In the mid-1800s Algoma Township, Michigan was being tormented by an unknown force. For days children had been seemingly disappearing in the woods. the townspeople formed a search party and set to the woods to find the missing children.



The children who had not yet disappeared were left with Elias Friske, a kindly and elderly man who was adored by many of the town’s citizens. The party walked the woods for many hours, searching thoroughly for the missing children until one man found the horrifying reason as to why the children had gone missing.



The man came heard someone mumbling, just behind a tree laid Elias Friske, rocking, holding his head. Just past him was a bridge, where the children left with early, were him hanging. He had tied a rope around their waists to keep them together, for fear of losing any more of the town’s children. When he had led them to the bridge an urge came over him, one that resulted in him using the rope to hang the children.



He was found mumbling ”the devil made me do it”. Some believe he was the reason for all the missing children. Others believed him to be innocent and that a malevolent spirit was preying on the youth of the town. Regardless, Elias Friske was hung off the very same bridge as retribution for the loss of the children in his care. The story says the waters rose that night. The rope snapped and Elias’ body was swept away to Hell.



Witnesses claim to have seen children’s faces below the surface of the flowing water. Others have seen hands grasping from the depths. Others have heard laughing and crying. But the most terrifying thing that has been seen comes to us in this story.



A young couple looking for a thrill decided to visit the metal bridge that now stands over the cold waters. They never believed any of the stories of this place. The night brought with it the cold of winter and was stinging their bare faces as they approached the bridge.



They were trying to scare one another on the walk to the bridge, but neither grew to unsettled, at least until the heard the rattling of the metal in the wind. Upon arriving they walked out to the middle, over the water. For a short time, they stood looking around, listening, but there was nothing. They looked to the water and even under the bridge, but to no avail. They figured the legend was just that.



As they walked back to the end of the bridge, the girl’s nose was struck with a rancid odor. The smell of rotting eggs and it was very strong. When she turned to say something to the boy she saw a figure at the far end of the bridge. She screamed as she did not know what it was. The boy whirled around and gave this description. The being appeared to be an old man, but his eyes burned red, on both sides of the bridge were ropes tied to the rails. Shaking and not willing to look over the side, the couple sprinted back to the car and left as quickly as they could, from Hell’s Bridge.