Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

Overview and Evidence[]

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is a relatively popular park in Garfield County, Utah, USA, and it has an interesting quirk, the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park Curse, dating back to the 1930's it is told that taking Petrified wood from the park will bring bad luck, reportedly, Park manager Chad Jones and other Park rangers often receive letters from thieves containing apologies and confessions, as well as tales of their misfortunes. According to Mr. Jones, these letters describe bad luck lasting from days to years, and ranging from a simple trip to brain cancer and homes burning, one thief's account said he placed the Petrified wood in his fish tank and all his fish mysteriously died, these letters also show that apparently the curse can be inherited. At this point, the curse is easily a major part of the park's culture and legacy. Mr. Jones claims there may be some merit to the curse given the frequency of reported curse effects. In addition, returning wood has reportedly returned the thief's luck to usual. However, returned pieces of wood unfortunately cannot be returned to exactly where they were taken, since that would disturb the site for scientific research, so the park has constructed a monument of sorts, a car-sized pile of returned wood nicknamed "The Conscience Pile"

Notable Accounts[]

(Please note these are all anonymous)

one letter accompanying some Petrified wood described the writer breaking multiple bones, a fire in his motor home, and a car engine failure after the warranty ended all within the year of stealing the wood
Another letter detailed contracting terminal cancer, attributed to stealing the wood
Another letter detailed a writer who inherited a piece of Petrified wood and placed it in his fish tank, soon, the fish in the tank died, which was attributed to the wood