Ghostly sightings near Osseo raise questions

(Editor's note: The following story appeared in the Oct. 26, 2016 edition of the Times)

In 1989 two young men were driving along Highway 53, going to work at Tiffany Tie and Lumber, when the vehicle’s driver saw what looked to be a young Native American man dancing in full garb alongside the road.

The driver tried to wake his friend — both believed to be about 18 or 19 years old — but couldn’t. As he got closer, he noticed the Native American man appeared to be pecking like a bird.

Still unable to wake his friend, he drove past the dancing man, who made eye contact with him. He then looked in his rearview mirror — and saw nothing.

The dance is thought to be the Native American Eagle Dance. The dancer, many believe, was Jonathan Thunder, who lost his life in a car accident in that area in 1984.

And so, the urban legend known as the Ghost Dancer was born.

On May 21, 1984, Thunder — who was a champion dancer for the Ho-Chunk Nation — was driving his late-model Oldsmobile when he lost control near the intersection of County Road H and U.S. Highway 53 near Osseo. His car struck a bank and plunged into a nearby irrigation pond, where Thunder drowned. 

At just 19 years old, Thunder was pronounced dead at the scene by Trempealeau County Coroner Larry Hollister. According to legend, however, Thunder has been seen multiple times since then, including once by a police officer.

Almost the same exact story about a Native American dancer surfaced in 1995, but this time the young man was said to be wearing a headdress and jeans.

In the late 1990s or early 2000s, a police officer was said to have reported seeing a late-model Oldsmobile crash into the same pond where Thunder’s vehicle plunged. The officer called for backup, but when it arrived, there was no vehicle and no evidence of one. Without an exact date, no police report for the incident could be located.

These are the stories Tamara Gleason — who makes up half the Mystic Sisters, psychic duo from Osseo — has been given permission to tell. Gleason has her own story.

In 1990, Gleason heard about the Ghost Dancer. She lived out of state at the time.Then in 1997, she said Thunder began contacting her and her sister, Dawnette Cook.

Gleason went to the scenic overlook near Osseo — Buena Vista — where she reportedly saw Thunder, who was a friend of her brother. Thunder told her about the time the two canoed from Osseo to Augusta. Gleason’s brother told her he and Thunder were the only ones who knew about the canoe trip.

The Mystic Sisters grew up on sacred grounds near Osseo, where they say they were introduced to many paranormal anomalies in their own backyard. Gleason said they never intended to be mediums, or individuals with psychic abilities. She has a graphic design degree, and Cooke was a teacher.

The sisters didn’t chose to see spirits — the spirits chose them, Gleason said. They since have been recognized as “those who can see” by the Ho Chunk Nation.

Thunder continued contacting the Mystic Sisters, asking them to contact his father and let him know he was OK, Gleason said. In 2002 the sisters finally made contact with Lee Thunder, who still lives in Fairchild, and learned from him about Native American culture.

There have been several reports from people claiming to have seen Thunder or other spirits at Buena Vista, which Gleason learned is considered a “portal” to the spirit world by some Native Americans. The entire area, she said, is full of sacred ground.

Seeing Thunder is considered an honor in Native American culture, and not something people should be frightened of, Gleason said. In Native American culture, there is no death, only a changing of worlds.

In 1999 the Mystic Sisters got in touch with Chad Lewis, a paranormal researcher based in Eau Claire. Lewis has spent about 20 years researching stories such as the Ghost Dancer.

Lewis has equipment such as an electromagnetic field detector, which some believe can help find ghosts due to the disturbances they cause in the electromagnetic field. He also carries a laser-guided thermometer, designed to detect minute temperature variations, and a camera.

Lewis said he has spent a significant amount of time researching the Ghost Dancer and several other area stories, including Lavender Lilly in rural Independence and Rachel’s Field in rural Eleva. Despite all the time Lewis has spent investigating, he said he never has experienced a ghost.

“Most of the stuff that I experienced is just what I could consider kind of odd,” Lewis said. “Right on the border of ‘is that paranormal or just sort of odd, like hearing voices, capturing weird balls of light.’ ”

Lewis has had contact with psychics who claim to have been pushed or pinched by ghosts, but he added it’s “never anything like it is in the movies, where people are speaking in tongues and things are flying around the room.”

As for if the ghost dancer is actually real, Lewis, who refers to himself as a folklorist, can’t say. He said he gathers as much historical information as he can to separate fact from fiction and presents the findings to people who make up their own minds.

According to a Harris poll taken last year, 42 percent of Americans said they believe in ghosts. Lewis said he doesn’t like to tell people what to believe; he just presents the facts to allow them to come to their own conclusions.

Gleason said she has continued to have contact with Thunder.

Years before the Osseo-Fairchild School District changed its team name from the Chieftains, Thunder told Gleason the new name would be the Osseo-Fairchild Thunder. In November 2011, the name was changed. After agreeing on the new name, the district opened school playing “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, a popular band Gleason and Cook claim Thunder arranged them to meet.

Whether Thunder died in that 1984 accident or his spirit just changed worlds, and whether people who claim to have seen the ghost dancer actually have, depends on people’s beliefs.

Gleason told the author of this story that those who look into Thunder’s story typically hear songs relating to him in the near future. Later that night, the author heard “Thunderstuck” playing during a television commercial.