🌳 Nestled along the lazy bends of the Cedar River, the park looks like a postcard by day—picnic tables under cottonwoods, kids on swings, ducks drifting past in the gentle current. Families flock here every summer, but no one stays past sunset.

Locals won’t say why, not directly. But the old-timers still whisper about the Meskwaki Murderers—a name given to a pair of renegade brothers from the 1800s, cast out from their band for violating tribal laws. They camped near this very bend, robbing and butchering trappers who wandered too close.

The land has a memory, and at night, it remembers.

After dark, strange things happen. Children’s laughter echoes from the empty playground. The river fog rolls in unnaturally fast. Campers hear chanting, low and guttural, beneath the rustling leaves. Some see two shadowy figures near the bank, always watching.

Park rangers deny it all. But ask the night crew who clean up the bathrooms after closing—they’ll tell you about the blood-red handprints that appear on the stall doors. Always two. Always fresh.

Vacation Tip: Cedar River Park closes at dusk. If you hear footsteps behind you as you leave, don’t look back. The brothers hate being seen.