Boy Scout Lane
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Boy Scout Lane, sometimes written “Boyscout Lane”, is an isolated road located in Linwood township, Wisconsin.
The road, a dead-end with no outlet, was reportedly named because of a tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of a troop of Boy Scouts. There are a number of urban legends associated with the road, and many anomalous phenomena have been reported there.
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.
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[edit] Urban legend
According to local Urban legend, during the 1950s or early 1960s, a troop of Boy scouts visited the area on expedition where they hoped to earn a number of merit badges. However, that night, as they slept, they were murdered one-by-one by their Scout master (in some variations it is the bus driver).[1] In a second variation on the legend, a small group of Boy scouts leave their camp during the night and accidentally drop their lantern, resulting in a forest fire that kills the entire troop.[1]
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 one 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. They can be heard hiking through the undergrowth, or their lights can be seen at night as they try to find help, or search for their fellow scouts.[1]
There is an associated legend in which the killer (Usually the Scout leader) hangs himself from a tree in the area after coming to terms with what he has done. In this legend, the tree is said to be an elm tree overhanging the road.
[edit] Anomalous phenomena
Visitors to the woods around Boy Scout Lane have reported a variety of anomalous phenomena and/or sensations including:[1]
- A strong sense of foreboding or 'being watched'
- The sound of footsteps and/or breaking branches coming from multiple directions, often appearing to surround the witness
- Unusual lights, sometimes described as resembling swinging lanterns, other times reported as being flashlight beams
- Sightings of ghostly buses or figures
Drivers have also reported finding 'child-like hand prints' on their cars after having stopped in/driven through the area.
[edit] Facts
[edit] Location
Boy Scout Lane is in Stevens Point, Linwood township, Portage County, Wisconsin. It is located west of the Wisconsin River Golf Club, on West River Drive (West), and is situated between Cemetery Road and Little Chicago Road.[2]
[edit] Name
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.[3] Although the camp was never constructed, and the land remains woodland, the name was still used.
[edit] Deaths
There are no records of fatal forest fires, child murders, or mysterious disappearances on or around Boy Scout Lane.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Lewis, Chad, Fisk, Terry (2004). The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations. Unexplained Research Publishing Company. ISBN 0-9762099-1-8.
- ^ Google Maps. Boy Scout Lane. Retrieved on October 2006.
- ^ Shaine, Alex. "In search of a real-life ghost story", Stevens Point Journal, 2005-04-23. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
