I grew up on a “haunted” racehorse farm close to the border of Vineyard and Orem. Trains would run north and south along the tracks exactly west of the farm. These trains ran past a bar that was literally “on the other side of the tracks,” and just a stone’s throw away from my farm. I believe the bar was called Danna and Shirley's Hitching Post. Many of my nights were spent … [Read more...]
Search Results for: folklore
Danny Stewart — The truth is out there…but where?
The truth is out there...but where? This question has intrigued Danny Stewart since childhood. Danny is a Utah County folklorist and cryptozoologist. Many know him from the Provo Ghost Tour. He has been collecting journal entries, diaries and interviews for 20 years to construct this nighttime walk through Provo. "It has gotten a lot bigger than I ever thought it would," … [Read more...]
Magna, Utah—the town that forgot its name
Pleasant Green, AKA Magna The pioneer history of Pleasant Green, commonly known as Magna, Utah, remains largely untold outside of dusty family histories and faded folklore. I have been remedying this situation through YouTube documentaries that will help preserve this rich history, revealing a complete picture of these lost years to younger generations. There is even a … [Read more...]
Bigfoot In Mormon lore … is Bigfoot Cain?
Who is this hairy hominid? The Sasquatch or Bigfoot (both terms are plural and singular) is North America’s largest cryptozoological mystery. The name “Bigfoot” has come to denote any unknown relic hominid that is reported throughout the world. However, each unknown creature does have is own label, such as the Yeti or Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas. It is … [Read more...]
The Giant Flying Manta-Ray of Provo Utah
About eleven years ago a woman shared an interesting story with me. Late one June night she was walking along University Ave., a little after 10 PM and near 300 South when she saw a “gigantic black manta-ray” flying across the Provo sky. “This thing was four-hundred feet in the air, coming from the South-East and flying North-West. It had a fourteen-foot wingspan and its body … [Read more...]
The Faerie Folk of Utah
For centuries we have heard tales and people have had sightings of enchanted-diminutive humanoids. Their stories are found all over the globe... Even in Utah. I've spent my entire life studying Folklore and Legends and because of this I have accumulated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Nature Spirit Lore... Or as most people have come to know them... “Faeries.” A little … [Read more...]
The Significance of the “Salamander” In Mormon and Occult Lore
Most of us have at least heard of the “Mark Hofmann murders” and the related “Salamander Letters,” but what's the deal with this so-called “Salamander?” Most people have heard of Mark Hofmann, his forgeries, that include the “Anthon Transcript,” the “Joseph Smith the 3rd Blessing,” and “The Salamander Letter,” which eventually led to one of the most compelling … [Read more...]
Lost and Discarded Love and Courtship Traditions In Utah and Abroad.
The J. Geils Band said it best... “Love Stinks”, but it doesn't have to be that way. Several years ago I wrote a lecture/performance piece with the sole purpose of impressing and eventually wooing a girl. The title of the performance was “Love, Luv, Wuv: One Man’s Bitter Interpretation of The Folklore and Mythology of Love.” It was a hit, not only with the girl I had a crush … [Read more...]
A Christmas Ghost Story
The Holiday Season. Beneath the theological ownership (you had better say “Merry Christmas”, damn it!), mindless, competitive consumerism, and talking caribou with bizarre otorhinolaryngological symptoms, there lies an often-ignored tradition of folklore, myth, and legend—traditions that are steeped in occult practices. Occult, when properly defined, means “Hidden Knowledge” … [Read more...]
Terror at the Bottom of The Lake
For centuries there have been tales of unknown water monsters lurking within some of the world's waterways. Utah is not stranger to these legends. Danny B Stewart attempts to shed a little light on Utah Lake Monster Lore! There are some wonderful and eerie tales crawling out of Utah's lakes and waterways. Stories that involve what pop-culture and cryptozoology would … [Read more...]