The Platte River Death Ship of Wyoming

The Death Ship of the Platte River, Wyoming is the legend of a ghost ship that sails the river. It can be spotted between Torrington and Alcova, Wyoming.  Legend says the mysterious boat is a “Ship of Death” and is cursed to sail upon the treacherous river forever. Witnesses say this phantom ship shows itself on the edge of a strange and small mist that turns miraculously into a massive rolling fog bank in seconds. As the ship gets closer, witnesses report the ship’s sails, masts, and crew are covered with frost.

It’s said that if you see the “Ship of Death”, the ghost crew will be standing on the deck circled around a dead corpse. The ship foreshadows the death of someone on the day the death ship is seen. When the crew steps back, the identity of the corpse will be revealed as someone you know and love, or it may be you that will ultimately meet your fate that day. 

The death ship was first sighted in 1862. A trapper, Leon Webber, reported his encounter with the ship. Webber saw a crew of frost-covered sailors crowded around something lying on the ship’s deck. When the crew stepped away Webber saw the corpse of his fiancée. It is said that a month later when he returned home he learned that his beloved fiancée had passed away the day he reportedly saw the death ship.

Should you decide to search for the death ship keep an eye out for the spectral vessel during autumn, a time when it is said to make its appearance. Though there haven’t been officially reported sightings, The Cheyenne Bureau of Psychological Research keeps track of the reported sightings of the death ship. The death ship has been seen on the Platte River only a handful of times every 25 years. You may be the next to witness it, but beware the outcome.