HALLOWEEN OFTEN CONJURES up mysterious tales of the unknown, the unexplained and the unsolved.
Sometimes these stories are urban legend and other times they are true.
Here are a few unsolved mysteries of the West End.
• On Tuesday, August 30, 1938, 31-year-old Nellie Leyendecker enjoyed lunch at the Klahn residence near Three Rivers.
As she departed at a gallop on the big, spirited horse that she often rode, the Klahns cautioned her to be careful when crossing the Bogachiel River.
It was Leyendecker’s intention that day to cross the river to her home, then cross again to the Hermanson place with a message.
It had been less than a year since Leyendecker’s husband, Bill, had been killed in a logging accident, leaving the young mother of two widowed.
When the horse returned home around four that afternoon riderless, Leyendecker’s brother-in-law, Joe, called the sheriff and a search party was organized.
Later that evening, Leyendecker’s body was found where the Bogachiel joins the Sol Duc. The rivers were low that day in August.
What could have happened? We will never know.
• The fog hung low shrouding U.S. Highway 101 on June 2, 1948.
As two travelers passed the Sappho Junction at around 1:30 a.m., they were surprised to see an animal lying in the road.
Deciding to drive over it, they were even more surprised to see it was no animal — it was a man.
They had discovered the body of 22-year-old Kelsey Jack C. Tanner, alias Jack Gale.
The sheriff and State Patrol arrived at around 2 a.m., and although the body was still warm, the victim had suffered so many injuries he was beyond help.
An autopsy later ruled out hit and run.
Whatever the motive for Tanner’s murder, it did not seem to be robbery. The money from a check he had cashed in Forks earlier in the day was still on the victim, and a .22 caliber pistol was tucked in his belt.
Did the answer to his demise lie in his lifestyle?
The question remains: Who killed Jack Tanner?
• The weekend of April 2, 1966, was Forks’ close encounter of the first kind.
At around 2 p.m. that Saturday afternoon, a young boy spotted a UFO to the east of town.
At that time, law enforcement saw nothing — but on Sunday evening the town marshal, deputy sheriff and several other adults watched the craft for about half an hour.
Terry and Viola Hinchen also reported seeing something very unusual that weekend.
The Hinchens had been previously observing Sputnik, but this was not Sputnik — it made some amazing turns and even glittered.
• In 1971 in the Forks High School art room of Ron Thompson, a beast began to come to life.
Like modern-day Frankensteins, students were creating a monster.
He was big and scary, a papier-mache Sasquatch.
After a brush with celebrity on a homecoming float, Sasquatch disappeared, only to become rumored to be hiding out near Grader Creek.
Then in 2002, a resident of Burnt Mountain reported seeing a hairy, humanlike creature near his house.
An animal control officer checked the area and was relieved to find no signs of the creature, saying he did not know why he would impound him or where he would keep him if he did.
And finally . . .
In addition to Halloween conjuring up mysterious tales, it also conjures up fun for kids.
Forks High School students Kassy King and Shilo Hinchen are putting on a Halloween carnival as their senior project.
This free, family event is open to the community at the Sunshine and Rainbows Daycare, 945 S. Forks Ave., on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
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Christi Baron is a longtime West End resident who is the office and property manager for Lunsford & Associates real estate and lives with her husband, Howard, in Forks.
Phone her at 360-374-3141 or 360-374-2244 with items for this column, or e-mail her at hbaron@centurytel.net.
West End Neighbor appears on this page every other Tuesday.
