Museum of Idaho invites you to probe ghosts of the past with Haunted History Tour
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IDAHO FALLS – Idaho Falls is a town full of ghosts. These ghosts are colorful characters inhabiting the stories of the city’s wild and wooly past. The Museum of Idaho is inviting you to join them in digging into those old stories as part of their Haunted History Tour.
One of the museum’s most popular programs, Haunted History Tours, takes museum patrons inside different locations around the downtown area, with members of the museum’s past uncovering the tales and figures that helped make Idaho Falls the city it is today.
“We’ve chosen some new locations,” museum spokeswoman Chloe Doucette told EastIdahoNews.com. “(Our locations) are in a whole new area of Downtown that we haven’t explored before. There are so many stories to choose from. Most people don’t really know the Idaho Falls has a darker side to its history.”
Though Idaho Falls is currently a close-knit family community, the city was closer to the rough, violent settlement that comes to mind when we think of the Old West.
“We have all sorts of stories of cowboy violence, domestic disputes, all sorts of murders that happened here,” Doucette said. “We also have the other types of crimes that you associate with the Old West, like prostitution and drunkenness. We’ve got a lot to pull from, which is something that makes this tour so special.”
Doucette says the purpose of sharing lurid tales from the city’s history helps give Idaho Falls residents a deeper appreciation for where the town started and how far it’s come since then.
“(The tour) is about history and it really is also about sharing the past with people who live here now, so they can see what a cool place this is because it is such a cool place and I’m not sure they know that. I think a lot of people think it’s just boring. But it’s not and our city continues to do incredible things.”
Haunted History isn’t just an opportunity to learn about the history of Idaho Falls. It’s also an opportunity for museum patrons to share personal stories with one another.
“Oftentimes, I have a lot of people who come on the tour who are sharing their own experiences, whether that’s experiences of history and things they’ve lived through in our city or whether that’s experiences that have to do with ghosts and the afterlife,” Doucette said. “I have often learned things on the tour.”
“A lot of times when you get to hear these stories from someone who’s actually experienced it, it really enriches the whole experience,” she added. “I would say the vibe on the tour is one of participation. It’s one where people really feel like ‘Oh, yeah. I can tell you about this.’”
Museum of Idaho’s Haunted History Tour is set for October 22, 23, 29 and 30. If you want to join in the fun, tickets go on sale at midnight on October 1st.
Museum of Idaho members can get tickets starting at 11:00 p.m. (click here for info on MoI membership.) Tickets will sell out, so you’ll want to grab yours as soon as you can. Visit the museum’s website or Facebook page for more information.
