April 15, 2025 • 29 mins
In our first Roads Less Taken episode, we explore details excluded from 'Mary X: The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund' and embark on an eerie road trip from Earling, IA, to Kansas, the setting of our upcoming story 'The Kansas City Butcher.' And we also explore some of the local sights and haunts along the way.
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Let us know what you think! Please rate, review, subscribe & tell a friend. Every little bit helps! Lucky reviewers have a chance of scoring some free LT swag!
Write to us - lesstakenpod@gmail.com
FOLLOW US BEFORE WE FOLLOW YOU!
FB & IG - @lesstakenpod
Discover more and check out our merch - www.lesstakenpod.com
Submit your ideas for future episodes - www.lesstakenpod.com/ideas
Dear Google Podcast Listeners: Sadly, Google Podcasts is going away, but you can still find the show in many other great places - lesstakenpod | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Some sound effects & background music are supported by www.pixabay.com and Audio Jungle/Envato Elements, providers of copyright and royalty-free media for content creators.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This take and contains content that may not be suitable
for all audiences. Listeners, discretion is advised. Thank you so
(00:30):
much for checking out this episode, our very first road
less Taken episode. Unlike our traditional stories, this will be
a little bit different than what we normally do. If
you're familiar with season two, this will be much like
our pit stop episodes, in which we pick up certain
details we couldn't quite squeeze into our previous story. Many
(00:55):
times these are interesting tidbits, but they would have taken
us too far off course and the main narrative. What's
different with rhodes Let's taken episodes is that once we
wrap up a few things in this case, we'll be
talking about Mary X first, we'll buckle in and take
an eerie road trip to our next destination, covering a
(01:16):
few creepy details places, haunts, and legends along the way,
ones which you can check out for yourself if you're
so inclined. Oh, and be sure to check out the
first story of season four called Mary X The Exorcism
of Anna Uckland before continuing with this one. Or do
(01:37):
whatever you want, but it would really help if you
knew the story first. So if you're ready, let's go
ahead and explore the confusing identity and depth date of
Anna Uckland. The true identity of Anna Uckland, the woman
(02:17):
at the center of our last episode, called Mary X
and one of the most infamous exorcisms in history, is
shrouded with mystery by having such things as conflicting names
and records that sometimes don't quite track when it comes
down to the details. Anna Uckland was actually a pseudonym
(02:39):
for Emma Schmidt. While the name Emma Schmidt is widely accepted,
there are other challenging possibilities. So who was she really
and how did these competing narratives emerge? The name Emma
(03:05):
Schmidt is one of the most often associated with the case,
according to religious documents and accounts from her exorcist father, theo.
Emma was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in March twenty third,
eighteen eighty two and raised and Marathon, Wisconsin. Her possession
that allegedly began in her teenage years becoming more severe
(03:27):
as she grew older. Her exorcism in nineteen twenty eight,
conducted in early Iowa, became one of the most detailed
and well documented cases of demonic possession, and later her
story was immortalized in the nineteen thirty six pamphlet called
God Scene. It's also covered in a really bad horror
(03:51):
Flake Down, involves ninja, nuns and some other shit. It's
pretty wild, but it completely abandons the source material anyway.
This identity comes primarily from the Catholic account surrounding her exorcism,
which present her as a Wisconsin native afflicted by supernatural forces,
(04:12):
allegedly worsened by her aunt, Mina, who was reputed to
be a witch. There's also a debate as to whether
she was just someone's and his father met, or if
she really was his late wife's sister. There's also a
debate of, you know, whether she practiced any kind of witchcraft,
(04:32):
But anytime Mina shows up in the story, usually so
does the black magic. Moving on, other researchers began looking
deeper into her origins, and of course the story just
got a little bit more confusing. An alternative identity surface
when researchers examine genealogical records. Some argue that Anna Uckland
(04:58):
was actually hold at Emma Schmidt born in My apologies here.
No matter what, no matter how hard I try, I
cannot say the name of this town correctly. Here we go.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Thugaugau, Throughgau Thugau, Thirdgaugau, Switzerlandgau Switzerland in eighteen eighty two,
that Jacob Schmidt, but really.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
The mother was unnamed in a lot of our research,
so we just gave her kind of a name we
saw a couple times in one that was seemed to
be of the era. But this version of the story
states that she and her family immigrated to Wisconsin in
eighteen eighty four, meaning she was actually a Swiss born immigrant.
(05:51):
So if this theory is correct, it contradicts the idea
that Emma was born in Milwaukee, instead making her part
of our larger family with nine siblings. That part made
it to the episode. Records suggest that she eventually died
in Milwaukee in nineteen sixty four. But if true, why
was this version left out of their original Catholic accounts.
(06:15):
Was it simply a misinterpretation of records, or was Emma's
background intentionally altered for whatever reason? In the religious documents.
A lesser known but intriguing possibility comes from an unpublished
manuscript known as the Buns Manuscript Buns We'll come back
(06:37):
to that anyway, which refers to her as Mary X,
a name that we couldn't resist using for the episode.
It's pretty cool, right, Mary X. It's not like Jason X.
They know there's no nanobots reconstructing her body and making
her a vicious killer. But I digress. This name shifts
(07:03):
the entire timeline of her story, claiming she met Father
THEO in New York around eighteen ninety eight at the
age of sixteen. This detail suggests that she may have
originally lived on the US East Coast, not Wisconsin. So
so far we come from Switzerland, or we've always been
in Wisconsin, or maybe we spent more time in Iowa
(07:26):
and now we're on the fucking East coast. So this
alternative timeline could indicate that the Wisconsin connection was fabricated
or misunderstood, making Mary X or whoever she was, a
potential answer to Anna Euckland's true identity. However, the mystery
(07:46):
only deepens when you consider all these conflicting details, especially
the fact that there's no straightforward account of her origin story,
and it seems that the church may have altered, edited,
and misunderstood, misrepresented, mistranslated. Something went wrong with the religious
documentation because it conflicts itself at times, as well as
(08:11):
many of the other believed details about and as true origin.
So it leaves more questions about whether the exorcism account
was later edited too to fit some kind of different narrative.
Beyond the competing identities, there are other details that make
(08:34):
Anna Uckland's true origins harder to confirm. A nineteen twenty
eight newspaper article suggest that she was originally from the
US East Coast rather than Wisconsin, doubling down on that theory.
Some sources list her father's name as Edward Schmidt, while
many others name him Jacob. The origins of Anna's possession
(08:57):
are linked to her aunt Mina, who allegedly hurst her
through some kind of evil prayer or through her food.
The fact that there's such a battle to confirm Anna
Uckland's identity kind of shows the difficulty of separating fact
from fiction in this case. How much of this was
(09:18):
really a girl in trouble, how much of this might
have been mental illness. There's just a number of things
with the question mark which she simply Emma Schmidt, the
young woman whose possession terrified witnesses, or was her name changed,
her past edited, and her identity obscured as the story
(09:40):
took on a life of its own. Her exorcism still
remains one of the most chilling religious encounters on record.
But behind the demons, the prayers, and the horror lies
an even greater mystery. Who was Anna Uckland? And will
we ever know? What we do know for sure is
(10:03):
that we're about to leave mary X, Wisconsin in Iowa
behind as we travel Iowa one ninety one to the
setting of our next real life horror story in Kansas City,
exploring a few local nests along the way. Nestled in
(11:16):
Iowa's countryside, Irling seems to make an ordinary small town
at first glance, but this appearance hides a darker history,
as in nineteen twenty eight, a young woman named Anna
Uckland became the focus of one of America's most infamous exorcisms.
This gruelling ritual unfolded over the course of days in
(11:37):
a convent that once stood within the town. Anna, described
as tormented by multiple demonic entities, exhibited horrifying symptoms. Her
voice contorted into guttural tones, she cursed in unfamiliar languages,
and her body writhed with violent, unnatural strength. Witnesses, including
(11:58):
the nuns and priests who performed the ex recounted the
chaos and chilling detail, claiming that furniture was smashed. We'll
all seem to tremble, and a suffocating presence filled the room.
Some have eenclaimed the floor shook as though an earthquake
trembled through. Today, the convent no longer stands, and the
(12:20):
town of Irling is peaceful once more, though the echoes
of Anna's story still linger in its history, we too
will move out of Iowa, leaving her tail in the past.
As we near another sinister, well documented story about the
Kansas City Butcher. If you're crazy enough to follow along
(12:42):
this journey in real life and need a quick bite
before cruising over the one ninety one, there's this place
called Sweeten Saucy Barbecue and Fair Filled just a short
drive away that looks pretty good. If you get there
before we do, please let us know what it's like.
And if Sweet and Saucy Barbecue is listening, maybe we
can have a quick chat that will definitely have nothing
(13:04):
to do with sponsorships. Maybe I'm just hungry anyway. From Erling,
let's take one ninety one south to begin our journey
toward Kansas, Crossing the border into Kansas along US fifty
(13:37):
nine south. There's a lot of flat planes, punctuated by
the occasional farmhouse or two, or some kind of windbreak
of trees. The route eventually merges on the US forty West,
leading to one of the most infamous cemeteries in America.
Stole Cemetery, located just off Stole Road near Lawrence. Cemetery,
(14:00):
has gained a reputation as one of the Seven Gateways
to Hell. The legends surrounding this site have been around
for decades. Tales of witch is conducting rituals under moonlight, sacrifices,
and ghostly apparitions have made it a hotspot for paranormal enthusiasts.
Perhaps its most chilling myth is the hidden staircase, said
(14:23):
the lead directly to Hell, visible only under certain conditions.
This reminds us of another episode we've done. Visitors often
report in overwhelming silence where when allegedly die is and
even the birds refuse to fly overhead. This of which
(14:46):
evil stillness adds weight to the stories, whether you believe
them or not. That's where the episode it reminds us of.
I believe that one would be Cloverland. So these variations
of the story but basically the idea is that there's
one hundred steps that lead from the bottom of the
cemetery to the top. We actually went out there and
(15:08):
did this for ourselves and it kind of came to
a creepy conclusion. So the idea is that there's one
hundred steps to the top. You count one to one hundred.
As you go on your way back down, you count
each step two. The most common version of the story
we came across is that the last step you'll count
on the way down is actually ninety nine and not
(15:31):
one hundred, and that one hundredth step will take you
straight to hell. We tried this. It took us a
few redos because we went up, we counted one hundred.
We went down, we counted ninety nine. Obviously we did
not step into hell, or maybe we did. It's really
hard to tell anymore. But we did this a few
(15:54):
times and had different results. It's a matter of what
you count as a step. In that case, these larger slabs,
if you count those as steps, then you'll have an
even one hundred both ways. If you don't count the
very i want to say, the very first lab at
the top, then you'll end up getting to Stare ninety
(16:14):
nine at the bottom. It's just an easy miscount, but
it has a pretty cool set of stories behind it.
But that's Cloverland, and we're talking about Stoll Cemetery, which
we're about to leave heading over to Lawrence, which gives
us a chance to kind of chill out for a moment.
And one thing that kind of popped out when we
(16:35):
were looking at the town is a place called Ladybird Diner,
which has a retro theme to it, and a lot
of people seem to talk about the pies. Alternatively, you
could take a stroll through Clinton State Park, where walking
trails offer a nice escape, or you can get the
(16:56):
pie and then walk it off at the park. But
fully you're refueled and you're recharged, and you're ready to
head back out will go to US forty east. The
roads lead us eventually to the next eerie destination, cry
Baby Bridge. Southbound on Kansas for the route leads to
(17:35):
Valley Falls, a town overshadowed by its proximity to the
infamous cry Baby Bridge. The bridge itself seems modest. It
spans over a shallow creek and looks to be surrounded
by fields, But we couldn't go on without acknowledging this legend.
(17:57):
Local lord tells the story of a young who came
to the bridge one fateful night carrying her infant. Overcome
by despair, she leapt from the bridge and to the
waters below, taking her child with her. To this day,
it said that if you stand on the bridge at night,
you can hear their cries, soft that first, but growling
(18:19):
louder with each passing moment you spend there. The creek
below mirrors the moonlight, but its surface remains still, as
though it too is holding its breath. If you need
to come down from creeping yourself out by exploring the
bridge late at night, which maybe authorities don't want you doing,
(18:43):
you can head on over the brick street, Bourbon and
Valley Falls, or a cozy little drink. If you don't drink,
can't drink, or don't want to spend the money to drink,
you can go ahead and get yourself some snacks. There
seems to be a casey is nearby, and then let's
move on. Continuing south on Kansas for to a place
(19:04):
known as La Hunt. Our journey takes a slightly darker
turn as Kansas ninety nine south winds toward La Hunt, Kansas.
(19:30):
It's located near Independence, and this ghost town is dominated
by the skeletal remains of an abandoned cement plant, a
relic of the industrial ambition that gave over to eventual decay.
La Hunt's most infamous story center's on a factory worker
who tragically fell into a vat of what cement during
(19:52):
the plant's operation. His body was never recovered, and locals
say his ghost still lingers within the concrete walls of
the plant. Visitors often report eerie sensations such as footsteps
crunching on gravel behind them, whispers that seem to drift
with the wind, and the occasional clang of machinery that
(20:15):
hasn't been run for decades. The abandoned planet exudes a
sense of desolation. It's rustling beams and crumbling walls, a
reminder of the town's forgotten industrial past. Independence provides some
relief from the erie quite able Hunt. There's the Independence
(20:35):
Historical Museum, which has a look into the region's history,
balancing out the ghost stories with tangible artifacts from the
areas known past. And since we've been covering places to eat,
we see Sam's Southern eatery, and apparently they serve up
hefty portions of seafood in Southern style favorites. And if
(21:01):
that's not for you, it's like not too far away
as something called big cheese pizza. If you're ready to
move on, though, we'll go ahead and leave for the
hump behind and head east on US four hundred and
had for our final destination, Kansas City. Of course, we
(21:25):
have to make a few pit stops before we get there.
(22:00):
As you approach Kansas City on West ninth Street, just
off I seventy sits The Savoy at twenty one Sea,
a hotel with a reputation for elegance and of course ghost.
The Savoy at twenty one Sea was once home to
the iconic Savoy Grill, a favorite for locals and visitors alike.
(22:26):
Beneath that pols surface was a history of ghost tales.
Guests and staff have reported strange occurrences, such as phantom
piano music drifting softly through the halls, doors that seem
to open on their own, in mirrors that reflect shadowy
figures that disappear when turned away from Our final stop
(23:03):
will be Sour Castle, located on West tenth Street. This
place was built in the late eighteen hundreds and was
a grand mansion home to Anton Sour and his family,
whose lives were marked by tragedy. Over time, the castle
fell into disrepair, and its crumbling facade and overgrown grounds
(23:26):
added the perfect setting for a haunted reputation. Visitors have
described sightings of shadowy figures in the windows, faint whispers
that seemed to emanate from within, in what many have
described as an overwhelming sense of sadness. The castle stands
as a testament to the passage of time and stories
(23:48):
that seem to refuse to fade with it. Before we
start wrapping things up, let's recap our journey. Honestly, we
(24:09):
don't claim to be the most geographically savvy individuals. We
just thought this episode concept is cool. We'll see if
we keep it up. We'll see if it stays alive,
and of course you can let us know if we're
way off base here. Mind you, these routes are designed
to cover a few interesting proper nowns along the way.
(24:30):
Our starting point is Earling, Iowa. For the sake of mapping,
you can input Earling, Iowa as the first stop on
Iowa forty four west to one ninety one south. The
next leg of our journey was still Cemetery. You head
southwest crossing into Kansas, you can input Stole Cemetery near Lawrence, Kansas.
(24:54):
Earling the Stoole Cemetery would likely follow US fifty nine
south crossing into Kansas, emerging onto US forty west, which
of course is a slight detour for the sake of
seeing the cemetery. Speaking of detours, cry Baby Bridge is
another one. This one actually requires a little bit of
(25:14):
backtracking in the US forty east and then turning south
onto Kansas four towards Valley Falls. Our next stop the
ghost town of La Hunt. From Valley Falls, we took
Kansas ninety nine south toward the ghost town of La Hunt,
and then we headed toward Independence, Kansas. Our next destination
(25:37):
is Kansas City. First the Savoy at twenty one Sea
in Saucer Castle. Our final stretch heads towards Kansas City.
If you're still mapping this out, take twenty one Sea,
which is West ninth Street as one stop in Soar
Castle West tenth Street as another. So you've got US
four hundred east to IS seventy east exiting toward West
(26:01):
ninth Street and West tenth Street for downtown Kansas City,
and that brings us to our final stop and the
setting of our next real life horror story. No trip
through Kansas City's darker history would be complete without mentioning
a little bit about Robert Badella, infamously known as the
(26:22):
Kansas City Butcher. In the nineteen eighties, Bardella was responsible
for the abduction, torture, and murder of at least six men.
His crimes were only discovered when one of his victims escaped,
leading the authorities to his home. The horrific details shocked
the nation, and Burdella's unassuming residence became a symbol of
(26:45):
unimaginable horror lurking in plain sight. But that's next time,
Unless taken. Thanks again for checking out the very first
(27:29):
Roads Less Taken episode, in which we explored details that
didn't quite make it into the previous story and road
trip over to the next destination, the setting of our
next real life horror story. That story, and if you
made it this far you already know, is about the
(27:49):
Kansas City Butcher, a man named Robert Verdella, who was
responsible for the abduction, torture, and murder of at least
six men and as many as twenty. Remember to subscribe
with auto downloads on so you don't miss the next
story coming to you in May twenty twenty five, called
(28:10):
The Kansas City Butcher. In the meantime, please let us
know what you think of the show by leaving a
fair rating and review wherever you're listening. You can also
leave reviews, check out all Things Less Taken, and pick
up our merch at less takanpod dot com. Follow us
before we follow you on Facebook, Instagram, threads in Blue
(28:30):
Sky not so much blue Sky though under the handle
at less Taken Pod. And a quick note on our storytelling.
While we do our best to stick to the facts,
we sometimes take creative liberties to maintain narrative cohesiveness. And
one last disclaimer. While this route to Kansas City from Earling,
(28:53):
Iowa will.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Work, it takes.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Over a nine hours, so there's probably a more straightforward
way to go, But if you want to check out
some local haunts along the way, go ahead check it out.
Let us know how it goes. I'm seeing Humphreys and
this is the Less Taken Real life horror stories from
the Midwest one more time. Thanks for listening and come
(29:16):
back in a couple of weeks. Were a preview of
the Kansas City Butcher
This take and contains content that may not be suitable
for all audiences. Listeners, discretion is advised. Thank you so
(00:30):
much for checking out this episode, our very first road
less Taken episode. Unlike our traditional stories, this will be
a little bit different than what we normally do. If
you're familiar with season two, this will be much like
our pit stop episodes, in which we pick up certain
details we couldn't quite squeeze into our previous story. Many
(00:55):
times these are interesting tidbits, but they would have taken
us too far off course and the main narrative. What's
different with rhodes Let's taken episodes is that once we
wrap up a few things in this case, we'll be
talking about Mary X first, we'll buckle in and take
an eerie road trip to our next destination, covering a
(01:16):
few creepy details places, haunts, and legends along the way,
ones which you can check out for yourself if you're
so inclined. Oh, and be sure to check out the
first story of season four called Mary X The Exorcism
of Anna Uckland before continuing with this one. Or do
(01:37):
whatever you want, but it would really help if you
knew the story first. So if you're ready, let's go
ahead and explore the confusing identity and depth date of
Anna Uckland. The true identity of Anna Uckland, the woman
(02:17):
at the center of our last episode, called Mary X
and one of the most infamous exorcisms in history, is
shrouded with mystery by having such things as conflicting names
and records that sometimes don't quite track when it comes
down to the details. Anna Uckland was actually a pseudonym
(02:39):
for Emma Schmidt. While the name Emma Schmidt is widely accepted,
there are other challenging possibilities. So who was she really
and how did these competing narratives emerge? The name Emma
(03:05):
Schmidt is one of the most often associated with the case,
according to religious documents and accounts from her exorcist father, theo.
Emma was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in March twenty third,
eighteen eighty two and raised and Marathon, Wisconsin. Her possession
that allegedly began in her teenage years becoming more severe
(03:27):
as she grew older. Her exorcism in nineteen twenty eight,
conducted in early Iowa, became one of the most detailed
and well documented cases of demonic possession, and later her
story was immortalized in the nineteen thirty six pamphlet called
God Scene. It's also covered in a really bad horror
(03:51):
Flake Down, involves ninja, nuns and some other shit. It's
pretty wild, but it completely abandons the source material anyway.
This identity comes primarily from the Catholic account surrounding her exorcism,
which present her as a Wisconsin native afflicted by supernatural forces,
(04:12):
allegedly worsened by her aunt, Mina, who was reputed to
be a witch. There's also a debate as to whether
she was just someone's and his father met, or if
she really was his late wife's sister. There's also a
debate of, you know, whether she practiced any kind of witchcraft,
(04:32):
But anytime Mina shows up in the story, usually so
does the black magic. Moving on, other researchers began looking
deeper into her origins, and of course the story just
got a little bit more confusing. An alternative identity surface
when researchers examine genealogical records. Some argue that Anna Uckland
(04:58):
was actually hold at Emma Schmidt born in My apologies here.
No matter what, no matter how hard I try, I
cannot say the name of this town correctly. Here we go.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Thugaugau, Throughgau Thugau, Thirdgaugau, Switzerlandgau Switzerland in eighteen eighty two,
that Jacob Schmidt, but really.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
The mother was unnamed in a lot of our research,
so we just gave her kind of a name we
saw a couple times in one that was seemed to
be of the era. But this version of the story
states that she and her family immigrated to Wisconsin in
eighteen eighty four, meaning she was actually a Swiss born immigrant.
(05:51):
So if this theory is correct, it contradicts the idea
that Emma was born in Milwaukee, instead making her part
of our larger family with nine siblings. That part made
it to the episode. Records suggest that she eventually died
in Milwaukee in nineteen sixty four. But if true, why
was this version left out of their original Catholic accounts.
(06:15):
Was it simply a misinterpretation of records, or was Emma's
background intentionally altered for whatever reason? In the religious documents.
A lesser known but intriguing possibility comes from an unpublished
manuscript known as the Buns Manuscript Buns We'll come back
(06:37):
to that anyway, which refers to her as Mary X,
a name that we couldn't resist using for the episode.
It's pretty cool, right, Mary X. It's not like Jason X.
They know there's no nanobots reconstructing her body and making
her a vicious killer. But I digress. This name shifts
(07:03):
the entire timeline of her story, claiming she met Father
THEO in New York around eighteen ninety eight at the
age of sixteen. This detail suggests that she may have
originally lived on the US East Coast, not Wisconsin. So
so far we come from Switzerland, or we've always been
in Wisconsin, or maybe we spent more time in Iowa
(07:26):
and now we're on the fucking East coast. So this
alternative timeline could indicate that the Wisconsin connection was fabricated
or misunderstood, making Mary X or whoever she was, a
potential answer to Anna Euckland's true identity. However, the mystery
(07:46):
only deepens when you consider all these conflicting details, especially
the fact that there's no straightforward account of her origin story,
and it seems that the church may have altered, edited,
and misunderstood, misrepresented, mistranslated. Something went wrong with the religious
documentation because it conflicts itself at times, as well as
(08:11):
many of the other believed details about and as true origin.
So it leaves more questions about whether the exorcism account
was later edited too to fit some kind of different narrative.
Beyond the competing identities, there are other details that make
(08:34):
Anna Uckland's true origins harder to confirm. A nineteen twenty
eight newspaper article suggest that she was originally from the
US East Coast rather than Wisconsin, doubling down on that theory.
Some sources list her father's name as Edward Schmidt, while
many others name him Jacob. The origins of Anna's possession
(08:57):
are linked to her aunt Mina, who allegedly hurst her
through some kind of evil prayer or through her food.
The fact that there's such a battle to confirm Anna
Uckland's identity kind of shows the difficulty of separating fact
from fiction in this case. How much of this was
(09:18):
really a girl in trouble, how much of this might
have been mental illness. There's just a number of things
with the question mark which she simply Emma Schmidt, the
young woman whose possession terrified witnesses, or was her name changed,
her past edited, and her identity obscured as the story
(09:40):
took on a life of its own. Her exorcism still
remains one of the most chilling religious encounters on record.
But behind the demons, the prayers, and the horror lies
an even greater mystery. Who was Anna Uckland? And will
we ever know? What we do know for sure is
(10:03):
that we're about to leave mary X, Wisconsin in Iowa
behind as we travel Iowa one ninety one to the
setting of our next real life horror story in Kansas City,
exploring a few local nests along the way. Nestled in
(11:16):
Iowa's countryside, Irling seems to make an ordinary small town
at first glance, but this appearance hides a darker history,
as in nineteen twenty eight, a young woman named Anna
Uckland became the focus of one of America's most infamous exorcisms.
This gruelling ritual unfolded over the course of days in
(11:37):
a convent that once stood within the town. Anna, described
as tormented by multiple demonic entities, exhibited horrifying symptoms. Her
voice contorted into guttural tones, she cursed in unfamiliar languages,
and her body writhed with violent, unnatural strength. Witnesses, including
(11:58):
the nuns and priests who performed the ex recounted the
chaos and chilling detail, claiming that furniture was smashed. We'll
all seem to tremble, and a suffocating presence filled the room.
Some have eenclaimed the floor shook as though an earthquake
trembled through. Today, the convent no longer stands, and the
(12:20):
town of Irling is peaceful once more, though the echoes
of Anna's story still linger in its history, we too
will move out of Iowa, leaving her tail in the past.
As we near another sinister, well documented story about the
Kansas City Butcher. If you're crazy enough to follow along
(12:42):
this journey in real life and need a quick bite
before cruising over the one ninety one, there's this place
called Sweeten Saucy Barbecue and Fair Filled just a short
drive away that looks pretty good. If you get there
before we do, please let us know what it's like.
And if Sweet and Saucy Barbecue is listening, maybe we
can have a quick chat that will definitely have nothing
(13:04):
to do with sponsorships. Maybe I'm just hungry anyway. From Erling,
let's take one ninety one south to begin our journey
toward Kansas, Crossing the border into Kansas along US fifty
(13:37):
nine south. There's a lot of flat planes, punctuated by
the occasional farmhouse or two, or some kind of windbreak
of trees. The route eventually merges on the US forty West,
leading to one of the most infamous cemeteries in America.
Stole Cemetery, located just off Stole Road near Lawrence. Cemetery,
(14:00):
has gained a reputation as one of the Seven Gateways
to Hell. The legends surrounding this site have been around
for decades. Tales of witch is conducting rituals under moonlight, sacrifices,
and ghostly apparitions have made it a hotspot for paranormal enthusiasts.
Perhaps its most chilling myth is the hidden staircase, said
(14:23):
the lead directly to Hell, visible only under certain conditions.
This reminds us of another episode we've done. Visitors often
report in overwhelming silence where when allegedly die is and
even the birds refuse to fly overhead. This of which
(14:46):
evil stillness adds weight to the stories, whether you believe
them or not. That's where the episode it reminds us of.
I believe that one would be Cloverland. So these variations
of the story but basically the idea is that there's
one hundred steps that lead from the bottom of the
cemetery to the top. We actually went out there and
(15:08):
did this for ourselves and it kind of came to
a creepy conclusion. So the idea is that there's one
hundred steps to the top. You count one to one hundred.
As you go on your way back down, you count
each step two. The most common version of the story
we came across is that the last step you'll count
on the way down is actually ninety nine and not
(15:31):
one hundred, and that one hundredth step will take you
straight to hell. We tried this. It took us a
few redos because we went up, we counted one hundred.
We went down, we counted ninety nine. Obviously we did
not step into hell, or maybe we did. It's really
hard to tell anymore. But we did this a few
(15:54):
times and had different results. It's a matter of what
you count as a step. In that case, these larger slabs,
if you count those as steps, then you'll have an
even one hundred both ways. If you don't count the
very i want to say, the very first lab at
the top, then you'll end up getting to Stare ninety
(16:14):
nine at the bottom. It's just an easy miscount, but
it has a pretty cool set of stories behind it.
But that's Cloverland, and we're talking about Stoll Cemetery, which
we're about to leave heading over to Lawrence, which gives
us a chance to kind of chill out for a moment.
And one thing that kind of popped out when we
(16:35):
were looking at the town is a place called Ladybird Diner,
which has a retro theme to it, and a lot
of people seem to talk about the pies. Alternatively, you
could take a stroll through Clinton State Park, where walking
trails offer a nice escape, or you can get the
(16:56):
pie and then walk it off at the park. But
fully you're refueled and you're recharged, and you're ready to
head back out will go to US forty east. The
roads lead us eventually to the next eerie destination, cry
Baby Bridge. Southbound on Kansas for the route leads to
(17:35):
Valley Falls, a town overshadowed by its proximity to the
infamous cry Baby Bridge. The bridge itself seems modest. It
spans over a shallow creek and looks to be surrounded
by fields, But we couldn't go on without acknowledging this legend.
(17:57):
Local lord tells the story of a young who came
to the bridge one fateful night carrying her infant. Overcome
by despair, she leapt from the bridge and to the
waters below, taking her child with her. To this day,
it said that if you stand on the bridge at night,
you can hear their cries, soft that first, but growling
(18:19):
louder with each passing moment you spend there. The creek
below mirrors the moonlight, but its surface remains still, as
though it too is holding its breath. If you need
to come down from creeping yourself out by exploring the
bridge late at night, which maybe authorities don't want you doing,
(18:43):
you can head on over the brick street, Bourbon and
Valley Falls, or a cozy little drink. If you don't drink,
can't drink, or don't want to spend the money to drink,
you can go ahead and get yourself some snacks. There
seems to be a casey is nearby, and then let's
move on. Continuing south on Kansas for to a place
(19:04):
known as La Hunt. Our journey takes a slightly darker
turn as Kansas ninety nine south winds toward La Hunt, Kansas.
(19:30):
It's located near Independence, and this ghost town is dominated
by the skeletal remains of an abandoned cement plant, a
relic of the industrial ambition that gave over to eventual decay.
La Hunt's most infamous story center's on a factory worker
who tragically fell into a vat of what cement during
(19:52):
the plant's operation. His body was never recovered, and locals
say his ghost still lingers within the concrete walls of
the plant. Visitors often report eerie sensations such as footsteps
crunching on gravel behind them, whispers that seem to drift
with the wind, and the occasional clang of machinery that
(20:15):
hasn't been run for decades. The abandoned planet exudes a
sense of desolation. It's rustling beams and crumbling walls, a
reminder of the town's forgotten industrial past. Independence provides some
relief from the erie quite able Hunt. There's the Independence
(20:35):
Historical Museum, which has a look into the region's history,
balancing out the ghost stories with tangible artifacts from the
areas known past. And since we've been covering places to eat,
we see Sam's Southern eatery, and apparently they serve up
hefty portions of seafood in Southern style favorites. And if
(21:01):
that's not for you, it's like not too far away
as something called big cheese pizza. If you're ready to
move on, though, we'll go ahead and leave for the
hump behind and head east on US four hundred and
had for our final destination, Kansas City. Of course, we
(21:25):
have to make a few pit stops before we get there.
(22:00):
As you approach Kansas City on West ninth Street, just
off I seventy sits The Savoy at twenty one Sea,
a hotel with a reputation for elegance and of course ghost.
The Savoy at twenty one Sea was once home to
the iconic Savoy Grill, a favorite for locals and visitors alike.
(22:26):
Beneath that pols surface was a history of ghost tales.
Guests and staff have reported strange occurrences, such as phantom
piano music drifting softly through the halls, doors that seem
to open on their own, in mirrors that reflect shadowy
figures that disappear when turned away from Our final stop
(23:03):
will be Sour Castle, located on West tenth Street. This
place was built in the late eighteen hundreds and was
a grand mansion home to Anton Sour and his family,
whose lives were marked by tragedy. Over time, the castle
fell into disrepair, and its crumbling facade and overgrown grounds
(23:26):
added the perfect setting for a haunted reputation. Visitors have
described sightings of shadowy figures in the windows, faint whispers
that seemed to emanate from within, in what many have
described as an overwhelming sense of sadness. The castle stands
as a testament to the passage of time and stories
(23:48):
that seem to refuse to fade with it. Before we
start wrapping things up, let's recap our journey. Honestly, we
(24:09):
don't claim to be the most geographically savvy individuals. We
just thought this episode concept is cool. We'll see if
we keep it up. We'll see if it stays alive,
and of course you can let us know if we're
way off base here. Mind you, these routes are designed
to cover a few interesting proper nowns along the way.
(24:30):
Our starting point is Earling, Iowa. For the sake of mapping,
you can input Earling, Iowa as the first stop on
Iowa forty four west to one ninety one south. The
next leg of our journey was still Cemetery. You head
southwest crossing into Kansas, you can input Stole Cemetery near Lawrence, Kansas.
(24:54):
Earling the Stoole Cemetery would likely follow US fifty nine
south crossing into Kansas, emerging onto US forty west, which
of course is a slight detour for the sake of
seeing the cemetery. Speaking of detours, cry Baby Bridge is
another one. This one actually requires a little bit of
(25:14):
backtracking in the US forty east and then turning south
onto Kansas four towards Valley Falls. Our next stop the
ghost town of La Hunt. From Valley Falls, we took
Kansas ninety nine south toward the ghost town of La Hunt,
and then we headed toward Independence, Kansas. Our next destination
(25:37):
is Kansas City. First the Savoy at twenty one Sea
in Saucer Castle. Our final stretch heads towards Kansas City.
If you're still mapping this out, take twenty one Sea,
which is West ninth Street as one stop in Soar
Castle West tenth Street as another. So you've got US
four hundred east to IS seventy east exiting toward West
(26:01):
ninth Street and West tenth Street for downtown Kansas City,
and that brings us to our final stop and the
setting of our next real life horror story. No trip
through Kansas City's darker history would be complete without mentioning
a little bit about Robert Badella, infamously known as the
(26:22):
Kansas City Butcher. In the nineteen eighties, Bardella was responsible
for the abduction, torture, and murder of at least six men.
His crimes were only discovered when one of his victims escaped,
leading the authorities to his home. The horrific details shocked
the nation, and Burdella's unassuming residence became a symbol of
(26:45):
unimaginable horror lurking in plain sight. But that's next time,
Unless taken. Thanks again for checking out the very first
(27:29):
Roads Less Taken episode, in which we explored details that
didn't quite make it into the previous story and road
trip over to the next destination, the setting of our
next real life horror story. That story, and if you
made it this far you already know, is about the
(27:49):
Kansas City Butcher, a man named Robert Verdella, who was
responsible for the abduction, torture, and murder of at least
six men and as many as twenty. Remember to subscribe
with auto downloads on so you don't miss the next
story coming to you in May twenty twenty five, called
(28:10):
The Kansas City Butcher. In the meantime, please let us
know what you think of the show by leaving a
fair rating and review wherever you're listening. You can also
leave reviews, check out all Things Less Taken, and pick
up our merch at less takanpod dot com. Follow us
before we follow you on Facebook, Instagram, threads in Blue
(28:30):
Sky not so much blue Sky though under the handle
at less Taken Pod. And a quick note on our storytelling.
While we do our best to stick to the facts,
we sometimes take creative liberties to maintain narrative cohesiveness. And
one last disclaimer. While this route to Kansas City from Earling,
(28:53):
Iowa will.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Work, it takes.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Over a nine hours, so there's probably a more straightforward
way to go, But if you want to check out
some local haunts along the way, go ahead check it out.
Let us know how it goes. I'm seeing Humphreys and
this is the Less Taken Real life horror stories from
the Midwest one more time. Thanks for listening and come
(29:16):
back in a couple of weeks. Were a preview of
the Kansas City Butcher
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