Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Urban exploration in Springfield, Missouri
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jammer_smith
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Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Post by jammer_smith »

I work with a lady who essentialy grew up in Ritter Springs park. She remembers when the park acquired the land that the Devil's Den is on. And she was a camp counselor during the summer camps they used to run.

When the park acquired the large section of land across the creek she and a friend of hers went walking out there and discovered an old cabin in the woods. She said they were poking around the cabin and saw the edge of a sweater sticking up out of some leaves at the base of a tree. She tugged at it and much to their terror, there were bones in it.

They ran back to their car and drove home and called the police (before cell phones). The police made them escort them out to find the location, and made them stay with them until other officers could show up to escort them home. As far as she knows the body remained a John Doe, probably some homeless person living in the cabin who didn't survive a winter. Since it was nothing but bones the body had obviously been there a while. An odd detail, she said the only thing in the cabin were bags of grain. Not flour, but like horse feed. Very strange.

She says that after that more people found the cabin, although not too many, since its way on the back end of the property and hard to locate, but that the kids at the summer camps started calling it "Öld Man Ritter's Cabin"", and sneaking out to the cabin at night was like a summer camp super-double-dog-dare kinda thing.

The story about the body never speard because she and her freind made a specific point of not spreading the story because they didn't want to scare the kids, although she said there was a police report in the paper.

She also said she remembers very specificly where the cabin was, but that she has no idea what kind of shape it would be in now since it's been so many years, but she'll show me on a map and I am excited to go find it.

Sounds pretty cool eh? And I consider her to be a reliable source, so when the weather turns nice, I'm heading out.
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RE: Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Post by liesreality »

Sounds like fun. Hopefully, the map will prove useful, because arent there other cabins there? :)
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KickEmInDaBitchDitch
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RE: Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Post by KickEmInDaBitchDitch »

Went out there today and found it. It has been disassembled. The logs are still there but that's it. It was on the far trail that follows the ridge line to Devils Den.
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Kit
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Kit »

You found a disassembled dead body?
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jammer_smith
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by jammer_smith »

Ok, I've seen the remains of a log cabin out by Devil's Den. Its a rough square of fallen logs a little bit back off the path right? When she told me the story I told her precisely what you just told me, as I had seen the same cabin remains I think you are talking about. She said she knew the spot I was talking about, and that the cabin she is talking about is most certainly a different one back further.

Its been a number of years since she was at the location, but she's only 30 something, and I don't think its been long enough for her to be confused on that.
"To argue with a man who has renounced reason is like administering medicine to the dead."-Thomas Paine
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Nicotti
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Nicotti »

jammer_smith wrote:but she's only 30 something
Only 30? How old are you?
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KickEmInDaBitchDitch
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RE: Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Post by KickEmInDaBitchDitch »

Hey! I'm 30 wth are you trying to say, I'm old, Nicotti?
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Nicotti
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Nicotti »

well as I'm 33.. no, I was trying to say jammer must be really old if he uses the phrase "only 30".
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

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Kit
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Kit »

I think Jammer thinks 30 is old. But still young enough to remember things.
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Nicotti
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Nicotti »

I think he's 84.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
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RE: Old Man Ritter's Cabin and dead body

Post by jammer_smith »

I'm 25. By "only 30" I was expressing that this is not some half remembered tale from the youth of an old person. I'm sure any of us that have sent afternoons running down the tales of old timers know how frustratingly mixed up the details can get after a lifetime.
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Nicotti
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Nicotti »

So I was pretty close on the age guess then.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by jammer_smith »

#close guess
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by crazydrummerdude »

Never trust anyone over 30.
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Nicotti
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Re: Old Man Ritter

Post by Nicotti »

I know I don't.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.

“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
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