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Hummel Park

More than 200 years ago, a Spanish trader named Manuel Lisa had a fort located near the park. Another trader name Jean Pierre Cabànne opened a post along the Missouri River near the park in the 1820s.

In 1930, 200 acres of land on the southwest corner of River Drive and Ponca Road were donated to the City of Omaha to become a park. It was named after Joseph B. Hummel, the long-time superintendent of Omaha’s Parks and Recreation Department, and one of the most influential parks advocates ever in Omaha.

The Lynching Trees

It has been said that in the early 1900s, a large number of black Omahans were lynched from the trees along side of the road going up into the park at the south entrance. The trees are thought to retain the memory of these gruesome murders and still bow under the weight of the victims' souls.

The Murder of Laura LaPointe

In 1983, Laura LaPointe was robbed and beaten to death by two other women in Hummel Park. In 2006, the body of 12-year-old Amber Harris, who had been missing since the previous winter, was discovered in a shallow grave in the park. A memorial was erected in 2008 for David Murillo, a young man who died in the park in a car accident. There are many other tales - some true, some just legends - about deaths that have taken place here.

Devils Den

A place called Devils Den is where some people have come to perform satanic rituals and animal sacrifices. Although the tales of the park being built on a Native American burial ground and infested with evil spirits have yet to be proven, the altars with satanic scrawling’s are very real and can be seen by visitors. Devils Den is also home to the infamous morphing stairs.

Legend has it that if you count the steps going up and coming down, the numbers will never match up. There will always be more stairs going up than coming down (or vice versa, depending on whom you ask). It's said that if you ever do arrive at the same number, your death is imminent. One legend even says that if you count the steps while descending and happen to count the correct number, the devil will appear to grant you anything you ask for...as long as you're willing to give your soul in exchange.

The Murder of 12-Year-Old Amber Harris

Victims of crimes at Hummel have included innocent children. The heavily wooded area made headlines again with the tragic murder of 12-year-old Amber Harris. She was found in a shallow grave at the park in 2006, nearly six months after her disappearance. A cross necklace clung to her remains. Roy Ellis was convicted of killing her and sentenced to death. Ellis allegedly liked to intimidate women, and his former girlfriend told investigators that Ellis drove her to Hummel, dug a grave, and threatened to put her in it.