Mike Hoke has always had a passion for uncovering Wisconsin’s hidden gems and dark history, which led him to create his YouTube channel, Road Trips with Yogi. What began as a personal hobby of exploring small towns and forgotten places has evolved into a captivating journey through the state’s most intriguing spots, from quirky roadside attractions to locations steeped in eerie legends. Mike also co-runs the Appleton Haunted History & Mystery Tour, where he dives deep into the city’s chilling past.
In this interview, he shares his inspiration, memorable travels, and the fascinating stories he’s uncovered along the way.
Your YouTube channel, Road Trips with Yogi, explores fascinating small towns, historical sites, and hidden gems across Wisconsin. What inspired you to start documenting these journeys, and how do you choose which locations to visit?
Mike: It was March of 2020, and Covid was happening, I was out of work and was going stir crazy in the house. I’ve always loved to take drives and look for interesting things like roadside attractions and abandoned places. So I ordered a GoPro type camera and decided to start a YouTube channel. As for choosing locations I just look at Google Maps and see what’s interesting, small towns with demographics and notable people or plan a road trip with my family or sister.
Wisconsin has such a rich history and a lot of strange, eerie legends. Has there been a particular place or story that has stuck with you, either because of its history or something unusual that happened while filming?
Mike: Ed Gein left a big impression on me, Jeffery Dahmer as well, the craziness of the crimes they both committed, and how they were caught. I lived in Milwaukee at the time of the Dahmer event, so bizarre how that went down. The only unusual thing that happened to me while filming was in Galena, Illinois. I was filming at the Old Market House with Goatman author J. Nathan Couch after attending a ghost tour. It was an old jail at one point and a woman died there. Legend has it that there were reports of knocking at a door down a flight of stairs in the back of the building, so we went and did a mini investigation. We asked a couple questions, and there was a faint knock heard at the door. I didn’t hear it at the time, but J. Nathan Couch did. After uploading the video I watched it and sure enough, there was a faint knock.
As someone who travels across the state, you’ve probably encountered your fair share of quirky, unexpected, or even paranormal experiences. Can you share a moment that really surprised or spooked you on one of your road trips?
Mike: As far as quirky goes I recently did an episode in Hazel Green, Wisconsin featuring a gas station frozen in time that is still operational. I talked to the owner and it was like stepping back in time with the stories he told me. Route 66 is loaded with quirky locations, I was quite surprised at how Illinois keeps the history of Route 66 alive. Unfortunately I have yet to have a crazy paranormal story to tell…yet.
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You run the Appleton Haunted History & Mystery Tour, which sounds like an amazing blend of local history and ghost stories. What are some of the most intriguing or eerie stops on the tour, and do you have a personal favorite?
Mike: My sister Laurie and I started the Appleton Haunted History & Mystery Tours, located in Appleton, Wisconsin in 2019. I had experience in operating a ghost tour, and we talked about it for a while before deciding to do it. Our favorite stops on the tour include the Appleton exorcist and the Appleton butcher, both true stories. We also started to include missing persons and unsolved murder cases on the tour to hopefully rekindle some interest as well.
When you’re researching for both your road trips and your haunted tours, how do you uncover the stories and legends that aren’t widely known? Have you ever discovered something completely unexpected in your research or travels?
Mike: When I’m filming the road trips I usually already know about a certain event in that area, an example would be the UFO sightings in the Dundee area in Wisconsin, or the Sheboygan Insane Asylum. With the ghost tour it was a lot of research, talking to historians, going through archives, books and newspaper articles. We were quite surprised by the Appleton butcher and the Appleton exorcist information. You never know what kind of events have happened in a city until you research it.
Wisconsin has a reputation for strange creatures, haunted locations, and mysterious events. Is there a particular Wisconsin legend or paranormal story that fascinates you the most, and why?
Mike: When I was young, we would go to the Mary Nohl residence more commonly known as the witch’s house, in Fox Point, Wisconsin. The tale I heard was that her husband and son set out to fish in Lake Michigan, and they never returned. She then became despondent and made these sculptures to try to bring them back. That story was obviously false yet it stays in my mind to this day. Haunchyville in Muskego, Wisconsin was another one. It’s an area where dwarfs supposedly live and are protected by someone with a gun who threatens people who set foot on the property. We were going to go check that one out but heard the only thing we will come across is a ticket from the Muskego Police. Summerwind near Three Lakes, Wisconsin is my go to for paranormal, the story behind that is fascinating. Dartford Cemetery in Green Lake, Wisconsin is another. It was featured on the show A Haunting. Apparently if you sit on top of a certain mausoleum, you will be pushed off. I don’t recommend people doing that because that area has surveillance.
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Do you have anything else in the works? What do we have to look forward to?
Mike: In regards to the tour we would like to get a small bus or passenger van and expand on the locations we can visit. Road Trips With Yogi will be coming to a small town in Wisconsin near you! If anyone is interested in checking out my channel, please click the link here: Road Trips With Yogi – YouTube. If you are interested in learning more about the Appleton Haunted History & Mystery Tour, visit www.spooksandspiritstours.com
