Haunted Kay’s Cross has been shrouded in myth and mystery for more than 70 years. As this October unfolds, the secrets of the cross will be divulged to anyone who enters the haunted woods surrounding what remains of the cross that was left in ruins after a puzzling explosion in 1992.
With a history dating back to the 1940s, nobody really knows why the cross was erected, who erected it or who bombed it in 1992.
Jared Peterson, the mastermind behind the Haunted Kay’s Cross attraction, said he has always wanted to create a haunted house there.
“We have kicked so many people off of this private property in the past that we decided it would be the perfect place for a spook alley,” Peterson said.
Kay’s Cross was a site for youth to party and to scare each other with the many stories.
“A lot of pretty rough people would come down here, and they started devil-worshipping,” Peterson said. “It scared a lot of the surrounding neighbors. The biggest myth is that a farmer killed his wife and family and buried his family near the cross and hung himself.”
This story has spun off into numerous other versions. Weber State University alumnus Adam Dayton recounted the most popular story he remembers from high school.
“A farmer went crazy one evening, murdering seven of his wives and burying them under the cross and in and around the abandoned vehicles.” Dayton said the farmer met an ugly demise, hanging himself in a tree nearby.
“We tried in years past to open the spook alley, but we never had enough time,” Peterson said. “This year we worked really hard and in one weekend got most of the work done. Three days later, it was approved.”
The walk through the woods is a half mile filled with simulated hauntings. The exit is marked with a rotating room and a corn maze.
“Out here it is wide open and exposed,” Peterson said. “You are more vulnerable.”
Northridge Paranormal will come to Haunted Kay’s Cross to lead real ghost hunts in the coming weeks.
Haunted Kay’s Cross offers concessions of food, sweets and hot chocolate, as well as a fire pit to warm up and unwind after the trek through the woods.
October will have extended weekday and weekend hours. General admission is $21 with a free T-shirt before 9 p.m. VIP admittance is $32 with a free sweater before 9 p.m. WSU students will receive $2 off with their Wildcat card.
More information is available at http://www.hauntedkayscross.com.
