The Legend of the ’26th Street Sioux Falls Ghost Joggers’
It's Halloween, and everyone is entitled to one good scare.
One of my favorite lines from John Carpenter's 1978 classic motion picture "Halloween." The story of Michael Myers and the night he came home.
I've always loved the holiday of Halloween since I was a little kid. I'm a big fan of scary movies and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The best Halloween treat ever!!!
Exploring The Halloween Mystery Of Sioux Falls' Ghost Joggers On 26th Street
I remember growing up in Sioux Falls in the 1970s and hearing about all the different Urban Legends tied to Sioux Falls and the surrounding area while in Junior High and High School.
One of the biggies back in the late 70s was the legend of the "26th Street Ghost Joggers."
If you've taken a few trips around the sun like me, you might remember this one too.
Legend has it that two students were killed while out jogging one night. Ever since their deaths, drivers in the area where they were killed were able to see their reflection running along 26th Street across the I-229 Bridge at night while driving north approaching 26th Street.
I checked it out several times when I was younger, and I'd be dammed if it wasn't true. There was an optical illusion that looked just like two ghosts jogging. (Cue the scary music!)
Now obviously, there weren't really two apparitions out getting some cardio work in every night, so what was causing the illusion?
As it turns out, the appearance of two "Ghosts" came as a result of oncoming car headlights reflecting off an old silver water tower that used to stand on East 10th Street. The reflections lined up perfectly with the 26th Street bridge and gave the appearance of two ghost-like figures jogging.
You're not able to see that illusion any longer, since the East 10th Street water tower no longer exists, and even if it did, the terrain in that area has changed so dramatically over several decades, that the illusion would no longer be available.
But, trust me, it certainly was cool back in the '70s and early '80s. It made for some great folklore in the Sioux Empire back in the day.
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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz