Wisconsin Legends Podcast

Today, Devil’s Lake is known as Wisconsin’s most visited state park, a designation it has held for over 100 years. But, the region has been inhabited by man for nearly 500 generations. With its rich history comes plenty of legends and lore. Mike and Jeff discuss the early inhabitants, tales of Thunderbirds and lake monsters, and the many ghost stories that line the shores of the small enigmatic lake. Did a group of Crowley-ian sex magicians cast a spell on Devil’s Lake? Was something conjured that still resides there today? In 2020, Devil’s Lake was thrust into the headlines when it became the subject of murder a murder investigation. Who was the perpetrator of this heinous act and were they ever brought to justice? What other dangers await to visitors of the Devil’s Lake?

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.

Do you know the legend of Haunchyville near Muskego, Wisconsin?

Near the end of Mystic Drive is supposedly a barn where a farmer hung himself. Underneath the body were many child-sized footprints all around. In the barn was a sign, scrawled in his own blood saying "The Haunchies made me do it."

Whether it is a group of vengeful circus dwarves or a debauched town of Wizard of Oz's munchkins, little people have been the object of paranormal fascination for thousands of years. From leprechauns to the Lollipop Guild, join Jeff and Mike (who's actually been there!) as they head into Haunchyville to learn the truth behind the legend.

Also, Mike's band Sunspot even recorded a song about the place, click here to watch the video.

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.

In 1991, on a slow news week at the end of December, an article was published in small weekly Walworth County paper called “The Week”.

The article was titled, “Tracking down “The Beast of Bray Road””. The story by Linda Godfrey detailed the rumors of a creature that stalked Walworth County along with two eyewitness interviews.Nicknamed Wisconsin’s Werewolf, The Walworth County Werewolf, the Wisconsin Dogman, the Beast of Bray Road has held the imagination of Elkhorn residents since the article was published. In recent years it’s attracted the attention of cryptid enthusiasts, which have resulted in a horror movie, an excellent documentary, at least two metal bands, and countless paranormal TV appearances. From analyzing the influence of the Satanic Panic to introducing previously unreported sightings, Mike and Jeff present a new take on the phenomena.

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.

Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Over the course of thirteen years, he raped, murdered, and dismembered seventeen victims, young men. His crimes were so heinous that even now, nearly thirty years after his death, he continues to terrify the public imagination. Some say that his spirit still lurks in the places he haunted in life. Others believe that he haunts the cemetery where he was buried. Either way, Dahmer's legacy is one of horror and gruesome violence. Visitors have reported seeing strange shadows moving about the site of his first murder, and some say they can still hear the sound of Dahmer's victims screaming. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, there's no denying that the echoes of Jeffrey Dahmer's horrific crimes still haunt Milwaukee.

Were his crimes unavoidable? Was he just an unredeemable psychopath destined to murder? Why did he cannibalize some of his victims? From Dahmer's psychiatric diagnoses to rumors of supernatural activity to his legacy on Wisconsin, this is a complete analysis of one of Wisconsin's most infamous murderers of all time.

The vestiges of the Maribel Caves Hotel lie in ruin near the town of Cooperstown in Manitowoc County. Nicknamed “Hotel Hell”, it has been home to many legends. It allegedly burnt three time, all on the same date. It was the scene of a mass murder and suicide. It was owned by Al Capone during prohibition. It served as a hideout as well as a stop for his rum-running business, which included John Dillinger.

And the most intriguing, the front fountain contained a portal to hell. A legion of demons escaped and unleashed hell on the nearby town. Fortunately, a white witch stepped in and banished the demons from whence they came and sealed the portal. Although the legends may only contain kernels of truth, its ominous stone façade and dilapidated state are sure to attract even more tall tales. Mike and Jeff take a deep dive into the hotel which was built in 1900 and reveal the true history of The Maribel Caves Hotel.

Check out Hotel Hell t-shirts here

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.

It was the crime that shocked 1950s America, Ed Gein was born in Wisconsin in 1906 and grew up on a farm desperately attached to his strict, religious mother. When she died, his isolation and terrifying obsessions led to stealing corpses from graves and making trophies and keepsakes out of their lifeless bodies. In 1957, he was arrested for murdering two women and was arrested and institutionalized for the rest of his life. However, many believe that his spirit never left the property where he committed his atrocities. To this day, there have been reports of strange noises and sightings of a dark figure lurking around the place.

His gruesome work sensationalized the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin to its core. For years afterwards, people spoke in hushed tones about the man who had turned his farmhouse into a slaughterhouse. The inspiration for Robert Bloch's popular novel and Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, Psycho, Gein's real story, his psychiatric diagnoses, and his impact on (as well as being a victim of) Twentieth Century Culture is much more fascinating than just his crimes.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.