The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund is known today as the most documented case of supposed demon possession and exorcism in American history.  Although occurring over several months in the small town of Earling, IA, the main players in the story - Anna Ecklund and the exorcist priest - were both Wisconsinites.

The exorcism is famous today for its grueling and brutal sessions, which resulted in Anna becoming emaciated from refusing to take in food, and seemingly supernatural occurrances of her body withstanding contortions and disfigurement, vomiting impossible amounts of fluids, and scaling room walls. Actual conversations had between the exorcist, Appleton priest Theophulis Riesinger, and numerous demons speaking through Anna, including Satan himself, were also documented.

Much of the surviving documentation became the source material for the 1973 American horror classic, "The Exorcist."

Scott and Mickey discuss this case, filling in the backrounds of Theophilus Riesinger of St. Joseph's Parish in Appleton, and Anna Ecklund, which is a psudenym for a woman believed to be from Marathon, WI named Emma Schmidt.

Listen to this one with the lights on!

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

 Sources:

Appleton Post-Crescent - Archives

"Begone Satan!"

Capuchin.org - Theophilus Riesinger

Des Moines Register - Archives

"The Exorcist"

Fox 6 Milwaukee - Morgan Geyser

Laycock, Joseph - "The Secret History of the Earling Exorcism."

St. Clair, David; "The Devil Rocked Her Cradle"

Time Magazine - February 17, 1936

WISN - Lawrence McFarland

On Chirstmas Day, 1977, 31-year-old Jerry Davies walked into the Madison Police Department and reported information that culminated in the most highy publicized trial in Wisconsin's history to that point.

Just hours prior, Jerry participated in burying a human body in a frozen snowbank on the outskirts of Madison, and initiated an investigation that blew the lid off of Madison's secret underground Red Light District, hiding for years under the guise of massage parlors, 'health spas,' and burlesque clubs.

Trafficking in sex, drugs, and an antidote for lonliness, the scene provided the backdrop of one of the most sensational murder cases ever in our state, providing a study in human manipulation and a lesson that you may never quite know someone as well as you think you do.

Scott and Mickey kick off 2024 discussing this case as well as more true crime stories featuring your favorite state in the opening banter, including that of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. 

Sources:

"The Act" - Hulu Miniseries

Capitol Times - Archives

Harter, Karl - "Winter of Frozen Dreams"

"Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose" - Lifetime Docu-series

State vs Hoffman

"Winter of Frozen Dreams" - 2009 Movie

Wisconsin State Journal - Archives

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

In January of 1927, a large crowd of onlookers was gathering in a secluded woods outside of Platteville in an area where a search party had recently ensued for a missing person. 

Something had indeed been found, but just what was it that the crowd was hoping to see? 

The story of how authorities were led to this place, and the macabre scene in the woods, would again put Wisconsin on the front page of newspapers throughout the nation for reasons of the bizarre and the unbelieveable. 

Mickey and Scott discuss this case, which has since become known as the "Rubber Stamp Murder," and delve into the broader issues which became discussion points around the country at the time, due to this very situation.

In our opening banter, we touch on the recent Ed Gein documentary, "Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein," and talk about some of the most popular ghost walks throughout the state.

So, join us as you head into your Christmas weekend with a little true crime holiday cheer, with a side of Badger Bizarre!

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Sources: 

Baraboo News Republic - Archives

Capitol Times - Archives

Edward Coffey Project

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram - Archives

History and Politics Blog

Kenosha News - Archives

OnMilwaukee.com

Platteville Witness - Archives

Sheboygan Press - Archives

Wisconsin State Journal - Archives

Media discussed:

Eaton, Marc: Sensing Spirits: Paranormal Investigation and the Social Construction of Ghosts

Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein

In May of 2014, two young girls lured a third girl into the woods in a park in Waukesha and proceeded to set in motion one of the world's most talked about true crime stories of the last 2 decades. 

Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier's attempted murder of their friend Peyton Leutner sent shockwaves through Wisconsin, and shed light on the dark side of internet culture, "Creepypastas," and one icon in particular named, Slenderman.

Although sensationalistic media focused on Slenderman's influence in the crime, the more important aspects of the story were mainly missed, such as teen and adolescent mental illness, parental control, and the grand scheme issues of criminal justice and mental health care of juveniles. 

Scott and Mickey discuss the case, how it happened, and hit those deeper issues which continue to be talked about and debated today, almost 10 years after the crime.

The opening banter covers a few current WI true crime cases, and 10 of the creepiest roads in the U.S, in which the Badger State is, of course, represented!

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Sources:

ABC News: 20/20 "Slenderman Episode"

"Beware the Slenderman" - Documentary

Creepypasta Wiki/Slenderman

Dunlap, Bridget: "Slenderman Trial: Why Trying These GIrls as Adults is Absurd" - Rolling Stone

Hale, Kathleen "Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls"

Juvenile Law Center: State vs Geyser

MIller, Lisa - "Slenderman is Watching" New York Magazine

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Archives

New York Post Archives

"Slenderman" The Untold Story" - Documentary

State vs Anissa E. Weier

State vs Morgan E. Geyser

We celebrate Halloween this year by sharing your stories told to us at the Great Lakes Paranormal Conference this past September. Many of you shared with Scott and Mickey your personal paranormal experiences, and we share them here, in your own words. 

Wisconsin has often been referred to as the most haunted state in America, and this episode will demonstrate exactly why that is.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween.  Sleep with one eye open!

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Email us:  [email protected]

Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Special Thanks to the following:

Boyd House

Fox Valley Ghost Hunters

Great Lakes Paranormal Conference

National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion

Reiki Magic, Duluth, MN

St Croix Paranormal Youtube

The institution of slavery is the darkest stain on our nation.

Wisconsin's role, in both its implentation and end, is not usually thought of as significant, though history tells a different story.

As early as the 1830's, abolitionists in Wisconsin were building a network of resources to aid in shielding freedom-seekers from those who sought to steal their God-given right to life and self-determination. By 1854, The Badger State, by then only 6 years in the Union, was leading the charge in defying federal slave laws, creating a domino effect followed by other states, and stoking the fires of Civil War.

Places like the Milton House, outside of Janesville, continued the secrecy of the Underground Railroad in the north to aid those fleeing from bondage, leaving a legacy of compassion for others, and the resiliancy of the Human Spirit. 

In the beginning banter, Scott and Mickey discuss our time at the Great Lakes Paranormal Conference, and give a heartfelt sendoff to our friend, Jim Cooper. 

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Email us:  [email protected]

Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

 Sources: 

Davidson, John Nelson: "Negreo Slavery in WI and the Underground Railroad"

Janesville Daily Gazette Archives

LaCrosse Tribune Archives

Milton House

National Park Service

Pferdehirt, Julia: "Freedom Train North: Stories from the Underground Railroad in WI"

Waukesha County Museum

Welch, Doug: "The Milton House and the Underground Railroad"

Wisconsin Court System

On a cold, unseasonably snowy November night in Madison in 1947, two unsuspecting co-eds found themselves thrown into what has since become known as one of the most heinous crime sprees in our state's history.

25-year-old Carl Carlson and his 19-year-old sister-in-law, Janet Ann Rosenblatt, had met in Madison to attend the Badger vs Michigan football game the next day, as Rosenblatt was a student at UM, while Carlson was a pre-med student at Madison. 

What transpired that night has gone down in the annals of Wisconsin True Crime and the resulting abductions, rape, and murder are remembered still today as being what nightmares are made of. 

In the opening banter, Scott and Mickey discuss a new documentary in the Steven Avery saga, and kick off the Halloween season with 12 places in the Badger State where the "Ghost Hunting Game is High."

Hear all this and more on Episode 29 of Badger Bizarre: "Sennett & Winslow."

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Sources:

Balousek, Marv: "50 Wisconsin Crimes of the Century."

Baraboo News Republic Archives

Capitol Times Archives

Chippewa Herald-Telegram Archives

Janesville Gazette Archives

WBAY - Green Bay

Wisconsin State Journal Archives

WLUK - Green Bay

For more informatio on the upcoming Great Lakes Paracon:

https://www.greatlakesparanormalconference.com/

Lead mining is one of the oldest industries in Wisconsin, and with it, comes some of the oldest tales and stories of the strange and bizarre.

Mineral Point, and the hills of southwestern Wisconsin, is home to some of our most unique architecture, beautiful landscapes, as well as apparent centuries-old paranormal happenings. 

Although today this area is an artist's haven, in the early decades of the 19th century, it was a rough and tumble region rife with miners, gamblers, and drifters, where crime was prevalent, and law enforcement was not. Lead mining led to an influx of European immigrants and those looking to strike it rich, and with them came stories and legends already generations old.

Scott and Mickey discuss these "Ghosts of the Gray Gold," including purported vengeful spirits, phantoms, the mysterious 'tommyknockers,' and even vampires.  In the beginning banter, we discuss the latest in the Taylor Schabusiness saga, as well as the recent UAP hearings in front of Congress.

All right here, on Episode 28 of Badger Bizarre: "Mineral Point: Legends of the Gray Gold."

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Sources:

All audio clips used via Fair Use.

Boscobel Dial

Brown, Charles E. The Ridgeway Ghost

CNN

Dritless Region Road Trip

Jackson, Michael: "Thriller"

Mott, A.S.: "Ghost Stories of Wisconsin"

New York Times Archives

Norman, Michael: "Haunted Wisconsin"

Rodlof, Theodore: Pioneering in Wisconsin's Lead Region

The Walker House

Wisconsin State Journal Archives

YouTube: OceanGate Knocking

On May 5th, 1886, a standoff between state militia and strikers protesting working conditions came to a climax outside of the Bay View Rolling Mills on Milwaukee's South side. After a hail of bullets, 9 people lie dead, and a state  - and in due time, a country - would be forever changed.

Scott and Mickey talk about this incident, known as the Bay View Massacre, (or the Bay View Tragedy) its causes, immediate aftermath, and legacy, which effects every current American worker today. The challenges of accurately telling the full story in context, with all its nuances, in today's highly divisive and politicized climate, is also largely discussed.

The opening banter includes updates on current cases we're follwing, and also several Wisconsin Cold Cases "you may not have heard of."

All on Episode 27 of Badger Bizarre!

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

 Sources:

Cooper, Jerry; The Wisconsin National Guard in the Milwaukee Riots of 1886

Gurda, John: The Cost of the Eight Hour Workday

Pearce, Anna: The Bay View Tragedy: Wisconsin's Fight for the Eight Hour Workday

Green Bay Press Gazette Archives

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Archives

https://www.wisconsinlaborhistory.org

https://www.linkstothepast.com

Youtube: Wisconsin Labor History Society

The Kettle Moraine State Forest is one of the crown jewels of our state. Roughly 60,000 acres of some of the most unique landscape in the world, molded and carved out by the last ice age. 

While its reputation for some of the best outdoor recreation in the country is well known, the Kettle Moraine has a much more mysterious side as well. For decades, thousands of eyewitnesses have reported sightings of creatures seemingly unknown to our sciences roaming these woods. Half-man, half-wolf beasts, goatmen, UFOs, witches, ghostly hauntings, and even a possible vortex have followed hundreds of years of Native folklore surrounding this most uncommon of regions. 

Scott and Mickey dicuss these legends, with emphasis on the Beast of Bray Road, Goatman, otherwordly visitors, and the famous Witches of Whitewater on Episode 26 of Badger Bizarre!

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Opening Trailer:

Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion

Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI

Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media

Attribution for Music:

Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/

Intro: https://pixabay.com/

Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/

Attribution for logo design:

Red Claw Scratch Photo

Sources:

Astonishing Legends Podcast, Ep. 49

J. Nathan Couch: Goatman; Flesh or Folklore

Linda Godfrey: The Beast of Bray Road

Linda Godfrey: Monsters Among Us

Lindagodfrey.com

Mark Borchardt's Dundee Project

Racine Journal Times Archives

City of Whitewater

WisconsinFreights.com