50 Nebraskaland • October 2026
Some Visitors Don't
Require a Reservation
Ghost Stories from the Parks
Ghost Walker
C H A D R O N S T A T E P A R K
My dad passed away Sept. 16, 2009, and my wife and I had rented
cabin No. 2 in mid-October. Early one morning, I got up to take our dog out.
With my back turned away from the road below, I heard a cough. When I turned
in the dim light, I saw a figure walking on the road. He was wearing a dark hat,
coat and khaki pants, an outfit my dad wore quite often. I watched in stunned
silence as that figure walked out of my sight and behind some trees.
Chadron State Park was one of my dad's favorite places, and we stayed
there together on occasion. I even have a picture of him fishing for trout
at the pond. I wasn't spooked by what I experienced, only thinking that
was Dad's way of telling me he was in a good place.
~ John Adams, Papillion
Edited by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
