An 11-mile stretch of roadway in between Brighton and Thornton is home to urban myths of hauntings and phantom joggers.
THORNTON, Colo.– Editor’s note: This tale was initial released in 2019.
It takes a great deal to scareStephanie Smith She’s among the founders of the Denver Ghost Hunters, and invests a great deal of time doing examinations in the city’s spookiest locations.
But she stated she had an uncommon sensation of concern on Riverdale Road, a winding 11-mile roadway that attaches Brighton andThornton
“I found this one spot, and I said ‘I think there’s something here, I don’t feel alone,’ you know what I mean?” Smith stated. “We had a cam staff, going to detectives, we’re taking images, paying attention, attempting to see if we’re capturing anything on video camera.
“I start walking on this one side of the road, I start to feel really nervous … and it looked like out in the distance, I could almost see the shape of a man. I remember these cowboy boots and that they were walking toward me, and I felt really freaked out.”
Smith stated some images revealed orbs following her, and she stated she ran past the team and the video camera staff, scared of what she experienced.
“So I walked to the other side of the street, and I felt fine,” Smith stated. “Over the years, I have actually brought various teams to this location and I do not inform them anything concerning it, so I have them stroll where I stroll and a great deal of individuals, specifically females, have this sensation like a person’s going to obtain them.
“Not on the east side, only on the west side of the road.”
Smith stated she can not discover any type of background to describe her experience or what might have taken place on this side of the two-lane road.
Riverdale Road has a background of claimed hauntings and urban myths– from the presence of the literal “Gates of Hell” to the tale of a male that shed his mind and shed his whole estate while his household rested within.
The roadway is likewise home to supposed “Jogger’s Hill,” where the ghost of a killed jogger is reported to adhere to automobiles and faucet on their sides. Other urban myths entail a phantom Camaro and the vision of bodies hanging from the trees throughout the moon.
Of training course, there’s no actual historic proof of this anywhere– outside of multiple blogs and videos of it on YouTube. Nevertheless, previous Thornton Police Department agent Matt Barnes stated he would certainly get media queries concerning Riverdale Road when every couple of years, specifically around Halloween.
“After speaking with dispatchers, we are aware of the urban legends out there regarding this road and how it might be haunted,” Barnes stated. “However, we have not been able to remember or locate any calls for service worth mentioning that would be in any way related to these urban legends.”
Smith, that does not live much from Riverdale Road and occasionally drives it to place her child to bed, stated it’s an attractive stretch of sidewalk– specifically in the late mid-day.
At evening, it can be treacherous to drive, with countless contours and couple of streetlights.
Barnes stated there were 33 home damages and injury mishaps on Riverdale Road in 2019. There have actually likewise been countless deadly accidents in current memory, according to Barnes, that invested thirty years with Thornton Police.
“There have been several fatal crashes on the roadway during my tenure here, basically due to its winding nature and excessive speeds these drivers attempt on the roadway,” Barnes stated.
Barnes stated police officers have performing well-being look at individuals seen roaming around the location, however have actually constantly run into a genuine individual, as opposed to a phantom.
The winding roadway goes through cottonwood trees and open room, with a sight of aircrafts removing from Denver International Airport distant.
The area of supposed Jogger’s Hill is reported to be close to 120th Avenue, and there are various accounts concerning where you can discover the “Gates of Hell.”
Smith, that stated she does not understand way too much concerning the urban myths, stated she most definitely senses on this roadway.
“If you stand in the right spot, you experience these moments of dread,” she stated.
Believer or otherwise, Riverdale Road stays a resource of attraction for ghost seekers. Smith’s suggestions if you’re doing your very own examination? Be mindful driving or strolling when driving– specifically during the night, as a result of its winding nature and blind contours.
In enhancement, she stated to just discover locations where the general public is enabled.
Barnes stated there has actually just been one outcome phone call to cops concerning “ghost hunting” originating from a team of teens that strayed onto a deserted church on personal property in unincorporated Adams County.
“The weird thing about Riverdale, the thing that is spooky, is if you do drive it, it is a beautiful road,” Smith stated. “We’ve had a lot of experiences out there, there’s definitely something out there.”
