Murders, executions, brothels, and unexplained sightings are among the stories explored during the Gallatin History Museum's Haunted History tours, offering visitors a look at some of the darker chapters of Gallatin County's past.
WATCH: MURDER. MYSTERY. BOZEMAN HISTORY.
Led by Kieran Palen, who is getting a master's degree in history at Montana State University, the tours have been taking visitors through the area's unsettling history for the past four years.
While the stories may sound like something out of a ghost story, Palen said they are rooted in real events that helped shape the region.
“It is a part of our local history, and these stories define Bozeman today,” Palen said. “It also helps to connect larger themes in western history.”
The tour is in the museum itself, which once served as the Gallatin County Jail and Sheriff's Office. The building, located on Main Street, operated as a jail from 1911 to 1982.
Among those once held there was Seth Danner, who was convicted of murdering a young couple. Danner was eventually turned in by his wife and held at the facility until his execution.
Visitors are shown the solitary confinement cells where inmates were held as punishment.
Palen said the building's history has also fueled reports of paranormal activity. Over the years, workers at both the jail and the museum have reported seeing an apparition, with some believing it could be Danner.
The tour also explores the building's execution history, including the gallows and the final words attributed to one condemned man.
But the stories extend beyond the jail.
Palen shows visitors historical artifacts connected to some of the area's most violent cases, including a potato masher used in a killing.
The tour then shifts upstairs to another part of Bozeman's past: its former red-light district.
Visitors learn about local brothels and the women who operated them, including one madam known for protecting the women who worked for her.
“Any of the men were treating her girls wrong, she was liable to shoot them,” Palen said.
The final chapter focuses on David Meirhofer, a serial killer known as the Shadow Man, who terrorized Gallatin County during the 1960s and '70s.
The case became a landmark in criminal investigations as the first time the FBI used criminal profiling to help catch a serial killer, according to Palen.
The Haunted History tours offer visitors a chance to explore the real people, crimes, and stories behind some of the region's most chilling history.
The tours are currently sold out. More information can be found here: https://www.gallatinhistorymuseum.org/haunted-history-tours
