The Dungarvon Whooper — the screaming ghost of New Brunswick's Miramichi Valley

The Dungarvon Whooper is one of New Brunswick's most famous ghosts, a phantom whose terrifying screams have echoed through the Miramichi River valley for over 150 years. According to the legend, a young cook named Ryan was left alone at a lumber camp on the Dungarvon River in the 1860s while the crew went to work. When they returned, Ryan was dead and his money belt — said to contain his life savings — was missing. The camp boss reported the death as natural causes, but the lumbermen suspected murder. Shortly after Ryan's burial in an unmarked grave, unearthly screaming began emanating from the forest around the camp — a howling, whooping sound that terrorized workers and drove some away. The screaming continued for years, and no natural explanation was found. Eventually, a priest was called to perform a blessing over the grave, and the screaming reportedly stopped. However, loggers and hikers in the Dungarvon River area continue to report hearing inexplicable sounds in the forest — screams, whooping, and cries that cannot be attributed to any animal. The story has been the subject of a famous Maritime folk song, 'The Dungarvon Whooper,' and remains deeply embedded in New Brunswick's cultural identity.