As you venture into Hill City, South Dakota, you may find a collection of curious locations to explore, which highlight eerie ghost tales and onsite paranormal residents. In this final installment regarding Hill City, you will learn about what makes the Alpine Inn, the trains, O’Brian’s Pub, the Highliner Eatery, and Hill City High School so special in the minds of paranormal enthusiasts.
First you’ve heard about the near-ghost town status of Hill City and then you’ve learned about the ties relating to a significant discovery of the past , now you can take notes on where to visit in Hill City when you are ready for a little scare.
In Hill City, what is known as the 1880 Train is now an attraction that many tourists come to visit. It is here that original engines and cars hailing from the 1800s are still in use. The majority of the abandoned train cars are still found on the premises of the train yard, but throughout the years, a host of odd happenings have been reported to take place on the grounds. On the train yard, there is also the Highliner Eatery that offers access to an authentic dining car, where one worker has reported to have spied a weird man wearing a brown suit, who was standing somewhere in the back. In a matter of seconds, he vanished into thin air.
At the Alpine Inn, the second floor carries haunted tales. Sometimes, the lights have been known to go out without warning. Voices have also been documented to have taken place, as well as an assortment of unexplainable footsteps. At the Hill City High School, whispers and legends surround the apparitions said to take place on the premises. Once, a janitor caught wind of unknown voices. Additionally, there is word that a ghostly teen can be seen jumping off of the high school building on the same date as the anniversary of their passing.
At O’Brian’s Pub, patrons have more than once heard the tale of the onsite poltergeist, which may have been responsible for the unexplainable silverware that has been thrown about the grounds. At the Mount Rushmore Brewing Company, the building once served as the initial funeral home that Hill City had to offer its deceased. The crematory is actually still a part of the premises and is viewable when paying a visit to the basement.
Today, employees at the eatery really don’t like traveling to the third floor to clean when it is late in the night. Numerous off sounds have been reported to “go bump” in the middle of the night. One waitress recalls a moment when she was cleaning upstairs when no one was around. It was the nighttime and she heard the pool balls on the pool table being broke as if someone was enjoying a game. When she turned around, the balls were still moving about, but no one was upstairs with her at the time.
