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DEAD MAN’S HILL

14113 Galaxie Avenue, Apple Valley, Minnesota 56208

directions

Take I-35E South from St. Paul for a little more than 14 miles to exit 92, the Cedar Avenue exit. Take the exit to the south towards the zoo and follow Cedar Avenue for another 3 miles. Turn left onto 140th Street West and follow that for half a mile until you get to Galaxie Avenue, which is your first right. There is an entrance to Scott Park on your right. Dead Man’s Hill is inside Scott Park.

history

For a while, other than bumps and bruises, there were really no injuries to speak of at the hill. This all changed in 1998 when something tragic happened to a young boy on the hill.

The story goes that a young boy, Dameon, was sledding down the back hill at Dead Man’s Hill when he was killed. Apparently, an archer at the adjacent archery range shot an arrow that strayed from its target and struck Dameon in the eye. Mortally wounded, Dameon writhed in pain until finally striking a tree and dying.

ghost story

It seems that Dameon is still sledding down the hill after all these years. Most of the time, the ghostly happenings occur here at night. People do a lot of night sledding on the back hill of Dead Man’s Hill, and from time to time, these sledders report encounters with the ghost of Dameon.

Most of the time, people hear moaning, as if someone were in pain. When they investigate the sounds, they are unable to find any source for the moaning. Sometimes, people actually see the apparition of Dameon sledding down the hill and then suddenly disappearing. The apparition is seen exclusively by children—adults never report seeing the ghost.

Sometimes, the ghost becomes a little more dangerous. People sledding down the hill have reported that an unseen force, perhaps the ghost of Dameon, suddenly pushes them so that they run into trees or other obstacles along the slope.

visiting

The ghost is seen and experienced most often by people sledding down the back slope of Dead Man’s Hill—and experienced exclusively at night. Only children can see the apparition, but adults can experience other facets of the haunting, such as the moaning or getting pushed into obstacles. In order to experience this ghost, you may need to actually sled down the slope after dark. The park is open until 10 p.m., so that should be doable—and legal. Just be careful: remember that the ghost likes to push unsuspecting sledders into trees.