Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 34 I remembered that particular episode as I read about a ghost that is rumored to appear along Highway 287 near East Helena. The spirit of a young man wearing a hat has been seen near the edge of the road, appearing every few miles as you make your way down the dark highway. Repetitive hauntings like this have been recorded for as long as vehicles have been in use. From horse-drawn carriages and through- out the age of motor vehicles, these legends have obviously inspired the likes of Lucille Fletcher and Rod Serling…and possibly inspired a legend of Montana's own. HIGHWAY 93 Imagine, for a moment; you are a driver on your usual route down a highway carved into the side of a mountain. Darkness surrounds you as suddenly, a ghostly Mack truck appears to careen toward you. Time is running out, and there's no room to maneuver out of the way, so you have no choice but to brace for impact. This is what is said to occur near Lolo, as many truck drivers who frequent the area have claimed to see this highway phantom. Not a phantom hitchhiker, but a mys- terious old semi-truck that could scare someone to death. It is said to barrel toward oncoming drivers whose only option is to hold on tight and hope that they survive the encounter. It's over in the blink of an eye. Nothing happens except the occupants of the vehicle being left shaken. BLACK HORSE LAKE Legend tells of a traumatic haunting between Fort Benton and Great Falls, with multiple accounts compounding into what is known as "the Phantom Hitchhiker of Black Horse Lake." Apparently, it is a common occurrence for motorists to see what they allege to be a Native American man walking along the side of the road. As the car passes by, he is sudden- ly rolling over the vehicle's hood with a loud thump, much to the driver's surprise and horror. The most common thread of all these stories is that when one exits their vehicle to check on the man and their car, there is no body or damage to be found. There is even an account of one driver glancing back down the road after looking for the man and checking the car, only to see him walking in the distance as if nothing had happened. DARKNESS SURROUNDS YOU AS, SUDDENLY, A GHOSTLY MACK TRUCK APPEARS TO CAREEN TOWARD YOU. TIME IS RUNNING OUT, AND THERE'S NO ROOM TO MANEUVER OUT OF THE WAY.

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