When you think of haunted rides at Disneyland, the first one to spring to mind is probably the Haunted Mansion. But for decades, rumors have circulated that it's actually the Matterhorn that's truly haunted — and it seems that there actually is a tragic true story behind the ghost tale.
Back in 1984, 48-year-old Regena "Dolly" Young from California was killed on the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride when she fell out of her car and was fatally hit by another bobsled, according to the Los Angeles Times. Since then, the section where she was struck — on the Tomorrowland side of the mountain — has become known as "Dolly's Dip," and park employees claim she still haunts the ride.
A former ride operator named Kristen, who worked at the park from 1989 to 1995, claimed that she could feel a "supernatural presence" while operating the Matterhorn — and that other staffers told her they had seen a ghost while on the job. "I worked on that ride for several years, and I never saw her, but I sure did feel her," she wrote in a blog post for Wander Wisdom.
During her time at the Magic Kingdom, staffers were required to walk the ride after it closed everyday to look for lost and found items — and she always dreaded it. "Every time I was (un)lucky enough to get a track walking shift I had an uneasy feeling, like someone was watching me," she wrote. "I was always convinced that it was Dolly, and so I would often say 'hi' to her. The feeling was always the worst in the big cavern in the middle of the ride, and at Dolly's Dip (the spot where she died). In fact, the work lights in the tunnel near Dolly's Dip always seemed to be burned out. In six years, I don't think I ever saw those lights working."
And sadly, this isn't the only fatal accident to ever occur on the Matterhorn. A teenage boy died after he stood up while the ride was moving and was struck in the 1960s. The park has since changed the ride's seatbelts, according to the Los Angeles Times (though Disney claims the redesign had nothing to do with the accidents).
So the next time you visit the park, you can get your phantom fix by visiting the Haunted Mansion ride ... or you can say hello to Dolly and the other spirits that allegedly still lurk in the park (including Walt Disney himself!).
[h/t Pop Sugar]
