Little-known haunts downtown to be revealed – and you can hunt for them

Mitchell Olson was hoping to learn six ghost stories about downtown Sioux Falls.

He found more than 20.

“I have 22-plus, and they’re still coming in, so it was way beyond what I expected,” he said.

And that doesn’t count the people who alluded to their own strange encounters but neglected to make them public.

“You can’t really fact-check a ghost story, so if there’s any kind of story there, I’m off and running,” said Olson, who is known for his appearance on the reality show “Survivor.”

His ghost hunt of sorts had an end game: a haunted downtown scavenger hunt he plans to launch later this month.

“People get excited for anything haunted or creepy,” he said. “And I heard a lot of it. Some of it’s ghost stories and some folklore.”

The scavenger hunt concept is inspired by a company he worked for in New York City, which designed dozens of unique hunts throughout the city and later nationwide. Olson created one a few years ago called the Hidden Secrets of Downtown Sioux Falls and primarily offered it to companies looking for team-building activities.

“In my mind, it’s a great way to get people to interact,” he said. “We put you into teams of four to six people, and you’re not looking for objects along the route. You’re looking for answers to tricky clues, so you are learning all kinds of history and facts. And in this one, you’re learning all kinds of great creepy ghost stories and lore, but at the end you’re answering the questions, and the team that has the most correct answers is the winning team.”

Via hauntedrooms.com

To compile the haunted hunt, Olson asked friends, his Facebook network dubbed the Facebook 5000 and staff members at Siouxland Heritage Museums, and he looked up information in history books.

“I talked with a psychic on the phone,” he said. “I basically reached out to anybody downtown who works in one of these buildings on Phillips or Main.”

The stories started flowing.

For instance, there’s a haunted elevator bank at the Washington Pavilion, Olson said.

“A man rides with you to your stop and disappears when the door opens,” he said.

One story brings participants into an alley.

Another involves a longtime church.

One location is the place where Sioux Falls used to hang prisoners.

And the hunt starts under the awning of the Orpheum Theater, where Olson had his own bizarre experience.

He was acting in the musical “A Christmas Carol” – fittingly, as a ghost – when he was in the dressing room alone and heard a toilet flush in the adjacent bathroom and a sink turn on.

The water was still running when another actor came into the room.

“And the actor goes nonchalantly, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Larry.’ Larry? ‘Yeah, that’s the ghost in the theater. His name is Larry. He turns on faucets and flushes toilets, and that’s kind of his thing.’”

Most stops on the scavenger hunt include a ghost story while participants try to answer the questions. In most cases, they don’t involve going into businesses – unless the business requests it or offers something to participants – although some public buildings are involved.

It’s designed to take less than two hours – and there are no points for finishing in the least amount of time. Winners are determined by how many questions they answer correctly.

Olson is running the hunt through Sioux Falls Community Education.

“There’s no reason most kids can’t do it. I would suggest probably teens, not because of the content, but anyone younger might just feel like they’re tagging along, and teenagers might feel like they’re participating,” he said. “But anybody can do it. Bring a comfy pair of shoes.”

Haunts will be on Thursday and Sunday nights for the next two weeks, starting Oct. 14.

The cost is $25 per person or $39 per couple, and they are capped at 30 people per hunt in teams of two to six people. Many are sold out, so get your tickets fast. Click here.

It will be dark during the event – which is all part of the experience, Olson said. His other downtown hunt is during daylight and also is available for businesses or social groups.

“I admit I enjoyed writing this,” Olson said. “I learned some really interesting things.”

Bonus: Olson is holding a special haunted scavenger hunt designed for Pigeon605 pigeon owners! It will be Oct. 26 and 28 thanks to popular demand. Click here to grab your ticket!