A radio station at 666 Main Street, Deadwood, and a ghost called Doc Smiley
A caller the host addresses as [name withheld], said to be calling from Colorado, tells of working as an overnight DJ in college at K-Sky Radio in Deadwood, South Dakota. They say the station was at 666 Main Street. They describe the staff's knowledge of a ghost called “Doc Smiley.” They also describe a man in Old West clothing seen through a newsroom window and gone when approached, clocks and commercial carts found upside down, dark figures glimpsed in the hallway, and doors creaking and slamming on their own. They end with a night during a blizzard when, about 3:30 a.m., they heard a loud “demonic roar” from down the hall. They ran after a friend they assumed was pranking them and found no tracks in the snow outside.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2013.mp3”, starting at 1:55:19). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Calling from Colorado, a caller the host addresses as [name withheld] says that while in college they worked as an overnight DJ at K-Sky Radio in Deadwood, South Dakota. They give the address as 666 Main Street. They say staff thought the address made the site a “portal for ghosts.” Everyone at the station knew of a ghost called Doc Smiley, the caller says, described as a dentist who practiced in Deadwood between the 1880s and 1920s. The practice had been at the station's second-floor location. The caller notes the station stood across from the No. 10 saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was shot by Jack McCall. They report these events. Looking through a double-pane glass into the converted newsroom, they saw a man in Old West clothing, who was gone when they went around the corner. Clocks were found turned upside down, and commercial carts were found stacked oddly or upside down, which the caller links to playing Led Zeppelin's “Whole Lotta Love.” Dark figures were glimpsed in the corner of the caller’s eye in the hallway. Doorways creaked and slammed by themselves. The caller describes working late during a blizzard when, at about 3:30 a.m., they heard [quote withheld] from down the hallway. They ran to catch a friend they assumed was pranking them and went down the stairs. Looking out into the snow, they found no tracks and concluded nobody else was at the station. They say it unsettled them for the rest of the night. The host remarks that many radio stations are said to be haunted and comments on the 666 address.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller says they worked overnights at what they call one of America's most haunted radio stations while in college.
- 0:21
They name the station as K-Sky Radio, Deadwood, South Dakota, and the address as 666 Main Street, which they call a “portal for ghosts.”
- 0:40
Staff reportedly all knew of a ghost called Doc Smiley, described as a dentist in Deadwood from the 1880s to the 1920s whose practice had been on the station's second floor.
- 1:41
They report seeing a man in Old West clothing through a double-pane glass in the converted newsroom. The man was gone when they went around the corner.
- 1:52
Activity is said to have increased whenever the station played “Whole Lotta Love.”
- 2:06
Wall clocks were reportedly found turned upside down.
- 2:10
Commercial tape carts were reportedly found stacked oddly or upside down after the caller left and re-entered the room.
- 2:48
Dark figures were reportedly glimpsed in the caller’s peripheral vision walking down the hallway.
- 2:53
Doorways reportedly creaked and slammed on their own.
- 2:57
During a blizzard, around 3:30 a.m., they report a loud “demonic roar” from down the hallway.
- 3:04
They ran down the hall and then the stairs, assuming a friend was playing a trick on them.
- 3:14
Looking out into the snow, they report no tracks and conclude nobody else was in the station.
- 3:19
They say the experience unsettled them for the rest of the night.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:03
The caller says they worked overnights at what they call one of the most haunted radio stations in America while they were in college.
- observation· 0:26
The station's address is given as 666 Main Street, Deadwood, South Dakota.
- interpretation· 0:33
The caller's explanation is that the address made the site a “portal for ghosts.”
- hearsay· 0:40
The caller says all staff knew of a ghost called Doc Smiley, a Deadwood dentist from the 1880s to the 1920s whose practice had been at the station's second-floor location.
- observation· 1:41
They report seeing a man in Old West clothing through a double-pane glass in the converted newsroom. The man was gone when they went around the corner.
- interpretation· 1:52
They link bursts of activity at the station to playing Led Zeppelin's “Whole Lotta Love.”
- observation· 2:06
Clocks on the wall were reported to turn upside down.
- observation· 2:10
Commercial carts (tape cartridges) were found stacked oddly or turned upside down after the caller left the room.
- host statement· 2:20
The host states that in radio practice an uncued cart is deliberately turned upside down as a reminder. That is an ordinary convention that could account for some of the upside-down carts.
- observation· 2:48
Dark figures were reportedly seen in the caller’s peripheral vision walking down the hallway.
- observation· 2:53
Doorways were reported to creak and slam without anyone moving them.
- observation· 2:57
During a blizzard, around 3:30 a.m., they report hearing a loud “demonic roar” from down the hallway.
- interpretation· 3:14
They checked outside in the snow for the prankster they assumed it was and found no tracks, concluding they were alone in the building.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a specific, orderly firsthand story with details that sound checkable and no self-contradictions. But several reported events have easy ordinary explanations, and key sightings are peripheral or indirect.
Evidence for and against
- A firsthand, eyewitness-style story from someone who says they worked overnights there.
- Concrete specifics that could in principle be checked: station name, town, address, a named ghost, a dated historical frame.
- A coherent sequence with a check built in (going outside to look for tracks).
- [quote withheld] and [quote withheld] leave key sightings brief or peripheral.
- The host supplies an ordinary radio-station convention for upside-down carts, and the caller agrees.
- The loudest event happened in a blizzard, where wind noise in an old building is an easy fit.
- The number and identity of any second witness behind “we” is not stated.
- “Doc Smiley” and the station name rely on the automatic transcript of spoken names.
- 0:03
- 0:26
- 2:20
- 3:14
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component judgment: source proximity 22, specificity 15, internal consistency 15, alternative explanations 7, calibration 9, for a total of 68. The score is reported as 66 to stay conservative where peripheral sightings and storm noise plausibly explain parts.
This rests on the caller's word plus specifics that could be checked but never were, and an implied but silent second witness. No physical evidence is claimed or examined.
Evidence for and against
- Checkable specifics are given: a station name, a town, a street address, and named historical figures. None is checked here.
- A claimed additional witness is implied by “we,” but no such person speaks on air.
- No photograph, recording, log, news item, or document is offered or examined.
- The “everybody knew” element is a collective claim, not an independent witness on air.
- Whether any of the stated specifics (address, station name, ghost) could actually be verified is outside the transcript.
- 0:21
- 0:26
- 1:41
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score falls in the 11–25 range (checkable specifics and claimed other witnesses, not checked). It is set at 20 rather than higher because nothing was examined on air and no second witness speaks.
An isolated night-shift setting, unexplained slamming doors, dark figures at the edge of vision, and a sudden roar in a snowbound building make for a genuinely unsettling listen without physical threat.
Evidence for and against
- Overnight isolation in a building, with doors slamming by themselves and dark figures in the hallway.
- A loud roar at 3:30 a.m. during a blizzard, followed by a check that found no tracks.
- A setting in the small hours, and the caller's statement that it unsettled them for the rest of the night.
- The tone of the story is largely that of an anecdote told in hindsight.
- No injury, threat, or sustained, targeted menace is reported.
- Whether the roar was loud or prolonged cannot be judged from a transcript.
- 2:53
- 2:57
- 3:19
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is above the “mildly eerie” benchmark because of the loud roar and the check of the empty snow. It is below “frightening” because nothing harmful or escalating is described.
A familiar haunted-workplace frame carries several distinctive details (the address, the dentist ghost, the song trigger), which lift it above generic stock material.
Evidence for and against
- A haunted radio station with a 666 Main Street address and a dentist ghost named “Doc Smiley.”
- Activity tied to playing a specific song, “Whole Lotta Love.”
- A roar checked by looking for tracks in fresh snow.
- The core events (a figure who vanishes, objects moved, slamming doors, dark shapes in a hallway) are stock haunted-building elements.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is calculated automatically. This is the model estimate only.
- 0:40
- 1:52
What the model inferred (not said on air): Provisional model score of about 58. The comparison with the rest of the archive is not calculated here. With few stories, that comparison carries little weight.
Scoring confidence 0.78 · analysis confidence 0.82 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story (overnight DJ at the station in question); Claimed collective staff knowledge of the “Doc Smiley” ghost, secondhand; Claimed but unnamed additional witnesses implied by “we”; No documents, photographs, or recordings offered or examined on air. The originality score blends the model's score (58) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Some of the reported oddities with the carts are normal studio practice rather than something unseen. · The host states the radio-industry practice, and the caller agrees (“Yeah, that's true”). An uncued cartridge is deliberately turned upside down as a reminder, so some upside-down or oddly stacked carts have an ordinary explanation.
- Seeing shapes in peripheral vision in a dimly lit hallway could produce the “dark figures.” · The figures are described as seen [quote withheld] in a hallway. Peripheral vision is prone to misreading shapes.
- Storm wind and pressure in an old building could account for the roaring sound and the creaking and slamming doors. · The roar is reported as happening “during a blizzard” and [quote withheld] in an older building. Doors creaking and slamming on their own are also reported.
What stands out
The story is anchored to a specific named workplace and street address (a radio station at 666 Main Street), a named ghost whose trade is given as dentistry, and a trigger in the form of a particular song. The strongest single episode is the 3:30 a.m. roar, which the caller tested by looking for footprints in fresh snow.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.