Wisconsin Death Trip

Maribel Caves Hotel Hell

Built in 1900, the Maribel Caves Hotel in Maribel, WI has come to be known locally as Hotel Hell because of the disturbing and persistent rumors surrounding it.

Some of the stories tat continue to haunt the mysterious remains of the Maribel Caves Hotel are:

- The building burned three times, each time on the exact same date. It was rebuilt twice. The first fire was in the 1920s. The last fire was in 1930 and everybody died in their sleep.

- Skeletal remains of some of the victims can still be found on the third floor, which is apparently now inaccessible because of holes in the stairway, and in the basement.

- Years ago, one of the hotel guests went psycho and killed everybody in the hotel during a mass-murder frenzy, committing suicide afterwards.

- The spirits of those killed in the hotel have lingered in the building. This spiritual activity attracted a group of local Black witches who conducted secret rituals to curse the hotel and in the process they opened up a portal to Hell through an old fountain in the front of the hotel. This unleashed a horde of evil spirits that terrorized the town of Maribel. Fortunately, a White witch came to the rescue, sealing off the portal and confining the demons to the boundaries of the hotel and the surrounding yard.

- It used to be a spa in the late 1800's for movie stars.

- During the prohibition, the hotel was owned by Al Capone.

- It served as a hideout for Al Capone, and he ran a moonshine business out of the hotel and the water bottling company next door. Underground passageways built beneath the hotel during the bootlegging days contain the lost treasures of Al Capone and John Dillinger.

- A little boy was playing on the roof of the bottling factory and was killed when it caught on fire.

- The name "Hotel Hell" came from the blood on the walls, yelling from the basement, the ring of a bell and the sound of wheels.

Some of the paranormal activity reported include cold hands applying pressure on your back on the third floor, feelings of being threatened in the basement, and apparently if you shine a flashlight at a second floor window, something will shine a light back at you.

The true history of the Maribel Caves Hotel seems to be much less interesting. Apparently it opened in 1900 as a hotel and therapeutic spa for travelers, which eventually became a tavern. It remained open in one form or another until a blaze destroyed the interior in 1985.

In 2006 the building was gutted, all remaining debris removed, leaving only the stone walls standing.

We're interested in doing some photo shoots here at the Maribel Caves Hotel, but the availability of the property is unclear. Is it private or public land? If private, who owns it? Is it possible to get permission to shoot here?

Dartford Cemetery Haunting

Local legend says the Dartford Cemetery in Green Lake, WI (map) which was featured on the Discovery Channel show A Haunting, is haunted by the ghosts of an Indian chief, whose creepy headstone has now become infamous, Civil War soldiers, and children who died from polio.

The old pioneer cemetery gets it's name from the original village of Dartford, which became Green Lake, WI. The graves date back to the early pioneers from the 1800's.

Other strange things said to happen include dark shadowy figures, strange noises, orbs, grave stones changing or vanishing, and the sensation of being followed or watched.

But the main attraction to locals and legend trippers is the old mausoleum. It is said that if you sit on the roof of the mausoleum, a ghost will push you off.

The story behind the Indian Chief is that he ruled and lived in the Green Lake/Princeton area, and he drowned in the Fox River during an attempt to cross it while drunk.

Apparently, until recently with the airing of A Haunting, most Green Lake locals had never heard of ghosts or anything supernatural happening in the cemetery. Children regularly put flowers on the graves of the soldiers buried near the mausoleum.

Also featured on A Haunting was the haunting of Summerwind in Land O Lakes, WI and the legend of Witch Road in Rosendale, WI.

Hodag Marker in Rhinelander Park

The Hodag marker was erected in Rhinelander's Hodag Park in 1973 to honor the quirky and undying legend.

It reads:

The Hodag

This mythical creature is the official symbol of Rhinelander. It was created in 1896 by "Gene" Shepard, Rhinelander pioneer timber cruiser and famous prankster. Shepard claimed to have discovered the animal in the woods near Rice Creek. He "captured" it by blocking the mouth of its den with rocks and rendering it unconscious with a chloroformed sponge on a long pole. Actually fashioned by a skilled woodcarver named Luke Kearney, the original hodag was seven feet long and thirty inches high, black and hairy, with two horns on its head, twelve horns along its spine, and short powerful legs armed with long claws.

For years Shepard exhibited the hodag at county fairs in a dimly lighted tent, controlling its movements with wires. Many spectators believed the animal was real. Shepard would assure them that he had captured it on "Section 37" and that it ate "nothing but white bulldogs and those only on Sundays."

Little Bohemia Lodge

The Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, WI is the location of the legendary shootout between the FBI and the gang of Public Enemy Number One John Dillinger on April 23rd, 1934.

Little Bohemia still stands today, complete with bullet-riddled windows and locals and tourists alike still searching for a hidden suitcase full of money buried by John Dillinger himself.

The movie Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger was filmed on location at the lodge, and throughout the summer you can get a tour of John Dillinger's room.

The cabin of Baby Face Nelson also still remains on the property.

History aside, Little Bohemia still looks like a great place to stay. As they are fond of saying, Dillinger only left because he had to.

Little Bohemia Lodge is located at:

142 US Highway 51 S
Manitowish Waters, WI
View map and get directions
(715) 543-8433

Benson's Hide-A-Way

Located in Dundee on the shores of Long Lake and deep in the heart of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Benson's Hide-A-Way is not only a bar and restaurant where you can dine lakeside on hamburgers, sandwiches, homemade pizza, or a Friday Fish Fry.

Benson's doubles as a UFO Headquarters, as owner Bill Benson is the local registrar for UFO sightings, keeping records and sharing countless photos of the encounters with anyone who stops in for a look.

Benson's has been the home of UFO Daze since 1988, where people gather annually in hopes of spotting UFOs hovering around Dundee Mountain.

Benson's Hide-A-Way is located on the northern tip of Long Lake, 3 miles north of Dundee on Hwy. 67 with camping available at Benson's Resort.

Benson's Hide-A-Way
N4241 Boy Scout Drive
Campbellsport, WI
View map and get directions
(920) 533-8219