A Harbinger of Death in Wyoming
An artist’s impression of the ghostly ship that appears on the Platte River in Wyoming.
For more than a hundred years, a ghostly ship has appeared on the Platte River roughly every 25 years. Each sighting has been said to predict the death of someone known to the witness who spotted the eerie vessel.
A Warning on the Platte River
Wyoming has its fair share of ghost stories and phantom tales, but one lesser-known legend is not only terrifying but also carries a reputation as an omen of death.
The mist rising from the water pouring from the Pathfinder Dam on the North Platte River might explain some things, but it doesn't account for the chilling sightings reported for over a century.
Sightings of the Wyoming Ghost Ship
In 1862, a trapper named Leon Webber had the first documented encounter with the death ship. Initially, he spotted a massive ball of fog near the river. Curious, he approached and even threw a stone at the swirling mass. To his astonishment, it transformed into a sailing ship, its mast and sails glistening with frost.
On board, frost-covered sailors surrounded something on the deck. As they moved aside, Webber saw it was the body of a girl, whom he recognized as his fiancée. His shock deepened when he later discovered she had passed away on the very day he witnessed the haunting spectacle.
Another sighting occurred along the North Platte River in 1887. As the mist thickened on the river, cattleman Gene Wilson was rounding up his herd nearby when his dog suddenly began barking frantically. Startled, his horse refused to approach the riverbank and attempted to flee. After securing his horse to a scrub pine, Wilson cautiously approached the river on foot. He later described the sight as profoundly unsettling, saying it "sent shivers down my spine."
There, almost motionless on the swiftly flowing river, was a fully-rigged sailing vessel seemingly crafted from the frozen, glimmering mist that enveloped it. Once again, a crew stood on deck, and this time the captain gestured for them to lower a frost-covered canvas suspended by ropes at its corners. As the bundle reached the deck and a sailor unveiled it, Wilson was chilled to the bone to see his wife's face on the lifeless body.
The Platte River
The ship vanished when Wilson screamed in terror. He hurried home only to find his house reduced to ashes and his wife's lifeless body lying about 100 yards away from the smoldering remains.
It took another 25 years before the death ship reappeared. The third witness, Victor Hiebe, had no prior knowledge of the earlier sightings. While taking a smoke break from chopping firewood near the North Platte River, he struck a match to light his pipe and noticed a sudden bank of fog moving downstream towards him. As the fog neared, it gradually transformed into a sailing ship encased in icy mist, a chilling sight.
A sail initially obstructed Hiebe's view, but he could discern a crew on the deck and hear voices. One voice claimed innocence while another asserted they were merely carrying out their duty. When the sail was finally raised, Hiebe was horrified to see a gallows on the ship's deck with a man hanging from it. It was his best friend, whom he believed had been unjustly convicted of murder and escaped from prison. Later, Hiebe learned that his friend had been captured and executed on the very day he saw the death ship.
The Cheyenne Bureau of Psychological Research monitors reported sightings, and a few books have documented these accounts of the Death Ship on the North Platte River. Some suggest keeping watch for this eerie vessel during autumn, when it tends to appear. If you spot what looks like a ship in the mist on the North Platte River, it might be best to look away—you may not want to witness what's aboard.
Have you ever had a premonition of death, like the ones in the article? Tell us about it in the comments!
If you enjoyed learning about the Wyoming Ghost Ship you might also be interested in 2026 Doomsday Predictions or how Katherine Hobbs predicted her own death.
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