The Legend of Sica Hollow State Park
South Dakota's Most Haunted Campground
An ancient god wiped out a village, leaving behind blood-red waters, eerie lights, haunting sounds, and a forest you have to be crazy to stay in overnight. But is it really haunted or just a haunting myth?
Location: Sisseton, South Dakota (Map)
Sica Hollow, located near Sisseton, South Dakota, is home to 900 acres of beautiful forest, trails, and Indigenous spirits. Ancient Dakota Sioux legend tells of a man who was so egotistical that he not only condemned himself to death at the hands of a god but an entire village as well. Now the waters run red with the blood of those who died, and you can still hear the echos of moans, groans, and screams as they perished. Because of this, the Dakota named the area "Sica" (pronounced "she-cha"), meaning "bad" or "evil."
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The Lore
Hand vs. Thunderer
The Dakota Sioux legend tells of a beautiful and peaceful area where the people lived in harmony with the land. One winter, a man named Hand came to the village. His demeanor made the women of the tribe nervous, and he took without giving back to the land; as a result, he was told to leave in the spring. Instead of leaving, Hand taught the younger men of the village to strike and kill. The elders sought help from Wicasa Wakan (wee-cha-sha wah-kahn), Medicine Man, wanting to make a sacrifice to return the Hollow to its previous harmonious state. Wicasa Wakan spoke to Wakantanka (wah-kahn-tahn-kah), the Great Spirit, who sent his messenger Thunderer to rid the land of Hand and take his sacrifice. Thunderer beat his wings and formed a dark rain cloud that flooded the Hollow. Hand was consumed by madness, and when he tried to flee, vines grabbed and encircled his ankles, water filled his mouth, and Thunderer ripped out Hand's eyes with his talons so that Hand may never see the Happy Hunting Ground.
The only survivor of the flood was Fawn, a young woman who fled to the highest hill and sang out to Wakantanka before falling asleep and sleeping for many days. When she finally woke up, the Hollow was as it was, but the horrors lived on in memory and legend. Those who walk the Trail of Spirits can still see blood-red waters, see apparitions, hear drums, chanting, moans, groans, and screams, and even find themselves on a trail that never seems to end when it should.
Robert Roi
In the 1840s, a white settler by the name of Robert Roi moved to the Hollow and built his home even though the local Indigenous people thought he was crazy as they no longer lived there. The US government sent soldiers into the Hollow to find Roi years later, and by the time they returned, they deemed him crazy for living there as well.
Civil War (1861-1865)
During the Civil War, attempts to relocate a tribe living in the area who claimed the land would be cursed if they were forced off. The tribe was chased into the Hollow and never seen again.
Cursed Cryptids
What kind of spooky and creepy lore would this be if we had Native Americans but not *shudders* skinwalkers? Well, we do. Or we have reports of something living in Sica Hollow. Some reports are of a Bigfoot-type, which always makes me happy, and others are of a half-man/half-beast shapeshifter, a half-man/half-horse but with only two hooves creature, and, of course, skinwalkers.
Disappearances in the 1970s
In the 1970s, several hikers reportedly went missing in the area. While searching for them, some of the search party members were supposedly told to keep an eye out for a Bigfoot type that may have been the culprit for the missing hikers. The hikers were never found, and neither was the big guy.
Modern Day
Today, many visit the area without incident, but some capture areas of silence where you would expect to hear animals moving about and birds singing. As mentioned above, many find themselves on trails that go on longer than they should or repeat without reason. Campfires are often seen, but when hikers attempt to locate the site, they never can. There are areas between trees where mounds of dirt rise up and no animal will go over them.
The Facts
Nature and Science
Sica Hollow may be steeped in mystery, but most of the creepy lore is easily explained by simple science. The blood-red water is rich in minerals that stain the rocks and water itself. Swamp gases, decomposing tree stumps, and small echoing waterfalls all help to create the glowing lights, campfires, and haunting sounds heard throughout the Hollow.
Terrible Terrain
Sica Hollow is full of landscapes that help you disappear without a trace. There are bogs and quicksand-like areas, deep gullies and ravines that you can fall down with a simple misstep, and even a "Dead Man's Curve" where you can see cars that have gone over the side but have never been recovered.
Roi's G-Man Visit
We know the US government visited Roi's ravine and that they agreed with locals that he was crazy for living there, but we don't know why they thought that. Was it ghosts? Horse-men? Bigfoot? Or just really effing bad terrain to navigate through?
Bigfoot & Bobcats & Bears, Oh My!
While we can't prove Bigfoot roams the Hollow, we can safely say he has some competition for finding his dinner. Reports of bobcats and bears in the area have been made, with one report of cat prints 5 feet in span and at least one large brown bear sighting. Male bobcats on average grow around 3 feet in length. Black bears average 3-5 feet high on all fours and 5-7 feet tall when on their hind legs. Brown bears are 3-5 feet at the shoulder and 5-7 feet in length. While this was a report of a large brown bear, it's worth noting that a very large brown bear can be almost 9 feet tall when standing on its hind legs. It is possible that a very large brown baby, I mean bear, was mistaken for a Bigfoot or two.
Found Village
Now this is the most interesting piece of information to me—a Native American village was found and excavated near Roy Lake. Roy Lake is (per Google Maps) only about 13 miles from Sica Hollow State Park (or about a 4-hour, 45-minute hike). This does play into the legend of Thunderer flooding a nearby village. Even the distance from Lake to Hollow is a feasible hiking distance for a young woman determined to sing to her god. It is worth noting the source that mentioned the village did not mention any dating, so I am not sure exactly how old it is compared to the legend.
Lily's Thoughts
This has been a hard piece for me to finish. I went down a long Bigfoot path, reading In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, before realizing that while the location is within a reasonable travel distance (to me) for a Bigfoot-type, the version mentioned in the book is more of a spirit that presents itself during important times. While interesting, this isn't quite what I need for Sica Hollow. I need to grab the tale and the tail by the fur here, and I'm not getting that with spirits.
Speaking of furry tails, I don't think many would mistake a bobcat print for a Bigfoot, but they may mistake a bear print if they aren't familiar with them or just don't realize bears might be in the area. As far as hoof prints that resemble a horse with only two legs, well, horses are quite talented beauties. They can walk on two legs and are smart enough to walk in their own hoof prints. Without having prints found in an unexplainable area, I think we can safely disregard two-legged horses in the ravines.
I do find the location interesting. Lots of steep areas for people to walk, ride, or drive off of, including the dead man's curve. I think it's interesting that the men sent to find Robert Roi commented on him being crazy for living where he did, but not why. Was it spirits or just a deadly location to navigate? Was it the same swamp gases illuminating the night that we later learned aren't ghosts but are, well, swamp gases? Did that freak the men out? I would love to know why they felt so strongly about his homestead choice without also commenting on why they felt that way. It does seem like an area where, regardless of your level of survival, wilderness, and hiking expertise, you will run into problems quickly if you go off-trail.
There are some interesting points that I would love more info on, but the interwebs seem to be lacking. For instance, in areas where nature seems to fall silent, is this a constant silence, or could there just be an unseen predator in the area? The supposed mounds of dirt between trees—how big are they and how spread apart? Is it just dogs that won't walk over them, or is it all critters, including little squirrels or the two-legged horses? Where are these mounds, as I didn't see any photos or videos during my research? And finally, as for the people who claim to see lights but never manage to get closer to them, we've seen this at Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. Are they actually spectral lights? Night and distance optical illusion? Time loops? Lost time? The Lily may never know...
I am using a different citation generator that isn't perfect but also keeps me from crying over how long it takes. So they aren't perfect, but they are here and that's the important thing.
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