Legend of a haunted island floats in Arcadia

Legend has it that the shrieks are deafening and terrifying. The noise doesn’t come from a human and doesn’t even sound like an animal, at least not like anything living around here.

That, according to legend, is why nobody should row down Turton Creek late at night because the remains of an island near downtown Arcadia are still active.

There is no island in Arcadia — not anymore, anyway. But old maps show it once existed, and historical documents show inhabitants who may now be doing the rumored haunting. 

But the haunters were never human. 

In the late 1800s or early 1900s, before the Trempealeau River and Turton Creek changed courses, an island existed near downtown Arcadia. Lehrbach Island — possibly named after early Arcadia settler Nic Lehrbach — stood somewhere between Grant Street and what is now Green Bay Avenue near the railroad tracks. 

The only access to the island was by rowboat. It became a popular area for people to have picnics.

Much of the urban legend comes from what was written in journals by brothers AJ and Julian Krumholz — from which much of Arcadia’s early history is derived. 

The journals stated a man — whose name is being withheld to protect surviving family members — built a house on the island and moved there with his wife. Instead of using a boat to get to and from downtown Arcadia, the man built a one-plank rope bridge over Turton Creek.

Life on the island changed dramatically one spring. The man attempted to cross his bridge during a thunderstorm but was blown off and later found to have drowned. His wife quickly fled the island never to return, according to the journals.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the couple’s life on the island was their livestock. They raised what were likely Maine Coon cats as they were said to be much larger than house cats and almost the size of bobcats

The cats were all black. The couple sold their hides, said to have been very valuable. Perhaps the cats’ most unique trait wasn’t their hides, according to the journals, but the noises they made. They didn’t meow like normal cats; they let out deafening screams.

After the spring storm that led to the death of the man and deserting of the island, the spot became popular with hunters during the wintertime. There were reports in the journals that the cats remained on the island and multiplied. Hunters reported seeing the felines in trees and bushes and hearing the screams. 

Eventually Arcadia residents stopped going to the island, fearing the cats. Soon after, the island dissipated as Turton Creek and the Trempealeau River changed courses.

Some say there is still some evidence of the house that was built on the island, but one would have to dig into the creek to find it. 

As for the cats, it’s possible — although not necessarily likely — that they escaped off the island and reside in a wooded area that is surrounded by the Trempealeau River and Turton Creek — in which case, descendents would likely still be alive and hunting in the woods to this day. 

The more common thought is they drowned with the collapse of the island. Legend has it their spirits remain, protecting the spirit of their former owner. 

Some believe that in one form or another, the cats still are around to this day, and so they warn against rowing down Turton Creek late at night. 

(Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the Oct. 25, 2017 edition of the Times)