Rusk County Business History · Northwoods Wisconsin Hospitality
The Northwoods Motel, formerly the El Rancho Motel, sits north of Ladysmith along Highway 27 in Rusk County, Wisconsin — Northwoods country, where the economy of small towns like Ladysmith has long blended timber, agriculture, and the modest tourism of lakes and forests. The motel has passed through multiple identities over its history.
At various points the property was known as Mondor's El Rancho — named for owner Earl Mondor — and as Northern Lights before that. Its operational history includes a period as a dance hall and, in an earlier era, accounts describe a more ambiguous social function that contributed to the building's layered reputation in local memory.
A 2013 article in the Ladysmith News documented the Peavey family's experience running the motel, including their accounts of paranormal activity and the decision to discuss it publicly. The article ran under the headline about giving up the ghost, suggesting the Peaveys were departing the property.
The motel has since changed management. Recent reviews on travel platforms describe the current operation as clean and well-maintained, with new ownership — identified as Jason and Jessica — making active improvements to the facility. It was formerly affiliated with Best Western.
Sources
- https://www.ladysmithnews.com/news/article_e057d36e-dea9-11e2-b8d5-0019bb30f31a.html
ApparitionsCold spotsDoors opening/closingPhantom soundsObject movementTouching/pushing
The ghost at El Rancho has been given names by different people who worked there over the years. Some called him Joe. Others said Eddie. The story of how he died has accumulated variations too: a ball-peen hammer, a hatchet, a blow to the back of the head. None of the versions come with documentation. The core of the legend is stable — a man was killed in the building, he wore red flannel, and he stayed.
The staff accounts are more grounded. A former employee described a specific experience while closing: carrying beer upstairs from the basement, she felt hands placed on her waist. She was alone in the building at that point. The basement door slammed during the same period of employment. Cold spots appeared in areas without drafts. In the bar area — the motel had a bar, consistent with its history as a social gathering point in the community — the blender turned on by itself, and a bottle of sherry fell from a shelf without apparent cause.
The blender and the sherry bottle detail have the texture of a specific and remembered occurrence rather than generalized atmospheric discomfort. The accounts were shared publicly by the Peavey family in a 2013 newspaper article, which documents the phenomena as part of their experience running the motel rather than as a marketing exercise.
The man in the red flannel shirt has been seen in the hallways by guests and staff over multiple years of the motel's operation. He is described as distinct — not peripheral or ambiguous — before disappearing.
Notable Entities
The Man in the Red Flannel Shirt
