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WORTHINGTON — Halloween brings thoughts of spirits, death and the afterlife to many people, but for Windom author Adrian Lee, every season is haunting season.
“I’ve been a paranormal investigator for 25 years all over the world,” said Lee, who wrote “Mysterious Minnesota” and “Mysterious Midwest,” as well as “Ghosts of the US-Dakota War.” “I founded the International Paranormal Society, so I come with a lot of wisdom and knowledge. So I think it’ll be a case of showing people the best evidence.”
Lee will give an author presentation from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Nobles County Library in Worthington.
He plans to speak about some of the investigations he’s done in the region, including his research on the infamous witch of Loon Lake, a story Lee featured in “Mysterious Midwest.”
He’ll also present video and audio from his investigations, and explain the equipment he and his team typically use when attempting to find and communicate with spirits.
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Lee also hopes to speak about the war between the Dakota and the U.S., much of which happened in the area, as people starved to death and brutally attacked civilians.
“The Dakota War was huge. If you’re looking for trauma, for deaths, for massacres in back fields … the biggest thing that happened here was the Dakota War,” he said. “It was very, very intense in this area.”
The harsh conditions, too, took their toll in those early days, as settlers died lost to blizzards, disease, or even suicide after long periods of isolation had taken its toll on their mental health.
“People say to me ‘America’s not that old, you shouldn’t have that many ghosts,’” Lee said. But there were people here before that, and given the hardship of living in the area, he added, the region is more like a paranormal soup he can pick his way through and investigate.
Lee’s hope, he said, is to reclaim history from the lips of the dead.
That doesn’t mean his author talk will be a scary one, though.
“You can bring your kids along. It’s not meant to be scary or creepy, it’s meant to be interesting and funny,” he said. “Here’s people’s opportunity to ask questions of a paranormal investigator and a psychic who’s worked all over the world.”
He will have books available for signing at the event.
