Some people believe in ghosts; others don’t. But when you’re sitting around a campfire on a dark night, it’s a little easier to suspend your disbelief. Here’s a ghost story that might keep you up late at night, especially if you happen to be anywhere near Cannon Beach.
When you’re snuggled around a campfire, ghouls and ghosts might be the last thing on your mind… until someone gets the bright idea to tell creepy stories.
Henry…./flickr The story of The Bandage Man is an urban legend that’s been around since the 1960s. It may have started as a way to deter young lovers from “parking” in overlooks along Highway 101.
The story goes that a young couple was parked in a truck somewhere near Cannon Beach.
Diana Anderson/flickr Oblivious to their surroundings, they were making out when the truck shifted, as though someone had climbed up into the truck bed. They looked out the rear window to find a disfigured man, covered in bandages, rocking the truck back and forth.
He started pounding on the window and the top of the truck as the boy pulled the truck out of the overlook and started racing down the highway.
Alex Weimer/Flickr The couple drove for a few miles with the bandaged man still beating on the truck, until he suddenly disappeared.
Stories of Bandage Man continue to plague Cannon Beach and the stretch of Highway 101 nearby.
sea turtle/flickr Over the years, some drivers have reported a man covered in bandages jumping into their cars. Sweethearts in parking lots or overlooks report seeing The Bandage Man approaching their car. Others say that they’ve seen him on the beach and walking down the side of either Highway 101 or a short road known locally as “Bandage Man Road,” which connects Cannon Beach.
Some believe that Bandage Man is the ghost of a logger who died after horrific injuries sustained while working nearby.
phillipe leroyer/flickr He’s said to smell horribly of rotting flesh, and sometimes leaves small pieces of bloody bandages in his wake.
Of course, no fully reliable sources exist to prove that this ghoul exists, but at the end of the night, when you crawl into your tent alone and hear the snapping of twigs or footsteps nearby… you might just wonder if Bandage Man is on the prowl.
Henry…./flickr
The story of The Bandage Man is an urban legend that’s been around since the 1960s. It may have started as a way to deter young lovers from “parking” in overlooks along Highway 101.
Diana Anderson/flickr
Oblivious to their surroundings, they were making out when the truck shifted, as though someone had climbed up into the truck bed. They looked out the rear window to find a disfigured man, covered in bandages, rocking the truck back and forth.
Alex Weimer/Flickr
The couple drove for a few miles with the bandaged man still beating on the truck, until he suddenly disappeared.
sea turtle/flickr
Over the years, some drivers have reported a man covered in bandages jumping into their cars. Sweethearts in parking lots or overlooks report seeing The Bandage Man approaching their car. Others say that they’ve seen him on the beach and walking down the side of either Highway 101 or a short road known locally as “Bandage Man Road,” which connects Cannon Beach.
phillipe leroyer/flickr
He’s said to smell horribly of rotting flesh, and sometimes leaves small pieces of bloody bandages in his wake.
Have you heard this story before? Are there other Oregon legends that never fail to make you shiver? Share your most terrifying tales in the comments below!
If you’re interested in more spine-tingling ghost stories, check out these 10 best places to spot a ghost in Oregon.
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