The Legend of Arizona's "Red Devil"

Superstition and ghost stories are a massive part of Arizona culture. The open desert leads us to believe crazy things, and much of our history provides stories that are perfect to keep you up at night wondering what's out there.

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While many of these stories are based solely in the heads of their tellers, there are some that are based on physical, tangible evidence.

Such is the case when the Devil came to terrorize the Sonoran Desert.

The Legend of the Red Ghost

Way back in 1883, a group of miners had set up camp for the night. They were awakened in the early morning by a rampage. Strange noises emanated from across the camp, and much of their property had been left destroyed. All that remained were footprints, belonging to a creature unseen by the human eye.

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Miles and miles away, it happened again. Just a few days after the initial incident, a woman was trampled to death. Her friend, who was with her at the time, described the beast. All she could recall was an incomprehensible shape, "ridden by the devil".

The last thing she saw was the beast drop a human skull, skin and hair still on it.

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The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Played

Over the next 10 years, the red ghost and his devilish rider were spotted all across the American Southwest. It fought with cowboys, terrified citizens, and only left footprints in its wake.

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Eventually, the Red Ghost was struck down by Mizoo Hastings, a rancher. He shot the beast dead as it was trampling hasting's turnip patch, and as he approached, he finally solved the decades old mystery.

What was the Red Ghost? Nothing more than a camel that had been brought from the middle east by the US Military, something most Arizonans would have never seen. The Devil on its back? Just a mere corpse, likely tied to its back to dispose of criminal evidence.

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The camel's rampage can be attributed to a frantic state of mind, as many of you would go through if someone strapped a dead person to your back.

[Obscure Histories]

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