Illinois has a long history of haunted buildings, towns, and campsites, but some are surprised to learn of the haunted roads snaking throughout the state. One of the most notorious of these is Blood Point Road of Cherry Valley, IL. This road, long avoided by the more skittish locals, has gained for itself a terrifying reputation, and some have even said Blood Point Road is the most terrifying road anyone could find themselves on in the middle of the night.
The road was the scene of the most terrifying moment of Mike Rutlin’s life. Rutlin, a shop teacher at Jefferson High School nearby, soon became a member of the Forest City Paranormal Society after his harrowing experience. “I hate to make it sound like a horror movie”¦” Rutlin lamented, clearly shaken by his experience. As he was driving down the road with a friend of his, he heard the sudden twist of metal behind his pickup truck. Curious as to what it could be, he turned to look out the window, but found a massive dog-head obscuring his view. “There was a huge dog head in the window, growling and barking. We were doing probably 40 mph,” Rutlin said, “This thing came out of nowhere.”
As Rutlin accelerated, the creature terrifyingly kept up with their vehicle. “It had a large head, and red eyes,” Rutlin said, “It was growling and barking.” Terrified, the two eventually lost the creature as it vanished as suddenly as it appeared. Needless to say, this story has given many pause when considering Blood Point Road as a route to take.
Still, according to some, another story surrounding the road has been called into question. A school bus is said to have crashed off the bridge on Blood Point Road killing all passengers including several children. According to local legends, cars that are stopped or put in neutral while on the road will be pushed across, and those with dusty cars will notice little handprints as though a platoon of undead spectral children had been doing the pushing. Of course this legend is likely a copy of another legend, since there are clearly several similarities between the sites of several alleged bus crashes. Unfortunately, a search for Bus Crashes in the area reveals no such accident ever occurred over the bridge. Some say the name of the road, “Blood Point Road” was named for the number of macabre accidents that happened there, while history tells another tale. In 1830, a name by the name of Blood settled the area, and the road was named thusly after him. There are those, however, that say Arthur Blood consorted with a Witch who cursed or enchanted the road, making it the haunted hotspot it is today.
Not all the local residents report rapport with ghosts, however. 55 year old Robert Morris, who lived on Bloods Point road for 28 years never once reported any paranormal activity. Morris lives with his wife, and remains unimpressed with the claims of the paranormal happening around his home. He says the stories are likely due to the road’s name and nothing more.