Michigan’s Scariest Urban Legend: Hell’s Bridge, Rockford

There are many scary things in Michigan, but this particular one has been called Michigan's Scariest Urban Legend: Hell's Bridge, sometimes called 'Devil's Bridge'.

I've been to Hell's Bridge...and yes, it's creepy. It’s a cheezy little metal footbridge hidden away within the woods, crossing the Rogue River near Rockford.

Before I regale you with the legend that describes the possible haunting, lemme tell ya what happened when a buddy and I went out there one night, close to Midnight.

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We parked the car in a little dirt turnaround on Friske Drive. We found a slim path that snaked through the woods along the river, surrounded by trees and bushes. As we got closer to the bridge, we heard the sound of rushing water and knew we were getting close. We arrived at the bridge that seems to be guarded by an old tree, which has been slopped over with spray paint. It was almost Midnight and it does give you a weird vibe. Knowing the legend, I walked out onto the footbridge (there’s only room for one person), stood there, and looked down into the water. I didn’t see any specters like some claim, but as I stood there as still as I could, the bridge started shaking under me. There was no wind, I wasn’t moving, and my buddy was not making it shake. Needless to say, I walked off before I fell in.

Now the legend:

According to Click on Detroit, in the mid-1800's, an older man named Elias Friske lured local children to this location and murdered them. When the children’s families realized their kids were missing, some townsmen organized a search party to enter the woods and look for them. Not wanting to leave their other kids unattended, they left kindly (so they thought) Mr. Friske in charge of babysitting.

With the excuse he didn’t want any of the kids wandering off, he tied them together with rope and off to the woods they went. Once at the location where the bridge is now, the kids noticed a rotting smell and told Mr. Friske. In answer, Friske uncovered a pile of leaves and branches that revealed the source of the smell: the bodies of the other missing children. The kids began screaming and yelling for help but Friske was prepared; he had taken the kids in the opposite direction of the search party so the screams of horror could not be heard.

One by one, he killed the children and dumped their little bodies into the Rogue River. Later, when the townspeople realized their kids and Friske were missing, they did another search that took them to a scene of horror: the bodies of their children in the water. Continuing their search for Friske, they found him covered in blood, saying it was the devil that coaxed him into the killings. The search party grabbed the rope that Friske had used to tie the kids with and used it to hang him near a nearby stone footbridge. The rope snapped, his body floated downstream, and it was never found.

Now the legend says if you go out there after Midnight, you can hear evil laughter emanating from the other side of the river and you can see the faces of the children in the water. On top of that, witnesses claim they’ve seen glowing red eyes in the woods and on the bridge, along with hearing sounds of childrens’ screams & laughter.

The stone bridge where Friske was hung was replaced by the current metal footbridge.
There are skeletal river weeds that look like hands reaching for help (photo below).

The bridge is located off Friske Road over the Rouge River, and you can see it on Google satellite maps.

RESPECT ALL LOCAL NEIGHBORS, HOMES, HOUSES AND PROPERTY. DON'T BOTHER ANYONE OR YOU'LL RUIN THE FUN FOR OTHERS.

If you dare to visit, just go alone or with one other person. More than two will ruin the effect and lessen the chances of anything happening.

Good luck.

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