One of the Dairy State's most notorious hauntings, The Ridgeway Phantom, terrorized the Old Military Ridge Road that ran from the Fox Valley in the Northeast to Prairie du Chien in the Southwest of the state. From the 1840s, residents of the Driftless area near Ridgeway have spoken about the phantom, who acts more like a troublemaker and trickster than a traditional ghost as he stalks the road. But how could the Ridgeway Phantom have been influenced by the traditions of the Welsh and Cornish lead miners who had been coming to the area by the tens of thousands? And how similar was it to a contemporary legend happening on their home island at the exact same time. Over a century later, reports of a strange creature starting happening in Mineral Point just a few miles away.

How are the cases connected and are there any recent eye witness reports of the Ridgeway Phantom? And what if it's not the spirit of a deceased human, but something completely different? From shapeshifter to vampire, this is the definitive guide to Wisconsin's most famous ghost, The Ridgeway Phantom.

Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at AmericanGhostWalks.Com.

Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on Instagram and Facebook.