This blog began as a daily painting blog but as life changes, so does a blog. It has become a journal of a writer who paints and enthusiastically works outdoors to maintain fitness.

Friday, April 16, 2010

April 16 Body Witching


Ron and I went out to eat tonight at a lovely lakeside restaurant not too far from Sauk Centre. A former co-worker of Ron's was at the bar and we invited him to join us. He told us of his particular interest in a local legend. In 1862, a group of soldiers and civilians left Fort Abercrombie, near where Fargo is now, and headed for the Twin Cities. A blizzard, similar to the Armistice Day Blizzard, blew up. Unable to see, the group strayed from the ox cart trail they were traveling on and unknowingly went out onto a frozen lake. They fell through but were able to get out. However, since the blizzard howled on, they were unable to start a fire and ultimately perished. Three of their group had traveled ahead as scouts and after the blizzard came back and found them. They buried the dead and the site, unrecorded, has been lost.

Our friend has been researching this event for some years and believes he found the burial site. He knows a local man who is a water witcher. This man also digs graves and is reputed to be able to find the sites where people have been buried. Our friend asked him to accompany him to the site and when they "witched" the site, found strong indications of bodies buried there. Good story or the basis for further investigation? The basis for my daily painting, anyway.

11" x 14" $1060

2 comments:

  1. I love the painting. The story behind it is amazing as well. Whoever your friend is, they sure have an interesting research project!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is, but he's come to a "dead" end. He can't find someone with offical permission, an archeologist, to dig and it's unlawful for him to dig in a protected area.

    ReplyDelete