we tried to start it we couldn't get it
to turn over. Feeling really scared, we took off down the canyon and
came back the next day to get the car. When we got there it started
like a charm.
Jalyn Rinderknecht
Logan, Utah
Utah Sta~e University
Winter Quarter 1986-87
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Folk Story
Nunery up Logan Canyon
Informant Data:
Martin Mendenhall
Logan, Utah
April 22, 1984
I don't know where Martin was born, but he has lived a good part of his
life in Cache Valley. He is going to school at Utah State University majoring
in Food Science, he is presently a Junior. He comes from a religious background
and is a mormon. He married my best friend, and they have now been married for
1 year. Me and my boyfriend used to double date with them quite often . He is
the second child of 4. His hobbies include, snow and water skiing, and all out­door
activities and sports
Contextual Data:
This story was told to me on another double date with Martin . This was
told on one particular night after visiting the nunery up Logan Canyon . It
had been quite a frightful evening.
Text:
This story starts like this . . .• ....
A long time ago, there was a building called3 a convent where nuns lived. For many
years it was a very holy place, and only practices of good were taken place.
The nun's were forbidden to see any men and were to stay virgins. Things began
to get out of hand and the nun's began sleeping around, after which a few
became pregnant. If they were ever found out it would become a disgrace to that
individual. Therefore they began giving themselves abortions. In the convent
there was a swimming pool that had been emptied of all its water . This is where
they would bury the aborted babies. The problem finaly got out of hand and
they closed it down. But, because of the evil that went on there it is now
haunted with all kinds of spirits, and you can hear them to this day if you dare
to visit.
Michelle Sampson
Nibley, UT 84321
Utah State University
English 124
Spring Quarter 1984
April 22, 1984
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Diane Stenquist
Logan , Utah
Fe buary 1985
Legend
The old Nunery
Informant data:
Diane Stenquist was born in Tremonton, Utah. She is of
Swedish decent. She is now attending Utah State University
where she is a senior in bussiness. She is a member
of the Mormon church.
Contextual data:
Text:
Diane and I were on our way skiing one day, up at
Beaver Moutain and as we passed this area she told
me this story.
She says she heard this story alot while she was growing
up, the big kids always told the little kids this
story to scare them.
There is an old nunery up Logan Oayon. Years and
years ago the nuns were sent up here who got prenant
by the priests so no one eles would find out about
thier indiscreations. There was a main house were
everone would meet and there were also four smaller
house were they would sleep. And there was also a
big swimming pool. And as soon as the babies are
born the babies were to be drowned in the pool.
Now this is an old and deserted, but if you go
there at night you can still here the babies cry. ;
Natalie Harman
Utah Stste University
Folklore
Spring 1985
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Ghost story
St. Anne's Retreat
Larry Cantwell
Smithfield, Utah
Approx. 1979
Larry Cantwell is the speech teacher at Sky View High Schoo1. He loves
stories, and one of his hobbies is to go around the Valley to different
groups and share his talent. He does a marvelous imitation of Mark Twain.
He tells great ghost stories, and has many humorous readings. He is active
in the L.D.S. Church, and communtiy affairs.
One day in Speech, we turned the lights off and got out a candle and
lit it, and told ghost stories. Mr. Cantwell told us this version of St.
Anne's Retreat.
St. Anne's Retreat was originally established up Logan Canyon for
Cache Valley's Catholic nuns who needed to "get away" from things for awhile.
One nun got herself in trouble and as time passed her problem became
more noticeable. He superiors knew that something needed to be done-- she
couldnlt walk the streets in her condition, so she was sent to St. Anne's
for the duration-. 6f" · her:~ pr~gnam::::y.
The Mother Superior at St. Anne's talked this nun into putting up the
baby for adoption when it was born, because she thought this sort of thing
was horrible. If the nun would agree to do as the Mother Superior said,
the Mother Superior would help her. If not, then she could fend for herself.
Well, as time went by and this nun spent her time reading, thinking,
swimming in the pool, and walking around the retreat and in the nearby woods,
she began to think of this child and knew she could never give it up. She
decided to leave the order and raise her baby.
When the baby was born she told her decision to the Mother Superior.
The Mother Superior did not agree and felt that she had to end this situation.
One day when this nun was sleeping, the Mother Superior took the baby and
drowned him in the swimming pool.
The nun took it very hard, but couldn't believe the Mother Superior
would actually do this. She thought the Mother Superior had taken the baby
and given him to a family, or was hiding him on the retreat somewhere.
As she was recovering, she would take walks around the retreat to see
if she could find her baby. As she walked by the pool one day, the Mother
Superior pushed her in and she drowned. The Mother Superior thought she
had rectified the problem, and now could live with herself after taking care
of this nun.
About three weeks later another nun was sent to St. Anne's to rest and
re~ax for a couple weeks. One day as she was walking past the swimming pool
she saw a nun floating face down in the pool. She screamed, and the Mother
Superior came to see what the problem was. The Mother Superior tried to grab
at the nun in the pool, but the nun disappeared.
The second nun wanted to know what had happened, but the Mother Superior
would not say anything. The second nun called the Father and told him to come
up to St. Anne's because there was something wrong.
the Father came and got to the bottom of what had happened and soon after,
the Mother Superior was taken from St. Anne's. Shortly after this happened,
the Catholic church sold St. Anne's Retreat.
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St. Anne I s is still used as a get away place for various groups and there
have been reports that the one nun is still looking for her baby. Some have
seen her walking around the retreat, and some have seen her floating in
the pool. While there are no reports of anyone talking to this nun, there
are plenty of reports of people who have seen her, so as you go camping
in this part of Logan Canyon, beware of the nun.
Alenda Jolley
Providence, Utah
Utah State University
English 124
Winter 1984
2
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Ghost story
St. Anne's Retreat
Alenda Jolley
Logan Canyon
approx. 1976
Alenda was born in Logan in 1963. She lived ~n Logan for a couple years,
then moved South of Logan to Providence where she has lived for fourteen years.
She is active in the L.D.S. Church, and community affairs. She loves the
outdoors and has spent many hours in io9an Canyon hunting, fishing, camping,
and enjoying nature.
When I was ~n mutual, my ward took all the youth leaderships up to
St. Aime' s Retreat for a leadership meeting. We spent two days and one night
at the retreat. Just before dark the leaders took us on a hike to a meadow
overlooking St. Anne's. There was a cave on the cliff above us. In this
setting one of the leaders told us this story.
St. Anne's Retreat is the place where all the Catholic Nuns came for
a little rest and relaxation. There was cabins, the beauty and recreation
facilities of the canyon, and a swimming pool. All the Nuns loved this place.
On the cliff to the East of St. Anne's is a cave where a hermit lived.
This hermit hated people and he hated nuns worst of all. He devised d
plan where if he killed off a few nuns at a time, no more WDuld come up to
the retreat because they would be too scared.
This hermit came down to St. Anne's on a particularly dark night and
caught a nun unaware as she was going from the lodge to her cabin. He
dragged her to the swimming pool and drowned her.
This happened about three more times before higher officials got word
of what was happening. A search was made for the hermit, but he COUldn't
be found.
The Catholic church got spooked and sold St. Anne's so there WOUldn't
be anymore nuns in Logan Canyon.
There were reports of two or three other people killed in the same
manor while using St. Anne's.
The hermit was never found, and it is said that he still haunts St.
Anne's and neghboring campgrounds, so be careful when staying in this part
of the canyon.
Alenda Jolley
Providence, Utah
utah State University
English 124
Winter 1984
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Horror Story
Saint Ann's Retreat
Informant Data:
Mary Leisa Pp.ters en
Hyrum, Utah
February, 1979
Mary Leisa Petersen, 20, grew up in Hyrum, Utah, a small Mormon town.
She is of Danish and Swedish decent. She is the first child of a Mor­mon
family, and she is a active member of the Mormon Church. Presently,
she is a Lambda Delta Sigma Chapter president. A junior at Utah State
University majoring in Elementary Education.
Background:
Terry Hansen of Logan told Mary Leisa this story to entertain her (or
to scare her, she didn't know which it was) in 1976 while on a ride
through the Logan Canyon one night.
After Mary Leisa told this story to me she said," It's a good scarey
story but I sure don't believe it."
I have tried to record it as closely to the way she told me as possible.
Text:
During the past summers Nuns lived in this old house in Logan Canyon.
But before it was a Nunnery it was haunted. And before it was haunted
a very wealthy man and his wife bought it and fixed it up and lived
in it.
The winters were really harsh so the man always took his wife in their
horse and buggy to town to shop.
Many years passed and her husband died. The towns people wanted her to
move into town but she wouldn't. So at first the towns people took
turns on a irregular schedule bringing her into shop. After awhile
nobody s topp ed by to bring her into town and she was more or less for­gotten
about. Then one day the towns people started wondering about
her, so a couple of men went out to check on her. They found the doors
open and the house dusty and filled ~vith cobwebs, but she was nowhere
to be found. ' Outside · th~ house they found some tiriy footprints, but not
her, so they boarded up the house.
Years passed and the house also was forgotten. Then one day late in
the fall, during the first snowfall, two hunters ran across it while
looking for a place to camp the night. They unboarded the house and
entered. Then one of the hunters went outside to get some fire wood
while the other hunter stayed in and cleaned the fireplace out so
they could build a fire. As the hunter outside was chopping wood he
heard a very loud, horrid screem from the house. He quickly ran to
the house and as he entered the only one there was his hunting part­ner
die on the floor with a clever in his back. He ran out and as
he did he heard someone in the bushes crying. He looked down ._and there
jn the snow. he saw 'some tiny footprints. Without looking any further
he ran frantically to the highway for help.
Bonnie Vance
Logan, Utah
Mapleton, Utah
Winter, 1979
(
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Supernatural Legend
"Saint Ann's Retreat"
Informant Data:
Maria Nielsen
Hyrum, Utah
July, 1984
Maria Nielsen, 21, lives in Hyrum, Utah. She was born February
21, 1963, in Logan, Utah. She is a Senior at Utah State Univeristy,
majoring in Elementary Education. She is an active member of the
Mormon church. She is married to Clayton Nielsen.
Contextual Data:
I can not member who told this story to me. The story was told
to me just before I visited Saint Ann's Retreat. I remember it was
a very dark night and I was with my boy friend and three other
couples. I'm a scardy cat anyway and after I heard this story I
was scared to death to go into Saint Anns. I don't really believe
the story is true but it scared me just the same. I could imagine
some crazy man jumping out of the bushes with a big knife and killing
all of us. I decided if there was one place a mad man would hang
out to kill somebody it would be at Saint Ann,s. One thing waB sure,
I was not going to stay in the car by my self, so I went with the
others to explore this place. Nothing happened to us, but I was sure
glad when we finally pulled away from that place in our car.
Saint Ann's is about fifteen minutes up Logan Canyon.
* * * * * * * *
A long time ago there used to be a nunnery at Saint Ann's.
One of the nuns got pregnant by a young priest. She hid the fact
that she was pregnamt for a long time. When she had the baby she was
told she had to leave the nunnery. She was grieved at what had happened
and went out and drowned her baby in the swimming pool, thp.n hung
herself. Her spirit haunts the place in the form of a dog. Sometimes
people can hear dogs howling at Saint Ann's. Nobody has ever seen
the dogs.
Maria Nielsen
Hyrum. Utah
Same
Utah State Unlverity
English 124
Summer 1984
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Supernatural Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Jimmy west
Nibley, Utah
April, 1988
Jimmy west is a High school senior who enjoys anything
that has a challenge to it. He hung around the guys the night
they went to the nunnery, but no longer associates with them.
He loves the outdoors and hates school. He works for the Bishop
in the ward and comes from a gigantic family as he put it.
Contextual Data:
I told Jimmy I WaS doing this for my folklore class and I
asked him if he could remember the story as if he were there that
day. We were sitting outside on the front porch steps as he
related the story.
Text:
Last summer we did travel up to the nunnery to find out if
you looked in this mirror you would see the ghost, supposedly
green. I didn't travel inside so I never found out anything, but
the guys who did go in came running back to the car screaming,
"Let's go!" "It's behind us!" The car wouldn't start at all,
everyone was screaming and panicking, then all of a sudden it
started. The whole thing was weird. As were driving away we
felt a bump on the back of the car. The next morning I went over
to see what it was and a big long black mark was on the car.
Sherry Anderson
Nibley, Utah 84321
USU
Folklore
Spring 1988
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Supernatural Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Clint Yonk
Nibley, Utah
April, 1988
Clint Yonk was a classmate in High School. We both
graduated in 1987 from Mountain Crest High. He workd for Bourns
during the afternoons. He enjoys going to late night shows.
He's from an active LOS family, and he loves the outdoors.
Contextual Data:
We were sitting in a movie theatre going to watch the Mid­night
movie. I asked Clint to tell me the story about when he and
a few others went up to the nunnery. I had heard the story
before in a Sunday School Class after it happened. I was just
interested in if it had changed any since then.
Text:
A couple of friends told me this story. They went up to the
nunnery located in Logan Canyon during the summer last year. It's
said that if you go into the surrounding area, a ghost will chase
you out. A whole group went up to find out if this was true or
not. Two of the guys were the only ones that had decided to go.
They were running back to the car and the car wouldn't start up
than all of a sudden it started. Everyone was screaming, "Let's
go!" As they were driving away they felt a bump on the back of
the car. The next morning there was a big long scratch that
looked like something had been dragging on to the car. They
swore to never do that again.
Sherry Anderson
Nibley, Utah 84321
USU
Folklore
Spring 1988
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Local Legend
"Killer Nuns"
Informant Data:
Sally Drollinger
Richmond, Ut
April 3, 1988
Sally Drollinger is twenty-four years old. She was
born in California but moved to Richmond when she was small.
There she attended grade school through high school. She
is single and lives with three of the good friends she grew
up with. Sally came from a family of eight children. When
they were young, their father would tell them stories. From
this experience, Sally learned to love listening to and
telling stories.
Contextual Information:
Sally heard this story when she was in junior high.
She and her friends were at a slumber party where ghost
stories were being told. This was her favorite scary story
about the nunnery in Logan canyon.
Text:
There was this nunnery up Logan canyon. Nuns use to go
there for religious schooling. Then it was closed because
of not enough money to keep it in shape. So, the nuns were
divided up among other convents. There was this one convent
that wasn't too far away. Somehow the nuns that went there
were getting pregnant. These nuns were sent back to the L
Logan nunnery to have their babies. After they had them,
the nuns would throw them into the swimming pool to kill
them. Now when you go up there at night you can hear the
babies crying out.
Valerie Drollinger
Logan, Ut
Spartanburg, SC
Utah State
History 124
Spring 1988
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Local Legend
"Cry of Babies"
Informant Data:
George May
Richmond, Ut
April 5, 1988
George May is twenty-three years old. She was born and
raised in Richmond, Ut. She received all of her schooling
there. She is single and lives with Sally and two other
girls she grew up with. She has two younger sisters, one of
which still loves to sit around and tell ghost stories at
night.
Contextual Information:
George is the girl at the slumber party Sally went to
who told the story about the nunnery in Logan. She learned
about the nunnery when she and some of her friends wanted to
go camping over night in the canyon. Her father told this
story to her.
Text:
Up Logan canyon there was this nunnery. Everyone knew
it wasn't a normal nunnery because the nuns that went there
were pregnant. Yet, when they left, the nuns didn't have a
baby with them. There were all kinds of speculation about
what happened to the babies. Most of the people figured
that the nuns threw their babies over the cliffs because
they could hear the cries of the babies as they were falling
You can still hear them if you go up there at night.
Valerie Drollinger
Logan, Ut
Spartanburg, SC
Utah State Univ.
History 124
Spring 1988
~.L. /./,2. I, //L
(
Local Legend
"Dead Babies"
Informant Data:
Gordon May
Richmond, Ut
April 7, 1988
Gordon May is fifty years old. He was born in Smith­field
and moved to Richmond after he was married. He has
been married for twenty-five years and has three daughters.
Gordon works at USU in the engineering dept. He enjoys his
work and is a good mechanic.
Contextual Information:
Gordon May heard this story about the nunnery from a
man he worked with. One day everyone was talking about
things that Logan was kind od historical for and this came
up. He told this story to his daughter to scare her from
going camping instead of saying "NO" again.
Text:
There's this nunnery up Logan canyon. It was a kind of
hideout for pregnant nuns. They would stay there until they
had their babies. After these babies were born, the nuns
would take them and kill them. They did this by throwing
them over the cliffs or down in hidden tunnels. These babes
still cry out at night and their spirits seek revenge on
anyone that goes to the nunnery.
Valerie Drollinger
Logan, UT
Spartanburg, SC
Utah State Univ.
History 124
Spring 1988
~,2./,/,l.1. ~3
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Legend
Saint Ann"s Retreat
InfDFrnant:
Date of Bi r-th:
Place Gf Bir-t.ti~
Ethni c Ances t t-:l i
Education:
Occupation:
Hubbies:
Church Membership:
CiHlt-Cf. Activity:
i1ark LeBar-on
08/05/68
Logarl; Utah
Logan J' tJ"Lah
4/-12/-1987
European(German. Swedish. French, English)
Public high school education
Student (Utah State university)
Music. Sports & Athletics
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Very Active
***************************************************************
The following legend is one of those stories that one often
hears, but can't remember from whom or where he heard it first.
I do know that there are several versions of this story.
below is the one I have hear tne most. The story concerns an old
local nunnet-y Dr retreat for catholic nuns known as Saint
complex is now used for youth summer camps
Ann*s
and
*****************************************************************
to the stOFy I heard. a young nun named Hekida,
who is residing in the retreat. becomes pregnant (nobody ever
says by who). Hekida is hated by the other nuns because of the
shame she has brought upon her office. When the child is born,
Hekida throws the child off a cliff and kills herself in the same
irIan}l!? t- ~
dirlnlft
Hekida had tnese pet hounds and the nuns
-= ___ t'
know what to do with them so they chopped dff the LV::/"
The story also says that there is a crude cross marking
the child"s grave and that the spirits of Hekida and her
haunt the grounds between midnight and one o' ciock a.m.
dogs
t1ar-k LeBat-on
Hist -124
,i/. /. /.t . / .v~
(
GENRE: LEGEND
TITLE: ST. ANN'S RETREAT
Jamie Smi th
Kamas, Utah 84036
CONTEXT:
Jamie Smith
Logan, Utah
4-22-87
We were sitting around telling ghost stories. Jamie told us
about something that happened to her friends up Logan canyon. It
was at a place called St. Ann's Retreat. The following story is
written in the manner in which it was told.
STORY:
The legend says that one of the nuns who lived there became
pregnant. Well, the other nuns let her have the baby but made her
drown it once it was born. As a result of the baby been drowned,
the mother went batty and killed herself. After all of this
stuff happened, they closed the nunnery but her ghost still
remains.
This happened to some friends of mine, James
These guys went up up there to set up this deal.
to take these girls and get them scared. So they
all these rocks so when someone tripped the wire,
and Roger.
They were going
went up and set
all of these
rocks would come flying down. They went into the convent and set
things up in it.
Later that night, they brought the girls up. Someone tripped
on the wire but instead of little rocks falling, a big huge
boulder came rolling down. Well, this really scared them so they
decided to go check things in the convent. They went into the
convent and the door slammed behind them and locked. They had to
bust the boards off of a window to get out of there. After all of
this happened, they just picked up and left.
The next day, after everything had happened up a St. Ann's,
they decided to go back in daylight. The rope that had been set
up was cut and all the little rocks had been moved aside. They
couldn't see how the boulder was moved: it hadn't been there the
day before. All they know is that boulder rolled down at them.
Well one night, they were going to take us up there. One of the
guys swore he would never go up there again. He is all buff about
it--a jock you know-- but it scared him shitless.
MY NAME:
Debbie Jenkins
S.L.C. Utah 84121
Utah State University
/ (
( History 124
Spring 1987
(
Legend
Saint Anne's Retreat
Informant Data:
Kris Harris
Logan Utah
October 1981
Kris Harris,21, was born in Logan Utah, but moved to Newport Beach
California when she was seventeen. Her religious background is Mormon,
but she is not a practicing Mormon. Kris is single and attends Orange
Coast College where she is studying commercial art. At the time she
told me this legend, she was really into sppoky stories, and loved to
tell them at parties and social gatherings. Kris has a talent for telling
stories or jokes at the best possible times.
Contextual Data:
When Kris told me this legend, we were up the canyon drinking beers with
about 5 other people. There were no boys with us because once a week it
would be the "girls iiight out." As we were drinking, we started telling
scary stories or scary experiences we had or had heard. When it was
Kris's turn to tell a story, she asked if any of us had heard about Saint
Anne. None 0tlhad heard the legend, so she said she would drive us to
the place where the legend actually happened. We went to a Eatholic
retreat about 3 miles up Logan canyon. There is a swimming pool in the
back and ~ris made us sit on the diving board while she told her story.
We were pretty scared by now, since it was dark out and the old buildings
were really creepy. Kris told us that her Aunt's friend wen to the Retreat
1 year after Saint Anne, and Catholic priests had to
there were evil spirits there. Kris's mom told her tnt;...--±-c~
wouldn't go up there to drink and mess around.
After she told us the legend, we were so scared that we coul~~move
off:.the diving board. Finally we ran back to the car and locked all the
doors and drove back to Logan. I have never been up there again, and
I doubt any of the others have either.
Item:
About 3 miles up Logan Canyon there is an old, abandoned Catholic Nunnery
which locals call Saint Anne's Retreat. Saint Anne was a nun living at the
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Retreat for the summer, when she mysteriously became pregnant. She didn't
tell anyone she was pregnant, but one of the sisters found out and asked
Saint Anne how she became pregnant. Since Saint Anne was a virgin, the
other sister assumed it was a child of the devil, and God was punishing
Saint Anne by making her pregnant. The other sister sooned moved to another
Retreat, leaving Saint Anne and her secret pregnancy unknown. One night
in August, Saint Anne had her baby, She took it and wrapped it in sheets and
threw it into the swimming pool. When the other sisters found the baby, it
was dead and Saint Anne was gone. Now, if you go to the ~etreat in August,
you can hear a baby crying. If you call for Saint Anne(usually three times)
she will come down from the mountains looking for her child. Sometimes
you can see her looking around the swimming pool, a ghostly shape wearing
a habit, calling for her poor little child.
Meridith Sorensen
Logan, Ut 84321
Logan, Ut 84321
Utah State University
History 124
Spring 1987
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Supernatural Local Legend
"Wi tch Heckata"
-\
I nforment Date:
Myself
Logan, Utah
Winter 1990
I have llved in Logan, Utah most of my 11fe. I attended Logan High
School. I am a freshman at USU.
Contextual Information:
I heard this Legend in a class while attending High school. I was
in a psychology class; we were studying a unit on parapsychology.
Students were telling stories that they had heard from friends, relatives,
and from scouting camps that deal with the supernatural.
Text:
Near Saint Anne's retreat up in Logan Canyon there is a small
canyon. It is sai d if you go to thi s canyon around mi dni ght, wi th the moon
full in the night sky, and you call the name Heckata three times she will
appear. She is to come in a hooded black robe that whips in the wind. She
comes toward you 1 aug hi ng. She floats above the ground. I n her hands she
hold the hounds of hell. They are two large black dogs with eyes that glow
red w1th the flames of hell. She is angry at those who enter her canyon
(
(
I
\
and di sturb her rest. She chases those who enter her canyon away.
Nathan N1 ederhauser
Logan, Utah
USU
Engli sh/Hi story 124
Winter 1990
lONf
,e.£./.12./. tV<f'
( Legend
Statue at St. Anne's Retreat
Informant Data:
Nancy Lloyd
Young Ward, Ut.
Nov. 2 , 1988
Nancy Lloyd was born in Logan, Utah and has lived here all her life except
two years in Idaho and 18 mont~in Ecuador, + a year in Provo at school.
She is a senior at U. S. U. majoring in English.
Context Data:
This story was usually told to her in situations like slumber parties,
walking home from late mutual activities and at girls camp .
Item:
At St. Anne's Retreat for nuns, in Logan Canyon, there is a very strange
statue. If touched at the right moment, 12:00 midnight, it will be warm,
as if it were alive.
Matthew Lloyd, 18
Young Ward, Ut. 84339
Utah State University
English 124
Fall 1988
(
Local Legend
"Heckada"
Informant Data:
Rex Womack
Nibley, Utah
July 1980
Rex Womack is three years older than myself He lived in my LDS ward while I was growing up.
He was really a cool dude. He would hang out with us younger boys and bring us up to date on
what's hot and what's not. He was somebody that we all looked up to. He always had something
to say.
Contextual Data:
( We were at a camp out for our scout group and Rex was one of the junior leaders. We were up
Logan Canyon camping at the Girl Scout Camp up Right Hand Fork. We were in the little cabin
in our sleeping bags, just talking. Everyone was trying to scare each other with stories. Rex
succeeded.
Text:
About 40-50 years ago the winter came really early. So early that the deer hunt in October had 2-
3 feet of snow. Back during the 1930's, hunting deer was very popular because of the meat.
People would kill a deer and store the meat for use in the winter months. This one man went out
to get his winter meat for his family. He headed up towards Spring Hollow by Third Dam up
Logan Canyon. He went up early in the morning as most hunters do. He was expected back
around 3:00 or 4:00 at the latest. He was known to be a great hunter and always shot a deer early
and was home by 3 :00 p.m. On this snowy hunting day he didn't make it home. His wife went up
to look for him that night but no body was found. She went back into Logan to get help, but
nobody would go out in the blizzard. She refused to leave her mate up in the snowy mountains so
she went home and got her dogs. She took them up the canyon with her to Spring Hollow and
was never seen again, nor was her husband. If you go to third dam and look up into Spring
Hollow on a full moon and yell Heckada, Heckada, Heckada, you will hear her dogs barking, still
in search for her lost husband.
(
(
I'
Rod Leishman
Logan, Utah
USU
History 124
Summer 1995]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 12190210 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1960-1969; 1970-1979; 1980-1989; 1990-1999; 20th century; 2000-2001; 2000-2009; 2010-2019; 21st century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> Since 1911 Burton Lumber has been the first choice'
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A member of the Richmond Road Runners team competes in the
Cache-Teton Relay race alongside U.S. Hwy. 91 between Smithfield
and Richmond on Aug. 13. The Road Runners completed the 189-mile
course between Logan and Jackson, Wyo., in just under 30 hours.
4 Cache Valley Magazine
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September 2010 5
EDITOR.S NOTE
Dark and light clouds mingle over Logan Peak on a stormy summer afternoon.
Under the weather
Now I truly understand the meaning
the phrase: "Out in left field."
Shortly after deciding that the pho­tographic
spread in this issue of Cache
Valley Magazine would be focused
upon the skies above our beautiful little
corner of the world, I found myself
trapped in the outfield during a city
league softball game. I say "trapped"
because from my vantage point along
the left-field line on a Willow Park dia­mond,
I had an amazing view of what
would prove to be the most majestic
rainbow of the year to my right, fol­lowed
shortly afterwards by the most
spectacular sunset of the summer to my
left. And I, of course, had failed to pack
my camera in my bat bag along with
my glove and cleats.
Less than a couple of months later,
I have no idea whether my team won
or lost that game. And it doesn 't really
matter, because to me, that evening will
always be regarded as a loss because I
missed out on a great photographic op­portunity.
But that's kind of the way this sum­mer
went for me. Everything was a little
bit off.
Where I would normally crave
blue skies, cloudless days and lots of
sunshine, the fact is that's rather ... well
... boring. To capture really compelling
6 Cache Valley Magazine
images of the sky, you need things in the
atmosphere to be a little bit mixed up.
A rainstorm not only creates rain­bows
and lightning and towering cloud
formations, it also removes haze from
the valley, and the water in the air
makes for more vibrant sunsets. And
knowing that led me on more than
few occasions to complain out loud to
friends and relatives when looking over
a weather forecast that showed nothing
but bright little orange suns.
Fortunately, with that assignment
now completed, I can now take both
eyes off the sky and return to normal
- that being primarily watching
the skies to see how the sun and the
clouds impact landscapes and subjects
on the ground. I can also spend more
time appreciating the early autumn
days in Cache Valley where high , deep
blue skies and lots of sunshine is the
norm.
But then again , a fall snowstorm is
always nice. After all , nothing's more
beautiful - and photogenic - than
white, pristine snow nestled upon bright
red , orange and yellow leaves.
I wonder what this week's weather
forecast is.
Jeff Hunter, editor
jhunter@hjnews.com
SEPTEMBER 2010
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 8
PUBLISHER
Bruce Smith
EDITOR
Jeff Hunter
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Shawn Brady
SALES MANAGER
Debbie Andrew
ADVERTISING DESIGN
Ashley Carley
CIRCULATION
Russ Davis
PRODUCTION SUPPORT
Paul Davis
BUSINESS MANAGER
Kristy Amado
Cache Valley Magazine is pub­lished
10 times annually by Cache
Valley Publishing LLC and inserted
in The Herald Journal newspaper
in September 2010. Subscrip­tions
are available for $12. Please
write to Cache Valley magazine,
p. O. Box 487, Logan, UT 84323-
0487 or e-mail Jeff Hunter at
jhunter@hjnews.com.
To advertise, call Debbie An­drew
at (435) 792-7296 or e-mail
dandrew@hjnews.com. For photo re­prints,
call (435) 792-7299. Visit us on
the Web at www.cachevalleymaga­zine.
com.
All rights reserved. Reproduc­tions
of Cache Valley Magazine in
whole or part is strictly prohibited
without consent of the editor or
publisher.
COVER PHOTO by Jeff Hunter
The remnants of a rainstorm linger
above Old Main on the campus of Utah
State University on a summer evening.
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r IN THE VALLEY
Six-year-old Trae Priestly of Weston chases after a balloon on the turf at Romney Stadium during Aggie Football Family Fun Day on Aug. 21.
Ags chasing victories
usu opens season with an eye on uncertain future
While overseeing the scrimmage in
the middle of Aggie Family Fun Day on
Aug. 21 , Utah State head football coach
Gary Andersen and his assistants donned
blue T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase
"All In" on the back. Although it's clear
that the Aggies where using a term more
commonly associated with Texas Hold
'Em to help inspire an all-out, team-wide
effort to excel during the 2010 season,
"All In" seemed a bit ironic following
the major gamble Utah State University
had taken earlier in the week.
In-state rival Brigham Young, in an ef­fort
to leave the Mountain West Confer­ence
and go independent in football and
8 Cache Valley Magazine
USU athletic director Scott Barnes answers
questions from the press after the scrimmage.
land elsewhere for its remaining sports,
put together a plan with Western Athletic
Conference commissioner Karl Benson,
USU President Stan Albrecht and Ag-gie
athletic director Scott Barnes that
would have greatly solidified the future
of the WAC and reinvigorated the ri­valry
between the Aggies and Cougars.
Early reports on the morning of Aug. 18,
painted an extremely attractive picture
of a regular football series between USU
and BYU, as well as games between the
Cougars and other WAC schools.
The prospects were so thrilling that
some people predicted that gridiron pow­erhouse
Boise State might even back out
of its plan to leave for the Mountain West
- soon to be weakened by the loss of
University of Utah to the PAC-lO - and
return to a stronger WAC.
Clockwise from top left: Linebacker Jerome
Barbour pressures quarterback Diondre Borel.
A girl reacts to a big splash at the dunk tank.
Eric Moats hangs onto a touchdown pass de­spite
the efforts of cornerback Chris Randle.
Moats was then flagged after "putting" the
ball underneath Randle's knees. Ryan Bennett
watches as an Aggie signs his USU helmet.
IN THE VALLEY
But before the late summer sun had
set over the Wellsville Mountains, Utah
State was already in the dark, having
been stunned by the announcement that
WAC fixtures Nevada and Fresno State
had received and accepted invitations to
join the Mountain West Conference earli­er
in the day. Now looking at a WAC with
only six schools remaining, BYU started
to rethink its best-laid plans and promptly
backed off its return to the WAC.
That meant that Utah State, which had
also been invited to join the Mountain
West but turned the offer down in order
to live up to an agreement with the rest
of the WAC that it would stay together
for the next five years or be subject to a
$5 million penalty, was suddenly facing
a very bleak future.
After going "All In," the Aggies' big
gamble now had them on the outside
looking in. That's why before seeking
out Andersen for an interview after the
Aggie Family Fun Day Scrimmage, the
gathered members of the media first
swarmed around Barnes on the turf at
Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.
"We felt very confident in the align­ment
we had, the security we had in WAC
members and BYU, and we thought that
was the very best next step for Utah
State athletics," Barnes said. "That has
gone away obviously for reasons you've
all heard. That said, every oar is in the
water; we are exploring all possibilities.
Our focus is on making the WAC better,
but that said, we need to look at every
opportunity that is out there."
A week-and-a-half later, BYU finally
announced that it was still going inde­pendent
in football, but rather than add
it's other athletic programs to the WAC,
it planned to join the West Coast Con­ference.
As this issue of Cache Valley
Magazine was going to press, the~future
home of Utah State athletics, whether it
be in a new-look WAC or another con­ference,
was still unsettled. But with the
2010 campaign about to begin on Sept.
4, at seventh-ranked Oklahoma, Ander­sen
was trying his best to keep his and his
team's focus on the task at hand.
"We will just take it as it falls and con­tinue
to fight on," declared Andersen,
now in his second season at Utah State.
"We haven't talked about it as a team,
September 2010 9
IN THE VALLEY
10 Cache Valley Magazine
nor will we because we are talking about
a thing that we have no control over, so
why do it?"
After going 3-5 in the WAC and 4-8
overall last season, most USU fans are
optimistic that Andersen has the Aggies
headed the right way. But while Utah
State boasts 20 returning starters and a
much deeper bench, two of last year's
bright spots, running back Robert Turbin
and wide receiver Stanley Morrison, are
both going to miss the entire season with
Aggie fans scramble for Rice Krispie treats
thrown into the stands at Romney Stadium.
injuries, and heralded new linebacker
Matt Ah You, who played at BYU in
2008, was recently shelved for the year
by a shoulder injury.
What Andersen does have is a senior
quarterback in Diondre Borel who put up
impressive numbers last season (23 total
touchdowns vs. only four interceptions)
with his arm and his legs; a stable of
dangerous running backs with different
skills in Michael Smith, Derrvin Speight
and Kerwynn Williams; and a handful
of defensive standouts like junior line­backer
Bobby Wagner, cornerback Chris
Randle, and local high school products
Levi Koskan and Junior Keiaho, who is
moving from defensive end to linebacker
this year.
Slated to finish fourth in the WAC this
season in the preseason coaches' poll, the
Aggies' schedule starts with the Sooners
and ends at Boise State on Dec. 4. In be­tween
there's home games with Idaho
State (Sept. 11), Fresno State (Sept. 18),
Brigham Young (Oct. 1), Hawaii (Oct.
23), New Mexico State (Nov. 6) and
Idaho (Nov. 20). Although Utah State
hasn't finished with a winning record in
a decade-and-a-half, many feel that cor­ner
is about to finally be turned this sea­son,
even if USU's future beyond that
is extremely uncertain because of the
cloudy conference situation.
"Expectations are high, from all of (the
media) and from us," Borel said of the
coming season. "Probably higher from
us just because we're are trying to get to
a bowl game, so I think we are ready for
this year."
leffHunter
IN THE VALLEY
September 2010 11
F
IN THE VALLEY
, :;.tr......L&
Bryan Palmer's garden plot helps maintain green space along the U.S. Hwy. 89-91 corridor. Below, black-eyed Susans grown at the Wellsville farm.
So close you can taste it
Wellsville resident heads up successful community garden
A couple of women walk by Bryan
Palmer's produce stand at the Cache Val­ley
Gardeners' Market, pausing to check
out the buckets of flowers he has sitting
next to a table filled with vegetables.
There's yellow black-eyed Susans, blue
globe thistle and purple-and-white, dai­sy-
like echinaceas.
For five dollars, Palmer will pick
out more than two dozen of the flow­ers
and sell them as a giant bouquet, an
item many customers can't pass up each
week. Upon request, Palmer will sort
through the flowers that have been cut
fresh in the early morning hours, strip off
the leaves, clip the ends, then tie them
together for customers to take home.
Meanwhile, nearby at his produce table,
two of his teenage employees are help-
12 Cache Valley Magazine
ing customers purchase squash, melons
and egg plants.
Palmer, who started selling flowers at
the market 11 years ago, has been grow­ing
them for more than two decades on
property he leases in Wellsville. What
began as a business selling dried wreaths
and bouquets has grown into Palmer's
Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA), which employs a dozen teenag­ers
in the summer and produces dozens
of different types of vegetables and about
a half-acre of flowers.
'The reason why we have the farm is
for the kids. That's the biggest reason,"
Palmer says. "A couple of them have
worked for us for probably five or six
years ."
Palmer says everything he earns from
the farm stays in Cache Valley and goes
toward paying his employees and buy­ing
seeds and products from local gar­dening
stores such as Alpine Gardens,
Rudy's Greenhoouse and Anderson's
Seed and Garden. He and the tee nag-
ers are out in the five-and-a-half acres
of land he leases every day, whether
they're focused on weeding, watering,
planting or picking.
On Friday nights, they pick a lot of the
vegetables for the market, and on Satur­day
mornings they are up before the sun
rises getting buckets ready to fill with
peppers and flowers . Palmer says it's
been a learning process throughout the
years and they try to grow new things
every summer. They are currently grow­ing
squash, peppers, cucumbers and ar­tichokes,
as well as 30 varieties of fall­harvest
vegetables. Palmer expects they
will be picking right up until Thanksgiv­ing
this year.
An Ogden native, Palmer lived in
California for several years, where he
says he and his family went to several
farmers ' markets that lasted year-round.
He commented on the various flowers
they would sell, the seafood and differ­ent
produce that was available. The mar­kets
in California spurred the idea to sell
flowers in Cache Valley, which did well
at the market for several years until the
recession.
"With the economy, we really got into
fruit and veggies," Palmer says. "The
last two years have really been hard on
flower growers. We used to be able to
take our truck and trailer and fill it with
60-75 buckets of flowers and sell out in
IN THE VALLEY
a couple of hours. We would have a huge
line. It would be like all day long ."
Now Palmer only sells a third of the
flowers he used to at the market. He says
his bouquets last a little longer than those
that can be purchased at the store because
the flowers are usually fresher. Bouquets
of roses, for example, normally take
three or four days before they reach the
customer, as they are shipped from Ec­uador
to Miami, then on to Salt Lake and
Logan.
Currently the CSA can garden for about
eight months of the year, Palmer says,
but it's not like he can go too long before
thinking of the next garden. Catalogs
come around Christmastirne, and Palmer
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14 Cache Valley Magazine
orders seed around the first of the year. In
mid-February he and his employees are
germinating seed in a greenhouse, and by
the first part of April they are planting.
In the future Palmer hopes to lease two
more acres of land and put in an orchard
to grow fruit and nuts.
Retired after more than two decades
in the National Guard, Palmer says the
Army and his job at Alpine Gardens in
Brigham City pays his bills. The CSA is
Top, Palmer breaks open a small, yellow wa­termelon.
Above, blue globe thistle is one of
the types of flowers grown at the garden.
just a side-venture, a hobby mostly, that
gives back to Cache Valley.
"It's really their farm," he says, gestur­ing
toward the two teenage boys behind
the produce stand. "They help us on the
farm and then actually come pick on Fri­day
nights and come sell on Saturdays.
We try to grow a few different things ev­ery
year. You learn as you go."
Manette Newbold
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
September 17·18
The Aggie women's volleyball team hosts
the Utah State Invitational over two days at
the Spectrum. The Aggies will take on Loyola
Marymount at 10 a.m. and Utah Valley at
7:30 p.m. on Friday, then play UC Riverside
at noon on Saturday. Call 797-0305.
September 18
The 2010 Nordic Track Top of Utah Mar­athon
begins at the Hardware Ranch in
Blacksmith Fork Canyon at 7 a.m. and ends
at Merlin Olsen Park in Logan. Spectators
can begin viewing the race at Mile 14 just
outside the mouth of the canyon, and the
awards ceremony is slated for 1 :15 p.m.
Visit www.topofutahmarathon.com.
September 18
Logan Dog Agility sponsors the Canine
Carnival and Fall Fun Run from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. at the Cache County Fairgrounds. Call
(801) 710-1046 or visit www.fallfunrun.
blogspot.com.
September 18
The Utah State football team welcomes
WAC rival Fresno State to Romney Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. Call 797-0305.
September 18·0ctober 30
The American West Heritage Center in
Wellsville presents a wide variety of autumn
and Halloween-themed activities through
the month of October, including a corn maze,
blackout maze, train rides, pony rides, super
slide, hay jump and kid's pirate hay fort. The
Haunted Hollow will also be scaring visitors
on Oct. 8-9, 15-16,22-23 and 29, for an ad­mission
of $7. Call 245-6050 or visit www.
awhc.org.
September 24·25
The Bear 100 ultramarathon begins Fri­day
at 6 a.m. Mt. Logan Park in Logan and
winds along a 100-mile course through the
mountains until reaching the finish line in
Fish Haven, Idaho. Call 563-3647.
September 25
The Utah State women's soccer team fac­es
BYU at 4 p.m. at Bell Field. Call 797-0305.
September 30
The USU women's volleyball team plays
its first home conference match of the sea­son
against Fresno State beginning at 7 p.m.
at the Spectrum. Call 797-0305.
October 1
The Utah State football team hosts in­state
powerhouse BYU at Romney Stadium
beginning at 6 p.m. Call 797-0305.
IN THE VALLEY
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September 2010 15
Left, one of the small cabins at Pine Glenn Cove
in Logan Canyon as it appears today. Top, child
actors present a play at the small amphitheatre
that used to sit on the grounds. Above, the interior
of the playhouse used as a child by L. Boyd and
Anne Hatch's daugther, Sydney.
Also known as
Hatch's Camp,
St. Anne's
Retreat and
'The Nunnery,'
the history of
the curious
collection of
buildings in
Logan Canyon
isn't nearly as
scary as you
may have heard
STORY & PHOTOS BY JEFF HUNTER
1- -- -- - -
Floyd OdIum was giving a speech
in Salt Lake City in 1955 before
the Conference on Intermountain
Industry when the wildly successful
businessman tried to playa small trick
on his audience.
"A fellow I have known quite well for
a long time took up his pen years ago
and wrote a rhyme about a certain spot
in Utah which was known as 'Hatch's
Camp,'" OdIum stated before reciting a
poem:
When I'm tired and sick and weary
Of the din of city strife
And am longing for the pleasures
Of a natural open life,
Ship me westward to the mountains,
Put me off at "Hatch's Place"
By the Logan in the Wasatch;
There my sorrows I'll efface.
There before the open fireplace
Or stretched out beneath the trees
I will listen to the music
Of the mountains and the breeze,
To the roaring of the waters,
To the song of melted snow
Until night has brought its shadows
And the sky all aglow
And then the shooting kisses
Of a mountain air so sweet
Will comfort me until I lapse
Into a blissful sleep.
"The author of those lines is here
with us tonight," OdIum then an­nounced
before admitting, "In fact,
I'm that fellow. As poetry, it is a very
feeble attempt. But as an emotional
expression concerning a state I love, I
stand by it."
As the head of numerous, multi-mil­lion-
dollar corporations during his
career, including the Atlas Corpora­tion,
RKO Pictures, Northeast Airlines,
Convair and Bonwit Teller, it's easy to
-envision the bespectacled OdIum behind
a wooden desk in a large office of a
skyscraper in New York City, putting his
thoughts down on paper, trying to drown
out the hustle and bustle of Manhattan
outside his window.
All the while wishing he could
abruptly replace the concrete-and-steel
canyons of Wall Street with the rock
cliffs and solitude of Logan Canyon.
18 Cache Valley Magazine
---_ .. - - ---- -
Top, a vintage image of the living room inside
the Hatch cottage. Above, a bedroom in a
cabin at Pine Glenn Cove. Right, Floyd Odium
poses for a photograph with his son, Bruce.
Could phrases like, "I will listen
to the music of the mountains
and the breeze," and "shooting
kisses of mountain air so sweet; will
comfort me until I lapse into a blissful
sleep" actually be referring to St. Anne's
Retreat? Surely generations of Cache
Valley teenagers and Utah State Uni­versity
students would wholeheartedly
suggest otherwise.
After all, "The Nunnery," as it is often
called, is widely considered the scari­est
place in the area, primarily because
of the frightening tales surrounding the
small collection of cabins eight miles
northeast of the mouth of Logan Can­yon.
Among the many urban legends
that have been propagated since the Ro­man
Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
took possession of the property in 1958
is that nuns who had been raped by
priests then drowned their babies in the
swimming pool, and visitors to the site
can still hear the infants' cries at night.
Another story has two nuns fighting,
with one sister pushing the other into
the empty swimming pool. The fatal fall
leads to the dead nun returning to haunt
the sister who killed her, banging on her
door at night and laughing with glowing
red eyes when her murderer would look
outside. A nun searching for her stolen
golden arm, and another sister accompa­nied
by vicious dogs are also among the
ghost stories that have prompted many
people to tempt fate - or at least fight
off a little boredom - and sneak onto
the property late at night.
This Cache Valley tradition turned
')
into a real horror story for 38 teenagers
in 1997, when after crossing the bridge
over the Logan River and heading up the
road to the retreat, they were greeted by
three watchmen armed with shotguns.
The trespassers were then tied up in the
empty swimming pool and threatened by
the guards , who were later charged with
assault for their aggressive behavior.
At the time, the retreat, which sits on
2.85 acres of land leased from the U.S.
Forest Service, was owned by a group
of families who had grown weary of
vandals and trespassers, and many of
the buildings had fallen into disrepair.
But in 2006, the site originally known as
Hatch 's Camp was purchased by Chad
Top, the playhouse used by the Hatch daugh­ters.
Above, the backdrop of the amphitheatre
included an ad for Bonwit Teller. Left, Bruce
Odium's wife sits on the edge of the pool.
Godfrey, a River Heights native who
now works in the health-care field in Salt
Lake City. Godfrey, who now refers to
the property by another of its old names
- Pine Glenn Cove - hopes to restore
as many of the structures as possible, or
at least sell the site to someone else who
can complete the project in the future .
"We're just in the very beginnings of
having it restored," Godfrey says. "About
all we've done so far is completely clean
everything out. I think we took about
28,000 pounds of junk out of there ."
While there are still "no tresspassing"
signs posted at the entrance to Pine Glenn
Cove, Godfrey did take down the barbed
wire that used to discourage visitors from
crossing the bridge. He also helped get
the site put on the National Register of
Historic Places in 2006, and Godfrey
says his hope is to one day host an "open
house and invite the entire valley."
"Once it's restored, we'll let people
come up and tour the whole thing for
three days," he insisted. "I think that
will pretty much turn off all the tres­passing
and stuff because they'll see
how wonderful it is all made up."
But Godfrey, who says he first briefly
visited what was then St. Anne's (or St.
Ann's) Retreat when he was 6 years old
- "before my mother and I were scared
off when some dogs came running down
the hill" - admits he's never spent a
night at Pine Glenn Cove.
"But I can tell you , there's no nun
with a golden arm, or dead babies under
the playhouse," Godfrey declares. "In
fact, I've had a number of paranormal
societies contact me, and they all said
there was nothing up there. Although
one of the groups did get the holy heck
scared out of them when a sheriff's
deputy came in off the road - they
check it all the time and he saw lights
- and slammed a door shut while they
were all standing in the lodge. Other­wise,
the scariest thing you'll probably
see up there is a squirrel or a pack rat."
The Catholic church took posses­sion
of what it then renamed St.
Anne's Retreat in the 1950s after
the Hatch family initially tried to donate
the site to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and Utah State Uni­versity.
The retreat served as a getaway
spot for Sisters of the Holy Cross from
the Salt Lake diocese for a couple of de­cades
before it was turned into a summer
youth camp in the 1980s. The Catholic
Church eventually sold the lease to some
families in 1993, and the site has been
under private ownership ever since.
Now close to 100 years old, the
original buildings at Hatch's Camp/Pine
Glenn Cove were constructed in the
1910s by Hezekiah Eastman Hatch,
the president of the Thatcher Banking
Company in Logan, who obtained the
original permit from the forest service.
His son, Lorenzo Boyd Hatch, would
later improve and add to the retreat,
eventually sharing the site with his
brother-in-law, Floyd B. OdIum.
Hatch, who is best known in Cache
Valley for founding the Sunshine Ter­race
Foundation in 1948, and OdIum
became brothers-in-law after marry-
September 2010 19
=--=======----- . - - ---- - --------
ing sisters originally from St. George.
Hatch met Anne McQuarrie in 1917
while working in Salt Lake City and
married her a year later, while OdIum,
a Michigan native who attended law
school at the University of Colorado,
was employed by Utah Power & Light
in Salt Lake when he first encountered
Hortense "Tenny" McQuarrie. The cou­ple
was married in 1914, and the Hatch
and OdIum families would become even
further linked when, following the death
of his wife Georgia in 1919, Hezekiah
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to actress Jennifer Jones before dying in
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The OdIums and Hatches left Utah
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respectively, with OdIum working at a
law firm before pulling together $39,000
and founding an investment firm called
the United States Company. Finding
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20 Cache Valley Magazine
financial success almost immediately,
the company grew quickly, and in 1928,
it merged with another company to be­come
the Atlas Utilities Company with
OdIum as president, Hatch as vice-presi­dent
and assets valued at $6 million.
But just months before the stock
market crashed in 1929, OdIum sold off
half of Atlas' holdings and $9 million in
new securities to investors, leaving him
with an estimated $14 million in cash
and short-term notes as the country's fi­nancial
system was falling apart. In tum,
OdIum started buying up stock from
other investment firms - often for 50
cents on the dollar - reorganized them
and sold of their assets, only to purchase
more firms, and eventually, a wide
variety of businesses from railroads to
mines and motion-picture studios to
department stores.
Considered one the 10 richest people
in the country by 1933, OdIum and
the company now known as the Atlas
Corporation, bought part of RKO Pic­tures
, the studio that turned out "Citizen
Kane" in 1941 , After taking over RKO
completely in 1942 at a price of $3 mil­lion,
OdIum ended up selling the studio
to Howard Hughes four years later for
$9 million_ The shrewd investor also
ended owning all or part of the Hilton
hotel chain, Greyhound buslines, Con­vair
airplane manufacturing, Madison
Square Garden and the Bonwit Teller
department store_
OdIum turned over control of Bonwit
Teller, a high-fashion store in New York
City, to his wife, who served as president
from 1934-40 at a time when women
were rarely found in such positions.
Hortense OdIum, referred to as "one of
the 10 best-dressed women in the world,"
even stayed on at Bonwit Teller after she
and Floyd were divorced in 1935.
Following that separation, OdIum
was introduced to Jacqueline "Jackie"
Cochran, who would become arguably
the second-most famous female pilot in
the country behind her friend , Amelia
Earhart. The first woman to break the
sound barrier, Cochran married OdIum,
and the couple later settled on a massive
ranch in the California desert near Palm
Springs in the 1950s, virtually founding
the community of Indio while rarely vis­iting
Utah. The OdIums often welcomed
' j
' j
friends like Chuck Yeager and Dwight
D. Eisenhower into their home prior
to Floyd's death at age 84 in 1976 and
Jackie's passing four years later.
Hortense OdIum, who briefly remar­ried
in the later 1930s, died in Indio in
1970 at the home of her son, Bruce. Her
sister, Anne Hatch, passed away in New
York City in 1979, more than 22 years
after L. Boyd Hatch had died at his sum­mer
home in Connecticut at age 60.
Pine Glenn Cove is basically
broken up into two parts: A
lower road off of which most of
the buildings constructed by the Hatches
can be found, and an upper road, where
the OdIums' lodge and cabins stand.
Currently along the Hatch lane, just
above the Logan River, remain two
small cabins (one of which housed the
camp's maids), a larger cottage, a small
generator shed, a playhouse and the
main cabin, which was later used as
a dining hall because of its screened-in
porch. East of these structures are
two guest houses, a storage shed and
a magnificent lodge. Stone stairs and
walkways, constructed by out-of-work
masons during The Great Depression,
surround many of the buildings, and
the infamous swimming pool sits in
between the two roads, adjacent to a
two-story structure used as a pool house
and laundry.
While most of the buildings are now
in disrepair, the stone-and-wood cottage
that served as quarters for the Hatches'
daughters, has had extensive work done,
as has the OdIums' lodge. Built about
1929, is boasts a screened porch on
three sides, a stone fireplace imported
from Europe, and a huge, vaulted ceil­ing
with hand-painted iron work above
the main room. Stairs lead up to two
large bedrooms and a bathroom.
Pine Glenn Cove (or Forest Hills ac­cording
to the forest service lease) also
used to be equipped with horse stables,
an outdoor amphitheatre, and an indoor
theater that could seat 24 people and
even had its own ticket booth.
Boyd and Anne Hatch's daughter,
Sydney di Villarosa, returned to the re­treat
in the late '90s with Chad Godfrey
in tow, and she shared fond memories of
picnics by the river and putting on plays
with her young relatives with Holly­wood
movie directors, CEOs and note­worthy
politicians in the audience. Now
in her 80s, Villarosa recently returned to
Italy, the land of her late husband, after
moving to St. George for a time.
"Sydney has lived an amazing life,"
Godfrey says. "She married into noth­ing
short of Italian royalty and lived in
Milan until she wanted to come back
to her roots. Her home in St. George is
reminiscent of an Italian villa .... And
right when you walk in, there's a great
photograph of Sydney with Shirley Tem­ple
and Cary Grant, all holding arms.
"I think her sister, Betty, is also still
alive and living in New York City, and
she married into basically the equivalent
of Argentine royalty. They've lived these
illustrious lives, and they think nothing
of it," adds Godfrey, who says he's been
told that among the celebrities who vis­ited
Pine Glenn Cove are movie starlets
Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe.
Because it has almost always had a
telephone, Godfrey says OdIum and
We've taken a
vow of silence.
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Hatch used to spend large portions of
their summer at the camp, conducting
business across the country and the
world from Logan Canyon. Pine Glenn
Cove is also outfitted with an unusual
water system that carries water from
springs almost a mile away in Preston
Valley, through a series of underground
pipes and eventually into a large storage
tank above the retreat.
22 Cache Valley Magazine
Clockwise from top left: The swim­ming
pool were horrified teenage
trespassers were detained in 1997.
The back side of the sleeping cot­tage
above the Logan River. Signs
of vandalism remain inside the large
Hatch cabin. The view out the upper
window of the Odiums' lodge. The
large, screened-in porch served as a
dining area when the site was used
as a youth camp. The main lodge is
believed to have been built around
1929. The fireplace in the Odiums'
lodge was imported from Europe.
"It's an amazing system," Godfrey
says. "I mean the pool is huge: 20 feet­by-
60 feet. And you can fill it in two-and­a-
half hours. If you put a garden hose in
there, it would take you until next June."
Godfrey, who says he first started
dreaming about purchasing Pine Glenn
Cove in the late '70s, clearly feels much
like Floyd OdIum when it comes to the
beautiful retreat up Logan Canyon. One
could easily see him, confined to an
office in Salt Lake City, writing a poem
similar to the one that OdIum shared in
his speech 55 years ago .
"I've just always loved the place,
ever since I was a kid," Godfrey pro­claims
with a smile. "It has an interest­ing
story behind it, and it's just full of
history. It's a very unique property, and I
just love it." m
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September 2010 23
I,
LOOK TO THE SKIES
TOP Clouds gathered along the southern
edge of Cache Valley soak up color from the
setting sun.
LEFT Cumulonimbus clouds build up
above the Bear River Mountain Range on a
hot summer day.
BELOW Refracted light creates a unique
sky above the northern end of the Wellsville
Mountain Range.
FACING PAGE A huge bolt of lightning
strikes the valley floor near Newton.
f'"
L .
TOP Lightning strikes pummel the flanks
of Gunsight Peak.
ABOVE A single cloud hovers over the
top of the Wellsville Mountain Range.
RIGHT The setting sun lights up the
bottom of a set of dark clouds just above a
barn in Wellsville.
BELOW Wispy clouds race through the
sky high above Logan Canyon.
26 Cache Valley Magazine
TOP Clouds above Providence Canyon take on an eerie hue as the sun goes down.
ABOVE The skies above the Bear River Mountain Range take on a wide range of
colors as the sun rises on a summer morning.
LEFT The end of a rainbow brightens up a mountain ridge following a storm.
September 2010 27
',I
ABOVE Clouds soar above
the Mt. Sterling area on a
spectacular summer evening.
LEFT Wind and lingering
smoke from a fire create an
unusual line of clouds near the
western shore of Bear Lake.
RIGHT A full moon gives
way to the morning sun and
drops behind the Wellsville
Mountains.
FAR RIGHT Altocumulus
clouds create a stunning pat­tern
in the sky above Logan
Canyon.
I'
But it's unlikely that many of their commercial
counterparts share the Cox family's tradition of more
than a century of association with the honey business.
That tradition began around the tum of the 19th
Century with the clan's patriarch, Henderson Cox,
tending bees in St. George, which was then a small
farming community. Henderson was eventually
joined in that enterprise by his son, Marion. In 1929,
Marion Cox founded the family business that would
eventually become Cox Honeyland & Gifts. It was
Marion who relocated his family to Cache Valley
after marrying his wife, Lucile, a Providence native,
during the Great Depression. The first headquarters
for the couple's local honey business was established
in Providence.
By the mid-1960s, a third generation of the Cox
family, represented by Marion's son Duane and his
wife Margene, had taken over the reins of the busi­ness.
They moved the family enterprise to an expand­ed
warehouse along U.S . Hwy. 89-91 south of Logan
about 20 years later and then expanded into retail
sales in 1989.
Nowadays, their son Darren has assumed responsi­bility
for tending the Cox family's bee colonies and
the day-to-day operation of the honey and gift side of
the business is handled by their daughters: Maleesa
Jacobsen of College Ward, Camille Cowley of
Wellsville and Michelle Spuhler of Providence. But
a fifth generation of the clan is also involved in the
honey business: teenaged Breanne Jacobsen is already
employed in the gift shop that is collocated with the
Cox warehouse, and her kid sister McKenzie is an
enthusiastic part-time presence there, as well.
Despite its reputation as the Beehive State, Utah
ranks 24th among U.S. states in the production of
honey. In 2009, the total American honey crop was
144 million pounds from about 2.4 million bee Stephanie Adamson puts labels on fresh bottles of honey at Cox Honeyland.
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colonies, for a total value of about $208
million. Commercial beekeepers like
the Cox family, who tend about half of
all bee colonies in the United States,
produced about 60 percent of that crop.
While that may sound like a lot of
honey, the National Honey Board
reports that Americans are using more
honey-based products - ranging from
cereals to cough syrups - every year.
For example, more than 200 new prod­ucts
containing honey were introduced
in the United States since 1998, many of
them capitalizing on the all-natural and
Adamson, who has worked at Cox Honeyland
for just over a year, fills up a large jar of honey.
wholesome image of honey.
Nutritionists agree that honey is a
natural source of energy because it
contains a unique mixture of glucose
and fructose. Recent research has also
shown that, unlike most other sweeten­ers,
honey contains small amounts of a
wide variety of vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants.
The unique blend of sugars in raw
honey has been proven helpful in com­bating
fatigue and enhancing athletic
performance. Honey can also be used to
treat minor abrasions and bums. Since
many types of honey contain traces of
pollen, medical researchers are inves­tigating
the possibility that eating local
honey may help to relieve allergy symp-
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September 2010 33
toms. Finally, honey is often used as an
ingredient in both manufactured and
homemade beauty products for skin and
hair care because honey has naturally
hydrating and non-irritating properties.
Utah's annual honey production aver­ages
about 1 million pounds and the
Cox family sells as much as 20 percent
of that crop in a good year. But it isn't
just production volume that makes
the Cox name one to conjure with in
the Utah honey business. In May, Cox
Honeyland & Gifts was recognized by
the U.S. Small Business Administration
as Utah's family-owned business of the
year.
"We were really honored to receive
that award," Margene recalls, "particu­larly
since it signaled that state officials
were paying attention to agriculture­related
businesses ... In agriculture,
your management has got to be just
right. And, even then, the weather has
also got to cooperate if you're going to
produce a crop. So a successful farmer
has got to be a good businessman and
that's something that most people don't
realize."
But residents of Cache Valley and
northern Utah didn't need a state award
to attract them to Cox Honeyland and
Gifts. Customers have been flocking to
the little white-frame gift shop adjacent
to the Cox warehouse for nearly two
decades.
"We have a lot of customers who
come from as far away as Ogden and
34 Cache Valley Magazine
Margene Cox answers a customer's questions about honey production at the gift shop.
Salt Lake," Maleesa Jacobsen empha­sizes,
"because they say that they can't
find unique gift stores like this where
they live. They're also attracted because
we have such a wide variety of gifts. We
provide them with an opportunity to cre­ate
custom gift baskets. Our customers
don't have settle for whatever is in a gift
box at Christmastirne. They can select
exactly what they want here year-round
and we'll package it beautifully just for
them in a way that's appropriate for any
occasion."
Margene Cox attributes much of the
success and longevity of their honey
business to her family's work ethic and
willingness to adapt to the changing
business climate.
"My maiden name was Lindley," she
explains. "I was raised on the first farm
that you pass coming out of Sardine
Canyon heading north. It was a 750-acre
dairy and cattle farm. We worked hard
on that farm, but it was good experi­ence
for me. If I hadn't been raised in
an agricultural family, I would probably
have never survived being married to a
beekeeper."
Margene adds that she and her hus­band
Duane were both raised in families
where long, hard days of work were
necessary to "keep food on the table and
a roof over our heads." Given that back­ground,
the couple naturally raised their
children to have that same type of work
ethic. "That didn't mean that our kids
didn't complain about their chores," she
admits with a smile. "But they under­stood
why those things had to be done
and that they had to work until a job was
finished, not just until they were tired or
bored."
Honey bees are social insects with
a marked division of labor within the
hives they inhabit. Each colony of bees
includes a queen, drones and workers.
In the most simple terms, the queen bee
lays eggs; the relative handful of drones
mate with the queen; and the thousands
of workers feed the queen and her lar­vae,
collect nectar from plants, produce
honey and guard the hive.
According to Margene Cox, the main
difference between the honey bees and
the humans who tend them is that, in the
family of a beekeeper, everybody is a
worker.
There are roughly 300 varieties of
honey produced in America, running
the gamut from water-white fireweed
to rich, dark amber buckwheat. In
general, lighter-colored honeys have a
mild taste while darker-colored honeys
have more bold flavors. Darker honeys
also tend to have a higher mineral
content and antioxidant potential.
Those variations of taste and content
also impact the commercial value of
particular types of honey, so successful
beekeepers spend a lot of time moving
their hives from one location to another
to take full advantage of abundant
SPORTS GRILL
sources of nectar in crops or flowers
growing nearby.
In addition to producing honey,
wandering bees also help to pollinate
agricultural crops, home gardens and
wildlife habitat. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture estimates that 80 percent
of insect crop pollination is accom­plished
by honey bees and that approxi­mately
one-third of the total human diet
is derived directly or indirectly from
insect-pollinated plants and crops. So
many commercial beekeepers like the
Cox family also spend time transport­ing
their colonies around the country to
provide contract pollination services to
farmers.
Combined with the labor involved
September 2010 35
in tending their hives and harvesting
honey, the aforementioned transporting
chores keep commercial beekeepers
- and their wives and children - almost
as busy as their bees, according to
Margene.
The Cox family began to diversity
their business in the late 1980s. Prior to
that time, Duane and Margene had been
selling the bulk of their annual honey
crop on a wholesale basis to a farmers'
cooperative in Iowa. But when health
problems dictated that Duane Cox take
a less active role in the business, his
wife realized that her life was about to
change in a big way.
"I had worked in several different
jobs over the years to help make ends
meet while Duane was keeping our
bees," Margene explains. "But when
Duane had to get an artificial hip, we
realized that we had to develop a retail
side of our business to support our­selves
when he eventually retired ... If
I was going to start my own company,
I knew that I was going to have to
find my own niche. Well, I knew the
gift business pretty well because I had
Open
September 10
36 Cache Valley Magazine
Cox Honeyland was recognized as the state of Utah's small business of the year in May.
worked in a florist shop for years; I had
also done oil paintings and some inte­rior
decorating. So I had to take those
things that I knew and use them to our
best advantage."
Like many would-be entrepreneurs in
Cache Valley, Margene's first stop on
the road to launching a new business
was Utah State University. While taking
some business classes there, she also so-licited
the support of USU's small-busi­ness
development staff, who provided
both start-up advice and testing of her
initial gift product ideas.
The retail gift side of the business
started small, Margene recalls, because
the family was determined to launch
that enterprise with out-of-pocket
money rather than incurring a lot of debt
through business loans. They installed
a pre-fabricated home adjacent to their
warehouse to serve as a gift shop. All
the manufacturing and bottling of Mar­gene
Cox' first products - honey butter,
honey syrup and cream honey - was
done by-hand in the tiny kitchen of that
home. Despite those humble beginnings,
the business took off.
But Cox Honeyland & Gifts is nev­ertheless
expanding to meet steadily
increasing demand. The Cox family
now ships an average ton-and-a-half of
honey products to locations around the
world each week and sells about a ton
of fudge annually. Their selection of
gourmet food items includes creamed
honeys, honey butters, honeyed pop­corn,
flavored honeys, honey caramels
and other types of candy. In addition
to custom baskets, their available gifts
include toys, candles, massage bars and
many other items.
"I hope that our customers want
to stop here and shop because we're
friendly and have a family atmosphere,"
Margene Cox adds. "Honey will al­ways
be our trademark, but we've got
something for everybody here now. We
try to offer seasonal items along with
our unique gifts, like all the Halloween
decorations we have on display now. We
also try to fill an educational role; we've
even got films for children that explain
how honey is made." m
"If I had been willing to risk more
back at the beginning, I would prob­ably
have a much bigger business now,"
Margene Cox admits, sitting in the
cluttered office of Cox Honeyland &
Gifts. The house's small kitchen is now
gone, transferred to the adjacent ware­house
when more room was needed for
manufacturing. A separate department
devoted strictly to creating the family's
trademark custom gift baskets is also
located in the warehouse nowadays. As
the family's product line grew by leaps
and bounds over the years, the gift shop
expanded to occupy every nook and
cranny of that structure. "But I believe
that you've got to crawl before you can
walk and walk before you run. And I'm
still just not willing to incur a lot of debt
in order to expand."
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September 2010 37
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CACHE BACK
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The setting sun made it difficult for the Sky View football team to pick up direction from its sideline during
the first half of the Bobcats' 34-17 loss to Northridge in SV's season-opening game at Smithfield on Aug. 20.
Cache Valley Magazine
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I ---------"]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 33098629 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Phil Jensen
Staff writer

The Cache County Attorney’s Office said today criminal charges most likely will be filed against three men who allegedly ambushed two groups of thrill-seeking teen-agers Friday, tied them up and terrorized them.

The charges could range from misdemeanors to felonies and will focus on assault, said Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt.

“There is a very high probability that will file criminal charges against these guys,” Wyatt said this morning. “The initial reports are pretty incredible.”

Wyatt said the actions of the three at the old St. Anne’s retreat 8 miles up Logan Canyon apparently went far beyond legal limits.

Wyatt said his office would likely decide on the charges and issue warrants by the end of the week.

The attorney’s office is waiting for sheriff’s deputies t9o finish taking statements from nearly 40 teen-agers, the three men and others. Wyatt said he wants to read all the statements before determining charges.

“They’ve only given me the initial reports,” Wyatt said. “I haven’t seen any statements at all. But as soon as they are collected we will make a decision.”

Wyatt said St. Anne’s is a local haunted house on private property and what happened when the carloads of youngsters got there is almost unbelievable.

“It’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen,” Wyatt said.

The kids should not have done what they did because they were trespassing but that doesn’t justify the reactions of these guys,” Wyatt said. “Overkill is a good way to describe it.”

“The kids told authorities the gate was open or partially open when they walked through and were ambushed by three shotgun-wielding men.

In the first incident, before dawn Friday, six boys and two girls were ambushed on the grounds by the men who fired at least one shot over their heads, then marched into a lodge, handcuffed and tied neck to neck by ropes, the teen-agers said. They told sheriff’s deputies who arrived nearly two hours later that the men shouted obscenities at them and threatened to kill them and hide their bodies.

The teen-agers were handcuffed in official police cuffs and taken by squad cars by four deputies to the sheriff’s office where they were interrogated and released. Some were given citations for trespassing, a Class C misdemeanor similar to a traffic ticket.

The three men were not arrested.

The second larger group of about 30 boys and girls, unaware of what happened in the earlier incident, said they were accosted by the same men as they walked through what they said was an open gate late Friday night.

They said they were ordered into an empty swimming pool, handcuffed with plastic flexible ties and also bound by ropes, neck to neck. They said they were told that if they moved the ropes would tighten, trigger an explosive and their heads would be blown off.

One boy said he was knocked unconscious by a billyclub and a girl complained that she was fondled.

About 40 parents confronted sheriff’s deputies outside the station Saturday after demanding action.

Parents told reporters they were angry at the non-action of the Sheriff’s Office for allowing a repeat Friday night of the incident early that morning and thus placing minors in danger.

Wyatt said he has not interviewed John Jeppson, identified as the oldest of the three men at St. Anne’s and the lead watchman who was armed from time to time with a shotgun, pistol, knife and billyclub.

When told Jeppson was still living at St. Anne’s, Wyatt said, “Good, then he can stay put so we can serve him with a warrant.”

The property owner said he allowed Jeppson to live there in exchange for fixing up the place and knew nothing of the other two men or of Jeppson’s alleged actions Friday.

Legends have lured generations to site

Legends surrounding St. Anne’s have provided a thrill to Cache Valley youths for generations.

Middle-aged people, including prominent members of the local community, remember when they were kids, too, and they drove up Logan Canyon with nerves of steel to get the wits scared out of them.

They were drawn at Halloween time by stories of hosts, including one of a nun emerging from the forest and followed by two red-eyed Dobermans.

“It’s been a place where everybody’s been. I remember when I was there,” said Shannon Demler, a Logan attorney.

People around town are laying bets that just about every old-time Cache resident went to scary St. Anne’s in the October darkness at one time or another.

The compound 8 miles up the canyon on the right started as a lodge and cabins in the 1920s and was converted into a Catholic retreat. It was eventually sold by the Catholic Church and has changed hands several times.

The property, with a Yellowstone-type lodge that has a rock fireplace and winding stairs, also includes several sleeping cabins and the famous swimming pool which still abounds with frightening stories.

It is commonly known today as the “nunnery.”]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1007288 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> Canyon watchmen identified
By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

The Cache County Sheriff’s Office this morning released the names of three watchmen accused of terrorizing a group of teen-agers trespassing at the former St. Anne’s Convent in Logan Canyon on Friday night.

John Jeppson, 50, of Pocatello, Idaho, is the head watchman that made the initial trespassing call from Zanavoo Restaurant and Lodge to the Cache County Sheriff’s Office at around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

The other two watchmen were identified as Christopher Doerr and Arthur Peasnall, both of Tooele County.

When The Herald Journal telephoned John Jeppson this morning, an unidentified woman answered the phone and said she’d leave a message for Jeppson but hung up before the paper’s number could be given.

When Peasnall was called and asked to give his side of the story, he repeatedly said, “I have no comment.”

Doerrs telephone number could not be located.

Chief Deputy Mike Stauffer with the sheriff’s office said the three men are being investigated and it will be up to the Cache County Attorney’s Office if charges are filed.

Deputy Troy Liquin, in his report of the incident, stated that when he arrived, he was met by the three watchmen each with flashlights taped to the end of their shotguns. Jeppson also was wearing a holstered pistol strapped to his belt.

When he told them to put their weapons in their vehicles, all of them complied except Jeppson, who Liquin said had to be told three times before he put his weapon away.

Liquin said he discovered the 30 trespassing youths in the pool on their knees. Twenty of them had a continuous nylon cord wrapped around their necks and if one person moved, they would all choke, he said in the report.

Some of the girls were crying and two or three other males were near tears because their hands were tied so tight with plastic cuffs, according to the report.

“As I looked at their hands, on the girls particularly, most of them were turning white in color, almost bluish in color. Visible swelling as well as red marks were observed on the majority of the individuals,” Liquin stated.

Liquin said he ordered the cuffs to be removed, and the youths complained of being hit and yelled at. One girl said one of the guards fondled her, according to the report.

One teen-ager handed a spent Federal 12-gague shotgun shell casing to an officer and said it had been shot near his head. Another said a guard shot next to his feet, the report said.

When deputies approached the three watchmen, Liquin said Peasnall used a military identification card to identify himself.

“Mr. Jeppson was very upset about the juveniles being there. He stated, ‘What am I supposed to do?’” according to the report. “Mr. Jeppson…began talking about Vietnam and how this was similar to troops being placed in Vietnam, and went on with some conversation about police powers in the war.”

Stauffer said the watchmen weren’t arrested because an investigation would need to be conducted to determine which of the juveniles were telling the truth.

“We arrested the juveniles because it was immediately apparent they were trespassing,” Stauffer said.

He said the fact the juveniles were trespassing and had to cross through a barbed wire fence to get there has been underplayed in this incident.

“Obviously, someone didn’t want them on their property,” he said.

The thirty people were cited and released for trespassing.

Another six people, three youths and three adults, were cited earlier Friday for trespassing on the same property.

Action beyond legal limits?
By Phil Jensen
Staff writer

Trespassing laws do not allow the kind of force or confinement allegedly used by three armed caretakers who terrorized Cache County teen-agers in Logan Canyon on Friday.

The Cache County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two incidents of teen-agers who said they were held captive, abused and threatened with their lives at the old St. Anne’s Retreat midway up the canyon.

Detectives said the case will be turned over County Attorney Scott Wyatt who will determine what if any charges against the caretakers will be filed.

Wyatt said he was meeting today with sheriff’s investigators and should know by Tuesday morning what action his office will take.

A Logan attorney read to reporters parts of the state law covering trespassing and what a property owner legally can and cannot do.

The use of force such as weapons against a trespasser or confining a trespasser is against the law unless the owner feels his life or the life of others is in danger, the law states.

“They could be liable for false imprisonment, assault and battery and a whole host of things,” said Joe Chambers, a Logan attorney and former Rich County deputy attorney.

Chambers said the law also covers “intentional infliction of emotional distress” against a trespasser, saying it is illegal to do something “so extreme and outrageous that if you hear about it the average person would say, I can’t believe they did that,” Chambers said.

Chambers, who has a 17-year old son, said he would have been outraged if his daughter had been fondled by the caretakers, as one of the teenagers alleged. “I’d be sitting on Scott Wyatt’s doorstep right now,” he said.

Chambers said the owner also has liability.

“You can’t just hire a bunch of crazies to take care of your property and have no liability, Chambers said.

According to records at the Cache County recorder’s office, the property was sold by the Catholic Church in 1992 to Peggy Godfrey for $120,000. Records also contain the name of Richard Salvitti of Salt Lake City as the person responsible for taxes. Efforts to contact both Godfrey and Salvitti were not successful.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1085016 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> "The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Cory Ballard
Nibley, Utah
April, 1988
Cory Ballard was another classmate and graduate of Mountain
Crest High in 1987. He likes fast cars, working for his Dad
and outdoor games. He likes to have a good time and be wild
sometimes. He is very active in the LOS church with his family
and plans to serve a mission.
Contextual Data:
Cory lives in my ward so I went over to his house when I
saw him sitting outside catching some rays. I asked him to
relate the story once again as he did one year ago that day after
it happened. It was the first time he had talked about it since
then. He said he would never do that ever again.
Text:
We did go inside the gate, but not very far. We both were
toOchi7hken to go any farther, then something started chasing us
.. '
out the gate. We were running to the car screaming, "start the
car" and it wouldn't start at all then really weird it started
right up when I jumped behind the driver's wheel. As we . were
driving away we all felt a bump on the back of the car. The
next morning my Dad came in and asked me where I had been that
night because there was a long black mark on the back of the car
on the drivers side and it wouldn't come off. I told him what we
had been doing and swore to him I would never do that again. The
whole thing was like a nightmare come true.
Sherry Anderson
Nibley, Utah 84321
USU
Folklore
Spring 1988
(
Logan Canyon Witch
Infonnant:
James Milligun
Logan, Utah
Oct. 22, 1997
James Milligun is from Logan Utah. He has resided there his whole life. He is twenty
two, working and thinking about going back to colleage. He is from a L.D.S. family and currently
getting reinvolved in that church. He is of Gennan disent. He loves the outdoors, rock climbing,
hiking, fishing, snow boarding, and camping.
Context:
I gathered this information while talking about bizarre things, family secrets, scary stories,
mysterious happenings, and stupid jokes, with a group of my guy friends. He was told this
superstitions by his friend Larry Soule. They were at a boy scout over nighter (camp) in Logan
Canyon, June 1991. I'll tell it how he told it. He claims it to be true.
Text:
"This friend of mine, Larry he was kind of into satanic stuff, he said that there is lady that
lives in Logan Canyon. She is supposedly Satan's wife. Her names is Hekida (Hekita). He said If
( you say Hekida three times terrible things happen. And he made sure to say Hekida three times
(kind of like I just did, except we are not in the Canyon). So right after he said her name the third
time, rocks started falling down the mountain. Not just little rocks but big boulders. Later on,
during that trip he told someone else that superstition saying her name three more times. And just
after that one of the boys almost fell of a cliff. It's true, I was there."
Texture:
James told me this story totaling believing in every word. The others just laughed at him
and started shouting "Hekida, Hekida, Hek. .. I don't dare finish it. But I'm convinced that there
may very well be-a strange power in Logan Canyon that I don't want to mess with.
D'On Elizabeth Bybee
Richmond, Utah 84333
USU
Eiglish 124
Professor Toelken
Fall 1997
(
(
I .~ .. _ "_" ____ .1. r ... _.l. _
ifHurrfltHil LHjlll:
tDgett-n::r. r-'-le I! ~;SB '=/:iBS ei gf-~t8en yeers [lId Vif-H:~n thi s event r-Itlppeneu. She carnes
frorn a f8rnily of t\i&/o t!rotr-,ers end one sister. !"-"ielisstfs fernily \~leS "fiery \l\iell-to­IJO
BrnJ r-itHJ 1 i ved in CO':le for Btiout Sf ;~teen yeBrs. i-'-le 1 i sse 1 i ke rnost gi (1 sin t-ii gh
couple of tt-iB guys \i'll8 \lvere talking to tried to rnake thin!J:3 B little rnore thrillin!~
tty sneaking around Det-,ind us end grEltluing our ritis to scare us. Tf-ie fri~~ht of tr-Jese
pet ty j ekes gave r-'-le 1 i s::;e an i dee to rea i 1 Y scare e\;;eryone. ~a-Ie su!~gested tr-!at vve
Bll go to Tf-Ie r~unnery ane! v=iBlk~ around. Ti-itlt is ell it took: .. everyone jurnped into
fier- Bronco tin!J r·JeBued up LD~~an [:anyon. As 'tie drove to Tf-Ie r~Junnery .. r"'lelissa
.,"
(
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Local Legend
The Nunnery
Informant Data:
Stephanie Bramwell
Logan, Utah
Winter 1993
Stephanie grew up in Washington state, she is twenty
years old and carne to Utah to attend Utah State University.
Stephanie is known in her family as the prankster. She
enjoys hiking, camping, and sports. Stephanie is a very
social person and is a member of a sorority at USU.
Contextual Data:
Stephanie relayed this story to a bunch of her sorority
sisters and some fraternity boys. They were all messing
around one weekend, and were up late that night telling
stories of ghosts, hauntings and personal experiences. Upon
the need to do something, Stephanie encouraged the group to
make a voyage up Logan Canyon to the Nunnery. On the way up
Stephanie told the legend of the Nunnery.
Text:
Sometime before most of Logan had been settled. There
was this delivery that carne up to Logan Canyon to bring
supplies to the isolated nunnery. This was a place of
seclusion for the nuns and also the place where they sent
the troubled children to be taken care of. The only means
of supplies and food for the nuns and children was this
delivery truck.
Well, one winter, the snowfall had gotten so bad that
the delivery truck was unable to get through to the nunnery.
It tried and tried, but was unable to get through until the
next spring. When the delivery and help finally made it up
to the nunnery they discovered all of the children and nuns
were dead. It's believed that the nuns out of desperation,
ate the children and then went mad themselves. They killed
each other and then killed themselves. Supposedly their
spirits are still wandering aimlessly about at the nunnery
today.
Jennifer Wheeler
Logan, Utah
5916 South 3750 West
Roy, Utah
Utah State University
· ,
(
Anthropology 526
Fall 1994
;; , /, /;; , I , 5"7
(
Local Legend
"Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Kent Lundberg
Logan, Utah
Spring 1989
Kent was a senior in high school when I knew him. He was
born and raised in Logan, and came from a large family. He spent
a lot of his time in the mountains and rock climbing. It is hard
for me to give any current information because I haven't seen him
for quite a few years.
Contextual Data:
One Friday night when Kent and I were dating, he took me up
Logan canyon about ten miles to some old abandoned cabins.
Although they are directly off the main road they are hard to see
because of heavy overgrowth and trees. I had never noticed them
before. There is a main lodge with a swimming pool and several
cabins all around. It was dark so he was trying to scare me and
he told me the story that went with the old abandoned camp.
Text:
Back in the 1970's there used to be a camp run by nuns for
catholic girls during the summers. One summer a nun went crazy
and one night she convinced several of the children they needed
to come with her for a very special assignment. She then took
the children one by one and drown them in the pool. She killed
twelve children before she was done. The next morning the early
morning campers found the twelve dead children floating in the
pool and the crazy nun hanging from the flagpole. The state shut
the camp down after that and that's why it is now abounded. They
rumor is that the spirit of the dead nun still walks the ground
and every night she sits by the pool and weeps for what she did.
They say that if you are wandering around up there and she see
you she will show herself to you in the form of an all white nun.
c:;,/,/;)./,S" t'
I.
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And if you see this white nun it means that you will die within
the next year.
Michelle Phillips
Richmond, Utah 84333
Preston, Idaho 83263
History 124
winter 1994
I I,
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Folklore Archive, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84321
Item: ,I ... 1/ 1
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Re;ligiou$~ .r..egend _
II 'I'l-te" -Nunneryll
Informant Data:
Tonya Griffin
Logan, Utah
April, 1989
Tonya Griffin is a 23 year' and is living in Logan but is from
Newton, Utah. She went to Sky View High School and graduated in 1984.
qer religion is L.D.S. and l-ter families descents are Dutch and Danish.
S~ e's attending Utah State University and is majoring in Marketing and
Economics. She's a great at1lete and enjoys all kinds of sports.
Contextual Data:
I collected this story while talking to my friends about the
w'ummery. " Host of us were all familiar wi t1-J the nunnery and each started
t share their experiences that they ha~e had. Tonya's was quite different
s o I decided to tell hers. She heard of this story her senior year of
1ig1 school. She was coming home from a basketball games on t he bus,
and everyone was telling spooky ~tories about the nunnery. One of her
friends told her about this story.
Text :
In Logan Canyon there's a place called st. Ann Retreat, where the
I
lNuns would go for the summer. It's told that two Nuns became pregnant
and t1eir babies were drowned in the pool there. The {uns don't use the
place anymore but who really knows. At night there are many lights on
around the place and it's said to be guarded by a two headed dog. At
times you can even hear the bab~Cries.
As I was talking to Tonya about the Nunnery she told me of an
experience her friend told her. A coupld decided to go to the Nunnery one
night. As they pulled there car on to the bridge the gate was locked.
T~ e y went to get out but heard a Strange sound on t he top of t heir car
so they stayed inside. They both became very frightened and tried to
drive out of their but they felt a strong force. They could hear scratching
noises like something was slowly falling off the car as it drove aw~y.
W~ en the couple got back into Logan they looked at the top of their car
(
- 2-
and found long scratches across the whole top of the car. It was probably
t he two ~ eaded dog. Tonya talked to someone about it and t hey swear t hat
it is true.
Kristie Murdock Anderson
North Logan, Utah .
North Logan, Utah
Utah State University
English 124
Spring 1989
c>'? I I,;;) ,/,UO
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Texture --- Every time I tel this legend it still gives me the creeps. The way in which this story is
told is important becau e-it aJmost has to be eerily quiet so that all th _details canoe
heard. The quietness almost lets Y0u.jl,!mp into th~ssene-oftlie legend and actually
visualize what is going on. I also think t at--it:-srather freaky for young girls to hear it
because so many us come in ate« night into the dorms and are quiet trying to get ready
to go to bed or someti es even going to our boyfriend's hOuse. So that makes the legend
even m re--of~ity. ----~
-------- -- "The Nunnery"
Informant
Kaleo Penoke who currently attends school here at Utah State told this legend to me.
He is a 23-year-old male who is majoring in psychology and will graduate in the spring.
He is Filipino and comes from a rather large family who is Mormon. His hobbies include
riding motorcycles and hiking.
Context
Kaleo told this legend to me last summer when we had decided to go up into Logan
Canyon on a short hike. This legend was not told in any particular way, but just told as
fact and something that really happened. There were three other people who were with
us; two of them knew the story. I think that these others were part of the story because
they could back it up that they to also have heard it. Which gave the legend even more
backup.
As we were hiking up into the Canyon, Kaleo begins telling the story of
"The nunnery" and decides that it's best if we go try to find it. So as we are hiking up to
find this place he starts telling us that back in the 1800's this nunnery was used by the
Catholic nuns as part of a retreat camp. And that sometimes the nuns wouldn't behave
themselves and they would have sexual relations with priests or other Clergy. And that
some of the nuns became pregnant, well legend has it that they would have the baby but
then leave these babies in underground tunnels that were beneath the nunnery and let
L D, \,It) &;1
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/
them starve to death. It's even been said that when the nunnery closed for good that
along with the tunnels that were found so were the baby's skeletons. And at night you
can still hear the baby's wails if you get close enough to the nunnery.
Texture
When Kaleo was telling me this story I began to feel a little uneasy. I think it was
because the situation he was telling it in. We were hiking up to find this place and the
sun was beginning to set. All of it tied into the legend and the feelings of being scared or
a bit unsure of the whole idea of a hike after all. The setting in which it was told only
made it seem more likely that it happened. We never did find the nunnery after all, we
searched for about 45 minutes but gave up and I can't say I was the least bit sorry about
it.
Erin Harrison
Logan, Utah 84321
Elk Grove, Ca 95624
Utah State University
Eng! AnthrolHist 526
Roush
Spring Quarter 1998
Supernatural Legend
Saint Anne's Retreat
Informant Data:
Brett Bluth
Logan, UT
1990
Brett Bluth is from Logan, UT. He is LDS. We were friends throughout
high school. He now lives in Provo, UT.
Contextual Data:
When Brett was a child, his babysitter told him this story and said that
it happened to her.
Text:
One day the babysitter and her friends went swimming in the pool at St.
Anne's Retreat. They had been swimming for about 10 minutes. They all got
frozen in the pool, so they couldn't move at all. After a minute they could
all move again, and they got out and left.
Laura Sozio
Logan, UT
Logan, UT
Utah State University
English 124
Fall 1990
LJ ,(, I2. .! cP2
Urban LegEncl
Aa r~)1_ f:'!" c;t·
LDqan Utah
FEB :' ~ 1993
"f;t. {~r~'1e's S:"3.ugrter '
A6rcn leislman is ~1 years old. He was barr 11 Ugden U~a1
an~ has Ilved:r Losan ~or abo~t L5 years. ~e IS a s~Lde'1t at
Utat' Bta.;e . Lniver,~lty n2 ... ?orinq in ~lect;T"lccd fechrology" HE'~ has
ro religious pre+erence and s a memb2r uf the Sig~a ChI
.( rl t?r-r-" .;y,
Cor tc )'I.Ld" Ddt3:
une C" Y
tr'lJ? .~?i~Ji"'1a ChJ hOLt "::; (:;:. u
wt·tCj~r-,ODn [ (·,)a c::; S::.tt1.l1~1 11"'1 t1e fror't ""OWl) 01'
Aaron W25 i'1 the rOJM and we ~ere a~l
Cary,)f"! and rO(l) m~tc'''i ,! .. e all l.i.kE?d 90::'1'19 up
~:ie::.:idE'!d to te.ll u.~, (flat hE~ '1.:td rIE',.""d <.1f'd dCj~12
~rl n 1S tl)I ·12.t he £:.,'.10,
t·2 1.:: l ' H,j about Loc)an
there. Aaron tner
LP In LDgar' Canyon.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ThaT-.(? u':::2d to Lc' <.l f'Un"l :;ry up LbcJcl.f, C".f'Y01,! a .1.org timr <:'(,10
up the-e and rstreated
One ~;5l.t("I'Tler t'1ey had some orphan ~::.ds that
tre ::ic:!s ~hrew t~e~ into the sWImming pool
I
;'U11 ~t1i'0n L~lU~d ths? rJtrier nLlr's tine:! kl11"2d h:~r-s,p1.f 3.150. I<' you
you and thr-ow you 1rto the po~l also.
L.. CJ\. .1 .1 r ~.i -I ~3L1·3::::~.
,··:,hthr c: ~3:~)t ~
.',11 r·tc"!' 1. 993
Supernatural Legend
Saint Anne's Retreat
Informant Data:
Justin Eborn
Logan, UT
1990
Justin Eborn is from Montpelier, Idaho. ~e is now serving an LDS mission
in California.
Contextual Data:
I worked with Justin. He told me this story one day at work.
Text:
Justin and his friends decided one night to go to St. Anne's. They heard
dogs barking in the distance; it kept getting closer and closer. They were
standing by a fence and the fence started tilting like there were dogs jumping
against it. They got scared and ran back to the car. Justin couldn't find
his keys, and they weren't in the ignition or in his pocket. They went back
by the fence to find the keys. They couldn't find the keys by the fence and
went back to the car. The keys were swinging in the ignition. As they drove
away, they heard scratching on the car. When they got back to Logan, there
was a scratch on the car.
Laura Sozio
Logan, UT 84321
Logan, UT 84321
Utah State University
English 124
Fall 1990
The Nuns' Baby
Informant:
Rita Gafford
05/05/98
Rita Gafford has been my roommate for seven months. She participates in
various types of recreation, many of which are up Logan Canyon. Rita was raised
in Bountiful Utah in the LDS religion. She is an Exercise Sport Science major at
Utah State University.
Context:
I asked Rita where she was going biking one day and she replied, "up near
the catholic convent". I asked her where that was had she said, "haven't you heard
about the Nun up there?" I replied no. She then proceeded to tell me what a friend
she described only as a "Logan local" had told her. She told the story as if she
personally did not believe it but those who told her wholly believe it.
Text:
Up Logan Canyon there is a convent of some sort. It was a retreat for Nuns.
A long time ago there was a Nun who went and stayed up there to hide out because
she was pregnant. She had her baby and was going to keep it and quit being a Nun
but she was overwhelmed with shame so she had the baby and then killed it and
buried it up by the convent. She was so overcome by guilt that she killed herself.
Late at night, near the convent, you can hear the cry of the baby and many people
have seen the Nun, wandering in the trees in eternal search for her child.
Texture:
Coming from someone who was raised in faith besides the Catholic religion, I
think the story is told with a hint of believability. As it is every Nuns vow to be
celibate, sex and especially pregnancy is so taboo for a Nun. It makes you feel sad to
hear such a story of a mother killing her child out of guilt but leaves room for a
haunting feeling because of this woman wandering Logan canyon in some sort of
eternal shame and misery. It is almost as if this woman is in a type of eternal
damnation and that makes seeing such a being very scary.
Jennifer K. Morrill
Logan, UT.
Sandy, UT.
Utah State University
Supernatural Legend
Nunnery in Logan Canyon
Informant Data:
Robert Trahan
Logan Utah
Summer of 1994
Robert Trahan is from Louisiana, he is 21 years old and is studying Industrial Hygiene at Utah State University.
He likes hiking, loud music, and plays in a rock band called Chubby Amigos. He comes from a family of 6 with 2 other
sisters and his parents who are divorced. Roberts family still lives in Louisiana and he wants to return there after
graduation. Robert is also about as straightforward as they get, he rarely believes anything he hears and jokes about only
serious matters.
Contextual Data:
Robert told this story to four or five of us while we sat on his porch one summer explaining recent hikes we had
been on around the Cache Valley area. The other people in the group had also heard this story from various people.
Some of the people said they heard a different version of the story about the same place from their parents, brothers and
sisters. Supposedly the Man with the dogs had also taken care of the place in the 1930's. The man was accused of
molesting girls there. Once the towns people found out a search held and somehow the old man was found and killed.
by the angered people of the local towns. It seems that all supernatural encounters come from places one should be in
the first place, Le. trespassing on someone property. With all the different variations to the story and the long history of
the Nunnery up Logan canyon I suppose some parts of these stories have some validitity.
Text:
A friend of Roberts, Tim, had the job of taking care of the Nunnery the one summer. Tim had only been there
for one day when he heard a vehicle driving up the d~ward the Nunnery while he was going for a swim. So, Tim
got out of the pool and dried off so he could confront the people about the no trespassing signs posted at the rcrle\
leading to the Nunnery and on the land around the buildings.
When he greeted the vehicle, it was just a bunch of teenage kids out checking the place out. Tim explained to
the young group that they were not supposed to be up there and to tum around and leave promptly. Then one kid
replied that they had already talked to the land tenant, a old man with two dogs, and he gave them permission from them
to visit the buildings as long left everything without a scratch. Tim replied he was land tenant and had been in the pool
swimming for the last 20 minutes. Plus he had haven't seen anyone up here all day and he never seen& ld man with
two dogs.
]effNorgord
Logan Utah, 84321
English 124
Fall '94
1
I
(
Supernatural Non-religious Legend
"Saint Ann's Retreat"
Information Data:
Robert Todd Starks
USU Library
January 18,1991
Robert, who goes by Bob, was born in Long Beach California. He
spent most of his childhood in Cache Valley. Bob graduated from
Logan High School and attend Utah State University for a year. He
served as a missionary for the LDS church in Peru for two years. He
is 22 years old and a junior in History at USU. Bob comes from a
white LDS family. He is number five of six children. As a student,
Bob enjoys activities and hobbies such as smgmg, story telling,
motorcycling, and studying languages.
Contextual Data:
Bob first heard about this in his sophomore year of High School.
He was with a group of friend at a party one evening during the
summer. He was told about the story after they had just watched
scary movie. He also heard it several times later through high school.
I have known Bob since his first year at USU. We prclormed together
in a music group. Bob told this to me in his ow'iI words while I
recorded it on tape.
Text:
These guys went up Logan canyon, up to Saint Ann's retreat.
And they were up there and they didn't know about all the stuff that
had happened up there. They were up there playing ball. One guy
threw the ball too far and the other guy ran to catch it. He didn't
catch it. It went in the little pond up there, a little fountain. It's only
about ankle deep and he jumped in the fountain to get the ball and
carry it out, but when he got in the water, he feel in the water and
he couldn't get out. He drowned there in the ankle deep water.
l 2../' IZ. /.1P7
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Jonathan R. McEntire
River Heights, Ut 84321
Utah State University
History 124
Winter, 1991
Religious Legend
"A Haunted Nunnery."
Informant Data:
John Weaver
Logan, Utah
Summer, 1990
John Weaver is a junior at Utah State University
majoring in pre-law. He is the oldest of two children. He
was born in Salt Lake City, Utah but at the age of twelve
his family moved to Clifton, Idaho. John is an active
member of the LDS Church and has served a mission to North
Carolina.
Contextual Information:
John heard this story from one of his roomates. He
related this story to me one day as we were talking about
folklore. The nunnery that is in this story is called St.
Ann's and is located up Logan Canyon in Utah.
Text:
Many years ago and no exact date has been given, a
priest went up to St. Ann's retreat to visit the nuns. Before
he left an early snow storm hit and he was trapped at the
retreat for the winter. When spring came several of the nuns
delivered babies. Because of the disgrace, the mother
superior took all of the babies and put them in the swimming
pool.
As the legend has it, if you were to go to St. Ann's
during a full moon, you will see these nun's ghosts wandering
around the pool crying and the faces of the babies in the
pool.
KaraLyn Litz
Trenton, Utah 84338
Utah State University
History 124
Fall 1990
.,
In/omumJ DIItII:
JIUOIIP~
LogIIII, Ut
November, 1996
Jason Painter is a mend of mine. He is twenty-five years old and lives in Logan. I met
him through a mutual friend and we have been friends for twelve years. He grew up in Logan
such as I did, and lives here still .
I was ml1cing to Jason in the grocery store and we were reminiscing about our past. We
both grew up having wild mends, especially Jason. Growing up in Logan there is not a lot to do,
so sometimes kids would have to make their own excitement. Jason told me this story that his
friends told him when they were in high school, beck around 1987.
Text:
Word was out all over the local high schools that St. Anne's Nunnery up Logan Canyon,
which has been deserted for years, was haunted by the nuns that once lived there. No one had ever
gone to check it out, however. until one night some teenagers from Preston were drunk and drove
to the nunnery. Some of the boys broke open a door to one of the buildings just as another boy
tripped over a rock and fell into the empty cement swimming pool, cracking open his head. The
party rushed the boy to the hospital, and s the doctors were shaving the boys head to stitch it up,
his friends were shocked to see the cut was in the figure of a perfect large cross, like that of the
catholic church. The kids were all busted for drinking and had to call their parents to come get
them.
T#'.XIIII'e:
I think this legend was told to scare kids from trespassing and vandalizing St. Anne's.
The fact the kids were dnmlc (sin) and vandalizing a sacred place of tile nun's set up tile stoJy for a
climax. The boys were scared by the eerie sight of the cross. and they were then punished by
getting caught with alcohol. This is 1Iying to show that ifpeople do wrong to sacred religious
places, they will be punished.
JmMojJitt
Log"", Ut
u.s.u.
E'-"526
Dr. Rou"
FtIll, 1996
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Urban Legend
"St. Ann's Nunnery"
Informant data:
Jeff Adams
Logan, Utah
October 1995
Jeff Adams is originally from Plain City Utah. He is thirty-four
years old and has made Logan Utah his home ~ince he graduated from Utah
State University ten years ago.' Jef has three degrees, one in ftl ath, one in
Physics, and one i~ Philo~ophy and W now commutes to Ogden /UtahJeach
day to work as a stock J3roker. He is also an active member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and spends most of his free time
playing basket-ball or engaging in his churches activities.
Contextual data:
Jeff told me about St. Ann's Nunnery one day when we passed it
driving up Logan Canyon. Because Jeff has lived in Logan for quite a few
years now, he is more than familiar with local stories and , he asked me if
had heard about this one. I said no, and he proceeded to tell me that. ..
St. Ann's is haunted by all the nuns that used to be there at the
beginning of the conventb history. You see if a nun got pregnant and they
needed to keep it hush, hush they would send her up to this nunnery in the
canyon where they could keep it quiet from society. Anyway, when the
babies were born they would drown them in the fountain and then throw
the bodies off the cliff. Now days, when the wind blows you can hear the
crying of those babies and the nunnery is always completely clean because
for penance the ghosts of the nuns must clean it for eternity. Yeah, man. I
guess you can still see the blood in spots around there too.
Eric Jensen
Logan, Ut. 84321
S.L.C. Ut. 84105
History 526
Spring Quarter 1996
Campfire story
saint Ann's Retreat
Informant Data:
Chalyce Petersen
smithfield utah
July 1990
I am nineteen years old and attending utah state University.
I was born in California and lived there for several years before
moving to Utah. My father is a Professor of Economics at USU. I am
the oldest of four girls and I love to dance, sing, and play tennis.
I really enjoy being outdoors, yet I hate insects and have discovered
that I am still afraid of the dark. My friends always love to take me
camping because I scare easily and make a big deal out of everything.
Contextual Data:
My friends and I had planned a camping trip one weekend, but
on the day scheduled for the big trip it rained really hard. We
decided that we were "rugged" enough to brave the rains and headed up
smithfield Canyon anyway. I didn't get off work until nine, so by
the time we got to a good spot it was already late and too dark to set
up our tent. We figured we would have to sleep under the stars.
After several "animal attacks" we snuggled down in our sleeping bags.
Brian (a friend) began telling the story of the retreat called st.
Ann's which is just up Logan Canyon. I had heard several versions of
the story before, but his had a "fact" at the end which I had never
heard before. This is his version of the story:
Text:
About forty years ago, a retreat was founded up Logan Canyon
by the families of children who were what you would call "problem
children." A group of nuns headed by a "Saint Ann" were responsible
for the kids. One girl, who was fifteen, had been sent to the retreat
because she was pregnant and was an embarrassment to -her family.
When she finally gave birth to the baby, she was instructed
to sign the child over to the state for adoption. She refused because
she wanted to keep the child for her own. When the Church officials
insisted that she sign the necessary papers, she decided that if she
couldn't have the child, no one would. She flung the baby off the
roof of the housing quarters. The sisters tried to clean up the mess,
9
but the blood stains would not come off. They tried everything and
finally decided that the child must have been Satan's. One of the
sisters took the baby's body and bricked it up in the wall of the
chapel where you can still hear it crying.
Many strange things have reportedly happened there since
then. Many believe that the retreat never was controlled by a "Saint
Ann", but that the real name of the guardian of the retreat was
actually "Satan."
10
Chalyce Petersen
Logan, Utah
Utah State University
Hist 124
Summer Quarter 1990
Supernatural Non-Religious Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Carrie Anderson
Logan, Ute
February, 1987
Carrie Anderson is 15 years old and a sophmore in high school. She was born
and raised in Cokeville, Wyo. She is currently living in Logan Ute with her father,
my husband, and myself through the school year, and in Cokeville, Wyo. in the
summer. She also has a mother that lives in Salt Lake, and a married sister that
lives in Fort Bridger, Wyo. Carrie is active in school sports, and enjoys play­ing
the piano, and riding horses and motorcycles. She has no religious preference
at this time.
~ntextual Data:
I gathered this story from Carrie a year ago when I was looking for urban
legends for a storytelling class I was taking at USU. She had heard this story
from several of her friends at Sky View High School.
Text:
The nunnery is a place up Logan canyon where priests and nuns go for a rest.
If you go up there at midnight, you can see dead babies floating in the swimming
pool that were drowned by the nuns. These are babies that the nuns had had in sin.
You can also hear the cries of the nuns and the babies when you go up there.
There is also a ghost of a guy with an ax that runs around up there chasing
anyone who comes up there.
Tona Anderson
USU
History 124
Spring, 1988
"St. Anne's Retreat"
Local Legend
Informant:
David Francis
Logan, Utah
Fall,2000
David Francis is twenty-five, he's my brother-in-law. Previously, he has been very active
in the Boy Scouts of America. He, himself, was an Eagle Scout. David was also a
scoutmaster for many years, as well as a camp counselor. He has a real love for the
scouting tradition and for sirting around the campfire and telling stories. It's really hard
not to think of Dave when I think of the Boy Scouts.
Context:
David was giving me the legends he had heard about St. Anne's and the witch, Hekkadi.
He wasn't sure of the connection between the witch and the nunnery, but he was able to
give me some information about it. Some of the information Dave got from his
involvement with scouts, and some he got from his mother.
Text:
You've heard of the nunnery, up by Second Dam. Well, kids used to go up there in
groups and try and scare each other. It was supposed to be haunted, because supposedly
the nuns a lot of times would get pregnant from the priests, but to hide their sins, they
would kill the babies and bury them so no one found out. That's why it was supposed to
be haunted. Also up there, there was a witch. Her name was Hekkadi, and she would
chase you if she got the chance. There are two different ways that I heard the Hekkadi
legend. In both versions though, she has these two huge black dogs with glowing, red
eyes. In one version, if you go up to the nunnery and Hekkadi finds you, she'll chase
you, but if you can out run her and the dogs and make it to the road, they always stop at
the road. In the other version, Hekkadi and her two dogs would be out in the middle of
the Logan Canyon Road, and it would look like you were going to hit her, but then by the
time you went to- swerve, Hekkadi and her dogs were gone.
Textu-re:
(
I tried to follow Dave pretty close on this one, because it's one I heard about almost from
the time I first got to Utah, in fact it was the first piece of local color that I had learned. I
never did get a sense of whether or not David believed the legends and he, himself, has
never been up to the nunnery. However, he was pretty calm as he told it, and he didn't
seem to nervous or anything like that. This was another narrative that I got from Dave
when he, Carrie, Ann-Michelle, and I were at McDonalds, having a "cool treat" as David
calls them.
Rob Gombach
Logan, UT
USU
History 3700
Professor Thomas
Fall 2000
supernatural Legend
"st. Anne's Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Tyler Singleton
Providence, utah
April 8, 1994
Tyler is nineteen years old and is a good friend of mine.
He is the second of five children. He is a member of the LDS
Church and lives in Providence, utah. He attended Utah State
University earlier this year (1994), but now is serving a LDS
mission in Berlin, Germany. Tyler's hobbies are snow skiing,
water skiing and camping.
Contextual Data:
st. Anne's is an old abandoned convent near the mouth of
Logan Canyon. It is commonly called the nunnery. It seems to be
a "rite of passage" with high school kids to go to the nunnery
and see if they dare to perform the "rituals" associated with it.
One of the "rituals" is to take a glass bottle to the nunnery and
throw it into the empty swimming pool. They say if it doesn't
break, then you are safe, but if it breaks then Satan is with you
for the rest of the night. If the bottle breaks then when you
drive down the canyon you can see two pair of red eyes in your
rear~iew mirror (the eyes are from the two dogs that attacked a
nunn) and you can see a nunn ~standing on the side of the road
holding a baby.
Tyler told this story while we were camping in Providence
canyon. Everyone was sitting around the campfire telling stories
so Tyler told this story to try to scare the girls and also to
dare anyone to go to the nunnery with him that night. Tyler was
told this story one night by some older kids (he was fourteen
then) while they were on their way to the nunnery.
Everyone who had heard the story already didn't think
anything of it, but those who hadn't, mostly the girls, were
scared and absolutely refused to go to the nunnery that night.
Text:
There was this old nunnery up Logan Canyon where there were
some nunns. Some of the nunns would get pregnant and have their
babies there, then kill them and bury them out behind one of the
buildings. One time one of the nunns wouldn't kill her baby so
she was kicked out of the nunnery, so she went back into the
valley and raised the baby. One day she went back to visit her
friends at the nunnery. All of the nunns loved the baby and
would sit and play with it. This made the head nunn mad and
worried that the other nunns would want to keep their babies. So
she asked to hold the baby. When she got the baby, she threw it
into the swimming pool and killed it - that's why you can see a
red spot on the side of the swimming pool. The nunn who's baby
it was started running away, so the head nunn sent two dogs after
her to kill her. In the morning when the head nunn got up the
two dogs were skinned, hanging in the trees.
Justin Jacobson
Nibley, UT
Nibley, UT
Utah State University
History 124
Spring 1994
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"The Nunnery"
Religious Legend
Informant:
Ryan Hill
Logan, Utah
November, 1999
Ryan is a hyperactive Logan local. He has a knack for knowing everyone we see in town
or on campus. Ryan is the second youngest of nine children. He comes from a middle­class
active LDS family. At present, he is not enrolled in school, but rather works on a
house framing crew full-time.
Context:
I collected this story at my apartment after dinner. Ryan and his younger sister, Melanie,
showed up after other people had already been telling stories. This is apparent when he
asks what the tape-recorder is for. Because he was the only Logan local present (besides
Melanie), no one else really could comment on these stories.
Text:
Ryan: Oh, you don't know about "The Nunnery!" Okay here's the rumor on "The
Nunnery." Like supposedly ... are you recording?
Colby: Yeah.
Ryan: You rat-bastard!
Colby: I'm sorry, dude. I thought you knew.
Ryan: Hell no. Ah man, now I can't do this.
Colby: Come on man, you were doing so well. Please, just keep going.
Ryan: Okay, the nunnery ... supposedly, this priest, like he had all these nuns up there and
it's up Logan Canyon, I can take you up there if you want ...
Sam: I've been there.
Ryan: It's like ten miles up Logan Canyon. And the deal is this priest killed a bunch of
children, and all the nuns there and then killed himself. So this place is haunted as hell.
And like supposedly you can go up there and find little graves of small children, and you
L Q , I. \2. .1.17
know you hear some real weird shit. But you can actually see some weird shit, because I
was sober up there one time, and I saw some shit you shouldn't be seein'.
Colby: So you've been there?
Ryan: Oh yeah, I've been up there a few times.
Colby: Right on. How did you hear about it?
Ryan: Urn, It's just like a local legend. Everybody who lives in Logan knows about it.
Colby: So who told you?
Ryan: I don't know ...
Sam: But there was something that happened after that with some people up there ...
Ryan: Yeah, some of the locals I know went up there, and there were these two security
guards, which there shouldn't be guards up there anyway. But these guards tied them up,
and the whole story got blown completely out of proportion, but I got the true story from
them. They tied them up, and threatened their lives, but they never had dynamite tied to
them or anything.
Sam: I just heard they had shotguns.
Ryan: Yeah, like they were threatened with their lives. And then they let them go, or
something.
Ben: And now everybody knows
Ryan: Yeah.
Context:
Out of all the stories I collected, this was the one that was most believable. Everyone I
the room was interested in what Ryan had to say. The way he related his own personal
experience at the nunnery was a key factor in this, I think. I noticed the way he says,
''Everybody who lives in Logan knows about it." This to me shows the exclusiveness of
local stories and rumors. Only a true local would know about these stories.
Colby M. Thurston
Logan, Utah
USU
Engljsh 27DO
Professof1rhcrnas
Fall 1999
(
(
Urban Legend
Nunnery
Informant Data:
Amy Brewson
Logan, Utah
July 1995
Amy is a friend. She was born, raised and schooled in Logan
Utah. She is at the present time going to Utah State University,
where she is getting her masters in Biology . She has been married
for almost one year.
Contextual Data:
In the beginning of my Math 105 class, I told a legend to pass
the time. After I told my legend Amy told a legend of a Nunnery
which is found up in the Logan Cannon.
Item:
A nun got pregnant at the nunnery but didn't want the baby.
So, she placed the babies body in a brick wall of the nunnery.
Now if a first born ~up to the nunnery the first born will
die.
Jeri Justis
Logan, Utah
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
USU
History 124
Summer 1995
/
Supernatural Non-religious Legend
"The Haunting of Saint Ann's Retreat"
Informant Data:
Kim Lamb
Logan, Utah
August, 1983
Kim Lamb was a very good friend of mine with whom I worked with at a local pizzeria
while going through high school. He was born in Logan in 1964. Kim is very enthusiastic and
energetic and enjoys having a good time. He comes from a non LDS background. Kim is
presently living in California with his wife and two children.
Contextual Data:
I collected this story when a group of my friends and I where trying to find something to
do after work one night. It was in the summer at about 12:30 p.m. We really did not know what
we wanted to do, but we where feeling mischievous and wanted an adventure. Kim told us of the
"haunted retreat" up in Logan canyon and talked us in to going there after relating the story to us.
At the time it was the first that I had ever heard of the retreat, but since then I have heard many
variations of the legend from many people. Saint Ann's is located about twenty miles up Logan
Canyon and owned by the Catholic church. It has not been used for many years as a nunnery.
There is an interesting cross-over of two local legends in Kim's version. It is said that the spirit
of a witch known as Heceta will appear on a bridge in Logan canyon if anyone goes to the spot
and yells her name three times. This story was originally separate from the murder legend of
Saint Ann's, but the two have come together in most of the narratives that I have heard since
Kim related it to us the first time.
Text:
Saint Ann's retreat was a place of spiritual solitude and peace where Catholic nuns would
spend the summer months. At any given time there would be fifteen or twenty nuns at the retreat
doing various activities. The Mother Superior of the nunnery was a woman by the name of
Heceta, who governed the nunnery very strictly. There where those in the Church who believed
that Heceta possessed unique supernatural abilities and was possibly involved in witchcraft, but
it could never be proven. One terrible night a gang of bikers who had heard of the defenseless
nuns in the canyon raided the nunnery. They viciously raped several of the nuns including
{
I"
Heceta whom they murdered. Before she died she vowed vengeance on the gang of bikers and
swore that the nunnery would be a damned place from that day foreword.
It so happened that everyone of the bikers involved in the attack on the nunnery where
savagely killed themselves. They died horrible deaths being ripped apart by what appeared to
investigators to be dog attacks. The Catholic church closed the nunnery after the attack by the
bikers and it has never been used since. If anyone dares go to the nunnery at night and yells the
name "Heceta" three times her crazed spirit will be heard crashing through the trees behind a
pack of demonic hell dogs with glowing red eyes. Those who have seen the apparition swear
that they did not think they would live to tell it. The spirit of Heceta will not cross over the river
bridge however, and her demon dogs cannot harm anyone on the other side.
Shawn Lawlor
River Heights, Utah
USU
English 526
Dr. Roush
Fall 1995
Item 03
Legend: Logan Canyon Nunnery
Informant Data:
Britany Holmgren
Logan, Utah
November, 1995
Britany Holmgren is a 19 year-old resident of Logan, Utah. She
studies at Utah State University. She is on the USU Ballroom
Dance Team. Britany is the oldest of five children. She and
her family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter­day
Saints. She grew up in Fielding, Utah. Her hobbies include
floral design, craft making, and roller blading. Her family owns
Belmont Hot Springs in Plymouth, Utah. She works for her family
in the summer time.
Contextual data:
I was told this story by Britany while researching and compiling
legends for English 526 at Utah State University. She said that
this legend is true. She herself has visited the site at Logan
Canyon where the legend originates from, and the actual swing
mentioned in the Legend is there still. I believe that this
legend is a product of the ignorance that many people have about
religions that are not as dominant in this area of the United
States. Perhaps if we understood nuns, and did not hold them in
such mystery, this legend would not be told.
In Logan Canyon is a defunct nunnery. It is closed and
gaited. This is where a gruesome murder took place, and where
hauntings have occurred ever since. Long ago, when the nunnery
was still housing nuns, one cloistered sister became pregnant by
her own transgression. She carried the child to term, and raised
it until it was two years old. In the yard of the nunnery,
bordering the Logan River, is a swing that the nuns would swing
the child from. One afternoon the child was being swung by it's
mother. Because the child was a product of sin, it flew
violently into the river. The nun/mother had shoved her child
into the river. Now the child cries when the river swells.
D. Reed Cowan
Logan, Utah
Utah State
University
English 526
Professor Roush
Fall 1995
Supernatural Legend
"Saint Anns Camp"
Informant Data:
Jake Winegar
Logan, utah
April 1990
Jake is a friend I met at the beginning of the quarter. Jake moved
from Colorado to Utah with his parents in July of 1989. He came to utah
State University in September of 1989 to major in Business Adminestration.
Jake has three sisters one brother, three stepsisters and one stepbrother.
Contextual Data:
I herd this story and a few others while we were camping two miles up
Logan canyon. There were about ten of us, we were sitting around a camp­fire
drinking and toasting marshmallows. Jake decided he wanted to tell
stories to see if he could scare us. We all decided to listen. Some of
the people believed in the story, some had ~r another version of the
story and some looked at Jake skeptically. He succeeded in scaring a few
of the people. Jake can be very convincing at times, because he belie"-Els
in all of his stories. I have herd different versions before and since
the story was told.
Text:
There is a place here in Logan canyon called Saint Anns Camp. It used
to be a convent for nuns in the eighteen hundreds. The story goes, one
nun became pregnant, maybe her name was Saint Ann. When she had her baby,
in fear of the church, she drowned the baby in a near by brook near a
bridge. A few days went by and the nun began to feel guilty so she jumped
off the highest tower of the convent. A few years later, after the
nunnery closed, people reported strange happenings. Some have reported
seeing an angry spirit of a child who plays tricks on the people. Others
have seen the women in morning walking around the comvent.
Esther Gates
Logan utah
Ohio
USU
English/History 124
Surrmer 1990
l..1 . \ .12 1\
\ \
Gr'eg O···8':'.nnion
Genr'e:
Tit 1 e:
Supernatural Legend
"The Nunner:,··11
Infor·ma.nt Dat.;:..:
tvl.I . ...'.T
Gr' e g i -:. a f 00 t b.;:.. 1'1 pI ':'.ye r' r~' e .:.. t u. S • U. He i·:. f r' Clm
Dos Palos, Cal ifornia. He is nei ther superstitios or
r'e 1 i g i ou·a.· and he doe·:.n " t be I i el.}e th i s story ootthen ag.:.. in
n".!<1ther dCles .:t.n>··one v.Jho heap-s it, blJt it····a. alll,J·:;"Ys .iI.-Q.Qod
s.tory to telL.
Contextual Data:
I've heard many legends about the Nunnery located in
Logan Canyon but I heard this version for the first time
from Greg. He heard the story when he came to Utah State to
go to -:·c h oCll •
Dat.:..:
Ther'e v..l er·e ,:to group of nun':· 1 it) i nl;i .:.. t the nlJnnery .:..
number of years ago. It seems that one of the nun's
c c.mm itt 12 d ,:to '.} e r' ::,., IJ n - nun 1 i ~:: e .;:.. ct.;:.. n d be c ·;:..m e p r' e g nan t. T h i -:.
do with the pregnant nun.
When she finally had the baby the other nun's
I
con·:.p i r'ed ,:t.g,:t. i nst her' to r' i d the nunner)-" clf the fru it fr'clm
this unholy union. One night at midnight they stole the baby
I
and drowned him in the shallow pool near the nunnery.
The mother went crazy when she learned of the babies
death and began to wander the hi I Is at night in search of
her lost child. When it came time for the other nuns to
leave, she refused to go and I ived on in the abandoned
buildings as a hermit, a social outcast. She still haunts
the nunnery to this da~ and some people claim that you can
\
\
still hear her call ing for her dead child, her cries ringing
off the surrounding hills.
J.:..ce-::.on H21.ugh2<.n
1.•. Je 1 I:.',! i I I e
U.~LU
Erll;t. 124
Spr' i ng 1990
T.egend
The Nuns
T.nformant Data:
Camille is a student a Utah Shate Unjversity.
old. She ws born in 19-,0 in Millville Utah, and
all of her life. She is well traveled and has
twice. Camille enjoys musi~ and motorcycles.
ready with a story.
Contextual Data:
Camille Mathys
Logan Utah
Feb. J990
She j s 20 years
has lived there
visi ted Europe
She is always
We were driving up the Logan Canyon on our way to go skjing
at Beaver Mountain. I was enjoying the scenery and marveling at
the canyon when Camille told me that all was not beautiful in the
canyon and that some pretty creepy things went on in the canyon.
Thjs is one of the stories she told.
Text:
A long time ago there was a nunnery in the canyon. It was
very reclusive and no one knew much about it. But it wasn't a
Catholic nunnery, it was a djfferent reljgion. Any way some thjng
happened at the nunnery and all the nuns were killed. No one
really knows what happened, but jt was Satanical. Well one of the
nuns was cursed and now she roams the canyon with her black dog and
her cane. If you see her, run, cause if she sees you, you will die
within the month. She is usually seen only at night along the road
and most people say she only walks during a full moon, but you
never really know when you will meet her, so be careful.
Donna Chipman
Pocatello ID
USU
English 124
Spring 1990
Supernatural Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informal Data:
Lynley Thompson
Logan, Utah
April 1990
Lynley married my nephew, since then we've become friends.
She was born and raised in an active LDS family in Richmond,
Utah. Lynley is presently attending Utah State University. One
year ago Lynley gave birth to her first baby. Now she lives in
Logan with her husband and daughter.
contextual Data:
Lynley learned this story from a group of high school
friends. One of the boys told this story when they drove by the
nunnery in Logan Canyon.
Lynley and I were talking about how some people believe in
ritualism when she told me this story.
Text:
There is an old nunnery that has been closed down for years
in Logan Canyon. Between the Catholic Chapel and the living
quarters was a swimming pool. The priest that ran the place was
very strict. If one of the nuns ever became pregnant he would
make them drown their newly born baby in the swimming pool.
The ritual is that if you go the the nunnery at midnight
when the moon is full, you'll see the nuns' spirits standing
around the swimming pool crying.
Sonya Thompson
USU
History 124
Spring 1990
Logan, UT
Supernatural legend
The nunnery
Brett Gibbons
Logan, Utah
February, 1990
Informant Data: ()
Brett Gibbons was a friend of mine in high school in Smithfi ild) Utah. He lives In
LewistonlUtah where his family owns a farm .. He is a very active person, and is a avid
football lover.
Contextual Data:
I collected this story while riding up the canyon to visit the nunnery. The group we
were with were mostly girls. When I heard the story, part of the group didn't believe it. The
other half were a little bit more believing. Some of them had heard the story before. It had
been a little different than the one being told.
Text: r
About twenty years ago there were a bunch of n s living at the nunnery. Well they
were the ones that had become pregnant, so the church would send them there. When the
nuns would have the babies they would drown them in the pool. Because they did this, the
ghosts of the babies haunt the houses. They say there is a blue dog that will drive you away
if you go there. It's the protector of the babies spirits. I know a man who said he saw the
blue dog one night down by the river. And I don't think he would lie.
Matt Checketts
Hyde Park , Utah
English 526
Fall 1994
"The Legends about St. Anne's Nunnery"
Informant:
Laura Adams Schenk
during a phone conversation in Nibley, Utah
22 November, 1997
Laura is of English descent, and grew up in Hyrum, Utah. She is my sister-in-law and friend. She
is a first grade teacher in her late 30s. She is LDS. She heard this legend while she was still attending Sky
View high school; she was a typical high school girl, involved with such activities as the marching band
and the school newspaper. She was (and is) friendly and social, and had high grades. She has two sisters
close to her own age, and a younger brother. She currently lives not far from my house in Nibley, Utah.
Context:
I had actually phoned her to talk to my brother, Clair, but Laura and I are good friends and I told
her about my folklore class. She was fascinated as I told her about some of the legends we had been
studying. "Oh, I love stories like that!" she exclaimed. After I told her "The Hook" and some of the
analyses of it that we had discussed in class, she commented, "Oh, really? You learned about that in your
class? Because I always thought that was true. Even, like, St. Anne's-I thought that was true 'til just a
little while ago, you know, with the stuff that happened this summer." During the summer of 1997, some
teenagers had been snooping up around St. Anne's Nunnery, looking for ghosts. They were caught, tied
up, thrown in a pool, and generally harassed by the guards there. It was quite an incident to have happened
in quiet Cache Valley, Utah. Months later, everyone was still talking about it. I asked Laura to tell me
what she knew about St. Anne's, and she obliged me in an animated tone:
Text:
About St. Annes-I thought it was true until I read about it in the paper this summer. But I heard,
like, there were ghosts there, that all the nuns had been murdered or something. And there was a fire or
something and that's why the nuns were all gone. But it wasn't that at all, the nuns left and they left
because of all the vandalism and stuff, and the fire was actually from vandalism, not ghosts or whatever.
What was the true story they told you in class? Because I thought it was haunted, so that's what drove the
nuns away, or killed them, or whatever. But I heard about the nunnery in high school, and I thought,
"Ooooh! I want to go up there!" But I never did, and it's probably good I didn't, because I might've ended
up tied up in a pool!
Texture:
Laura and I swapped several stories, but the reason I chose this one to use for the assignment is
that she incorporated both the new information she had learned about St. Anne's, and the old information
about St. Anne's that she had heard in high school,into her telling of the legend. I think the St. Anne's
story has a lot of potential to change over the years in this way. I think that eventually, the guards who
attacked the teenagers will be incorporated into the St. Anne's legends, and changed into ghosts or evil
spirits, through the telling and retelling of the legends.
Bonnie Lou Schenk
Nibley, Utah 84321
Utah State University
)
Anthropology 526: Legends, Myths, and Folktales
Dr. Jan Roush
Fall Quarter, 1997
"The Nunnery"
Informant:
Emily Allen
Logan, Utah
November 1997
Emily Allen is 21, a junior who is majoring in Sociology and is a friend of my
friend who I don't know very well. She likes to go to parties and drink, but being a
college student is too poor to drink to much.
Context:
Since this assignment was next to impossible for me to complete, and no matter
who I asked they didn't seem to have any stories to tell it was amazing that Emily could
think of something to tell. She had heard this story a lot and had asked me if I had
heard it. My husband, when she brought it up remembered reading the legend in the
school newspaper.
Text:
Well, in the nunnery there was one priest, who wasn't very good, and all the rest
were women. Well, the priest got one of the nuns pregnant. He told her not to tell
anyone about it, so she didn't, and she had the baby. After she had the baby the priest
took it and drowned it in the pool. The poor nun didn't know what had happened to the
baby. Well, one day the puppy dog that they had around there dug up the baby's body
where it had been buried in a shallow grave in the backyard. The nun saw the body
and went crazy and killed herself. Because she killed herself she they had an
investigation, and they found out that the priest was some kind of satan worshipper
and was really evil. They say that you can still see blood in the pool and the nun is
wandering around up there crying. Of course I don't believe it its just something that
they tell.
Texture:
This story was told with mild disgust for how awful the tale was, and also for the
fact that people tell such unbelievable tales. Emily said that she had heard it alot and
that it was ridiculous. She said, "its just a thing that they tell" with a wave of her hand to
Christen C. de Groot
Informant Data:
Myself
Girls Camp
Summer 1986
My name is Chelise Young. I was born at Dixie General
Hospital in St. George Utah. I was raised in Cache Valley and I
am now married and still live in Cache Valley. I am twenty-one
years old and I am a junior at Utah State University. I am
expecting my first child.
Contextual Data:
I collected this item at a girls camp in the summer of 1986.
The camp was held up Logan Canyon just around the corner from St.
Annes Camp (commonly referred to as "The Nunnery"). When the
story was told, it was dark and a group of us was sitting around
the campfire telling stories and singing songs. All of us were
leery of the area and the story only heightened our fears that we
were not alone. I feel that the reason it was told was not to
frighten us but rather to scare us a little and give us the
chills.
Text:
A long time ago The Nunnery used to be in full working order
and girls were sent there by their families under similar
circumstances as the ones under which we are attending camp
tonight. The girls were to have a retreat in which they would
learn better social qualities and in some situations, some
manners. It was a type of summer boarding school. For many of
the girls, coming to The Nunnery was something that was
anticipated and looked forward to with much delight.
On one particular occasion, however, the girls that were
selected all had one thing in common. They were all expecting.
Anyway, they were up at The Nunnery and many gave birth there.
The nuns, not wanting the illegitimate babies to be raised by the
irresponsible girls, drowned them in the pool. Since that time,
the spirit of the nun that was in charge of the drownings has
haunted the area. She comes out mostly at night and carries a
lantern. More often than not she is accompanied by a large black
L'2,I .IZ,I.~t
\ (
dog that helps her search for other girls in need of "help". If
you happen to see her, don~t look at her directly because if you
make eye contact, and if you have anything to hide, she will hunt
you down and she and the dog will take you back to the nunnery
where she can "take care" of you as well.
Chelise Young
USU
English 526
Fall 1994
Logan, Utah 84321
Logan, Utah 84321
(
UrtliJn Legend
"St. Anne's Retreat"
Informant Data:
rvlyse 1 f
Logan .. Utah
April 1967
.Jennifer Nelson is a senior at USU maJoring in English. She is an
active LDS member. She was born in Colorado in 1964) and has lived in
Logan since 1970. Her ancestry is Swedish} Danish} and British. She
served an LDS mission in Japan.
Contextual Data:
I attended Gi rl's Camp up Logan Canyon dw-i ng most of rny teenage
years. In the evening we v'lould sit around the campfire and tell scary
stories} faith promoting stories} silly stories, and we sang songs. I heard
lots of varying stories and repeated many related to St. Anne's Retreat at
high school parties.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is a place up Logan Canyon called St. Anne's Retreat. It used to
be a nunnery, but since then a lot of stories have developed and spread
obout a rnurderer sloughtering several nuns and leo\ling the rest to go
insane.
I went up there once with 0 group of fri ends in hi gh school. There
were some bi g dog houses and someone told rne there had been bi g guard
dogs to protect the nuns, but a murderer- came and slit their throats--but
you coul d still hear thern barki ng somet i meso There was al so an ernpty
swirnming pool. Some of the nuns were thrown into the pool after bein!~
killed .. or forced to Jump into the empty pool, splattering themselves on
• the deep., hard bottom. I think a few nuns were remaining .. but they went
insane and it became unsafe for anyone to go up there.
Several years ago I heard that someone wanted to sell the place or
rebuil d it for a surnmer ctlrnp p 1 tlce, but the p 1 elt"iS were never deve 1 oped-­rnaybed
because of the scary stori es and 1 egends ossoci ated wi th tt"le
place.
....Iennifer- Nelson
Logan, UT 84321
Utah State University
English 524
Spring 1987
Supernatural Legend
"Witch Hekeda"
Informant Data:
Steven Rakes
Logan, Utah
April, 1990
Steven Rakes is a 27 year-old, white male who was born in Florida, but
has lived in Logan, Utah for the last twelve years. After moving out West
with his family, he graduated from Logan High School in 1980. Steve and his
family are converts of the LDS faith, of which Steve is semi-actively in­volved.
Steve is happily married to Lani. They have been married for
three years and they have a 14 month_old baby boy. Steve enjoys camping
out in the canyons, fishing, basketball and collecting baseball cards as
well as other memorabilIa. Steve keeps up on unusual events and seems to
always have something interesting to say. Steve is employed in Logan by
a downtown businessman. He works with the general public in retail.
Contextual Data:
I collected the item from Steve while visiting with him at his place
of employment. He was helping me with some work (framing of pictures) . I
needed done. When I asked Steve if he was familiar with any legends from
this area, he told me of a story he heard from a friend about six years
ago while camping up Logan Canyon. There were several other people around
the fire as the story was told that cool, Fall evening. They were all
friends and they were sharing strange and bizarre occurrences they had
encountered in the past.
Text: There is a lady who lives up Spring Hollow within five miles from
here, who is known by many as Witch Hekeda. She carries a blue lantern at
night and has a pack of wild, ferocious dogs, who escort her through the
mountains of these parts. If you drive your car to the top of Spring
Hollow and turn off your lights, wait a moment or two and the callout
"Hekeda" three times in to the dark silence, you will soon: hear the pack
of dogs making their way toward you, becoming louder and louder. Then in
the distance you will see the glowing of a blue light. You may try this
yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. When he put this to the test, he
got more than he bargained for . The dogs swarmed around his car like bees
to a hive. The blue light was directly in front of his car. Luckily,
he managed to start his car and speed off. Terrified to death, he raced
down to the bottom of the canyon. Upon getting out of his car, he noticed
Cory Christensen
.J
Deep gouges and scratches over the entire body of his car. He was lucky to
be alive.
Cory Christensen
Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
Utah State University
English 124
Spring 1990
Legend
The Old Nunnery
Marie-Elena Andino
Student Center, USU
March, 1985
Marie-Elena was born in El Salvador, and moved to the
United States about 7 years ago. She is attending
Utah State University and works on Helpline, a community
crisis line.
I was in the Helpline office, when Jim, a volunteer told
a legend about a nunnery up Logan canyon. After he
finished the story, Marie-Elena offered a different version
about the same place, with some of the details the same.
She said she had heard many different versions, including
the one that Jim told. The one told by Jim, was about
an insane man who murdered the nuns. The one Marie-Elena
heard tells of a man who kills t~ babies that the nuns
accidently have. Other volunteers offered even different versions.
"The same cabin up in Logan Canyon is the sett i ng for th i s story
too. Appajently its a real nice cabin, both inside and
out. Really fancy. And like Jim said, it has a swimming
pool in back. Anyway, no one lived in it, except when
Priests or whoever got nuns pregnant the nuns would go up
to this cabin and hide. The cabin was owned by the Catholic
church. Anyway, they had their babies, and then would kill
them and bury them under the swimming pool, or drown them
in the water. Now if you go up there, you can hear the
babies wailing from beneath the pool, or from within the
water."
Mary Lynn Pedersen
Logan, Utah 84321
S.L.C., Utah 84121
Utah State Univ.
Hi story 124
Winter, 1985
1-1.,/I'2 . IQI
Legend
Old Nunnery
Jim Davidson
Student Center, USU
March, 1985
Jim, who is orignally from Pennslyvania, is a transfer student
from Weber State. Having lived in Ogden, Utah until he transfered
to Utah State, Jim has only lived in Logan a few months. He is
now attending Utah State, and is a volunteer worker for Helpline,
a community crisis line.
Several st~dents and I were in the Helpline Office when I asked if
anyone knew of any legends. Jim asked if I knew the one about the
cabin in Logan canyon. I said no, so he proceeded to tell the
version that he was most aquainted with. Several others in the office
offered details that they had heard, and when he was finished,
another volunteer told the version that she had heard. Jim said that
he was suprised that I hadn't heard it, because it was popular in
Logan and he had heard it several times, though he's only lived here
a few months. Someone suggested that we turn out the lights, and
everyone laughed.
"There is this really nice cabin up Logan canyon. And they have an
outdoor swimming pool. I mean this is really a luxury place, all
nice inside and everything. Rumor has it that it used to be a nunnery,
a convant. One night, on Halloween this insane man raped and
murdered all the nuns and thr ew them into the swimming pool. Now ,
if you go up on Halloween you see all these nuns looking for _their
murderer, and they'll chase you to see if you are the one that killed
them. II
Mary Lynn Pedersen
Logan, Utah 84321
S.L.C., Utah 84121
Utah State Univ.
History 124
Wi nter, 1985
Folklore Archive, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84321
Ink, please J. .
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Gregory Skabelund
Logan, Utah.
January 27, 1985
Legend
"The Weeping Nun"
Informant Data:
Gregory Skabe1und was born and raised in Logan, Utah. He
is a graduate of Utah State University in history.
He is married and the father of two young sons. He works
at a local bank. He is my brother.
Contextual data:
Text:
Sitting in our home library one night with the lights
out, my family and I watched the deer in our backyard.
All of a sudden, scary stories became the main topic of
conversation and my brother told this one.
About forty years ago, in Logan Canyon at Saint Anne's
Retreat, there lived a nun. One day this nun committed
a grievious sin. She felt terribly sorry for her sin
and weeped every night because of it. Finally one
evening in the summer, the nun took a long rope, wrapped
it around a tree limb and hung herself.
Today, if you go up into the canyon on a summer night
and listen carefully, you can still hear the nun weeping
at Staint Anne's Retreat.
Marcie Skabelund
Logan, Utah
Utah State University
History 124
Winter 1985.
Legend
"The 1'-1ad Caretaker"
Informant Data:
Tim RracJfield
Logan, Utah
Spring 1'3'34
Tim Bradfield, a friend of mine, and Logan Native.
Tim graduated from Logan High in 1983. He is presently
employed as the caretaker at Saint Ann's Retreat in Logan
Canyon. He is non-denominational in religion and of
Scandinavian and English decent.
Contextual Data:
Tim learned this legend through the previous caretaker
at the retreat. He told me this legend while giving me a
tour of the grounds. The small doll house in which the
story takes place seems to be out of place with the rest of
the grounds.
There was a rich family who first built and owned Saint
Ann's F.:et r eat. They had a small girl and there was also a
caretake"r. The caretaker supposedly was possessed by some
spirit that haunted the grounds. The caretaker killed the
child in the doll house with an axe.
Jim Zahmel
Logan,
USU
Utah
History 124
Spring 1994
"The Nunnery"
Legend
Informant:
Jaime Saltern
River Heights, Utah
April, 2002
Jaime Saltern is the wife of Co by Saltern, who is a co-worker of mine. Jaimejust
recently had a baby boy named Max. She works at the hospital as a medical assistant.
She is 28 and she is from Smithfield Utah. She is currently living in River Heights and
she is an excellent fisherman.
Context:
I went over to the Saltern's house to have Coby sign his informant release form on his
story and that is when Jaime told me about "The Nunnery" that is up Logan Canyon on
the river. She told the story with fear in her voice.
Text:
Jaime said that the property was previously a nunnery where nuns lived and did their
thing. They would bring up young girls to be trained as nuns. There would be boys that
would sneak into it and get the girls pregnant. As nuns they couldn't raise children so the
babies would be drowned in the pool. Since there was evil there with the killings it is
now haunted. If you go up there at night you can see spirits and hear babies crying.
Texture:
Jaime's husband Coby has been up there at night with 4 of his friends. He said that it is
really scary and there was a dark feeling up there. When I heard the story I thought no
wonder the babies haunt the place, and with a story like that it would be very scary up
there.
BoRoundy
Logan, Utah
USU/ spring 2002
History 4700
Professor Thomas
Title: St. Anne's Retreat Haunting
Genre: Ghost Story
Christine Woolston
North Logan, UT
April 13, 2007
Informant: Christine is my sister in law. She has lived in North Logan most of her life.
She graduated from Sky View High School in 1996. She later graduated with a Bachelor
of Art from Utah State University in 2005.
Context: I was over at my in-law's house and a group of us were sitting around the
kitchen table talking about ghosts. This occurred in the early evening and progressed in
to the night. After one person told a story the next person would jump right in with what
they knew. The darker it got outside the more closely we all sat together and the lower
out voices became. This setting is when ghost stories are typically transmitted from one
person to another. This discussion was instigated by me but this setting is typically
instigated by one individual who either asks if someone knows a host story or by telling
one themselves.
I asked Christine if she knew the story of St. Anne's Retreat up Logan Canyon. I
knew that she had known some of the high school students which had been caught by the
security guard while she was in high school. I asked her if she knew why the students
went up there and why they said it was haunted. She answered me with this story.
Text: The nuns and the priests would get together so the church had to set up these
retreats so the nuns could go there when they got pregnant. They would go there for the
nine months, and then the nun would not want to be bothered by a baby and would drown
it in the well. The ghosts of the babies would then come back and haunt the nuns while
they were at St. Anne's recuperating so the church had to abandon it.
Texture: Christine told this story as if she did not believe it. The story came from when
she was in high school. The idea that the St. Anne's nunnery is haunted did not hold
much for her. She just told the basic story and did not add a lot of details to make it more
believable.
Amanda M. Woolston
Utah State University
Hist 2720
Lynne S. McNeill
Spring 2007
\
Chelsie Cefalo
Logan, Utah
May 13,2011
"Murderous Nuns"
Legend
Informant: My name is Chelsie Iona Cefalo. I was born in Logan, Utah and lived in Utah for
most of my life. I am a 21 year old female. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints. I come from a family with seven kids and I am the oldest. I am
currently attending Utah State and majoring in English with an emphasis in teaching.
Context: I heard this legend on dark Friday the 13th while my roommates and I were sitting
around a campfire at Second Dam. We were several miles away from the site 'where the
legend occurred. A legend like this is typically told around campfires or on dark scary
nights and is intended to scare the listeners. The legend was told to me by roommate
Jennifer Hugie.
Text: Just up the canyon from here is an old nunnery. The stories say that back in the day when
the nunnery was actually open, they used to send pregnant teenagers there so they could
be punished for their sinful ways. Well not too long after they started sending the
teenagers there, the nuns started killing the girls and would drown their babies in the
swimming pool. The place is now haunted by the ghosts of the nuns, mothers, and babies.
If you go to the swimming pool or look in the cabins you will run into them.
Texture: Jenni told this with a sense of foreboding in her voice. I don't think she fully believed
it but I think she was definitely superstitious about it. Everyone was a little freaked out
by the story and I know that some of the other girls thought it was true.
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Daniel Force
Utah State University
2720 Survey of American Folklore
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
Consultant: Tori Wennergren
Age and DOB: 18. December 12, 1991
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Place Collected: Logan, Ut
Date: 10128/10
Title: The Nunnery
Geme: Ghost Story. (Legend)
Text:
Q- Can you give me some background information on The Nunnery?
A- What I do know is that it used to be like a place where nuns would go if they were
pregnant. And so, they'd be shipped off to this nunnery. And I guess at some point, all of
the babies were drowned by some psycho, crazy nun. And so, when you go there, you can
hear babies crying. And if you like lean over the water, then they'll grab you.
Age of consultant when he or she used or performed this example:
She first heard it when she was 14.
Where did the consultant live at the time:
Logan, Ut
Circumstances in which consultant used the folklore:
She heard the story both at school and at family gatherings, particularly at campfires.
Texture:
The interview took place in an apartment of freshman girls going to USU. The
atmosphere was very social, with a lot of things going on.
Daniel Force
Utah State University
2720 Survey of American Folklore
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
Consultant: Alexa Schofield
Age and DOB: 18, Feb. 25,1982
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Place Collected: Logan, Ut
Date: 10/25/2010
Title: The Nunnery
Genre: Ghost story. (Legend)
Text:
Q- Can you give me some background on the Nunnery?
A- My uncle told me that it was a place where nuns went when they got pregnant and
they had to drown their babies. But, it's like, mysteries of like the nuns dying, started
happening, because people would go there to kill the nuns.
Q-[Girl off to the side says:] Tell them about the swimming pool!
A- And there was this, this swimming pool is where the babies would, where they'd
drown the babies. And that's what I went to go check out two years later.
Q- Can you tell me about what happened when you went to the nunnery?
A- Urn ... [lights turn off] oh great. So, it was me, my Uncle, and his two friends. And my
Uncle is pretty old. And I was the lookout and we had to park like a mile away, because
the cops are like huge on the nunnery, because they know kids go there a lot. And we had
to jump this fence and it had barbwire on it, circled around it. And I was just the look out,
but I saw it and you could just like feel like different. As soon as you crossed that fence
you felt different. But I was just a look out, so I didn't hear anything, but like I just heard
them walking around. And then, I heard a scream, and it was my Uncle. And he said, and
he came running out and said "We gotta go now." So we left, and he wouldn't talk about
it until like a week later. And he said that he like, that his two friends were in the pool,
and the pool's empty, but they were down looking at it. He said like an uncontrollable
forced pushed him in. And he fell in and he hopped out the other end. [Girl in
background asks "He seriously felt that?"] Yeah, he was like shaking when he told me.
[Same girl "Ugh .. .I hate the devil!"] So yeah, they've never been back and my parents
won't let me go there anymore.
Age of consultant when he or she used or performed this example:
She first heard of the nunnery when she was 13 at a campfire.
Where did the consultant live at the time:
The consultant lived in Logan at the time.
Circumstances in which consultant used the folklore:
The folklore she knew about the nunnery was primarily told on family outings,
particularly camp fires. This was her Uncle's favorite story to tell.
Texture:
This interview took place in a female apartment, where a majority of the girls were
freshman. When she started telling the story, someone flipped off the lights. Everyone
was scared after it was told. After the story, they decided to go to the cemetery to try and
find the weeping woman.
Item #4
Supernatural Religious Legend
"The Nunnery"
Informant Data:
Myself
Logan, UT
Fall 1991
I was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Being a "military baby" I had the wonderful
experience of moving every couple of years. I am an active member of the L.D.S Church.
Contextual Data:
Shortly after moving to the valley some friends and I went up to the nunnery (i.e.
St. Anne's Retreat) around Halloween. This historic landmark is located about six miles
up Logan Canyon. Although it is only a few hundred feet from the highway, it is well
shielded from the road by the Logan River and a blanket of trees. Current owners have
constructed quite an elaborate gate, trimmed with barbed wire, to keep intruders out.
Text:
Several years ago, they used to use the nunnery as a retreat for nuns. Every
summer a new load of nuns would arrive from churches across the tri-state area (Utah,
Idaho, and Nevada). They would stay here for the summer, do their thing, and then all
would leave at the end of the summer. All but one that is. Her name was Helga, and she
was the head nun/caretaker of the facility. She was assisted by a Priest, and together they
tended to the duties inherent with caring for the facility. Helga was a witchy woman, who
seemed like she was mad at everyone. "Very outspoken and very mean" were the attributes
assigned her whenever anyone described her. The priest was quite a character himself. He
was "stoic, gloomy, and evil-looking." Most residents wondered what kind of a "relaxing
retreat" for the nuns it was with these two individuals presiding over operations.
No one really remembers exactly how it was discovered what went on the other
side of the Logan River, behind that veiling blanket of trees, but all remember the crimes
committed.
Evidently, the nuns who were sent to this particular nunnery all had one thing in
common--they were all pregnant. Of course, everyone knows that it is against the rules of
nunnship for a nun to be pregnant and that is exactly why they were here. Helga, assisted
by the priest, would perform abortions on these nuns. No anesthetic and primitive tools
were used to perform the procedure. This was done supposedly to teach the nuns a lesson,
but many believe it was just done to satisfy Helga's evil drives. Some of the babies
extracted would come out alive, and they were quickly disposed of by either drowning
them in the pool or in the river (you can still see the stone stairs leading into the river). The
bodies were buried in the ground behind the shed by the pool by the priest. That was his
job, disposing of the bodies that is.
Once, one of the nuns tried to escape so she could keep her baby. She was
discovered by the priest in her attempt and severely punished. Because of that incident, the
priest and Helga got some dogs (white Dobermans) to keep the nuns in, and intruders out.
The operation was going fine, so to speak, until Helga became pregnant from the
priest. Great precaution was taken to ensure that the other nuns wouldn't discover the
status of Helga's situation. When the time was right, both Helga and the priest snuk away
under the cover of the night to the area where the abortion was to take place. Only having
watched it done before, the priest tried the best he could in this first attempt at surgery.
Helga suffered immensely for the priests lack of experience. Many mistakes were made,
and the final result was fatal. The priest was devastated and went mad.
The nunnery has since been closed down. Attempts have been made by residents
of the valley to have the place destroyed, but it never seems to happen. The priest still lives
up there and every full-moon returns to the place where Helga died to rendezvous with her
ghost. On a full moon, one can hear the babies crying though the darkness.
Texture:
This legend is told primarily by junior high or high school students. Mostly it's
told just as a scary story, although I depict some hints of prejudice toward Catholics (i.e.
pregnant nuns).
George Gordon
Utah State University
Engl. 526
Dr . Jan Roush
Fall 1996
Title: Logan Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Stories
Informant:
Kristi Swainston
Female
DaB: September 21, 1991
Student at USU
Context:
Name of Informant: Kristi Swainston
Place item was collected: Logan, UT
Date item was collected: October 24,2010
This is normally told when talking about creepy experiences, this kind of story will come
about and be told to a group of friends telling stories to scare each other or tell of an experience
they had themselves with attempting to go up to this nunnery.
Text:
What I've heard about the nunnery is that whenever women that weren't married and they had,
or got pregnant, they would go up there to have - to the nunnery and they would have their
babies and they would drown their babies in the swimming pool from being ashamed. And then
now if you go up there you can hear them crying still.
Texture:
Told as if telling a personal account of something, does not usually involve hand
movements. Unless a person is getting into the story, the hand movements are kept to a
minimum. The tone used is usually a softer tone, like telling a scary story to a group of people
nearby.
Kathryn Young
Utah State University
ENGL2720
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010, Sophomore
Daniel Force
Utah State University
2720 Survey of American Folklore
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
Consultant: Stephanie Bolan
Age and DOB: 20. July 10,1990
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Place Collected: Logan, Ut
Date: 10/28/10
Title: The Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Story. (Legend)
Text:
Q- Can you give me some background on The Nunnery?
A- Well...All that I have heard, I'm not sure how much of it is true, but I heard that it is a
nunnery up Logan canyon where nun's used to live. And urn, I've heard that it is where
they took all the nuns that had gotten pregnant and that is where they murdered their
children. Yeah, that's what I've heard. I talked to my Mom today and she said that she
heard that too, but she thinks that it is just a rumor.
Q- Have you heard any stories about people going to The Nunnery?
A- Urn, my parents went when they were in college. And, my Mom said that you had to
like hop over like a barbwire fence, because it's like on private property. But, she said
that it was kind of creepy, but she thinks that she creeped herself out more ... She thinks
that the whole killing babies thing isn't real.
Age of consultant when he or she used or performed this example:
16.
Where did the consultant live at the time:
Smithfield, Ut
Circumstances in which consultant used the folklore:
When she first heard it she was in high school. It was around Halloween and they were
looking for something scary to do, so they decided on the Nunnery. They never actually
went there.
Texture:
The interview took place in a girl 's apartment. Most of them are students at USu.
Title: Logan Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Stories
Informant: Alyssa John
Female
DaB: January 21, 1992
Student at USU
Context:
Name of Informant: Alyssa John
Place item was collected: Logan, UT
Date item was collected: October 27,2010
This is normally told when talking about creepy experiences, this kind of story will come
about and be told to a group of friends telling stories to scare each other or tell of an experience
they had themselves with attempting to go up to this nunnery.
Text:
So there was this priest, and he, uh, got this nun pregnant without her consent and she started
freaking out and was going to tell on him so he drown her and the baby so he wouldn't tell on
him and he wouldn't get in trouble. So if you go up there at night, you can hear a baby crying
and so if you go over to the swimming pool where the priest drown her and the baby you can see
a black shadow too.
Texture:
Told as if telling a personal account of something, does not usually involve hand
movements. Unless a person is getting into the story, the hand movements are kept to a
minimum. The tone used is usually a softer tone, like telling a scary story to a group of people
nearby.
Kathryn Young
Utah State University
ENGL2720
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010, Sophomore
Kyra Madsen
Utah State University
ENGL 2720
Dr. Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
Name of Consultant: Ryan Howell
Age and date of birth: 20, April 22, 1990
Ethnicity: White, American
Place folklore item was collected: Logan, Utah
Date item was collected: October 21,2010
Title: The Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Story
Text:
The nunnery. There's an old nunnery up Logan Canyon, which, is according to legend is,
was a retreat for nuns who got pregnant, and supposedly down from the nunnery a hundred, or
two hundred yards is a little pond where members of the head honcho of the nunnery would take
the newborn child and kill them and make them drown in the pond. That way the church
wouldn't dilute their status of having babies and such, and it's, there's, the actual building up
there it's actually, it's kind of creepy but they're not actually supposed to go up and see it
anyway.
[Did you see any ghosts up there?]
Uh, I didn't see any ghosts or anything. It's just, (pause) a combination of you know, at
least the whole, you know you hear a lot of bad things about it and also you got all these no
trespassing signs. So, you're kind of paranoid of getting caught and then, and old buildings, it's
creepy and have heard a lot of bad things about it.
How old was the consultant when he/she heard this story?
Ryan was 20 when he heard this story and visited the nunnery.
Where did the consultant live at the time?
1- \ \ . \~. \ " \ 05
Logan, Utah
Texture:
He told the story in a reciting manner like he'd told it a few times before. I think this might be
because he had actually been there and had seen where everything was located and could better
picture what is alleged to have happened there.
"The Nunnery"
Legend
Informant:
Josh look
Logan, Utah
October 2010
Josh look has been a Ufelong friend for me, and I have always considered him to be like an older
brother. Josh is 23 years old and is married to Sheena look. Josh grew up in Paradise, Utah but moved
to Logan, Utah when he got married. Josh has been involved in a volunteer group such as the Paradise
fire department and EMT services. Josh worked for a while at the plasma center, but is now going to
school at Weber. Josh enjoys photography, firefighting, four-wheeling, anything outdoors, and spending
time with his wife.
Context:
Josh has always been known for telling stories, and telling them well. Because of this I thought he would
be a great source for a legend. I text him and asked him if he knew any legends and he told me that he
could probably think of a bunch. He invited me over for dinner where he could tell me the stories in
person, and so we could catch up. I went over to his house where we at a delicious meal and stories just
started to flow. I reminded Josh that I needed him to share a legend with me. He got a quirky grin on
his face and said he had one that I have probably already heard, but that his version was the best. Then
he started to tell me the legend of the nunnery up Logan Canyon.
Text:
Joshes version of the nunnery legend starts out by saying that a while back a rich man built five cabins,
which he later sold to a church. The church bought the cabins and turned them into a nunnery. One of
the nuns strayed and became pregnant, and when the other nuns found out, she was told they were
going to kill her baby. Once she had her baby boy, they drowned him in the pool. It is said that in the
pool there is a small section in the pool that is ice cold, and has a faint glow in the spot where the baby
was drowned. Josh also told me about a present incident that took place at the nunnery. He said that
there were a group of college students who went up to the nunnery to see if the stories were true.
There were three self alleged guards who tied them up, held guns to their heads, and told them if they
tried to leave they would shoot their legs. Some of these students were molested and physically
abused. The guards called the police saying that the kids had trespassed since the property is off limits.
The police came and arrested the kids and gave them a ticket for trespassing. These kids told their
parents what happened, and the parents told the police so the charges were dropped and the guards we
arrested.
Texture:
When Josh first started telling the story he sounded very sarcastic and said the words really slow, just
because this is his personality. Then he became more serious and told the story very soft spoken. He
did a lot of hand motions while he told the story, drawing in your attention. He paused a few times as
he tried to remember the events to the best of his ability. When he told the legend of the nunnery he
sounded as though he wasn't sure if he believed it. As he told the more recent events he told it as
though it were a matter of fact. Hearing his version of the story was very interesting and captivating.
Natalie Carter
Utah State University
English 2210
Steve Siporin
Fall Semester 2010
KyraMadsen
Utah State University
ENGL2720
Dr. Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
Name of Consultant: Joan Hansen
Age and date of birth: 70, October 16, 1940
Ethnicity: White, American
Place folklore item was collected: Trenton, Utah
Date item was collected: October 24,2010
Title: The Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Story
Text:
They had guards and these kids broke in and did damage and these guards was
really rough on them and put them in the pool, empty pool and held them at gun shot
(laughs) 'till the cops come, and now they've arrested the guards and let the kids go.
[Can you remember any of the stories you heard}
There are a lot of stories, there, just, we used to have family reunions there. Yeah,
and it had some little tinny buildings, I mean they're like playhouses and they had beds in
them and you had to walk around like, (demonstrating bent over position) even kids it's
after I was married though, because I remember I took my kids with me. I remember the
swimming pool and things like that and the big building, but I didn't really know that
much about it before then but this is probably somethin' if we'd had known stories and
stuff, my, my kids, my friends and I would have done it and gone up and seen that and if
we'd had got caught we knew we'd be in deep trouble, ya know? (laughs).
[What do you know about the nunnery itself?}
In the fifties, is when it was, in the fifties is when it become the nunnery, other
than that, and before these other guys owned it. Uh, anyhow, these guys who had lots of
\~\pS;~ \O\m
d~\\\O\J\Q
money owned it for awhile. And they had people from all over the world stay. Then they
had the, let the women take it, the nuns, of the Catholic Church take it. I was going
through some stuff my mother had, and she was a nurse. I was going though what she had
written and there was something about this one nun, who'd got pregnant. She'd had the
baby and when the head nun, when she'd found out she drownded the baby. I know if
you look up on the internet you'd find a lot more stories and detail. But if you look up
Saint Anne's Retreat and I bet you'd find different things associated with it.
How old was the consultant when he/she heard this story?
Joan visited he nunnery around 1965 for her family reunions.
Where did the consultant live at the time?
River Heights, Utah
Texture:
She told this story in a happy reminiscing way with a lot of smiling and laughing.
KyraMadsen
Utah State University
ENGL2720
Dr. Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010
N arne of Consultant: Clare Vaterlaus
Age and date of birth: 21, December 16,1989
Ethnicity: White, American
Place folklore item was collected: Logan, Utah
Date item was collected: October 24,2010
Title: The Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Story
Text:
Okay, so the nunnery is haunted (pause) because the priests had raped the nuns
and the nuns, urn, when they gave birth the priests decided to drown both the nuns and
the uh, babies and then that's why it's haunted and later, urn, some teenagers went down
there to, (dramatic pause) see ifit was haunted and that's when, I think it was police, had
tied them up at the bottom of the pool and physically, and maybe, sexually, I don't,
abused them and that's why it's been scary since.
How old was the consultant when he/she heard this story?
Clare was 19 years old when she first heard about the nunnery and about the teenagers.
Where did the consultant live at th·e time?
Logan, Utah
Texture:
She told this story in a scary voice emphasizing it with dramatic pauses, like she was
really getting into the story.
Y~\l~Q \0\ l't\
C\\JG\\ \c00\~
Title: Logan Nunnery
Genre: Ghost Stories
Informant:
Emily Bernhisel
Female
DaB: May 30, 1990
Student at USU
Context:
Name of Informant: Emily Bernhisel
Place item was collected: Logan, UT
Date item was collected: October 24,2010
This is normally told when talking about creepy experiences, this kind of story will come
about and be told to a group of friends telling stories to scare each other or tell of an experience
they had themselves with attempting to go up to this nunnery.
Text:
So ... 1 don't know where they came from but these nuns got pregnant so they're like ... not holy
anymore or whatever, so they took them out into like, some nunnery up in the Logan canyon and
they all drown their babies in the canyon in the swimming pool. Or somewhere over there. And
so like if you go out there at night, you can hear the babies crying.
Texture:
Told as if telling a personal account of something, does not usually involve hand
movements. Unless a person is getting into the story, the hand movements are kept to a
minimum. The tone used is usually a softer tone, like telling a scary story to a group of people
nearby.
Kathryn Young
Utah State University
ENGL2720
Lisa Gabbert
Fall 2010, Sophomore
,\ C9l]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 26677345 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1960-1969; 1970-1979; 1980-1989; 1990-1999; 20th century; 2000-2001; 2000-2009; 2010-2019; 21st century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]>
To the editor:
Picture if you will, yourself driving down the highway. You are in a hurry. You’re late!

You glance in the rearview mirror and see a flashing red light right behind you, and an officer motioning for you to pull over. You glance at your speedometer and realize you are going 65 mph in an area clearly posted at be 55 mph. You think to yourself … oh my, I am going to get a ticket.

You pull over and wait for the officer to come to your car, making sure during that time you have your license, registration and insurance ID. Much to your astonishment, the officer opens your door with anger and forcefully yanks you out of your seat. He quickly turns you around and pushes you, face first, up against the car. Then he proceeds to angrily handcuff you making sure that the cuffs are good and tight (for they are flex cuffs). He wants to make sure you are truly subdued, so he puts a rope around your neck and attaches it to his steering wheel. He tells you that if you put any pressure on the rope that it will explode and blow your head off.

Fortunately this is a hypothetical situation.

This poor officer has really had a bad day, and his anger has reached the boiling point. He has already had to give 15 citations for speeding in areas that have been clearly marked. Tired of all he has had to put up with, he kicks you in the ribs, and slaps your face. He then proceeds to utter a stream of obscenities. And you say to yourself, is this what happens when you are only speeding.

What does this have to do with the incident at St. Anne’s retreat? Quite a bit. Trespassing and speeding are offenses that are both considered Class C misdemeanors. Neither should be punished by use of deadly force, abuse, or torture. Nor should the offenses be tried and convicted at the scene of the crime. Fortunately we have a justice system to handle that. We also have a justice system in Cache County that is perpetuated by people with a great deal of integrity and morals. We should be extremely grateful for that. Many people seem to think that these young people that trespassed at St. Anne’s should be punished for all the crimes committed at St. Anne’s over the past 40 years. That would be about the same as the judge punishing you for every speeding citation ever issued on that street. They should not be punished for vandalism. Only those guilty of such a crime should.

It may interest you to know that this particular group of 30 young people offered to do a service project for the owner on his property as their way of saying they were sincerely sorry. This offer was made after the charges were dropped. It was something the did not have to do but wanted to. The owner gratefully accepted.

Daily I see in the paper an advertisement entitled. “THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE.” In Cache Valley we have the “Dare” program which reinforces this to our children. We live in a society intelligent enough and well educated enough to realize that making a mistake does not give another person the right to be abusive, whether they are a parent, police officer, teacher or a citizen.

Aileen Lee
Smithfield

Righting the wrongs from a rite of passage

To the editor:
The recent furor over the trespassing at the former St. Anne’s Retreat has given all of us a chance to reflect on past behavior. I read comments from some former Cache Valley teen-agers who implied that this kind of thing was almost a local rite of passage. If this so, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for those who have participated to do some repenting. I think most of us recognize that vandalizing property, and even disturbing the rest of the good sisters, are simply wrong.

If we turn the situation around, and think of our own aunts or mothers going for a much needed vacation on our own property, and being frightened by people prowling outside, we could be quite angry. As grown-ups, I doubt that any of us would contemplate taking part in such an activity. Most of us realize that entering other people’s property without an invitation is wrong, regardless of the time of day, or season of the year. We expect to be in control of who enters our property. We keep sales people on the porch. We tell other people’s kids when it’s time to go home, and we expect them to leave (and they do leave.)

As adults, I expect that some who took part in those activities are feeling some twinges of guilt. May I suggest that those twinges can be alleviated if correct action is taken. Please consider making reparation for the wrongs.

What is a good night’s sleep worth to you? If you’re on a slim budget, you still have to pay about $50 for a motel room for a night. Consider sending a donation in the amount to the local Catholic Diocese. Remember that there were probably a few sisters whose rest was disturbed, and you may wish … more to make full reparation ….]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 635041 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

The 911 call John Jeppson made from Zanavoo Restaurant & Lodge around 10:30 p.m. Friday when he reported that a group of kids had trespassed at St. Anne’s Retreat revealed a man on a mission to end vandalism at the site.

Jeppson is the lead watchman who handcuffed and wrapped cord around the necks of two groups of teen-agers and young adults early Friday morning and Friday night. The trespassers claimed Jeppson and two other men yelled death threats at them and fired shotgun shells above one person’s head and near the feet of another. The two other men with Jeppson have been identified as Arthur Peasnall and Chris Doerr, Jeppson’s son-in-law, both of Tooele County.

On the 911 recording, Jeppson calmly tells a Cache County dispatcher about the trespassers bound in the retreat’s swimming pool.

The dispatcher sounds shocked as she gears what Jeppson tells her. Jeppson loses his cool with the dispatcher and raises his voice near the end of the three and a quarter minute all when she incredulously repeats what he says.

When Jeppson is put on hold, he talks bitterly with one or more men at Zanavoo Lodge about his frustration with students vandalizing the property he’s tending.

He also brings up an incident involving Nick Chournos’ son where he implies that trespassers caused his death. Chournos is a sheep rancher from Tremonton.

Tremonton Police Chief Steve Hodges said Chournos’ 52-year-old son, John, committed suicide in 1992, that he would kill himself,” but it was unrelated to trespassers.

“This was a family problem,” Hodges said. “He was having a lot of emotional problems at the time.”
Hodges noted that John’s wife, who never took the suicide well, has claimed that Tremonton Police shot her husband. “She’s never been able to believe that he would kill himself.”

Jeppson also said on the tape that the St. Anne’s Retreat trespassers he detained Friday night had something to do with the earlier group of eight people he detained when they threw eggs on the property. Although, it was later determined these were two separate groups.

Cache County Sheriff Lynn Nelson said Jeppson was interviewed by his office on Monday. Jeppson thought he had a right to do a lot of what he did Friday night, Nelson said.

“He has a lot of really different views on things,” Nelson said.

But the law does allow for some of the things he did, the sheriff explained. People protecting property are given a considerable amount of latitude, he said.

Nelson said Wednesday night he and Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt spoke with more than a dozen parents of victims in the Friday incidents.

The meeting was closed to the news media. Wyatt said afterward that he wanted to answer their questions about the case, but there were too many parents with questions to talk to individually.

Charges against Jeppson and the two other men could be filed as early as today, he said.

When asked for his reaction to the 911 recording, Nelson said “I think it’s pretty consistent with what we’ve anticipated.

“I think he thought all along he was defending his property,” he said. “He was scared of these kids. He viewed them as a danger to himself.”

Transcript:
Jeppson-Well, we’ve got at least a bus load of them.
(delay)
Jeppson-(inaudible)…to stop ripping people’s property apart-steal shit, you know?
(Dispatcher returns to the line)
Dispatcher-John
Jeppson-Yes?
Dispatcher-We’re getting a hold of a deputy. Who have you got up there with the juveniles?
Jeppson-I have two of my men.
Dispatcher-Two men. And you said you got fifty-five zero-right?
Jeppson-Five zero.
(Dispatcher breaths a slight, bewildered and incredulous laugh.)
Jeppson-Very, very close to that number. I don’t know. I didn’t take a head count. They are all handcuffed, and they’ve all got cords around their neck.
Dispatcher-Around their necks?
Jeppson-Yes, they’re on their knees in the swimming pool.
Dispatcher-You got them on their knees in a swimming pool?
Jeppson-(sounding defensive and raising his voice) Hey!
Dispatcher-I’m just…
Jeppson--This is on private property!
Dispatcher-John.
Jeppson-Do you understand that?
Dispatcher-I understand that, but I’m trying to get this information, OK?
Jeppson-Yes.
(A phone line rings at the dispatch center.)
Dispatcher-Now hold on one moment please.
(Dispatcher puts Jeppson back on hold.)
Jeppson-Damn dispatcher, where are you?
(While on hold, Jeppson talks to another or the same unidentified man.)
Jeppson-By the time the goddamn high school gets done with that place it’ll be nothing but powder.
Unidentified man-(speaking in the background)-Let their f--- parents believe they don’t do anything wrong. (He or another man continues to talk, but his remarks are inaudible.)
Jeppson-And like sophomores shoot them dead if you want. Nick Chournos does. Nick Chournos pussy-footed around with some people like this and got his son killed. And now he don’t pussy-foot. He hunts them in his…
(Dispatcher comes back on-line and cuts him off.)
Dispatcher-Hey John.
Jeppson-Yes?
Dispatcher-I’ve got ofoficers on their way. Do you want them to meet you at Zanavoo or do you want them to…
Jeppson-At St. Anne’s Retreat.
Dispatcher-OK.
Jeppson-Three-tenths of a mile past Preston Valley Campground.
Dispatcher-They know where it’s at. They’re on their way, OK?
Jeppson-I’ll be waiting.
Dispatcher-Bye bye…]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1923197 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

A packed courtroom of witnesses, family members, deputy sheriffs and reporters listened Wednesday afternoon to the testimony of five people who said they were victims of three men who went too far while protecting a Logan Canyon retreat.

The preliminary hearing in Logan’s 1st District Court had to be delayed into the afternoon because one of the defendants, Arthur Peasnall of Tooele County, failed to show. He was contacted and arrived later, saying he was confused about the hearing date. Testimony in the hearing was expected to continue through most of today.

The three men, Peasnall, John Jeppson of Pocatell9o, Idaho and Christ Doerr of Tooele County, are each charged with six counts of aggravated assault and one count of forcible sexual abuse for violently detaining 38 teen-age and young adult trespassers Oct. 10 at the St. Anne’s Retreat property they were tending.

The 17-year-old Smithfield girl who was allegedly sexually abused said in court that Jeppson felt her buttocks and under her shirt as part of a search for weapons.

“He never checked my jacket.” She said in tears. “He just went up my jacket and shirt.”
Jeppson felt her stomach and her breasts on top of her bra, she said.

The girl said she had come up to the property, a former Catholic retreat rumored to be haunted, with several friends for a Halloween scare, but when she squeezed through the gates she got more than she bargained for.
“We got to the end of the bridge, and this guy came around with a gun and said get down on the f’ing ground,” she said.

She said all three of the men were armed with shotguns with flashlights taped to them, and she said Jeppson fired his gun into a tree to show he was serious.

Like the other victims who came down on the evening of Oct. 10, the girl said her hands were bound by plastic flex cuffs and she was placed into an empty swimming pool until police arrived. All of the trespassers were bound with cords around their necks, which Jeppson allegedly said would detonate and blow their heads off if they moved.

“I felt extremely scared, like something you see in a movie. I didn’t believe it was happening,” she said.
Defense attorney for the three men tried separating their clients from the totality of allegations made by the prosecution’s witnesses. Defenders for Doerr and Peasnall pointed out neither of the two touched the girl. In later testimony, the three defense attorneys would try to separate out who exactly did what, since prosecutors have charged all three men with the same seven crimes.

A Logan boy of Asian descent was a member of the first group of eight people who went to the retreat in the early morning of Oct. 10. The other 30 didn’t arrive at the retreat until the evening of that day.

He testified in a Cache County Jail uniform, having been recently convicted on shoplifting charges.

He said when the three men caught his group on the property; Jeppson held a revolver up to his temple and told him, “I should kill you like I killed one of your family members in Vietnam.”

Jeppson then moved the gun away from his head and fired, he said.

Three more teen-agers who were in the latter group of 30 testified the men physically assaulted them during the episode.

A 17-year old Richmond girl said her head was pulled back by her hair while she was handcuffed in the pool, aggravating a spinal condition. She said she was talking to her friend at the time.

“Mr. Jeppson came up behind me and pulled my head back and said, ‘Shut up. Do you want that rope any tighter?”

A Trenton teen said he was punched in the face by Peasnall and a 17-year old North Logan boy said Doerr kicked him in the stomach when he had been forced at gunpoint to lie on the ground.

He said Jeppson hit him on the side of the head and knocked him unconscious with the butt of this [his] shogun.

One more alleged victim was scheduled to testify for the prosecution today along with a couple of deputy sheriffs. The defense is then scheduled to bring forward its case.

Neither Jeppson nor Doerr would talk with reporters when they left court, and Peasnall was booked into the Cache County Jail for failing to show up on time for the hearing.

[Photo (top) by Mitch Mascaro/Herald Journal. Caption: Assault suspects John Jeppson, right, and Christopher Doerr are flanked by a TV crew Wednesday as they leave 1st District Court following a preliminary hearing. The hearing continued into the afternoon due to the late arrival of fellow suspect Arthur Peasnall.]
[Photo (bottom) by Mitch Mascaro/Herald Journal. Caption: County Attorney Scott Wyatt speaks to the media Wednesday after the end of the first day of the preliminary hearing into the charges against three men in the St. Anne’s retreat case.]]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1542253 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> •
Ghost Stories
Tyler Thurston
Utah State University
Fife Folklore Archives
Logan, Utah
Mythology: Folklore
Mr. Brad Gibbons
Mountain Crest High School
Fall 2013
• Table of Contents
Release Forms
Cover Essay
Autobiographical Sketch
List of Informants
Item No. Informant Title
1 Roholt Dream
2 Peacock Nunnery
3 Roholt Oujia Board
4 Linton Logan Canyon
5 Backus Nunnery
6 Backus Haunted House
7 Nielson Haunted Closet • 8 Nielson Face on the Wall
9 Gonion Weeping Widow
10 Gonion Haunted House
11 Janet Thurston Ghosts
12 Janet Thurston Ghosts
13 Janet Thurston Ghosts
14 Janet Thurston Ghosts
15 Jake Thurston Closet door
16 Brenda Nielsen School
17 Jake Thurston Attic
18 Janet Thurston Hitchhiker
19 Janet Thurston Hillside
20 Roholt Pasture
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.. ... .. .. ....... .. __ ... _ --- -
Cover Essay
Ghost stories have been and always will be a hot topic just
about anywhere you go. It seems like no matter who it is you talk
to either they know a guy, or they say that they themselves have
witnessed or heard something that would have to do with the
paranormal. If you believe the stories you hear or if you think that
the story you are being told is just a story that's been blown way
out of proportion just to try and get a cheap scare out of somebody
it is still fun to see the kind of reactions that you do out of people
when the story is over, so its always nice to have some good stories
tucked away just in case.
I love to hear ghost stories and I always have. I do what I can
to think that what they are telling me is 100% true because I think
it would be way cool if I knew for a fact that ghosts do exist,
however I cant do that so I just try to believe that they do. It is
interesting to hear other peoples views on what they think is
causing weird things in their house to happen because they are
certain that there is no such things as ghosts and that there is a
logical reason for everything, when really they are probably
freaking out in their house every time the wind blows, and they
just want to act like they don't believe in the paranormal.
The thing that would probably intrigue me the most about
ghosts and crazy things like that happening is because for the most
part I think I really do believe. One thing in particular really makes
me believe that the dead have a way of talking to you in different
ways. For example, during the end of summer in 2010 me and my
family were up at the sand dunes on our second day of our four day
dune trip riding four wheelers. We had all woken up and
everybody was eating breakfast. I wanted to hurry and do some
riding so I just had a glass of milk and went off by myself but
stuck around camp while my family ate. I ended up crashing my
•
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•
wheeler really bad and came very close to dying from all of my
injuries that consisted of: five vertebra in my back being broken,
shattering my spleen, lacerating my kidneys, bruising a lung, and
getting a concussion. After my full week of being in the ICU in
Rexburg I was able to go home. It was the second or third night
that I had been back when I had a dream. I was at a party of some
kind in this HUGE room that kind of seemed like a super fancy
hotel lobby or something, just a giant room. In the middle of the
room there was a giant circular center piece with a metal railing
going around it and in the middle there was like a water fountain,
and some trees. When across the room I see my aunt Tami and my
uncle Curtis, both of these members of my family were killed in a
car accident in 2008. I run around the center piece and give them a
big hug and the dream ended shortly after that. I thought it was a
pretty crazy dream but didn't say anything about it to anybody
basically because it was kind of a sad dream and didn't really want
to upset anybody. Well about a week after having that dream I was
in the bathroom one morning brushing my teeth and my mom
came in and started doing her hair. My mom begins talking to me
and she tells me that a few nights ago she had a dream. In this
dream I was at a party of some kind and she remembered a center
piece in the room with a fountain in the middle of it. She saw me
running around some kind of center piece to go and give my aunt
and uncle a big hug. As she finishes telling me this story I am
dumbfounded that she just vividly described my dream to me.
Keep in mind that I almost died and was still recovering, the
doctors had told me that 15 minutes later to the hospital and I
probably would have bled to death. The way we looked at it was
pretty much my aunt and uncle telling us that if I wasn't going to
make it through this ordeal that they would have been there on the
other side to take care of me.
Another story that I have I experienced with my friends. We
were all over at our buddies house when our friend told us that he
had a oujia board. I had always wondered about these things but
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had heard stories and I was a bit worried to try it out but curiosity
got the best of my and I was down to be playing it and see if it
worked like people said it did. There were ten of us there but only
eight were willing to play it because of all the hype that goes on
with them, two people didn't want to take the risk, I couldn't really
blame them. We sat down lit the candle and started asking it
questions, it immediately started working for us but were just
asking it things like "how many spirits are here with us" and things
like that. When we really started to get freaked out is when we
asked it where it was located and it would answer with "TV" and
you were the guy by the TV or "Couch" and you were on the
couch. The scariest part however was when we asked a spirit
where it was and it responded with "you" at that point we all
stopped and briefly freaked out, then put it away. Of course though
we had to pick it up again and keep asking stuff, nothing really
freaky happened around us at all but the answers were freaking us
out pretty good. The house that we were playing it in has got quite
a few weird things going on and our friend that lives there has told
us some weird things that go on in there and he kind of thinks that
we might have let something in with the board, so needless to say
we haven't played it for quite some time.
My method for collecting all of the material was pretty
simple. All I did was I asked around to see if anybody had a story
about something that had happened to them that they thought was
weird and that they didn't really have a logical explanation to.
Some of the stories that I had gathered, the person couldn't sign for
it because they were to young, or they were to far away so I just
had them tell the story to somebody else that I was friends with,
and then I just had that person tell me the story so that I could
record it. Then for some of the other stories I had, I already had
gotten a few stories from people and had them sign for it, then they
would call me with another story that they remembered they had
and then I would just record it over the phone because I didn't
need another signature, just their voice. Then when it came to
•
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•
organizing everything, all I did was just put everything in the order
that it happened. There is no sense in making all of the interviews
jump around everywhere because it would be harder for me to
keep track of everything and I am sure it would be a pain to grade,
plus for the most part I think I just followed the packet we were
given to go off of because I figured that you can't go wrong with
following the instructions.
The way that I look at ghost stories hasn't really changed
even after interviewing everybody and hearing their stories. Plus
all I can really do is take everybody's word for it that they are
telling the truth, however the story Kaden Roholt told about his
dad being visited by his deceased grandpa shortly after he had died
I truly believe to be true because that is not the first time I have
heard that story before. I assume that story is one that might have
actually changed the way I look at ghostly things a little bit
because that one I can actually relate a little bit to my experience
with my aunt and uncle. Now I kind of think that maybe dreams
could be some type of a (not trying to sound crazy here) but like a
window or something? I don't know, but apparently there is
something special about a dream and the dead because I know of
two accounts that involve a deceased family visiting them in their
dream for pretty crazy reasons. Kadens grandpa was there to say
goodbye and I think one of the reasons my aunt and uncle could
have been able to talk to me was because I was already so close to
death. Plus I forgot to mention this up top but I got really sick with
something called C-dif, that was the worst experience that I have
ever had. I would go through all of the pain of the four wheeler
accident again before I went through the C-dif illness again,
because that was the part out of the whole experience where I
literally felt like I was going to die. I lost 25 pounds in a matter of
about a week and was so dehydrated that I had to go to the hospital
and get two fulll.v. bags pumped into me because I couldn't keep
fluids. Around this time was when I had my dream.
•
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At the beginning of getting all of the information from
friends and family and friends of friends, I was skeptical. To be
honest even when I have been thinking things through as I have
been writing this paper, I have been changing my perspective on
how I look at ghosts. I think that ghosts probably do exist, whether
you read through this and think that I am an idiot for thinking that I
really couldn't care less. I know what I have experienced, I have
heard my friends discuss things for the interviews and outside of
the interviews that I believe to be true and so therefore I think I
have good reason to believe .
•
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Autobiographical Sketch
My name is Tyler Thurston and I am seventeen years old. I am a senior at Mountain Crest
High School and will be graduating in 2014. I was Born in Logan Utah and have lived in
the same area in Nibley for my entire life. I have one little brother and no sisters. My dad
works at Nucor steel and my mom works at Gossner Food's in the human resources
department. I also work at Gossner Food's and am on my way to my third year working
there. I am a maintenance worker and am outside doing stuff for the most part but am
indoors every now and again. I plan on working at Gossners until I am old enough to
work at Nucor steel along with my dad and my uncle, my grandpa also used to work there
until he retired about six years ago so I figured I should probably keep the tradition
going! I live for music. Metal music is something that my life revolves around, old and
new. I'm talking 80's hair metal like Motley Crue, Poison, Pantera, and so much more.
however I mainly listen to the newer type of metal that is super heavy and gets you
moving like crazy. I am currently in a band where I do guitar and vocals, and I love
everything about it. I also love to snowmobile, snowboard, go rock climbing, go to the
dunes, drag racing and pretty much anything else that involves friends and a good time.
The reason I would like to learn more about scary stories and things that involve ghosts is
because I just love getting scared, and I love "dark" "scary" things like movies, music,
and many many more. I have always been fascinated with things like that and I have
also always been confused on what to believe when it comes to ghosts. There are a bunch
of shows that are on TV that say they are all real, but I have no way of knowing if
anything is really happening in those shows because with special effects and all of the
other stuff that we have nowadays you can never tell if anything is true, and when it
comes to big budget movies that are being made that say "based on a true story" or "true
events" you never know how many of the things in the movie really did happen, or if
Hollywood just took a cool concept they heard about and decided to add a bunch of far
fetched stuff in there so that it is kind of based on the true story. Some friends of ours
actually were living in a house that they had claimed to be "haunted" and they actually
had some pretty believable stories, plus we had stayed the night there a few times and we
experienced a few things that were kind of "different" if you know what I mean. Me an
my friends have had some experiences of our own also. Curiosity got the best of us one
night when me and a bunch of my friends were all hanging out and we decided that we
would go get our hands on a Ouija board. I have always wondered about these things,
wondered if they really worked or not, always thought that maybe the people playing
them were just making them move and that everything was super fake, however I am a
believer now. That thing scared us pretty good and we have not been able to get any of
our other friends to touch play it with us again so I am thinking I might look further into
those things and learn more about them while I do more of my research on ghost stories
and encounters .
•
•
•
List of Informants
Roholt- Kaden Roholt is a Senior at Mountain Crest High school
and lives in Mount Sterling which is up in the Wellsville Area. He
has lived there for about 16 V2 years because he moved into that
house when he was little. He is 17 years old and plays in a band
with me called Tr3ason where he plays bass. He enjoys playing
music, snowboarding, and hanging out with friends. He thinks his
house just might be haunted from the weird things he sees and
hears from time to time. 1, 3, 20
Peacock- Justin Peacock is also a senior at Mountain Crest High,
and he lives in Nibley Utah and has for all of his life. He enjoys
riding four wheelers, and really just being outside doing something
fun with friends. He works at the McDonalds in Hyrum and is
currently thinking of quitting his job and finding a new place to
work. 2
Linton- Robert Linton is one of the owners of the Whysound
venue in Logan Utah and is also a musician himself. Robert writes
classical instrumental stuff on the acoustic guitar and actually
wrote and performed some of the music that was on the Oprah
Winfrey show back when it was popular. However just because he
is playing acoustic stuff he certainly likes himself some super
heavy metal bands! 4
Backus- Alec Backus lived in Arizona for a few years before
moving to Hyrum about four years ago and he plays in a band
called False Witness right now where he plays guitar and My band
has played quite a few shows with them and we attend just about
every metal show in Salt Lake with them anytime there is an
awesome show in town. 5, 6
Nielson- Mckae Nielson lives up in Mt Sterling and is 17 years
---------------------- ---._ ......... - . .. .
•
•
•
old. Mckae plays guitar really really well and does plays in the
same band as Mr. Alec Backus, and he does vocals as well. Hi
family is Mormon and attends church often. He currently works for
the Iron Gate grill catering and likes doing that and really enjoys
the fact that he gets to eat the left over's that people don't eat at the
parties he caters for. 7, 8
Gonion- Tristan Gonion lives in Hyrum Utah and is yet another
musician. He plays in the band with Mckae Nielson and Alec
Backus where he plays bass. Tristan loves to ride four wheelers
and go fast, plain and simple he likes to go fast. 9, 10
Janet Thurston- Janet Thurston is my madre and lived in
Pocatello for her whole life until she married my dad, and that is
when they moved into an apartment that they lived in for a few
years and then we moved into the house we live in now. She likes
to snowmobile, make crafts, and just do artsy type things, she is
currently employed at Gossner foods. 11, 12, 13,14, 15,17, 18, 19
Brenda Nielsen- Brenda lives in Hyrum and is retired from
work and is my grandma. Her and my grandpa care for my two
little cousins who are both 5 and 9. She used to teach at an
elementary school before I was born but now spends most of her
time keeping the young ones busy .
•
•
•
Tyler Thurston
August 11, 2013
Item 1
Deceased Dream
Context: Kaden informed me that his dad had a pretty crazy
experience once when he was 8 or 9 years old and he was kind
enough to share the story with me.
Text: Alrighty so my dad told me this and its one of my dads
personal experience ghost stories. When he was about 9 or 9 his
grandpa had passed away, and when he was asleep his grandpa
came to him and he said hey Shane, im dead and I wanted to talk to
you for a minute. He had a short conversation with him and they
said their goodbyes. As his grandpa was leaving his dream he woke
up to his dad waking him up and he said hey Shane I have bad
news. Shane said I already know. His dad said what do you mean?
Shane said grandpa visited me and said he was dead.
Texture: Kaden heard this from his dad and his dad said that it is
completely true and that he remembered everything with distinct
detail.
Both me and Kaden believe his dad was telling the truth and I
think this was one of the most interesting stories I gathered out of
the twenty other stories that I have to sort through.
Item 2
• The Nunnery (Get out)
Context: Justin has a brother in law that took a trip up to the
nunnery with his friends and this came up in conversation because
about 2 weeks ago me and my friends went to the nunnery so he
told me about Rex's experience.
Text: Alright my brother in law Rex was with a group of his
buddies up at the nunnery and it was him and ten other friends, one
of his buddies had a camera and they were in a little group walking
through the nunnery, and it was really quiet then they suddenly
heard a whispered "get out", so they all freaked out and ran out of
• there and on the video you hear get out then the rest is just the
sound of a swinging arm with a camera haha pretty creepy.
Texture: Justin heard the story from his brother in law Rex but I
am not entirely sure if I am sold on this story or not. We have been
up at the nunnery and there was nothing really going on the whole
hour and a half we were up there. Who knows, maybe it was
somebody up there with another group of friends and they thought
it would be funny to go and scare the other group of people that
was up there with them.
• Item 3
Oujia board
•
•
Context: Alrighty So me and two other friends had this Ouija
board and we were playing with it and the night went on with it
and we had been playing with it for about an hour and a half before
everyone left and my one friend who owned it was to afraid to take
it home with him so I just said I would keep it here at my house.
So
then later at night I'm in bed playing X box and I am just laying
down and while im playing I notice a serious pressure going on my
arm and when I look at my arm the pressure slowly relieved and it
felt like something was getting up and moving, so i was kinda
wigged out but I didn't think much about it. So I keep playing x
box then it was late enough to go to bed. I go to take my shirt off
and my tag was sticking out and then it felt like four fingers slid
down my neck and tucked my tag into my shirt so I flip around and
there was nothing there so I got a really eerie feeling. So I am
laying in bed and fall asleep but then wake up around 3:20
which is the witching hour between 3-4, and at the end of my bed I
• hear some really heavy breathing at the end of my bed so I look
•
•
around and don't see anything and the breathing kept happening as
I forced myself to go back to sleep.
Texture: Kaden told me this story right before we started playing
with the Ouija boards ourselves because he wanted us going in
there already freaking out even before anything started to happen.
I can buy this story because I have heard crazy stuff from people,
and on the internet about the Ouija boards so why would it be
crazy to think that it could happen to him?
Item: 4
• Ghost Dog
Context: I asked Robert if he could help me out with my
•
•
mythology project by telling me a story that he had maybe
experienced that was at all scary, and he happened to have this one.
Text:
Hey what's going on? My friends and I were chilling up logan
canyon one night we go up there often to hang out have food and
sit around a camp fire. It just so happens this one particular night it
was kind of strange we were all sitting around the campfire and a
sound came out of nowhere that I heard like a chain rattling. And at
first I though someone parked their car down on the road and was
walking their dog up the trail, maybe even a park ranger seeing
what was going on. So as I heard the noise I kind of just jumped up
expecting to see a dog under the table like I mentioned but
instantly after I heard chain rattles there was nothing there and it
was crazy that our natural reaction was to jump out of our seats to
look under the table, see what was there and it was right in our
vicinity of where we were and after we saw nothing we went and
searched the path because we were so focused on the sound we had
• heard and this was pretty legitimate and after looking around we
•
•
•
didn't find anything so it was very very strange.
Texture: I don't know what Robert heard, maybe it was a ghost of
some sorts or who knows maybe it was even a chain tied to a tree
somewhere that was blowing in wind or something I don't know
but Robert isn't the type of guy to just lie to you so I believe he
heard something that startled all of them .
Item 5
Nunnery
Context: Alec and I had gone up to the nunnery with a group of
friends and then a few days later he went up with another group of
friends and he wanted to tell us how the two experiences differed
. ........ _ . . . _---- - ----- -------
•
•
•
Text: Alright so me and 3 or 4 other friends went up to the
nunnery in Logan canyon and first off its just a super sketchy
place but so there is a main room that is a lot freakier than the rest
by where the pool is if you know what I'm talking about. And its
weird to hear creaking sounds and the main room inside of it, its
boarded off except for a hole we had to go through you get in and
it smells awful, chains hanging from the roof there is weird sounds
all over, there is no way it wasn't paranormal. There was creaking
up and down steps and nobody else was walking around with us
we were all standing still. The nunnery / St. Anne's Retreat.
Texture: I had been to the nunnery before and didn't really
experience any of these things before except for the big room
being boarded off and the chains from the ceiling but I don't know
maybe he really did hear and see and smell that stuff, it is a creepy
place however.
Item 6
Arizona Ghost
Context: Alec told me this story a few years ago when we had just
gotten done watching a scary movie because he said that it
reminded him of the same type of "ghost be gone" they had to use
in Arizona.
• Text: ok so when I lived in Arizona I was a little kid so I don't
remember a whole lot about it, but I had this really weird freaky
house we were renting and the basement was always really
freezing cold, and we felt like there was another presence there so
my parents got a weird kind of exorcism and get rid of the ghostly
presence and it worked and was gone forever.
Texture: I don't know about this one, especially because he was a
little kid at the time so it could have just been a whole lot of little
kid imagination going on that had a lot to do with it but he believes
• what he said was true so I am not going to fight him on it ha.
•
Item: 7
Haunted Closet
Context: We were making fun of Mckae and what not and the
things we were saying to be funny reminded him of a story that
wasn't really what you would say is funny it's a lot more freaky .
Text: This one is about my haunted basement closet so one day I
•
•
was down there watching TV and I noticed the door was opening
and closing by himself and I thought my little brother was playing
around so I kept watching TV and it kept opening and closing. It
brings back emotions. So I'm sitting there and I get this bad feeling
like a chill and I was like I need to check this out and I turned off
my TV so it was really dark and I look in the closet and there was
no one in there so it was weird then the door slammed shut behind
me and I was like 0 no 0 no and then I hear a voice like Mckae
Mckae and I was freaking out it was crazy then something grabbed
my leg ... .it was outta this world.
Texture: This is either a really crazy story that should be on the
news or else this is just something he thought he would say ha
either way I think it is a fun story that could be passed around to
people that is just fun.
ItemS
Face
Context: he got done telling me the other story that he told me for
7 and he said that he had another one for me so we sat down and he
let me interview him once again.
• Text: So I was laying in my bed and it was bed time and I am
• asleep. I wake up and its like 4 in the morning and im like that's
weird I woke up so I roll over to sleep again and I close my eyes
and then I open them again and I see this face on my wall that I
swear was there so I was freaking out and I was like oh no that is
crappy and so I closed my eyes and went to bed and in the morning
it wasn't there and so I was just being haunted by a ghost
Texture: I have actually heard stories about people playing with
Ouija boards and having this type of thing happen to them. I don't
know if he has ever played with one of those before, but I would
recommend he quits doing that if he does if he is getting crazy
• things like that to happen in his house!
Item 9
Weeping Widow
Context: Me and my friends went legend tripping on Halloween
night to the cemetery to see the weeping widow and see if we
could get her to look at us when we shined the light on her, and
Tristan Gonion tells us what happened
• Text: Me and my wonderful friend Tyler, and Alec and Mckae and
• Tyger all decided to check out the weeping widow in the late
afternoon in the night, so we decided to hop the fence and
unfortunately Tyler ripped his pants and so did I we got stuck and
were freaking out as cars were driving by and once we got over our
ripped pants we went to the widow and did the light thingy and
looked at it and it worked and we were very surprised because we
were very spectacle, it was quite sketchy because we didn't think it
would work and it did, and being in the cemetery was creepy
• anyways.
Texture: I was with these guys when they did it and yes indeed it
did work, we all had big flash lights and once we turned them off
we saw the statue lift her head out of her hands and look at us .... .it
was scary.
Item 10
Haunted Building
Context: Tristen heard about this haunted area from his brother
that lives in Pennsylvania and he went there so he thought he
would share it with his dear friends.
Text: I heard about this building that was haunted I don't
• remember what it was but I went to check it out with one of my
•
•
•
good old pals so we decided to go in and we got to the door and it
was chained and we broke it, and the creepy door creaked and we
got into the room and it smelled like something had been skinned
in there like hunting people lived there, it was kinda weird, so we
wondered around the building and we found a dining room area
that was way nice and had a way nice chandelier at the edge of the
table it was really weird like someone was following us but no one
was there and it looked like people had been living there recently.
Texture: I wish I knew what this place was called so maybe I
could google it or something but he said everything he told us was
true and this building was really nasty.
Item: 11
Haunted House
Context: These friends of ours live just down the road from us and
this lady has got a BUNCH of stories about ghosts that she has
come in contact with over the years and I have been in her house
and I am definitely thinking that she is being haunted all of the
time
Text: we are at our friends house hanging out one night and she is
telling me about how she has these ghosts that have followed her
- •• '00 _______ _ ___
•
•
from one house to the next, and were all sitting in the living room
all of us and she starts talking about it and all of the sudden I hear
somebody running up and down the hallway upstairs above us and
we were all downstairs so it was kind of creepy.
Texture: I believe this story one hundred percent because I was
there when it happened and there are quite a few more stories to
come that have to do with her and her ghosts .
Item 12
Old house
Context: The same friend that had the ghost running up and down
the halls also had an old house that she lived in back when she was
a little girl still living at her parents house.
Text: So this friend said she has been followed by ghosts like her
whole life anyway there was an old, old house that she lived in in
• providence across the street from the maverick where they built
- --- - - ---------
•
•
that new car wash and stuff, and she lived in there and said it was
really haunted and she said one day she came back from school
and
walked in and there was someone sitting on her couch and there
was an old lady sitting on her couch in a black veil in all black
sitting and staring forward and she ran in the kitchen and came
back and the lady was gone.
Texture: I believe all of the stories this girl tells because a fair
amount of these stories actually have proof anyways and that
makes it even more awesome .
Item 13
Old House Picture
Context: I have actually seen the newspaper clipping that has the
picture of the man standing in the window of this house and it is
one of he coolest pictures I have ever seen
Text: ok so my same friend that lived in that same creepy house
across from where the maverick was said that it was haunted by
• this old man and I guess when they tore that house down to build
•
I •
•
the carwash there the newspaper was there and took a picture of
the house and they all started freaking out because they were
bulldozing it and the newspaper guy said that there was somebody
there and anyways they printed this picture in the paper and you
could see the silhouette of the man in the upstairs window as they
were tearing it down.
Texture: like I said I have seen the picture of the newspaper with
the guy in the upstairs window and it is really creepy, but totally
awesome! That is a picture that will make a person that is curious
about ghosts a believer .
Item 14
Ghost Girl
Context: I knew this story even before my mom did because our
friend told me this herself, this happened in that old house she
lived in in providence back when she was a little girl.
Text: k so my again my friend that has been living in haunted
houses her whole life told me one morning her mom was yelling at
her to get up one morning and she was taking her time and her
mom was getting mad and she is facing the wall and her mirror is
i.
•
•
on the wall and she said she opened her eyes and this girl that
looked like she was on skates or something because she wasn't
walking went like walking by her door and shot her this big 01
dagger and just kept going on by.
Texture: I really like this story because I can actually like see it
playing through my head and it's a really cool story, personally I
think I would freak out and lose my mind and never sleep in that
house again .
Item 15
Mysterious Door
Context: I was actually in the room when this happened and saw it
with my own two eyes.
Text: So me, my dad and my brother we were all just hanging out
watching TV and out of nowhere our closet door in my parents
room opens up and it's weird because there wouldn't be a draft
or anything in there. So yeah, that's about it.
Texture: This was really freaky because we were all just sitting
•
•
•
there talking and the door just opened. It's really weird because
that closet door always swings shut after you open it so when it
opened all by itself it was creepy!
• Item 16
Helping Hands
Context: I never heard this story before but I found it pretty
interesting. I would like to find this story and read more about it.
Text: K several years ago in a small Wyoming town, this is true
but
I don't remember exactly where. There was I believe a man and a
woman that were in trouble with the law. lean 't remember why
exactly but they went into an elementary school first thing in the
morning and held the kids and the teachers hostage. And it wasn't
• a big school so but there were plenty of kids and they took them
into the gym and they had guns and urn I can't remember they
threatened to blow them up I think. And so anyway the police and
everybody found out and surrounded it but all the kids were scared
And did what the teacher told them but urn eventually I don't
remember if they one of them got shot or something I wish I could
remember better. But kids came and they were being helped out
of
the window by these different people and stuff and the kids said
• after that they had actually had seen people there that were just
•
•
•
---,- ,----------_._ .
kinda floating they didn't have legs or feet. And they saved, I don't
think anybody got hurt any of the kids or teachers. But later on
they were trying to describe who it was that helped them because it
wasn't any of the towns people or anything. And so a lot of the
families got out their photograph albums and they were looking
through and the kids would say that is the person that helped me.
And it would be their great great grandma or great great grandpa
that they never met. And that is a true true story. But there was a
lot
of them that were helped by an ancestors that had passed on years
and years before.
Texture: I really like this story and can't imagine being helped by
family that have already passed on. But then I think it would be
really cool to see some of them again .
----------------- .. _.. _ -_ ... __.. ... .
• Item 17
Footsteps in the attic
Context: I heard this story before and it's from the same people
that lived in the haunted houses their whole lives.
Text: OK so my friend Cody his mom when he was younger he
well his mom when he was younger she heard footsteps in her
attic when she was hanging out with his dad they were just
hanging out watching movies and they heard footsteps in the
attic so they thought they'd go check them out. So anyway they
• go check them out and they go walking up into the attic and
nothing was there. Then they went down and went to get some
•
flashlights came back and when they were on their way back they
heard footsteps on the ladder. So when they got back the footsteps
were gone. The very next day well not the very next but a few
weeks later they heard the very same thing but only in the attic
they didn't want to go check it out. But that is what he told me so
that is pretty much it.
Texture: My little brother heard this story from his friend that
lives in this house and he is so, so sure that his friends house is
haunted.
Item: 18
Hitchhiker
Context: I have actually heard this type of story before in my
mythology class.
Text: so I heard this story about this guy that was driving down
this road and he saw a girl hitch hiking so he picks her up and she
was pretty cold so he gives her his lettermen's jacket and drops her
off at her house and then realizes that he forgot to get his jacket
back so the next day he goes back to this house and says I need to
• get my jacket back is Susan here? And they said I am sorry Susan
died twenty years ago. He said well no I saw her last night and I
•
gave her my jacket, the mom said well I can take you to her grave
they go to the cemetery and his lettermen jacket is on top of the
grave.
Texture: I don't think I really believe this story because I have
heard it be told in so many different ways so it sounds like
everybody kind of has their own spin on it. Or maybe it is true but
some of the translation has been shifted throughout all of the times
it has been told .
•
•
•
Item 19
Maiden on the Hill
Context:
Text: ok so many many years ago in high school there has been
this story about this maiden who was in love this man, well this
man went hunting up in the mountains and never came back, so
she
went looking for him and actually froze to death up there. And
every time the snow starts to melt in the spring you can see an
outline of her and its called maiden on the hill.
Text: I have seen this mountain before I the spring and its really
cool looking. You can actually see the girl and it looks like she is
walking across the mountain side. I had seen if before but hadn't
heard the story until now .
•
•
•
Item 20
The Pasture
Context: This is a friend of mine's property that some of my other
friends go up to in the summer time to have fires and hang out that
is up in Mt. Sterling and its pretty creepy and has some creepy
things going on around it all the time.
Text: Ok so my friends own this property where it is kind of
secluded from everything else in Wellsville. And whenever we go
down there to sleep out there or just hang out. We always hear
something running across the river a few hours after we get there
and there are always just twigs around us breaking and footsteps
and we always see something white darting in between trees. One
day while leaving me and one of my friends we saw something big
and white jumping from tree to tree and after we saw that we were
out of there.
Texture: This in my eyes is all true because I have been down
there before and I agree with the things running towards us in the
river and then nothing ever shows up. I still however haven't seen
any white things jumping tree to tree there before but hey anything
is possible I guess .]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Tyler Thurston]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 11773402 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]>
To the editor:
After reading the article on the 30-plus teen-agers that had trespassed on private property in Logan Canyon, we felt compelled to present our view of a hitherto unspoken portion of this alleged violent occurrence.

The purpose of “law” is to protect the rights of the citizenry. The first principle of all law does not compel performance. Quite to the contrary, law prohibits performance. “Do not speed, Do not ill, Do not covet.” I fail to see the action of the watchmen as being as reprehensible, as we have been led to believe.

Where do the parents stand on the issue of their children breaking the law? Does this issue take a back seat because someone held these young adults accountable for their actions?

I have not read one iota of evidence where the watchmen werw outside this private property inviting anyone in. These teen-agers knew that they were trespassing, yet because they were caught and held for the police the watchmen are the ones in the public hot seat.

If my teen-ager had been among those involved, I would have been just as outraged as those parents, but at my teen-ager, not the watchmen. We, as parents, have a God-given responsibility to teach our children to respect other people’s rights, such as obeying the law and being good citizens.

Also to Mr. Chambers, Logan attorney, to teach your children that being frisked or emotionally distressed by our “now” teen-agers taking guns, knives and explosives to schools, churches, etc. The idea of making the perpetrator the victim and the watchmen the villains appears typical of jurisprudence today. Do we even need to wonder why our social structure is breaking down?

Susan Walker
Wellsville

Youths could have prevented incident

To the editor:
When we first picked up the paper and read where we could leave a message for you between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., we found your “mailbox” was full, so we decided to leave this at your office.

Incidentally, we do not know any of the parties involved in this Logan Canyon incident, so we have no preconceived notions because of any friendships.

We would expect our community to hold people accountable for their actions. Although the caretaker definitely overreacted, if the story as reported was accurate, but one must realize this would have never occurred had the youths involved not been breaking the law in the first place. We feel the youths should be required to perform some form of public service to make up for their actions, which initially caused the problem.

A reprimand to the caretaker is all that should be required, as he probably handled it the way he thought best to control the crowd which had him overwhelmed.

Monte and Eunice Merrill
Logan]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 858858 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Anne Gray Perrin
Utah State University
Fife Folklore Archives
Logan, UT
English/History 6770 (Folk Narrative)
Professor Steve Siporin
Spring 2011


Interviewee:
Place of Interview:
Date of Interview:
Interviewer:
Recordist:
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Trevor Eschler
Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University
April, 2011
Anne Gray Perrin
Anne Gray Perrin
Recording Equipment: Alesis Pamtrack 24bit Wave mp3 digital recorder
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe transcription software
Transcribed by: Anne Gray Perrin
Transcript Proofed by: Anne Gray Perrin
Brief Description of Contents Eschler recou ' s bis trips to St. Ann-'s rrtrcl!~; rc~s0ns ' .y he
goes and what he has experienced.
GP: .L rL.'le Gray Perrin
TE: Trevor Eschlcr
NOTE: Interjrrtic1 -::: ~:-irg p::!~~.;:'s o~· '"?_,:_.. . ;ti~::~ in d!R~~~~~ s:~~l ~a$ "11h" a_... ~ st?J~s ar~.~ stop~
in conversations arc not included in transcribed. All additions to transcript are noted with
brackets.
TAPE I'K<\RSC
[00:01] Trevor Eschler: Trevor Eschler
started going up to the Nunnery. So what provoked you to go up there?
and find it. But we weren't able to find it. So I moved up here in August. We were bored one night . .We
started looking on thr i tc~nct for thinGs t0 d~ in L0C:''1, - ~~ h~ rem m!:-('rcc!_ H:: V!'JS try!~z t flr.d the
Nunnery so we kind of found the directions on the Internet and decided to go up there. It was about
11:00 at night when we started out. At 11:00, we gathered up some people.
AGP: And so had you heard tit'"· stories at..out th N.1i·,;-:2fr ;
TE: What Y..'e decided to d~ is we were !ook!!'1[; for do, we dcdc0~ tc rc2.d i t0 th:- to~ic!: t khrl of fr?J1:
( ours_;!".J<.:s cut; to sec ·' :Jt it '/las all about.
1
(
(
AGP: So what had you heard?
TE: A couple of the stores that read was that the cabins up there were summer homes for the Owner of
tried to sell it to the University. The University didn't want it so he ended up selling it to the Catholic
Church, and the Catholic Church took over; and started running the Nunnery out of it. Up there, there's
of wedlock out of there and take them into the swimming pool and drown them. One account we read,
you walk in there and you kind of get this eerie feeling. We tried that out, and it's true.
TE: You 1NJ!k in and th{!re 's just this cold spot; and it kind of sends chills down your back. We read the
fftO!)i rt.:i.-'-•t .. .w· .... ~ ... -· -· i\. -. .. ,...._-1 • i.; ...... . , ;._ .. ,. __ ............... - .... ,.. ____ ....__.; :...: ........... . ....;. - ~---- ,.__ .. . ....... - _ ... _ . . __ . ., .. _ " .. ..... .....
up there, and there's three security guards. They got caught and got tied up in the swimming pool and
. . . ··~ - - a •• y · .mg ::Kt! U •d~.
AGP: You still 'Nan edt go even th •_•gh you heard of this attack?
TE: Yeah. We kind of, I don't know. We're thrill seekers so we tried. If someone says, "Don't do it," we do
it just to prove them wrong, that it can be done.
AGP: Yeah?
AGP: Have you encountered any mortal beings or any security issues?
there with us but the people we go up there with.
stuff?
mile away from the entrance, kind of walk up. You had to cross this bridge, and if you go walking up it, it
looking directly at the swimming pool, and you could see the silhouette of a person; just one person. I'm
• • • • ' • -- I Q• ...,..._ fJ Vi a ll '--'- "- u -7)1 IJ U'- J .... .:ll OJi H .. - ·•~ ; v- ...,.\... L\.C . - "1.,.. •"'"- .=.t.ua ~\,..- i _._ ,, , ; •6 - i - \..oo · i U . I • h .. • i4 ;..·u 1 .. -.;u:J -:...-\,; i"\.:f (!0 UY
clouds. There was nothing. So that really freaked us out. We ventured down into the swimming pool.
Came out. '\nd there's r 3bins s•1rro•Jnning it, a rod . t thi time, like ! c~id, we h ~d re, d all the stories so
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; .. __ . r .. r. __ ; _ . _ r _______ r. . . -• ~ _ . . . . r _ . .-. - . .._ . _ . _ . r r ._ _ _ _ _ .. r I r r-y
·y{;3. ·v-v· ~~~ ciii~ ci-\.iy HCQi·:~;.:l VUi'~~ .. :T\··_-~: UUi.. :~u v-;~ ~~i~- ili:· ~· ~~-~- -..:.~ ~0
... ...., ..... _._ •• ._ ~...;-..·:. -. 1 "";;~ ..... -v~ ·- ...... ;.. .... _.._.:_.. ...........
called us up. He was like, "Dude, let's just take some girls up there and scare them." We were like,
"Alright." So we went up there, kind of scouted it out. Then he came up about a half hour later. We were
;: - 1 - ; - . .- . - '- ~'1 ~ - -- . -- _l- .. - - ... ! 'i t 1 - 1--- . "'....t.. --- -~;:-~-
.u~ '-"""•" .,._""'-'-: o ~, --~t.- \.i:•- -.....-.... .!:J..tttJ ... ,. .. _ ~ -$.-..-~._ - •-~.._ ~'-- _.::.,_•_1;,... i-' .• .,., ,_.,.;: .. :; 1 ~ '--1~• :..1,,..,.,....~: ... -v .. ~:•~~!l.c • .-~- /'-.. .... v-IJ\:::Jt, i . fUill tJIC:::
occasions. It's pretty fun. It's scary, too because sometimes you're in some of the buildings alone by
yourself and you hear the old wood creek. It gives you a rush.
AGP: So had you experienc.ec.i el~e supernatural or is it jusi. the swim ruing pool. io~:u.J}
AGP: Yeah. And so how many of your friends go up there like group-wise?
TE: Let's see. We got, there's probably about eight regulars, and then our groups usually range from
eight to twenty. Anywhere in there.
AGP: So it just depends on like what's going on?
TE: Yeah. It depends on the night; if it's a week day or weekend; wha~' s the next ctay; if thc·rc's te:;.ts
people have to take or whatnot. We try to get as many people as we can to go up there because the
more people, the funner [sic].
AGP: So even thoilgh there's al! these storlt:s, with th .... ati.a .... ~ and th.:: supciTIJh.irc.l, an ' cvu-. though
you've experienced those things, you still keep going?
( TE: Yean.
AGP: So why do you think that is? Why do you go?
i c: It's sornethlng 1u''; ~u cL.
AGP: It's just fun?
. i ;_ .. i. ; •• ...;:.... ... 1 ... .._,....,. ••- -- ...;) -·~ -~'-··.,__- ~ov.:.- .~ .... _ .:_-_
get up there to just have fun. It's kind of fun to take new people up there just to see their reactions.
TE: Because, I mean, pretty much everyone on campus has heard the stories or they know someone
AGP: Yeah. Yeah.
O ·'-· ·...,. • · ~---·-.:..-- .l ;. .. .;.~ - ·• ;,.;_- -- ~:.. ~....! - •' - i -~- ;; ·-.J •• , ~-. -'·J _-..
you up there." And then they call the rest of us, that the people don't know, say, "Hey, we're going up
there at this time. Be there." And so we'll just go around scaring people. We've got it clown to an art sc>
that i.hey c.::;tc>iii words, we'll k cvv how to react.
AGP: Can you give me an example of that?
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TE: There's one, there's a three story house with a big glass window. It would be on the southeast side of
it. And just south of that big old house, there's three little cabins. And they come walking down, and
they kind of, they're making noise, you know. And we have person that throws on a hood, and they're
standing in the glass window. And what they do is, they'll walk around to the side of the house, and
they'll take a flashlight, and they'll run it over the window; and they'll see someone there. And they'll
kind of freak out, and they'll run it back. And by the time they pass it by the second time, the person
ducks below the window so t hey're not sec11. So you sec a shactov:, <:~ silhci.i~t'.. c o~ a p.:.f5!)!1 at fr JL Th.:: .-,
the second time, it's gone. That really gets to girls. There was a couple times where they'!! come walking
by, and there's just slamming doors shut. Funny experience v,;lth that, is we were preparing ourselves
than fivz fe:3t taiL So you got J '.'.tJJl here, .:md there .. nd so I want to see how loud it would sound, shut.
So l :;l;:,mmcd the -::!oor, Jnd th: de-or j<::m:ncd vn us. So t :::r.:'s three of us. We're all pulling on the door
to come barre! it down vith the shou!d~r, prop it open. It was a pretty funny experience.
TE: Well, at first I was like, "Oh, crap, what to do?" But I realized we were up there with friends. but if I
had been up there by rn\·sc!f, i wouk~'vc been t ·r rificd, 'OLJ knvv •. Btr'. ~ir:u' 1.\''- wcr u;; H:cr::· v ·iii:~
group of people, we're becoming more familiar with area.
AGP: Yeah.
TE: So ycu kind of k~o l\.1 ·.'hat to Gxpect and vhat not to expect.
TE: Yeah. We got to.
AGP: Yeah. Yeah.
and see like this was built in the '60s or 70s and kind of see the structure of it. It's super close to the
highway, but there's so many trees around. If you don't it's there, you'll never notice it.
TE: Just trying to think if there's been anything else. I t hink those are like the main stories.
TE: The main experience where you see the silhouette in the pool. Oh, there's one time, we came out of
" - - ., -1 ~ ' ~ - T" .. ., ~., - 1 'f ~ - l. ;,__'t.,. ":' - t.__. - '
,. ..... - ·-. - -0 , .... - ., -- - -- - . F .... u ...... 0 . - -- • . - · -· , . -- · - -: ..... _. ~ -. ....;: .. : .;.-..;. , -, -· • .:.. :... -· ·- -~· -:. ; _::,~ ~:it:. :.;;~ UlU
bag. It was probably about five and half, six feet tall. We were like, "What the crap?" It looked like a
body bag.
4
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AGP: Oh!
TE: And we had our freshman roommate, and he was trying to prove himself to us.
AGP: Yeah.
TE: So we dared him to go and check it out because it just looked suspicious. So after about twenty
minutes of convincing him to go down, he went and ripped the bag open. It was just a bag of leaves. It
was just funny seeing that. It's something I think lots of people should go up there and check it out
because it's pretty interesting.
AGP: Do you think, because I didn't really get a lot of responses as far as people going back up to the
Nunnery, so do you think it's rare or do you think? I mean, are you one of the only groups of people that
go up there or do you think other people do it?
TE: If they do, they don't do it as much as us. You know what I mean?
AGP: Yeah.
TE: Because, like I've said, we've probably gone up there a dozen or more times, and we've never seen
another group up there.
AGP: And have you ever heard people talk about it?
( TE: I haven't heard anyone talk about going up there. If we have, it's like people going up there like two
years ago.
AGP: Yeah.
TE: Nothing too recent.
AGP: Well, again, is there anything else you would like to say?
TE: I think that's it.
AGP: I think that's it. Okay.
(
5]]> Eschler, Trevor]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Perrin, Anne Gray]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 1877863 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1960-1969; 1970-1979; 1980-1989; 1990-1999; 20th century; 2000-2001; 2000-2009; 2010-2019; 21st century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mitch Mascaro]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Wilkin, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Mascaro, Mitch]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

A bench warrant was issued this morning after a man accused of terrorizing 38 teenagers and young adults at the St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon failed to appear for his preliminary hearing.

Arthur Peasnall of Tooele County was scheduled to appear at 1st District Court in Logan at 9 this morning. The two other men charged in the case, John Jeppson of Pocatello, Idaho, and Chris Doerr of Tooele County, were present for the hearing, but Judge Clint Judkins continued it until 1:30 this afternoon and ordered a bench warrant issued for Peasnall.

Judkins made his decision at 10:20 a.m. when Peasnall had still not arrived. No one in the court, including his attorney, Arden Lauritzen, could account for his whereabouts.

“Use your contacts in Tooele County and do what you have to do to find him,” Judkins said to Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt.

Many of the witnesses set to testify at the hearing and their family members expressed displeasure at the delay.

The preliminary hearing is being held for the state to prove it has enough evidence to bring its case against the three men to trial. The men were arrested in October after they tied up and allegedly threatened to kill 38 trespassers on the retreat they were caretaking for. They are also accused of touching the breasts of one juvenile, claiming they were searching her for weapons.

The men are each charged with six counts of aggravated assault and one count of forcible sexual abuse. All three were released from the Cache County Jail shortly after their arrest on $5,000 bail each.

The Herald Journal will have a report on this afternoon’s development in its Thursday edition.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 402589 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> By Jacob Santini
Senior News Writer

Three men accused of assaulting 30 high school students from Cache Valley, at what was once a Catholic retreat, are going to trial later this month.

Judge Clint Judkins ruled Thursday afternoon that the state had enough evidence to hold trial for Christopher Doerr, Arthur Peasnall and John Jeppson. Doerr and Peasnall are both charged with six counts of aggravated assault. Jeppson is charged with one count of forcable [forcible] sexual assault and six counts of aggravated assault.

According to one of the victims, the first alleged crime occurred at around 2 a.m. on Oct. 10. The three accused men caught a group of men and women trespassing on the property of Saint Anne’s Retreat.

Once the tree guards found them, Jeppson fired a shot into the air and told the eight to get down. Once on the ground, the individuals were retained with plastic cuffs and then taken to the main lodge room. Jeppson then wrapped a rope around the necks of the group and told them if they moved their heads would be burnt off, he said.

The second incident occurred Oct. 10 about 9:30 p.m. Three groups of local high school students say they were ambushed on the bridge and then cuffed together.

In testimony on Wednesday in Logan’s First District Courthouse, a 17-year-old girls who is accusing Jeppson of sexually assaulting her, said the group of 11 friends were walking across the bridge when a man came running at them and fired a shot into the air.

“He yelled get down on the f’ing ground; you are all under arrest,” the woman said. “Then he fired his gun in the air.”. . . [missing text] of high school students who were face down in the ground, the girl said.

Once all of the kids were on the ground they were handcuffed together with plastic flex cuffs.

Once restrained, the girl testified, Jeppson sexually assaulted her.

“He searched up both of my legs and then around my behind just patting around,” the girl said. “The then put both hands up my stomach and over my breast and then back down over my stomach.”

“I was so afraid, I didn’t know what to think,” the girls said, crying.

The group of about 30 students were then led to the empty pool on the Saint Anne’s property, according to testimony.

They made us kneel down in the pool and then they put a wire around our necks. He (Jeppson) said it would blow up if any of us moved because it was attached to an explosive, she said.

Another 17-year-old girls said she was injured after Jeppson had grabbed her by the collar and jerked her head back and then forward again.

Johnson said, “He (Jeppson) said ‘Shut up or do you want that rope any tighter.”

Jeppson’s defense attorney David Perry pointed out that vandals had caused extensive damage to the property on the Wednesday and Thursday prior to the Friday that the high school kids trespassed. The eight in the group held by the three men on Friday morning had also threatened to be back later to get revenge on the men, Perry said.

The defense attorney for Doerr, Barbara Lochmar said, “Was it reasonable for Jr. Jeppson, Mr. Doerr and Mr. Peasnall to believe that a felony was going to be committed?

“There had been burglaries the two nights prior and their lives had been threatened earlier that morning,” Lochmar said. “There was reasonable belief that a crime was going to be committed.”

For a crime to be an aggravated assault, deadly force must have been used, Lochmar said.

“Did they use deadly force?” she asked. “They shot in the air and shot to the sides of the people. I’m not so sure that deadly force was used.”

In response, Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt said, “A loaded gun falls under deadly weapon. A felony to injure or use deadly weapon is deadly force.

“If every time someone steps in my backyard and made a noise I could shoot at them, then we live in a sorry world,” Wyatt said.

The charge of forceable [forcible] sexual assault was dropped against Doerr and Peasnall by Judkins because there was no evidence which showed they had sexually assaulted any of the high schoolers.

Peasnall is currently in the custody of Cache County Jail. Jukdkins issued a bench warrant for him when he failed to appear at the preliminary hearing on Wednesday morning. Peasnall was picked up in Tooele County and brought to the courthouse that afternoon. His bail was reset at $5,000.

An arraignment for the three will be held on March 23.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 752004 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> All three arraigned on aggravated assault charges; lawyers may seek change of venue.
By The Associated Press

A June 8 trial date has been scheduled for three men charged with aggravated assault for allegedly using too much force to detain trespassing youngsters at a Logan Canyon retreat.

John Jeppson of Pocatello, Idaho, Chris Doerr and Arthur Peasnall, both of Tooele County, were arraigned on Monday on six counts each of the third-degree felony.

Jeppson also is charged with forcible sexual abuse for allegedly touching the breast and buttocks of a female trespasser while searching her.

The men are accused of using violence to detain 38 young people who entered the former St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon on Oct. 10 for a Halloween season thrill.

The young people, ranging in age from 16-21, initially were charged with trespassing. But the owners of the private retreat asked that charges be dismissed after hearing allegations that three men staying there terrorized the youths.

The three were bound over for trial earlier this month after a preliminary hearing.

Jeppson had been represented by public defender David Perry, but during Monday’s arraignment, Perry told 1st District Judge Clint Judkins that Jeppson has retained his own attorney, Greg Skordas of Salt Lake City.

Skordas will now have to approve the trial date.

If the tentative date works out, the trial is expected to last four and a half days.

Logan attorney Arden Lauritzen, who represents Peasnall, and Doerr’s attorney, Barbara Lachmar, said they will confer with Skordas about the possibility of asking to move the trial to another county.

Judkins said all motions must be filed with the court by April 20.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 584071 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]>
The third and final suspect accused of violently detaining and threatening 38 people at the St. Anne’s retreat on Oct. 10 was arrested Sunday morning.

Arthur Peasnall, 22, of Tooele was taken into custody by Cache County deputy sheriffs. Peasnall is charged with six counts of aggravated assault. He posted $5,000 bail and was released from jail shortly after the arrest.

Two other suspects in the incident, John Jeppson of Pocatello, Idaho, and his son-in-law Chriss Doerr of Tooele County, were arrested last month, and both posted bail.

Jeppson, considered the lead property watchman in the assault, is scheduled to be arraigned in 1st District Court on Nov. 10. Dates have not been set yet for the two other men.

The three men are accused of tying up, threatening and assaulting young people who were caught trespassing at the cabin site in Logan Canyon.]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 288621 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]> Legends;]]> legend-tripping;]]> and
HECATE IN LOGAN CANYON: ORIGIN, BELIEF, AND CONTEMPORARY ORAL
TRADITION
by
Anna-Maria Sna:bjornsd6ttir Arnlj6ts
Two essays submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Approved:
Jeannie Thomas
Committee Member
of
MASTER OF ARTS
In
American Studies
(Plan B)
Barre Toelken
Major Professor
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Logan, Utah
2000
Randy Williams
Committee Member
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Legend-Tripping at St. Anne's Retreat
What is now referred to as St. Anne's Retreat was initially a summer home eight
miles up Logan Canyon, east of Logan, Utah. It was built in the 1930s by the Boyd
Hatch family from New York, and Mrs. Hortense OdIum. The property was donated in
the 1950s to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, and it was used occasionally
as a retreat and a vacation place for Sisters of the Holy Cross. Because it was not in
continuous use, there was ample opportunity for vandals to visit, even on nights when the
sisters were present. This prompted the nuns to get watch dogs to alert them to the
presence of intruders. The sisters felt unsafe with the increase of the sometimes
intoxicated young trespassers and vandals, and stopped coming to the retreat. In 1992,
Mark Epstein, together with some other investors, bought the property with plans of
turning it into vacation homes (Herald Journal, October 15, 1997. Pg. 16). What these
investors may not have anticipated was the long standing cultural gap between local
Mormons and Catholics, and how fear, belief, prejudice, and a generally accepted folk
tradition of legend-tripping would interfere with their hopes of vacationing peacefully in
the beautiful mountains of Logan Canyon.
Legend-tripping is a term that Linda Degh, William Ellis, and others use in
describing the practice of visiting the sites of supernatural legends. In a collection of
essays called "Legend-Trips and Satanism: Adolescents' Ostensive Tradition as 'Cult'
Activity, " Ellis quotes Kenneth Thigpen who describes legend tripping in three parts
consisting of "1) initiation into the story; 2) performing the acts that 'cause the
fulfillment of the legend'; and 3) retrospective discussion of what participants believed
happened, which then feeds back into the core story into which newcomers were
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initiated" (Ellis 1991 :280). The legends surrounding St. Anne's have provided a thrill to
local adolescents for generations as is manifested by the number of people of all
generations who claim to have taken part in legend tripping at St. Anne's.
St. Anne's retreat and the legends associated with it achieved national media
attention when over 30 high school students seeking to experience the "trip" of this
legendary place, were caught and fell into the hands of vigilante security guards. The
students were captured by three men, who were armed with shotguns; they were then
roped around the neck, handcuffed, and forced to kneel in an empty swimming pool
(Herald Journal, October 12, 1997, pg. 1). The legend-tripping youths embarked on a
"trip" more exciting than they had anticipated as some were allegedly verbally
threatened, physically abused, and sexually assaulted while awaiting the arrival of the
local police. What followed this incident was a public uproar against the watchmen's use
of force against the trespassers.
This paper will look at the circumstances around this event and how age
differences, religious folklore, and other cultural constructions play important roles in the
maintenance of a vivid local legend cluster. The paper will further analyze versions of
the St. Anne legend currently circulating among local high school students. I ultimately
hope to illustrate how the nature of folklore is manifested by incorporating the vigilante
incident into the legend cluster ofSt. Anne's retreat, evident in some ofthe recent
versions collected from seniors at a Logan High School.
The angry response of parents whose children were manhandled at the Retreat
while legend-tripping on Halloween in 1997 was based on their notion that teenage trips
to St. Anne's were so common that they constituted an understandable, coherent
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tradition, the rationale of which was more important than the relatively trivial matter of
trespass. In other words, local concepts of justice are heavily influenced here-as
elsewhere in the world-by local traditions. And if the tradition and its intemallogic are
that important, of course it tacitly affirms the local attitudes on differences in religion.
A different example of local concepts of justice being influenced by tradition may
be the blood libel case involving a child: Andrew ofRinn at Judenstein, a town near
Innsbruck, Austria is said in legend to have died by ritual murder at the hands of a Jew.
Alan Dundes relates that Eli Wiesenthal, a Nazi-hunter, "voices his dismay at seeing full
cars and busloads of school children making annual pilgrimages to Rinn under the
tutelage of their religious instructors to see the ritual murder lie depicted as a historical
event ... [t]his is depicted by three figures made of wood or wax in a menacing pose
with knives in hand surrounding a stone upon which was stretched out a supplicating
infant garbed in white" (Dundes, 342). In spite of great effort to stop pilgrimages to this
blood libel legend site, including orders from Pope John Paul XXli to remove certain
statues-the legend is treated as historical fact and thus the local concepts of justice in
Rinn, and the power of their folk belief and tradition carry on unchanged. The parallel
seen between the St. Anne's legends and the blood libel legends is clearly that local belief
and tradition in both cases justify a long standing custom--one that penetrates basic
principles and issues of a local population. For the St. Anne's legend this means legend­tripping
to experience the legend by ostension; and in the case of Andrew ofRinn at
Judenstein, pilgrimages to the site that commemorates the child murdered there.
Recollections from older locals of the Cache Valley region, recalling their visit to
the "Nunnery," suggest a general consent to this behavior of legend-tripping associated
3
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with the belief and its tradition and suggests that this ritual functions as a rite of passage
for local individuals. This is evident from older generations of legend-trippers that
established the tradition of visiting St. Anne's; and thus viewed as a custom that one
would expect most locals to have participated in. The youths apprehended in Logan
Canyon on Halloween 1997 who expected fulfillment of the St. Anne legend, really did
get a thrill-but not of the sort they expected. Instead of red-eyed Dobermans, the
haunting sound of murdered babies crying out, Witch Hekate in the shape of a cloud
moving down the mountain, the car not starting, boulders falling down the mountain
upon curious visitors, blood in the swimming pool, (representing the death that the pool is
so much associated with), these trippers were ambushed in the night by armed men with
shotguns and held hostage for two hours.
Another story involving St. Anne's Retreat reflects an incident that again deals
with local traditions confronting an aggregate concept of justice. Diane Browning, a
former journalist for the local newspaper, The Herald Journal, wrote an article in 1986,
telling of the St. Anne's Retreat legends as a ghost story for Halloween. She related the
history of the article to me in a phone conversation (1997). After a co-worker told her
one of the St. Anne's legends, they decided it would be a fun piece to write for
Halloween (1986). However, the article instead created an emotional response from the
Logan Catholic community, who took the article as an intentional provocation. Diane
described verbally abusive anonymous phone calls and irate letters to the editor in The
Herald Journal. Also outraged by her article was the incumbent priest, who spent two
consecutive Sundays attacking the author from the pulpit, promoting a charged
atmosphere.
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Legend versions that Browning discussed in her article include: nuns raped and
murdered at the retreat, a nun who had given birth to a child while at St. Anne's,
drowning the baby in the swimming pool, and a nun coming out of the woods
accompanied by two white Doberman Pinschers with red eyes. Browning ended the
article by saying: "A note to the adventuresome: St. Anne's is located on private property
and is patrolled regularly by a night watchman" (Herald Journal, October 26, 1986). This
statement seems somewhat ironic-since eleven years later-the community becomes
witness to an incident on this property that specifically deals with vigilante actions by the
night watchmen.
Browning's newspaper article and the trespassing incident in 1997
involving St. Anne's, illustrate the magnificent potential of a legend, and the powerful
role that it plays in local folklore. This is further illustrated by the resiliency of the
legend as it persists in its navigation through time, through a periodic resurgence, giving
rise to otherwise dormant tensions between the Mormon majority and the Catholic
minority in Logan.
In the Fife Folklore Archives at Utah State University are some 50 legend
versions of the St. Anne's Retreat, and an additional 25 of the related Hecate legend
version, collected by students through the years. Several examples of these follow here
to facilitate an understanding the concepts and ideas involved in this discussion. The
current oral legend tradition appears to contain a basic version: example 1-8; and a
trespassing version that follows as trespass versions 1-4. [stories are written verbatim].
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1. The Old Nun
I once heard of some kids from Hyrum that went up to the old Catholic
Nunnery in Logan Canyon. There was three boys and three girls. It was
really late at night when they went, the guy had wanted to really scare their
girlfriends. They got out of their car, walked down the path towards the
Nunnery. Along the way was a couple of ponds. When they walked past the
ponds little hands reached up and grabbed all of them around the ankles.
They were all so scared that they took off running back to the car. Some of
the guys started asking around as to why this happened. An old Priest that
lives here in the valley told them that when there were people from the church
living there, some of the Nuns became pregnant by the Priests. The Nuns
would carry the baby to full term, and then to save the Church from
embarrassment, they would drown their babies in the ponds. When strangers
enter the property and walk by the ponds the babies' spirits will grab at them;
they try and pull themselves out of the water to keep from drowning (Fife
Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.27).
2. Freezing Nuns
St. Anne's was a place where nuns could go on a vacation, usually in the
summer or winter. One winter a long time ago, some nuns went up there to
stay. It was a very severe winter with lots of snow so a man had to bring
their supplies to them every week. He would take their fuel and food to
them because it was the only way they could get it. One week the man
couldn't get his wagon through, and he had to wait about two weeks before
he could go up there again. He finally made it up to the retreat, and he
found all the nuns had starved and frozen to death. He noticed that their
bodies had been chewed by dogs. He was very worried about this, and was
just leaving when he saw one of the nuns, whose name was Hekeda. She
began chasing him with her two dogs. He got away and told the towns
people what had happened. Hekeda still haunts the retreat with her dogs,
and you can see her chasing you in your rearview mirror as you are leaving.
It is believed she is of the devil (Fife Folklore Archives, ColI. 8. USU. 84-
050. Item 5).
3. St. Anne's Retreat
St. Anne's Retreat was originally established up Logan Canyon for Cache
Valley's Catholic nuns who needed to "get away" from things for awhile.
One nun got herself in trouble and as time passed her problem became more
noticeable. He[r] superiors knew that something needed to be done-she
couldn't walk the streets in her condition, so she was sent to the St. Anne's
for the duration of her pregnancy. The Mother Superior at St. Anne's talked
this nun into putting up the baby for adoption when it was born, because she
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thought this sort of thing was horrible. If the nun would agree to do as the
Mother Superior said, the Mother Superior would help her. If not, then she
could fend for herself. Well, as time went by and this nun spent her time
reading, thinking, swimming in the pool, and walking around the retreat and
in the nearby woods, she began to think of this child and knew she could
never give it up. She decided to leave the order and raise her baby. When
the baby was born she told her decision to the Mother Superior. The Mother
Superior did not agree and felt that she had to end this situation. One day
when this nun was sleeping, the Mother Superior took the baby and drowned
him in the swimming pool. The nun took it very hard, but couldn't believe
the Mother Superior would actually do this. She thought the Mother
Superior had taken the baby and given him to a family, or was hiding him
on the retreat somewhere. As she was recovering, she would take walks
around the retreat to see if she could find her baby. As she walked by the
pool one day, the Mother Superior pushed her in and she drowned. The
Mother Superior thought she had rectified the problem, and now could live
with herself after taking care of this nun. About three weeks later another
nun was sent to St. Anne's to rest and relax for a couple of weeks. One day
as she was walking past the swimming pool she saw a nun floating face
down in the pool. She screamed, and the Mother Superior came to see what
the problem was. The Mother Superior tried to grab at the nun in the pool,
but the nun disappeared. The second nun wanted to know what had
happened, but the Mother Superior would not say anything. The second nun
called the Father and told him to come up to the St. Anne's because there
was something wrong. the Father came and got to the bottom of what had
happened and soon after, the Mother Superior was taken from St. Anne's.
Shortly after this happened, the Catholic church sold St. Anne's Retreat. St.
Anne's is still used as a get away place for various groups and there have
been reports that the one nun is still looking for her baby. Some have seen
her walking around the retreat, and some have seen her floating in the pool.
While there are no reports of anyone talking to this nun, there are plenty of
reports of people who have seen her, so as you go camping in this part of
Logan Canyon, beware of the nun (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.34).
4. Saint-Ann-Retreat
Saint-Ann was a nunery a long time ago. As Catholic, nuns are not suppose
to have sex or any relationship with male. However, some nuns up at Saint­Ann
had broke the rule and got pregnant. When babies were born, the nuns
killed the babies by drowning them in a pool in the back of Sain-Ann. Some
of the nuns felt guilty and killed themselves also. Now, the nuns sometimes
appear back to visit the place. There is a watchman with two dobermans
and a gun to keep the public out (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.14).
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5. Hekeda and Her Dogs
All the nuns and mother superior lived at St. Anne's. One of the nun's name
was Hekeda, and she took care of seven afghan hounds. In the early 1920' s a
guy went up there and killed and raped them all. All of the bodies were
found except Hekeda's and the dog's. Every time someone goes up to St.
Anne's to fix it up, they always hear dogs barking, and then see a lantern on
the ountain. You can see the figure of a woman walking her dogs up there at
night. If you yell the name Hekeda three times, a blue fog will cover your
car, and you won't be able to come down out of the canyon (Fife Folklore
Archives, ColI. 8. USU. 84-050. Item 6).
6. The Lynching Mob
This actually happened sometime in the early sixties. St. Anne's was a
vacation area, and there were about twelve or thirteen nuns up there when
one of them went bezerk. She just went bonkers. She had been training
these four Black Labs, which she had gotten from Hekeda, to kill. She kept
them in a woodshed on the mountainside, and one night she let the dogs
loose. She got a lantern and a hatchet, and she and her dogs slaughtered all
of the nuns. Time passed and nothing was discovered until someone made a
delivery to the retreat. The person who found the dead nuns went back to
Logan and got a bunch of people together. This mob of people went up to St.
Anne's, and they found the crazy nun, and they decided to hang her. They
gave her the chance to speak her last words, and she said, "I will forever
haunt this place." She still haunts St. Anne's today (Fife Folklore Archives,
ColI. 8. USU. 84-050. Item 8).
7. Saint Anne's Retreat
A long time ago there used to be a nunnery at Saint Anne's. One of the
nuns got pregnant by a young priest. She hid the fact that she was
pregnant for a long time. When she had the baby she was told she had to
leave the nunnery. She was grieved at what had happened and went out
and drowned her baby in the swimming pool, then hung herself. Her
spirit haunts the place in the form of a dog. Sometimes people can hear
dogs howling at Saint Anne's. Nobody has ever seen the dogs (Fife
Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.37).
8. Heckada
If you go up Logan Canyon to 3rd dam and cross the bridge into the
Spring Hollow area or go to the Quarry up Providence Canyon, you can
summon the Devil's wife, her name is Heckada. My friend's brother's
girlfriend's brother had a friend that did this very thing. He and a date
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went up to the Spring Hollow area, for some romancing. After being
turned down he got out of the car and yelled the phrase "Heckada, come
get me" this was the saying that you needed to say to get Heckada to
appear. After saying it a few times he returned to the car. His date was
scared, which was his main intention for doing the little prank, or so he
thought. After a few minutes of sitting there they began to hear dogs
barking, they looked up and saw a green glowing chariot pulled by six
wolves, and a mistress with long flowing hair at the reins. At about the
same instance the doors locked, the boy and date was pretty scared by
this time so the boy tried to get the car started but it seemed like the
battery was dead, nothing would start or no lights would come on. By
this time the wolves were on the hood of the car clawing at it and
grow ling. The mistress stared into the boy's eyes and said "I have come
for you." The boy freaked out and didn't know what to do, the girl was
screaming and crying. Then the boy remembered to say "In the name of
Jesus Christ I command you to leave," at the very instance of saying
that, the mistress and her wolves disappeared. The boy then started the
car and returned to Logan. Upon returning to his date's house they
looked at the hood and saw scratches that the wolves left (Fife Folklore
Archives, L2.3.1.15.9).
These legends may function to express curiosity, suspicion and even fear of a
minority religion by a local majority. They may also function as a means of
illustrating the idea that outside religions are too strange for local adolescents to take
seriously by creating a sense of fear and skepticism about their behavior. Such stories
allow for hostility toward another group to be expressed in narrative dramas rather
than the form of physical harm. Nonetheless, it is clear that there is a considerable
emotional load in these stories as well, and it is important for us to wonder why. It
will become increasingly clear through these legend examples and discussion
throughout this paper of different themes and issues that surface, and the function that
this oral tradition serves.
The trespass legend versions that circulate today tell about the horrors occurring
during the incident on Halloween of 1997. Examples 1-4 follow:
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Trespass Story: 1
My father has told me stories of when he would visit there, and my
friend did some research on it last summer. I've heard about the kids
that went up there and the caretaker tied them up in the pool and
harassed them [my emphasis]. My father told me about stories where he
would go up there and play pranks on his dates. Him and his friends
would dress up like ghosts and act out scenes with real rifles and blanks.
I have heard something about somebody dying in the pool, and people
making sacrifice up there [merger of traditional story and trespass
version of 1997] (Logan High survey).
Trespass Story: 2
I heard that there were some high school students were at the nunery and
they got kidnapped [my emphasis] and tied up and I heard they were
breaking into [my emphasis] the nunery (Logan High survey).
Trespass Story: 3
I probably only know rumors from people around me at my school. I
don't know any facts about it. I have heard that there is a nunery up the
canyon where little kids were murdered. Then I heard that kids from my
school and others went up there and got caught by cops. My friend has
been there, and she said it was really scary [a mixture of the basic story
and trespass version of 1997] (Logan High survey).
Trespass Story: 4
The only thing that I have heard about it was about the teens who
where trying to break in and they got harassed [my emphasis] [1997
events] (Logan High survey).
There are several themes that can be observed in various versions of these legends
that address the Mormon-Catholic tensions. The story of "Witch Hekate," identified
with the Mother Superior, and her red-eyed Dobermans, symbolize the evil connotation
that the locals have associated with the Catholic church. The ancient belief of dogs as a
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symbol of evil is seen in this legend by .the presence of Witch Hekate's Dobermans­further
attempting to associate the nuns as evil (Barre Toelken, personal communication).
Also with origins in ancient belief, is the theme of sexuality and pregnancy at St.
Anne' s- which comes from the old notion that nuns and priests secretly engaged in
sexual encounters (Barre Toelken, personal communication). In the case of the legend,
the horror of disposing of these unwanted pregnancies follows.
The congruency between the dramatic images of the legends and local western
and Mormon values suggests still another level of meaning for these narratives.
Teenagers from a patriarchal society go away from town to experience the thrill of danger
in a female-dominated place; teenagers who are dating but are exhorted to refrain from
sex until after marriage go there to be thrilled by legends of women who are prohibited
from having sex, and who don't get married, but who have illegitimate babies anyway;
espousing religion and abhorring murder, they visit places where religious people are said
to have been murdered.
To understand the emotional load and the religious dimension in these legends is
to understand local belief and perception of the world, including the presence of the
Catholic Retreat established some fifty years ago Logan Canyon. Fundamental attitudes
of Mormons towards Catholics is an essential component of the religious dimension, but
what appears prominent through the legends is gender-and the struggle to maintain, and
confirm the male role in this religious culture. The legends serve as faith promoting
events of not only the male establishing his role as dominant, but also to verify that the
Mormon church is superior and one that will prevail over the other.
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Mormon attitudes towards Catholics is well documented. Thomas quotes the
following from personal communication with William A. Wilson, a Mormon scholar:
Mormons see Catholics as the principal apostate church. Protestant
churches have at least tried to draw closer to the original church in their
reform movements, but Catholics have steadfastly persisted in their error, in
their apostasy, and are therefore easily connected with evil. Bruce
McConkie called the Catholic Church the great and abominable church
before he was forced to recant; some missionaries refer to the church as the
"G & A." Missionaries to Catholic countries often come home with tales of
evil nuns and priests" (Thomas, 18).
It is clear to see how attitudes such as these mentioned can determine the
perception of this particular religious culture. Through the legends one can detect
apprehension, fear and anxieties of the presence of the outside religion as well
maintain male dominance of this patriarchal culture. The male confirms his status and
role as dominant male legend-tripping through ostension to maintain, and confirm the
importance and continuation of his role as male in his culture. Male dominance is
established in legend as initiator of courtship; protector against evil by averting evil
with power of priesthood (Example above: 2. Heckada: L2.3.1.15.9).
Another theme presented in some legends is the female outsider vs. the male
insider: the female breaks the rules in these legends and pays the penalty. She either
becomes ostracized as the nun who becomes pregnant in St. Anne's Retreat:
(L2. 1. 12. 1.34) which is noted by the following: St. Anne's Retreat was originally
established up Logan Canyon for Cache Valley's Catholic nuns who needed to "get
away" from things for awhile. One nun got herself in trouble ... she couldn't walk the
streets in her condition, so she was sent to St. Anne's ... " This may not only be
illustrating the attitudes of the local Mormon religion of their perception of such a
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situation by stating that pregnant unwed women cause shame and should be hidden
away-but this situation may also be inverse of reality and that it reflects their own
attitudes about as if happened to their own. The punishment for breaking moral codes
may even become rape and murder as in the following version S. "Hekeda and Her
Dogs" (Fife Folklore Archives, ColI. 8. usu. ColI. 8. 84-0S0.Item 6). The stories
projected on the nuns and the punishment received for breaking the rules may illustrate
local attitudes and feelings towards moral transgressions. Thus the legends send a strong
message to conform to local codes of living.
Other themes represented are 1) In the first version: nun gets pregnant by a priest;
nun has baby and drowns it in the legendary swimming pool located at St. Anne's; nun
commits suicide but remains as a ghost and haunts the place (as a dog); sounds of dogs
howling. 2) The second version: An example of legend-tripping functioning as teenage
courtship scene. (Toelken, personal communication; Fife Folklore Archives:
L2.3.1.1S.9; Thomas, IS). Boy takes girl to this haunted place with hopes of romancing.
Also present is the notion of calling Hekate's name three times to make Hekate appear.
This of course not only has the effect of scaring the girl, but also brings about various
phenomena as described in the story. There is also the presence of dogs, a green
glowing chariot with Hekate at the helm; she also later speaks to the boy, and the car not
starting. There is a definite religious overtone as well in this traditional story. The boy
chases away the evil (nun) Hekate with the words "In the name of Jesus Christ.. .. "
This seems to suggest the idea that the righteous and powerful religion prevails over the
evil presence of the other. This is followed by a safe return as explained by the
following quote: "Those who go there are invariably frightened and end up retreating to
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the safety of their own LDS culture" (Thomas, 18). This would also have the effect and
function as a "faith promoting" (Thomas, 16; Hufford, 222) event for the couple and
undoubtedly the event would continue to serve its purpose in narrative form for the
inspiration of others.
In trespass version (1) the father condones a legend-tripping tradition to St.
Anne's because he recollects his own trips to this legendary site. In other words,
there remains a general acceptance of legend-trips to this supernatural site by
precedence of local tradition, and again, because the trips to St. Anne's are so
common that it becomes a justifiable, acceptable, and a coherent custom that
consequently affects local concepts of justice.
In several of these newer trespass versions, the intruders are perceived as
being victims and are described as being harassed, even though they are the ones
breaking in! This is significant in light of a general local perception that legend­tripping
at St. Anne's is more than a local tradition and viewed by many as a
benign activity. Although it should be clear that large numbers of locals voicing
their opinion in letters to the editor articulated their dismay and frustration with the
trespassers.
In one of the stories (trespass version 3), kids are said to have been murdered at
St. Anne's; this is closely followed by the statement "kids from my school were caught
by cops." This has the appearance (as seen throughout these stories) that the trespassing
high school students were victims-even though they were breaking the law by entering
private property. It may also be a reflection of the traditional themes, incorporated into
the newer trespass stories.
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Still another possible level of meaning in the cluster of traditional stories can be
seen by using Alan Dunde's tenn "projective inversion." Dundes uses the blood libel
legend to illustrate this concept. This legend with origins in ancient times tells of Jews
killing Christian infants and children, using their blood in a ritual to make matzah. He
explains that: "The Christian guilt for indulging in symbolic ritual cannibalism is neatly
projected onto the Jews through such legends" (Dundes, 110). Dundes continues: "I am
persuaded that a more appropriate and revealing approach to the legend lies in the
Christian need for a Jewish scapegoat and in the psychological process I have tenned
"projective inversion"(Dundes, 352). The point is that the blood libel legend is Christian
folklore-"and that it is Christians, not Jews, who [tell and] would like to commit the
blood libel" (Dundes, 354). Also important to note that it was not the Jews who killed
Christ, it was the Romans. "Christians blame Jews for something which the Christians
needed to have happen, a thing which the Jews never did ... [so] projective inversion
refers to a psychological process in which A accuses B of carrying out an action which A
really wishes to carry out him or herself' (Dundes, 352-353). An example of what makes
clear the projective inversion in the blood libel legend is suggested by the following facts:
Jews are prohibited from consuming blood; but Christians, take part in a ritual of
consuming the body of Christ by the symbolic bread and wine (or bread and water)
symbolizing the body and blood of the Christ. Along these lines of wish fulfillment, it
appears that Christians are projecting upon the Jews what they themselves are guilty of­which
is killing and consuming the body of Christ.
Some of the themes in the legends of St. Anne's, parallel to the blood libel
legend, appear to be the reverse of reality:
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--the ghostly nuns are described as menacing and aggressive, intruding on the
visiting teenagers' courtship scene; when in fact the teenagers were trespassing
on church property.
--the nuns are described as sexually active, thus breaking local religious and
moral codes, when of course the teenagers are the ones doing the courtship
game.
These examples suggest that the very characteristics attributed to the ghostly nuns
are actually projections of the young legend-trippers, phrased in such a way as to blame
the aberrations on the other. Thomas states a similar point when infonning us that" ...
the majority of those telling the legend are Monnons ... [and that the] St. Anne's legend
versions are ostensibly about Catholics and certain Catholic practices; however, a closer
study of the versions reveals that they are really about Monnons and their view of
Catholics ... " (Thomas, 15). This appears to support the notion of projective inversion
and its function in the St. Anne's legends by projecting an inverse reality.
It has been nearly three years since the ambush of local legend-trippers by
security guards at St. Anne's. The stories currently circulating among local youth
continue to illustrate the dynamics of folklore and the power of local tradition. Tradition
propelled by local belief is clearly seen in the survey of local high school students,
recalling the Halloween trespass incident of 1997; basic versions were also produced in
the survey. Out of twenty-five students surveyed, fourteen mentioned elements from the
trespassing event, while eleven used a traditional motif. So what does this mean?
It tells us that this incident of three years ago was more than news. In fact it
clearly fits into a so-called "civic brush fire incident." Grant Davie uses this phrase in
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describing local news bits that have a huge impact on the local population (Grant Davie,
1-2). It is evident by local newspaper articles and particularly editorials, both in the 1997
trespass incident, and certainly also the uproar that Diane Browning's article created in
1986, that St. Anne's is a topic that clearly fits into this "civic brush fire" category.
Grant-Davie proposes four qualifying areas as conditions for civic brush fire incidents
and St. Anne's is one of his examples:
1) A provocative incident: The St. Anne's controversy was started in
dramatic fashion by two events in quick succession: first the teens' visit to
the property and the caretakers' hostile reaction, and then the raising of
criminal charges against all involved. 2) An emblematic object or image:
In the example of the St. Anne's incident, the incident itself provided a
strong enough image-an angry, nighttime confrontation between a few
armed men and a crowd of thrill-seeking teenagers-to excite the general
public's imagination. 3) Accessible media and forums: The St. Anne's
debate was played out in at least seven articles, two guest commentaries, 17
letters to the editor, more than 50-callin messages (a selection of nine of
which were printed), and an editorial. 4) A conflict between threatened
values: This was very apparent in the St. Anne's incident, which became a
debate between property rights and civil rights. The first wave of letters to
the editor sided with the caretakers, who were characterized as heroes
wrongly crucified for defending property and taking a stand against
vandalism, while the second wave defended the teens' actions as a
harmless, traditional prank and condemned the caretakers for assaulting
and terrorizing them (Grant Davie, 3-5). [only definition, and material
pertaining to St. Anne's included]
Grant-Davie also suggests that the brush fires surrounding the St. Anne's incident
"were fueled by some fundamental issues and deeply-rooted values [my emphasis] that
fired the public emotions" (Grant Davie, 6). So, yes--clearly the St. Anne's incident on
Halloween 1997 was more than local news-it goes much deeper than that. It taps
fundamental group values with regards to ex: religion, gender, and property rights, that
play a crucial role in this particular "civic brush fire" and fire up emotional debates
among the local population.
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I would like to suggest another level beyond the idea of property vs. civil rights.
This has to do with the fundamental and inherent rights as seen by the locals, of
upholding and justifying a long standing tradition of legend-tripping at St. Anne's vs. the
property owners' rights to stand up against vandalism. I propose that fundamentally it is
an issue of property vs. civil rights, but in essence it becomes an issue of local concepts
of justice vs. local folklore and tradition. Local concepts of justice are diverse and may
stem from dominant Mormon religious beliefs as can be noted throughout this discussion.
Legend-tripping at St. Anne's becomes justifiable due to the long standing custom and
tradition established in the past 50 years.
The incident of Halloween 1997 in Logan Canyon had such an impact on local
youth that stories are still circulating that tell of the frightening events surrounding the
trespassing incident. It is important to note that out of the 25 students surveyed, fourteen
stories contained primarily data of the trespassing event. This appears to demonstrate the
powerful emotions around the event itself, certainly property vs. civil rights, and lastly
the concepts of justice in defense of tradition. Perhaps the traditional St. Anne's legend
depicting supernatural phenomena-is certainly frightening enough but the memories of
the ambush of local high school students on Halloween 1997 remain a dominant image.
These are recollections of a small sample group of students surveyed as representative of
their knowledge ofSt. Anne's Retreat. So vivid are the memories ofthis event that some
of the students surveyed vow never to participate in any legend-tripping activity to at St.
Anne's.
What we have is a history of a legend-tripping custom which entails visiting a site
of the supernatural-a thrill seeking event-experiencing the legend by ostension by
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acting out the legend, which has been going on for over 50 years. First, the trespassing
• event of 1997; then the "civic brush fire" (Grant-Davie, 1) ignited after Browning's
article on Halloween 1986 that caused considerable emotional distress in the Catholic
community. In 1997, the public debate primarily deals with property rights vs. civil
• rights, and also local concepts of justice vs. local folklore and tradition; whereas in 1986
the incident provoked tension among Catholics and Mormons. Both cases involve the
legendary St. Anne's Retreat and the local lore persisting through the generations. • The trespass legend versions of 1997 collected recently from local high school . ,
students illustrate yet another dimension to the St. Anne's legend. They portray a
• sentiment of pity for the teenage offenders- portraying the lawless teenagers as victims.
It is a case where the community opinion (in the form of letters to the editor) appears to
be significantly divided, In my research it appears as though approximately fifty percent • defend property rights and condemn the behavior of the trespassers; the other fifty
percent largely condemn the actions taken by the caretakers at St. Anne's, and appear to
• minimize the incident as a teenage prank, or in some cases defend the actions of the
teenagers by indicating such things as rites of passage. According to a prominent local
resident cited in the Herald Journal, visiting St. Anne's is a local custom that most local
• residents at one time or another have taken part in. In general, the Herald Journal overall
displayed more sympathy towards the trespassers rather than those leasing the property.
The "ambush" of the trespassing teenagers was depicted vividly and as seemingly • unprovoked while little sympathy was lent to three security guards defending a property
on Halloween from 30 plus teenagers and young adults, in the middle of the night, in the
• dark, of Logan Canyon, eight miles away from town . .The event was clearly biased in the
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media, and certainly did not for the most part take into account the circumstances in
which the security guards operated under. It also did not adequately sympathize with
threats previously made to caretakers. Nor did the newspaper adequately acknowledge
the frustrations of property owners facing ongoing vandalism and destruction of their
property in Logan Canyon. To illustrate the type of news paper rhetoric that at large
demonstrated bias towards the trespassers- a few quotes follow: [Cache County Sheriff
Lynn Nelson] "The kids were wrong to trespass, he said, but they were just looking to
have some fun. "The big issue here is what these other guys did to them" (Herald
Journal, October 14, 1997. Pg. 3). A similar sentiment states: [Cache County Attorney's
Office, Scott Wyatt] Wyatt said: "St. Anne's is a local haunted house on private property
and what happened when the carloads of youngsters got there is almost unbelievable ...
It's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen ... The kids should not have done
what they did because they were trespassing but that doesn't justify the reaction of these
guys ... "(Herald Journal, October 14, 1997. Pg. 3). To further illustrate this point is to
note that repeated issues the actions of the security guards are accentuated and depicting
them as the criminals. Detailed and repeated attention is given in describing the fate of
the trespassing youth as they entered the St. Anne's property. Such accounts are
commonly referred to as "Vietnam-style terror in Logan ... they [trespassers] were
ambushed, shot at, handcuffed, tied together by their necks and threatened with their lives
by shotgun-toting private guards (Herald Journal, October 12, 1997. Pg. 1). These
images from words in the news paper are followed by detailed descriptions of the event
picturing the supposed injustice against the youth. According to my research, two
articles from the Utah State University Statesman presents the case of both parties, but in
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addition offers significant and supportive statements in defense of the security guards.
One article tells: "Some defend the gun-toting men claiming they had no other choice but
to detain the youth and protect themselves. Friday evening it was 30 on three. Some ask
the question, how were the men supposed to detain the youth and protect themselves
from retaliation?" (Statesman, October 13, 1997). Sympathetic comments such as this
one are important for a balanced view of the incident, and to understand that these
security guards did not chose to go into "combat" but acted in defense of themselves and
the property.
A fascinating aspect of the whole St. Anne's incident that only surfaces in the end
and appears to have been largely overlooked is the fact that Logan Canyon is a National
Forest. The land that the St. Anne's property consists of is actually government land
leased by the occupants (Herald Journal, March 11-12. 1998) [date based on public
hearing court documents; date of news paper release not available]. In this case the
whole controversy over trespassing becomes void, as we can see from subsequent
statements by the Forest Service because technically the youth never actually trespassed
in light of this information. All through the news articles covering the St. Anne's event
of 1997, there was only incidental mention of the U.S. Forest Service and the rules that
apply to government land. It was not until the St. Anne defendants accepted a plea
bargain on bringing an end to the trial that this issue really surfaced and played any
significant part. The Herald Journal newspaper article [date of issue not available,
however public hearing court documents are dated March 11-12, 1998 which indicates
the approximate issue of the article in the news paper] informs us that the St. Anne
defendants accepted a plea bargain, admitting guilt of assault, and consequently receiving
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reduced charges. Quoted in this article are the words of a U.S. Forest Service official
Chip Sibbemsen who said that: "he himself had removed 'no trespassing' signs at St.
Anne's, as well as from other cabins permitted as summer homes in Logan Canyon over
the years." Then Mr. Sibbernsen continues: "The permit holders at St. Anne's have
permission for a gate ... but not for the razor wire and signs that give the entrance to the
retreat a prison camp appearance. That's because the land is still public land ... not
private property" (Herald Journal, March 11-12. 1998) [approximate date based on court
documents]. The article concludes: "Basically, while permit holders have the right to
keep people out of their cabins, they can't keep people from walking through on
surrounding land. That's why the Cache County Attorney's Office dropped criminal
trespassing charges against all 38 youths captured and held at gun point by the retreat's
caretaker. ... " This in the end appears to resolve the issue of trespassing charges-but
also further complicates the question of "property ownership" and the limited power
allowed residents to defend property from invaders. What seems incredible is the fact
that it took several months for anyone to realize this fact when that should have been
obvious to law enforcement and the legal profession from the very beginning. Since this
law pertaining to public access on government land is now public knowledge, there
seems to be yet another possibility (although by chance and through a technicality) for
anyone to enter this property in the future as they wish. This may be great for the legend­tripping
tradition, but this notion certainly does not help permit holders in Logan Canyon
get any relief, or hope to end future "trespass" and vandalism on "their" properties.
So what we can understand from the 1997 incident and the 1986 Halloween
article is that the St. Anne's tradition has fueled numerous debates from property rights to
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concepts of justice and customs. But the conditions under the surface for this brush fire
to bum, as discussed throughout this paper, are important to remember in order to
understand the deep-rooted fundamental concerns of the citizens of this or any
community. Folklore is powerful, and given a function and purpose, proves to move
persistently through time as is evident from the legends surrounding St. Anne's. The
"dynamics of folklore" (Toelken, 55) powerfully illustrates not only how a local legend
has circulated for over 50 years, but how a new aspect is introduced into the realm of the
legend-that is this intense, not so easily ignored incident of Halloween 1997 which
appears through recent stories to have left its own mark on this vivid legend cluster.
The event surrounding the legend-tripping trespassers on Halloween 1997 at St.
Anne's may be viewed in terms of property rights, or a fundamental civil right to carry on
a local belief, a long standing custom-tradition, or a rite of passage. It can also be studied
as local rhetoric involving a "brush fire incident" (Grant Davie, 1). Religion and gender
appears to be a dominant factor in the complex cultural issues presented through the
legends and the legend-trips through its participants. It illustrates that the themes
discussed in this paper, and the stories it evolves around, are still vital issues to the
community at large and dramatize concerns, fears, and anxieties still present in the
undercurrent of this community. The Mormon religion is not just a religion, b~t a way of
life; it becomes clear from this and examples given in this paper, that religion plays a
central role in directing fundamental concerns such as gender roles, and fear ofthe other.
This legend will remain a vivid part of narrative tradition-as long as there is a function,
and purpose-to entertain narrator, audience, and legend-trippers ofthis local culture, as
other legends will elsewhere. Cultural issues and concerns will continue to surface in
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oral tradition and reflected and dramatized in the stories they tell; because-"Ifit weren't
important-they wouldn't keep doing it" (Toelken, personal communication).
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Works Cited
Browning, Dianne. Personal communication, March 1998.
Dundes, Allen. 1991. The Blood Libel Legend: A Casebook in Anti-Semitic Folklore.
Madison. The University of Wisconsin Press.
1997. From Game to War and other Psychoanalytic Essays on Folklore, pp. 11,
110-111. Lexington. The University Press of Kentucky.
Ellis, Bill. 1991 . Legend-Trips and Satanism: Adolescents' Ostensive Traditions as
'Cult ' Activity, pp. 279-295. The Satanism Scare. New York. de GruyterPress.
Fife Folklore Archives. Various traditional legend versions ofSt. Anne's Retreat.
Grant Davie, Keith. Civic Brushfires: The Rhetoric of Local Community Debates.
March 8, 2000 unpublished paper.
Hatch, Anne. Personal communication, March 1998.
Herald Journal. October 14, 1997. Pg. 3; October 15, 1997. Pg. 16; October 12, 1997.
Pg. 1; October 26,1986. [page number unavailable]; March 11-12 [approximate
date based on court documents from a preliminary hearing on March 11-12
recorded July 8, 1998].
Logan High School Survey. Results from survey April 2000 that produced 25 examples
total. Eleven of a traditional legend version and fourteen trespass versions­representing
stories of the Halloween trespassing incident at St. Anne's Retreat in
1997. In this survey, students were asked to recollect any version of the St.
Anne's legend and to write it down.
Hufford, David J. The Terror That comes in the Night. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1982.
Salt Lake Tribune. October 14, 1997.
Statesman (Utah State University). October 13, 1997.
Thomas, Jeannie. 1991. Hecate in Habit: Gender, Religion, and Legend. Northwest
Folklore. Vol. 9: 14-27.
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Toelken, Barre. 1996. The Dynamics of Folklore. Logan, Utah. Utah State University
Press.
Personal Communication, April 1998.
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Hecate in Logan Canyon: Origin, Belief, and Contemporary Oral Tradition
Local legends about a "Witch Hecate" primarily surface around the Spring
Hollow-Guinevah campgrounds three miles up Logan canyon. This particular area is
frequented by local Mormon youth groups (primarily girls camp) and boy scouts, where
many of these legends emerge and thrive as ghost stories told at various camps. A
parallel legend (in which Hecate appears also) about St. Anne's Retreat also depicts
Hecate, and is based on the former Catholic Retreat referred to as St. Anne's Retreat
located eight miles from Logan. This property came into the possession of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City in the early1940s and was used as a retreat and a
vacation place for the Sisters of the Holy Cross (Salt Lake Tribune, October 14, 1997.
D3). Due to the frequent visits oflegend-tripping1 trespassers and vandals, the sisters
stopped coming to the retreat (Anne Hatch, personal communication) and the property
was subsequently sold (Herald Journal, October 15, 1997. Pg. 16).
In this paper I will explore the origin and history of Hecate by discussing the
ancient Goddess worship, to subsequently gain an understanding of Hecate as an ancient
underworld divinity, and the connection, if any, of the local Hecate legend character to
the ancient Goddess Hecate from history and mythology. On this journey we should
reach a broader understanding of Hecate and her performance in local legend as a
bewitched nun. An analysis and discussion of hypothetical interpretations, meanings,
functions, and symbolism-will follow. Before beginning these areas of discussion it is
necessary to introduce the reader to samples of the "Witch Hecate" legend to allow an
1 Legend-tripping is a tenn that Linda Degh, William Ellis, and others use in describing the practice of
visiting the sites of supematurallegends.
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insight into the main core of this paper topic-the legends. [All stories and citations in
this paper are quoted verbatim].
1. Witch Heketa
The story goes that an old woman lives somewhere up Logan Canyon.
She is supposed to be a witch. Her name is Heketa. It is said that she has
seven white dobermans which can become invisible at will. A local boy
and girl supposedly went up to her place one night to see if they could see
anything. They say they were sitting in the car when suddenly the
windows fogged up from the outside. They heard dogs sniffing around the
car and what sounded like a person breathing. A hand rubbed away some
of the moisture like a person breathing. A hand rubbed away some of the
moisture on the passanger window by the girl and an old womans face
looked in. The girl went into a sort of trance and floated up off the seat a
few inches. The boy got the car started and drove home quickly where his
father, who was a Mormon bishop, gave the girl a blessing and she
snapped out of the trance. The boy drove back up there the next day and
says that there were seven dog collars on the ground (Fife Folklore
Archives, L2.3.1.15.8).
2. Heckada
If you go up Logan Canyon to 3rd dam and cross the bridge into the Spring
Hollow area or go to the Quarry up Providence Canyon, you can summon
the Devil's wife, her name is Heckada. My friend's brother's girlfriend's
brother had a friend that did this very thing. He and a date went up to the
Spring Hollow area, for some romancing. After being turned down he got
out of the car and yelled the phrase" Heckada, come get me". This was the
saying that you needed to say to get Heckada to appear. After saying it a
few times he returned to the car. His date was scared, which was his main
intention for doing the little prank, or so he thought. After a few minutes
of sitting there they began to hear dogs barking, they looked up and saw a
green glowing chariot pulled by six wolves, and a mistress with long
flowing hair at the reins. At about the same instance the doors locked, the
boy and date was pretty scared by this time so the boy tried to get the car
started but it seemed like the battery was dead, nothing would start or no
lights would come on. By this time the wolves were on the hood of the
car clawing at it and grOWling. The mistress stared into the boy's eyes and
said "1 have come for you". The boy freaked out and didn't know what to
do, the girl was screaming and crying. Then the boy remembered to say
"In the name of Jesus Christ 1 command you to leave", at the very instance
of saying that, the mistress and her wolves disappeared. The boy then
started the car and returned to Logan. Upon returning to his date's house
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they looked at the hood and saw scratches that the wolves had left (Fife
Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.9).
3. The Old Nun
I once heard of some girls that went to girls scout camp up Logan canyon,
a few years ago. There was about 12 girls plus a few leaders. The girls
were between the ages of twelve and fifteen. They were sitting around the
campfire telling scary stories, one of which was the "Old Nun" story. The
story is about an old nun that died very angry that she had lost her youth
and beauty. She had resided at the Nunnery, also in Logan canyon.
Before she died, the nun would walk past the girls scout camp and long for
the days of her youth. She became so obsessed by this idea that she
decided by drinking the youths blood she would again be young. Well,
the kids of the camp tried to laugh off their fear not wanting to admit to
anyone that they really were scared. The group broke up after the story
telling finished and went their separate ways. The leaders of the camp
became increasingly concerned as the girls began to disappear one by one.
They called and hunted for the missing girls not getting any response at
all. A couple of girls from the camp had gone on a walk together.
Suddenly they came running back into the camp screaming and shaking
terribly. The girls reported seeing an old lady dressed as a nun, with an ax
and blood dripping from her face walking near the camp. The next day
when the sun came up six of the twelve girls were found murdered around
camp (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.28).
4. Hekedah-the lady ofthird dam [told by scoutmaster]
Once I decided to see if the stories about Hekedah were true. I grabbed a
friend and we grabbed two girls and set out for third dam. As is the
custom, we put the keys to the truck on the hood and then yelled for
Hekedah to come. After waiting a long time, I saw a green light forming
in the middle of the lake. I thought I was imagining things at first. It soon
formed into a face of a lady all pale and green and she was crying. We
grabbed her car keys from the hood, but waited to see what would happen.
It wasn't long until a hand and arm appeared and started motioning us to
come. (the teller motions with his hand and finger) She kept getting bigger
and bigger and was soon a full size lady coming closer and closer to our
truck. We put the keys in the ignition and tried to start the truck but
nothing happened. Finally, when she was only 4 or 5 feet away, the truck
started and we tore out of that place like crazy. [the collector continues to
provide context by saying the following] (The teller then fills in the events
in Hekedahs life which explain why she haunts the lake) Hekedah was a
recluse woman, who lived in a little cabin above third dam. She had been
quite wealthy in her life and had her money with her in the cabin. One
night, two men broke in and killed her so that they could steal the money.
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The two men were never seen or heard of again. It is said that if you look
up on the ridge on a night of the full moon, you can see the sillouette of
Hekedah , with ax in hand, chasing two men (Fife Folklore Archives,
L2.3.1.15.6).
The above mentioned legends are samples of the Hecate legend that will
be scrutinized in this study. But first it is necessary to introduce several
complementary themes that surface in the parallel legend of St. Anne's Retreat,
thus making it necessary to present sample versions of Hecate's role in the St.
Anne's legends of Logan Canyon as a witch and a crazed nun. Themes from
both "Witch Hecate" and "St. Anne's Retreat" will be discussed below.
5. Barking Dogs
Lucy and her friend were driving around the canyon one fall night when it
was really nice and warm, and they decided to go to St. Anne's. There
were three guys who wanted to go, and three girls who didn't want to go.
Since the boys were driving, they went. They parked the car by the
highway, and began walking up the dirt road. On the way, one of the guys
said "Do you know what happened up here?", and he proceeded to tell
story of the nuns. "The nuns used to come up here in the wintertime and
stay. One spring the nuns didn't come back. The townspeople went up to
investigate, and they found the bodies of the nuns floating in the
swimming pool, because they had been raped and murdered. They also
found mother superior's black dogs chained up and starved to death in a
shack." The guy telling the story suggested that they go look in the
swimming pool. While they were looking at it, one of the guys yelled,
"I'm scared," and ran to the car as fast as he could. Everyone else
followed him, but the girls were slower. As they were running down the
mountain, they heard dogs barking and chains dragging on the ground, and
they thought the dogs were chasing them. The dogs were howling and
looking for the nuns. The girls were crying because they were so scared
(Fife Folklore Archives, ColI. 8. USU. 84-050. Item 10).
6. Saint Ann's Retreat
A long time ago there used to be a nunnery at Saint Anne's. One of the
nuns got pregnant by a young priest. She hid the fact that she was
pregnant for a long time. When she had the baby she was told she had to
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leave the nunnery. She was grieved at what had happened and went out
and drowned her baby in the swimming pool, then hung herself. Her spirit
haunts the place in the form of a dog. Sometimes people can hear dogs
howling at Saint Ann's. Nobody has ever seen the dogs (Fife Folklore
Archives, L2.1.12.1.37).
These legend illustrated above are examples presenting Hecate as a bewitched
nun and includes several themes and symbolism that will be scrutinized further below.
With this introduction, the mythological and historical aspects can now be explored. A
brief over view of the origin of the Goddess follows.
In Greek mythology, Hecate depicts an underworld third dimension of a triple
Goddess representing Persephone, Demeter, and Hecate. Hecate appears as the crone
part of this triple divinity; Hecate, the crone is also represented in the two local legend
types in Logan Canyon. To extract meaning, and to gain a broader understanding of
these legends, it is necessary to start from the beginning-to a time when the Goddess
Hecate played a powerful and important role in many parts of the world. This process
should elucidate the connection, if any, of the function of the local Hecate legend
character to the ancient Goddess Hecate from history and mythology.
In ancient times, dating back as far as 25,000 years BC.until shortly after the
advent of Christianity, in many parts of the world-God was a Woman. This supreme
deity, known by many names-according to region, was revered and worshipped not only
for her fertility and procreation, but she represented wisdom, universal order (Stone,
preface) [page number unavailable], knowledge, and capability of holding vital advisory
positions. Goddess worship thrived from Neolithic periods 7000 BC., alongside of the
Judeo-Christian religions and peoples who worshipped male gods until classical periods
of Greece and Rome until around 500 A.D when any trace of this so called idolatry
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worship of the pagans was effectively, and nearly completely destroyed. (Stone, 20;
preface) [preface page number unavailable].
"She [Hecate] bestows wealth and success, good luck and advice, is powerful in
earth, sea, and heaven ... By a transference common in mythology, she became as a
goddess of plenty, an infernal deity, terrible in aspects and often snakelike, the queen of
ghosts and mistress of black magic, the keeper of the keys of Hades" (Leach, 487).
Hecate is said to have had power and influence over earth, heaven, and sea. "She
gave her votaries success in battle, in the law courts and political assembly, and in
athletics. Later she came to be associated with the darker side of life, with the
underworld and night, with ghosts ... Sometimes she herself was represented as an old
hag with snakes entwined in her hair, or she might assume the form of a mare or dog, or,
attended by hell-hounds, she haunted the cross-roads" (Pike, 174). The descriptions
offered to us by Pike and Leach effectively provides an understanding of the pre­Christian
image of the Goddess-and how hypothetically, simultaneous with the onset of
Christianity, the role reversal of women into submission under a patriarchal system
flourished. Goddess and thus Woman, is consequently seen in a subversive light­perhaps
reflecting her new role and demoted status. Although the change away from
Goddess worship appears to have taken place over thousands of years, Stone speaks of
invasions of Northern tribes which apparently had immediate, harsh effects upon the
Goddess religion by eradicating matriarchal-matrilineal societies to the new
establishment of male dominated societies. The power of the Goddess societies became
eradicated upon the solidification of a patriarchal system; [and] "only then was she
fragmented, and reduced ... " (Sjoo & Moor, 183).
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It has been argued that early cultures did not understand the connection between
• copulation and procreation and therefore worshipped the Goddess as the sole creator of
life, and the only one who could create her own kind. But with the aggressive invasions
of societies with male deities this matriarchal structure changed. The power of myth to
• create perception and belief among man and woman-kind can be seen from the Adam and
Eve myth. Stone talks about this being a dramatic and powerful turning point in the
• manifestation and eradication of the Goddess. The Adam and Eve myth accomplished
this by blaming Eve for the fall of mankind. Her punishment was to suffer pain in
childbirth, and to serve man as a helpmate and inferior in status (Stone, foreword). This
• is something to keep in mind as we note gender issues in these legends.
The image of Hecate in lighter times shows that the Goddess was revered for her
contributions to the world; this was before she was demoted in status and seen as dark • and sinister. After a mythological transference as mentioned by Leach-Hecate takes on
a sinister-darker image. Hecate is held as moon Goddess, Queen of Ghosts, and deity of
• the Crossroads (Sjoo & Moor, 183). After the entry to darker times "Hecate was
[became] the destroyer; newborn children and animals were sacrificed to her" (Sjoo &
Moor, 183). These are things this triple goddess has represented through time. With this
• in mind, we can examine some classic themes existent in the local legends.
Among some of the themes evident in both the historically documented mythical
• origins from darker times of Hecate that are evident in "Witch Hecate" and the parallel
"St. Anne's legends are:
1. The triple dimension concept.
2. Hecate's Suppers - Hecate at the Cross Roads. • 3. Hecate and the keys of Hades-keys as part of ritual in legend-tripping.
4. Sacrifice of newborns-in reference to the swimming pool as an altar.
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5. Hecate as Moon Goddess and Queen of Ghosts.
6. Presence and symbolism of torch.
7. Various themes connecting function and local religious culture i.e. presence of
local dominant religion in legends as the righteous prevailing over evil.
The Triple Dimension Concept
There are several theories of the triple dimension concept of Hecate. One is that it
represents "the three faces of woman: maiden, mother, and crone" (Thomas, 22).
Theories ofthe triple head however, is that the triple head represents earth-heaven-sea
(Pike, 173); past-present-future; three formed because of association with the moon:
crescent-full-waning (Barnard, 85); yet another theory suggests a three headed dimension
has to do with the need for Hecate (at the Crossroads, discussed below) to look down in
three directions.
In local legend versions Hecate appears to represent the triple dimension of what
Thomas refers to as the "three faces of woman" by the following: "The legend versions
depict woman as nun-a virginal maiden (Persephone); woman as a pregnant nun who
becomes a mother (Demeter); a woman as a death threatening witch (Hecate) (Thomas,
22)." This can be seen in the following legend versions:
First, the image of nuns being raped as was the virginal maiden Persephone raped
by Hades. "The nuns used to come up here in the wintertime and stay. One spring the
nuns didn't come back. The townspeople went up to investigate, and they found the
bodies of the nuns floating in the swimming pool, because they had been raped and
murdered" (Fife Folklore Archives, ColI. 8. USU. 84-050. Item 5).
Second, the ancient notion of nuns and priests engaging in sexual acts; and
consequently depicted in some of these legends as pregnant and having babies. This
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image may represent Demeter- mother of Persephone evident by the following quote:
"One of the nuns got pregnant by a young priest" (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.1.12.1.37).
Third, a depiction of Hecate-a woman as a witch or sometimes referred to as the
devil's wife: "The story goes that an old woman lives somewhere up Logan Canyon.
She is suppose to be a witch" (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.8). Another version
similarly states: "If you go up Logan Canyon to 3Td dam ... you can summon the Devil's
wife, her name is Heckada" (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.9).
Hecate's Suppers - Hecate at the Cross Roads
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics explains that crossroads are regarded as
the dwelling place of evil spirits and ghosts creating bad luck and danger. Hecate is the
Divinity of Crossroads (E.R.E. Vol. II, 330b). This is a place where at a new or full
moon, rich people would worship her by leaving offerings in forms of food referred to as
"suppers of Hecate." The crossroads was also a symbolic place for the sacrifices of
newborn babies. Myth tells how "Hecate, as newly born infant, was exposed at a cross­way,
but rescued and brought up by shepherds. This probably points to an actual custom
of exposure at cross-roads ... (E.R.E.Voi. II 333b). Dogs were also a form of sacrifice at
the cross-roads.
St. Anne's may by a symbol of crossroads in terms of culture, religion and
gender. A ghostly nun, may be a symbol of a strange outside culture and religion in
which females at the retreat are perceived by locals to be dominant. The nuns in the
legends take on aspects of Hecate-and she haunts this metaphoric crossroads. Hecate is
known as the mother of ghosts (Leeming, 152); just as the nun becomes mother, she
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(Hecate-the nun) in a twisted way is also mother of dead sacrificed newborn babies who
represent ghosts in the legends, and their spirits haunt the place. Another interesting
theme is the presence of dogs in the legends and the historical significance in reference to
"Hecate's Suppers." It explains that the poor and dogs would often consume the food
offerings left at crossroads-hence the presence of dogs around the local legendary
Hecate. Dogs are also told to be a form of sacrifice left at the crossroads (E.R.E., Vol.
VI. 566b; Vol. II 333b; [Vol. Vill. 333b D. In tradition, dogs are often associated with
the devil (Toelken, personal communication) which may explain their presence in
Hecate's darker times.
Hecate and the keys of Hades: keys as part of ritual in legend-tripping
Keys are sometimes an important symbol in "Witch Hecate" and "St. Anne's"
legends. From a mythological perspective, Hecate is known to hold and possess the keys
of Hades. "She is even called the Lady bearing the keys of the Universe .. . " [it is
further explained that] "The significance of the keys generally signifies the power over
the regions ... (E. R. E. Vol. Vill 123a). Keys become a central point of a specific
ritual, and playa significant role in this following legend version: "This is supposed to
have happened to someone when they went up to St. Anne's. They drove their car up
there, parked it, and turned off the lights. They put their car keys on the top of the car to
bring Witch Hekeda down. A light shone on the car and the car keys disappeared. They
couldn't leave St. Anne's without their keys, and they never returned home (Fife Folklore
Archives, ColI. 8. USU collection#?! item #3 and 4)." This narrative clearly seems to
suggest that Hecate is the holder of the keys-including their keys. She is the divinity of
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the underworld who not only possesses their keys and but also has obvious powers over
this particular region (St. Anne's Retreat and the Spring Hollow area). She appears to
detennine in this story if in fact these trespassers may leave or not.
Sacrifice of newborns-in reference to the swimming pool as an altar
As discussed above, newborn babies are known to be a fonn of sacrifice at the
crossroads. In the local legends discussed in this paper, the illegitimate offspring ofthe
nuns is also known to be sacrificed. It can be understood as a local, modem day
metaphoric crossroads; and on this site, newborn babies are also said to be murdered
(sacrificed)-namely in the legendary swimming pool at St. Anne's Retreat. The
swimming pool, with its frequent reference to murder in the legends, may serve as a
symbolic altar in depicting the drowning babies and nuns. The ancient custom and ritual
at doorways functioned to avert evil, and signified a place where offerings and sacrifices
were made (altars often being placed right inside doorways). One can hypothesize that
the intruders at St. Anne's in fact also came through a doorway (symbolic door, i.e. gate)
to enter the 8t. Anne's property-to become a potential sacrifice as haunted victims of a
ghostly nun.
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Hecate as Moon Goddess and Queen of Ghosts
Hecate is considered by many to be primarily the moon Goddess "and one who
forecasts perilous, unwelcome change" in the night [handout, Jeannie]. Hecate, the deity
of crossroads-haunts the crossroads with her triple head staring in three directions to
keep watch over evil powers. It is at new moon or full moon that offerings are given to
Hecate at the crossroads. "Hecate is Mother of Ghosts, Queen of the underworld, of
death" (Leeming, 152).
In the legends it is common to witness supernatural phenomena at a full moon.
One such account is: "Near Saint Anne's retreat up in Logan Canyon there is a small
canyon. It is said if you go to this canyon around midnight, with the moon full in the
night sky, and you call the name Heckata three times she will appear" (Fife Folklore
Archives, L2.1.12.1.48).
Presence and Symbolism ofthe Torch
The torch in mythic terms symbolizes Demeter's search for her daughter
Persephone after Hades raped her and took her to the underworld. Demeter searches
desperately for her daughter with "lighted torches in her hands" (E.R.E. Vol. XU, 390a).
Perhaps, in accordance with some legend versions, Hecate in the form of a bewitched
nun, is also told to carry a torch; but rather than a torch in these examples, she uses a
lantern. No longer is Hecate (or the bewitched nun) looking for her daughter
Persephone, but she may be wandering the grounds of St. Anne's or Spring Hollow
searching for her murdered baby. The following examples illustrate such stories. First,
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an apparent torch, second, a lantern: (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.4; ColI. 8. usu.
The Lynching Mob item#8).
Various themes connecting function and local religious culture i.e. presence of local
dominant religion in legends as the righteous prevailing over evil
There exists a definite local religious flavor across many of the local Hecate
legend versions depicting the more favorable dominant local religious culture over the
strange, perhaps threatening outside influence of the Catholics. This is evident in legend
#1 above, labeled "Witch Heketa" illustrated by the following quote:
A hand rubbed away some of the moisture on the passanger window by the
girl and an old womans face looked in. The girl went into a sort of trance
and floated up off the seat a few inches. The boy got the car started and
drove home quickly where his father, who was a Mormon bishop, gave the
girl a blessing and she snapped out of the trance [my emphasis] (Fife
Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.8).
Another example from legend #2 above, labeled "Heckada" tells:
The mistress stared into the boy's eyes and said "I have come for you". The
boy freaked out and didn't know what to do, the girl was screaming and
crying. Then the boy remembered to say "In the name of Jesus Christ I
command you to leave" [my emphasis] at the very instance of saying that, the
mistress and her wolves disappeared (Fife Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.9).
This clearly represents what Hufford refers to as "faith promoting" events or
stories (Hufford, 222). It serves to reaffirm the dominant and superior religion over the
intruding, strange outside church as represented by the presence of nuns in Logan
Canyon. It appears to symbolize that good (Mormon bishop giving blessing-and
chasing evil spirits away with "in the name of Jesus Christ") breaks the spell of the evil
abominable and apostate church as noted through Mormon doctrine (Thomas, 18; Notes
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7). Thomas continues: "Those who do go to the site are invariably frightened and end up
retreating to the safety of their own LDS culture."
Another prominent theme surfacing in the legends is that of gender. This brings
us back to the beginning of this paper-speaking ofthe Goddess and her mythological
presence in local legend and geography. It brings forth aspects of challenges from a
matriarchal and matrilineal local codes of living stemming from a patriarchal culture,
based on religious beliefs dating back to the Old Testament. It is portrayed and
manifested through the mythological Goddess Hecate, the power of the Goddess and
Woman-challenging the notion of the patriarchal system; it confronts, and perhaps
challenges local beliefs and attitudes in a culture dominated by men. In accordance with
local belief-the female in the legends appear to take on a submissive and subservient
role. As evident in the example in the previous paragraph, the male is dominant and has
the power to avert evil. From this it is important to note that the Mormon bishop is male,
while the Goddess Hecate is female. Stone describes the Paradise myth as "still the
bedrock of fundamental theological arguments that women are divinely ordained to be
subservient." This idea seems clear when looking at Mormon doctrine, and the status and
role of the woman in local culture and legend; while the challenge to retain a status quo
in a world that is in constant challenge of the patriarchal system and its dominance over
women. It is the male who in many ofthe stories initiates the courtship ritual of visiting
these sites haunted with the presence of the (female) supernatural. He appears as
dominant male, aggressor, and savior; he is also capable through the power of the
Mormon priesthood to revert evil, as mentioned in version #2 above. The male initiates
courtship; the female is depicted in the legends as resisting his advances while she is
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expected to refrain from intimacy until marriage. So here her belief and moral codes are
challenged. While his advances and plans for romance goes awry, he gets angry and calls
upon the supernatural. He evidently inhibits the power to do so, as well as to make the
evil go away using religious authority, power of the priesthood (which is in present day
only given to men), and subsequently brings them both back to the safety of the Mormon
culture. Example: (Legend version #2 above; Fife Folklore Archives, L2.3.1.15.9).
Other examples of male dominance and female subordination are: "There were three
guys who wanted to go, and three girls who didn't want to go. Since the boys were
driving, they went" [my emphasis]. Once there, one ofthe boys proceeds to tell the St.
Anne's legend. Later in the story, it tells of everyone running back to the car-but the
girls were slower" [my emphasis] (Fife Folklore Archives, ColI. 8. USU. 84-050. Item
10). Some stories further illustrate moral transgressions as being punishable by rape and
death (Fife Folklore Archives, L 5,11,12). This concept also has ancient origins. As the
male deities took prominence in the Goddess religions [time period] or as illustrated in
ancient Hebrew societies (Stone, 56) the moral codes so dictated that punishment for
moral transgressions was to be put to death. The ancient belief and custom went as far as
to punish a woman who had been raped with death. The notion of moral transgressions
punishable by death as noted through ancient belief and custom, and as depicted in local
legend is evident in the depiction of the female-a nun-who becomes the model for
unacceptable moral behavior and consequently becomes raped and murdered for her
choices. This possible representation may serve as a powerful image to members
participating in this local courtship ritual and serves as a reminder to follow principles as
set forth by the indigenous religion.
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The mythological and historical significance of the Goddess religion in relation to
the presence of the mythological Goddess appearing as a nun in local legends has been
presented and illustrates several themes drawn somehow from mythology of Goddess­Hecate.
The presence of these classical themes incorporated in the modern legends may
remain a curious aspect, but as a whole, all of the stories seek to exemplify certain
aspects of the local people's attitudes and beliefs. This is illustrated in what may
constitute their fears and concerns. One of these has to do with gender. Underlying
anxieties are displayed through these legends and may stem from the systematic changes
in the roles of women through time. To understand the present day presence of the
Goddess Hecate in local legend, it is important to understand that gender is still an vital
and combative issue-particularly in the local religious culture that may resist the
worldly changes around them in order to maintain their religious convictions, including
the role and status of woman in this culture. Somehow, Hecate an ancient mythical
underworld divinity-manages to creep into modern day local legends; the resiliency of
this myth thousands of years old functions today to in ways described above. The triple
Goddess Hecate performs as a witch and a nun in both legend versions; and in a sense,
she is still worshipped today as thrill seekers tempt their fate by making visits to her
habitat in the metaphoric crossroads of Logan Canyon.
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Works Cited
Barnard, Mary. 1967. The Mythmakers. New York. H. Wolff.
Fife Folklore Archives. Various traditional legend versions ofSt. Anne's Retreat and
Witch Hecate.
Hastings, James, editor. 1980. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. Edinburgh,
England. T & T Clark LTD.
Hatch, Anne. Personal communication April 1998.
Herald Journal. October 15, 1997. Opinion section.
Hufford, David 1. The Terror That comes in the Night. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1982.
Leach, Maria, editor. 1949. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore
Mythology and Legend. New York. Funk and Wagnalls Company
Leeming, David; Paige, Jake. 1994. Goddess: Myths of the Female Divine. New York.
Oxford University Press.
Pike, Royston. 1958. Encyclopedia of Religion and Religions. New York. Meridian
Books, mc.
Salt Lake Tribune. October 14, 1997. D3.
Sjoo, Monica; Mor, Barbara. 1975. The Great Cosmic Mother. San Fracisco. Harper &
Row, Publishers.
Stone, Merlin. 1976. When God was a Woman. New York. The Dial Press.
Thomas, Jeannie. 1991. Hecate in Habit: Gender, Religion, and Legend. Northwest
Folklore. Vol. 9: 14-27.
Toelken, Barre. Personal Communication, April 1998; May 2000.
17]]> Anna-Maria Arnljots]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> legends (folk tales);]]> application/pdf;]]> 18963088 Bytes]]> eng]]> Text;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 2000-2009; 21st century;]]> Legends; Law enforcement; Trespass;]]> legend-tripping; St. Anne's Retreat; Logan Canyon legends;]]> Zsiray, John]]> Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library.]]> colored photographs;]]> image/jpeg;]]> Image;]]> Logan Canyon (Utah); Cache County (Utah); United States;]]> 1990-1999; 20th century;]]>