Creepiest Iowa Ghost Town Is Home To The Gitchie Manitou Murders

If you have been following some of the articles here you have probably seen one named "Is This The Creepiest Ghost Town In Iowa?" According to this article, Thrillist named the Gitchie Maintou State Preserve as the creepiest ghost town in Iowa... and now we know why.

Have you heard of the Gitchie Manitou Murders? These were murders committed in the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve located in Lyon County near the border of South Dakota. According to Only In Your State, the story goes that on November 17th in 1973 five teenagers from Sioux Falls, SD were exploring the area and happened to relax around a campfire by the water. Suddenly three brothers came upon the group and attacked. Four of the teenagers were killed and a fifth was kidnapped and raped however she managed to escape and reach the authorities.

The Fryer brothers were all convicted of their horrendous crimes thanks to the victim's testimony and all were sentenced to life in prison without parole. After this, the quiet community was shaken and ghost stories have come from this. Add this to the Native American Burial grounds that are all around the area and it makes sense why this would be the creepiest ghost town in Iowa.