In the dense, sprawling woods of New Brunswick, Canada, locals tell tales of the Dungarvon Whooper—a ghostly figure whose chilling screams echo through the trees, disturbing the silence of the wilderness. This terrifying legend centers around a young cook named Ryan, who worked at a logging camp near the Dungarvon River in the late 1800s. But this isn’t just any ghost story; it’s based on events so disturbing that they’ve haunted the area for well over a century.

Ryan was a young man, strong and independent, with no family to his name. He was hired by a group of lumberjacks to cook their meals, keep the camp in order, and generally look after things. He carried with him a belt filled with money—his life savings, which he kept on him at all times. It was a source of pride for Ryan, and he was often seen jingling the coins or showing them off to the other men at the camp.

One evening, the lumberjacks left for a long day’s work deep in the forest, leaving Ryan alone in the camp to prepare food for their return. But when they came back, they found a gruesome and baffling scene: Ryan was dead, his body sprawled on the floor of the cabin. His face was contorted in an expression of pure terror, his eyes wide open as if he’d seen something truly horrific in his final moments. His money belt was gone, and the cabin was filled with an eerie silence.

The men were shocked and disturbed. Who would kill a young cook, alone in the middle of nowhere? There were no strangers in these remote woods, and the lumberjacks all swore they had no part in his death. Yet there was no denying what they saw—Ryan was dead, and his money was missing. The men quickly buried him nearby, hoping to lay him to rest and forget the horrifying sight.

But Ryan’s story didn’t end there. Shortly after his death, strange sounds began to haunt the camp. At first, it was just an unsettling feeling, as if someone were watching them from the trees. Then, they started hearing sounds—the faint jingling of coins in the distance, and, even more disturbingly, blood-curdling screams that pierced the night.

These screams grew louder and more intense each evening. They sounded like a man in excruciating pain, wailing and crying out into the dark wilderness. The terrified lumberjacks would huddle together in the cabin, clutching their tools and whispering prayers, but nothing could drown out the terrible noise. Soon, they were convinced it was the ghost of Ryan, still crying out in agony and rage over his untimely death and the theft of his money.

The men tried everything they could think of to appease the spirit. They prayed, made offerings, and even attempted to move his grave, hoping to give him a proper burial. But nothing worked. The wailing would begin each night at dusk, rising and falling in waves, echoing through the forest until dawn. The relentless terror eventually broke the lumberjacks’ resolve, and they abandoned the camp, leaving the cursed place behind.

Word of the Dungarvon Whooper spread quickly, and the story took on a life of its own. Local townsfolk spoke in hushed tones about the ghostly screams in the woods, warning travelers to stay far away from the area. Despite this, some people couldn’t resist the pull of the legend, and a few brave souls ventured out to the abandoned camp to see if the tales were true.

Those who dared to spend the night near Ryan’s resting place reported the same spine-chilling sounds. Skeptics and thrill-seekers alike returned from the woods, pale and shaken, recounting how they’d heard a man’s anguished cries ringing through the trees, louder and more desperate than anything they’d ever imagined. Many claimed they couldn’t sleep for days afterward, haunted by the relentless screams echoing in their minds.

One of the most unnerving parts of the legend is that no one has ever found Ryan’s money belt. Some believe that whoever stole it is cursed to be haunted by the Dungarvon Whooper until the end of their days. Others say that the belt, and Ryan’s restless spirit, are still out there, waiting in the woods, seeking vengeance on anyone who dares to disturb the area.

In the early 1900s, a priest from the nearby village of Renous, determined to rid the woods of this terror, led a group of townspeople to the site of the camp. Together, they prayed over Ryan’s grave and held a formal burial ritual, hoping that this act would finally put his spirit to rest. For a time, the screams reportedly stopped, and people dared to go near the old camp again. It seemed that the Dungarvon Whooper had finally found peace.

But as the years passed, reports of the haunting slowly returned. Hunters and campers in the Dungarvon River area still claim to hear the wailing cries of a man in the dead of night. Some describe the sound as distant at first, but growing louder and closer, until it feels as if the anguished spirit is right beside them.

Today, the Dungarvon Whooper has become one of Canada’s most notorious ghost stories, a chilling reminder of the young cook who died alone in the woods under mysterious circumstances. Locals advise visitors to stay far from the site after dark, warning that those who dare to venture there might just hear Ryan’s cries themselves, forever caught in a loop of torment and rage, echoing through the cold New Brunswick night.