| Boy Scout Lane | |
|---|---|
 A photo of the road | |
| Background | |
| Type | Haunting |
| Continent | North America |
| Country | United States |
| One-Time? | No |
| Theories | · Ghost |
Boy Scout Lane, also known as Boyscout Lane, is an isolated road located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. A number of ghost stories and urban legends have become associated with the road, including the fictional deaths of a troop of Boy Scouts. The area has been the subject of several paranormal investigations, and has been a 'haunt' for youths hoping to experience a paranormal event. The land surrounding Boy Scout Lane is now privately owned and is off limits to the general public.
Manifestations[]
- The feeling of being watched
- Snapping branches
- Footsteps
- Ghostly lights
- Ghostly figures
- Phantom buses
- Handprints on car windows
Background[]
According to a local urban legend, the road is named for a troop of Boy Scouts who were killed while on a camping trip in the 1950s or 60s. In some variations the murderer is the troop's Scoutmaster. In others it is their bus driver. In other versions of the legend, a small group of Scouts leave their camp during the night and accidentally drop their lantern, resulting in a forest fire that kills the entire troop.
Other variations of the story exist including one in which the Scouts are killed after their bus crashes or accidentally catches fire. There is also a version in which the Scouts vanish without explanation and are never found. In some versions of the legend, two Boy Scouts escaped the fate of the rest of the troop and tried to find help, only to become lost in the woods where they die of starvation and/or exposure. In most variations of the legend it is said that the dead Scouts haunt the forest where they died and can be heard hiking through the undergrowth, or their lights can be seen at night as they seek help or their fellow Scouts.
Notable Accounts[]
In the quiet country side of Stevens Point, there is a piece of land that is not so quiet. It is Boy Scout Lane and its legend has been around for over 20 years. A brief summary for all who do not know about this place.
One version is that a troop of Boy Scouts on a camping trip were murdered by their bus driver on this isolated road. Another version of the story is that a Boy Scout troop mysteriously disappeared on this road and was never seen again. A third story is that a troop of Boy Scouts were camping here and some of them were wandering around at night and accidentally dropped a lantern resulting in a fire that killed the rest of the troop. However, there is no evidence of missing persons or a mass murder or a tragic fire. The road got its name because at one time the Boy Scouts owned the land there and had intentions of building a Boy Scout camp, but never happened.
Now that you know the history, I can explain our experience. It was a warm July night in 2005. My friend Erin was visiting our mutual friend Michelle and I up in Stevens Point. Michelle and I had worked at a Boy Scout Camp (ironic, huh?) that summer and Erin was to bring me back home in Minnesota when the weekend was over. We were bored, so Michelle suggested we go to Boy Scout Lane and do a little investigation. We had gone to a bookstore the day before and found the story in there. It intrigued us, so soon we were on our way with me in the backseat, video camera in hand.
Right when we turned onto the road, we felt uneasy. You know, that dreaded feeling of being watched. Being the young adults we are, we made jokes and tried to shake off that feeling. We went down the road and turned around, nothing special happened. What we saw when we got home is a different story.
Michelle hooked the video camera up to the television and played the footage. At first, it looked like nothing interesting. Until there was a point when I coughed (I had just gotten over a bad cold) and right after that, a heavy whispering breath followed. It was not me. Michelle, Erin and I looked at each other with wide eyes and we turned back to the television. The other two saw a bright ball of light flash by the screen for a split second, but I did not.
As I recorded us driving back to the main road, I faced the rolled up window (as everyone does, never thinking that spirits can go THROUGH things) towards the field that was supposed to turn into a camp. I had the infrared light on the camera, in case something moved in the field. Nothing moved in the field. Instead, we saw a face pressed up against the window. And no, it was not my face. The small screen of the video camera did not project enough light and I was not pressed up against the window. When the three of us saw this, we screamed and Michelle's mother started yelling at us. We ran into her room and told her what happened. She scorned us, yet refused to watch the footage.
Another little tidbit that we saw: In the rearview mirror there were two stationary lights in the upper corners. The area Boy Scout Lane is in is away from the city limits and no car was behind us. The lights did not leave until we got deep into town again. We have not gone out there since, but we have shown the tape to others and they see the same things. I don't know if Boy Scouts really haunt the area, but something does. I live in Stevens Point now and this town has a lot of history to it. Anything is possible and it just makes me more of a believer.
-EarthboundAngel, yourghoststories.comTrivia[]
- This legend could also be categorized as a Location.
- Historically, the road was named Boy Scout Lane because the land that it is located on was once owned by the Boy Scouts of America, who planned to use the land to build a Scout camp. Although the camp was never constructed and the land remains woodland, the name was still used.
- There are no records of fatal forest fires or mysterious disappearances on or around Boy Scout Lane.
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