What do you think?
Rate this book
Haunted Manitoba: Ghost Stories from the Prairies
Discover the history of Manitoba sites through the stories of the ghosts that haunt them.
Manitoba may seem like a quiet province, but its prairies teem with paranormal activity. A ghostly groundskeeper still does his rounds at the Delta Marsh Field Station; strange noises and apparitions of children in 19th-century clothing have been reported at Lower Fort Garry; and Mrs. Kennedy still welcomes guests to Captain Kennedy’s House—just as she did when her home was built in 1866. Haunted Manitoba shares eerie stories from all corners of the province and places them in the context of Manitoba’s rich history.
Manitoba may seem like a quiet province, but its prairies teem with paranormal activity. A ghostly groundskeeper still does his rounds at the Delta Marsh Field Station; strange noises and apparitions of children in 19th-century clothing have been reported at Lower Fort Garry; and Mrs. Kennedy still welcomes guests to Captain Kennedy’s House—just as she did when her home was built in 1866. Haunted Manitoba shares eerie stories from all corners of the province and places them in the context of Manitoba’s rich history.
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2019
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 25, 2022
I should have loved “Haunted Manitoba: Ghost Stories From The Prairies”, 2019, which my spouse bought for my birthday. The absolute best is Lois Forsberg’s: “Prairie Ghosts: True Manitoba Ghost Stories”. It needs reprinting! Lois compellingly solicited personal spirit experiences from average Manitobans. Leslie Rule interviews and visits her story sources too.
What should have been introductions filled the pages. Matthew Komus sketched extensive histories that ended with with mere eerie atmospheres. The few strong ghost sightings were from books or newspapers! His acknowledgement mentions recent material but I noticed none from him. This whole book entails retellings!
It was outmoded to write “supernatural”, which is not a synonym for “paranormal”. It describes fictional entities, like werewolves. Matthew awkwardly veered to future tense in past tense descriptions and wobbled between first and last names.
A big Winnipeg disaster literally named “The 1950 Flood”.... he somehow cited incorrectly! In “Ghosts Of James Bay”, John Wilson elaborated on Henry Hudson being marooned there, between Ontario & Québec. Matthew thought he disappeared in Manitoba.
I disliked the author’s jokey, disbelieving tone. The white horse legend is so commonplace, anyone can read it on the roadside! Did he seek witnesses to the white horse? Clearly, Matthew’s goal was to espouse history on famous attractions; not provide fresh activity or places we can visit. We got a massive Icelandic background, with legends of elves Matthew sighted no one as seeing. Are there no residents to ask in that vast region?
I was disgusted that he eschewed dates and ranges of spirit phenomenon! It is easy to ask staff or relatives when the earliest and most recent hauntings were and to seek living witnesses. Matthew comes across as lazy or oblivious that undated stories renders them meaningless. He definitely could have consulted his frequently plagiarized newspapers!
What should have been introductions filled the pages. Matthew Komus sketched extensive histories that ended with with mere eerie atmospheres. The few strong ghost sightings were from books or newspapers! His acknowledgement mentions recent material but I noticed none from him. This whole book entails retellings!
It was outmoded to write “supernatural”, which is not a synonym for “paranormal”. It describes fictional entities, like werewolves. Matthew awkwardly veered to future tense in past tense descriptions and wobbled between first and last names.
A big Winnipeg disaster literally named “The 1950 Flood”.... he somehow cited incorrectly! In “Ghosts Of James Bay”, John Wilson elaborated on Henry Hudson being marooned there, between Ontario & Québec. Matthew thought he disappeared in Manitoba.
I disliked the author’s jokey, disbelieving tone. The white horse legend is so commonplace, anyone can read it on the roadside! Did he seek witnesses to the white horse? Clearly, Matthew’s goal was to espouse history on famous attractions; not provide fresh activity or places we can visit. We got a massive Icelandic background, with legends of elves Matthew sighted no one as seeing. Are there no residents to ask in that vast region?
I was disgusted that he eschewed dates and ranges of spirit phenomenon! It is easy to ask staff or relatives when the earliest and most recent hauntings were and to seek living witnesses. Matthew comes across as lazy or oblivious that undated stories renders them meaningless. He definitely could have consulted his frequently plagiarized newspapers!
January 8, 2024
From a haunting/ghost story perspective, I found this book a little lacking. With scarce details, and little insight, I was at times frustrated by what could have been a truly fascinating reading experience, but never quite was.
However, I liked aspects of the authors writing, and found the aspects of historical information he conveyed was done far more effectively than the rest. Manitoba is interesting, and the Icelandic background really appealed to me. It's this part of the book that really riveted me; I do wish that the haunting side had been written as thoughtfully. Still, I learned a lot, and that bumped my hesitant rating up to 3 stars.
I think I would love to read a straightforward history from the author, as that seems to be his strength.
However, I liked aspects of the authors writing, and found the aspects of historical information he conveyed was done far more effectively than the rest. Manitoba is interesting, and the Icelandic background really appealed to me. It's this part of the book that really riveted me; I do wish that the haunting side had been written as thoughtfully. Still, I learned a lot, and that bumped my hesitant rating up to 3 stars.
I think I would love to read a straightforward history from the author, as that seems to be his strength.
February 24, 2026
Got to meet Matthew at the 7 oaks haunted tour. Such a nice person with a lot of knowledge on the city and its past. I enjoyed the book. Plus, he signed my copy 😎
November 4, 2019
Not just about ghosts, excellent stories about the history of Manitoba.
October 15, 2024
I came across Haunted Manitoba: Ghost Stories from the Prairies, by Matthew Komus while thrifting and took it camping to read around the fire. The family enjoyed it so much that I ordered Haunted Winnipeg: Ghost Stories from the Heart of the Continent so that we would have it in time for the next camping trip.
As a lover of both history and ghost stories, I found these tales to be a treasure trove of historical details, providing a rich background for each historic site or building mentioned in the book. History always took center stage in each story, and the known (or lesser known) ghost story associated with the area was intertwined throughout. For those who have a stronger inclination towards history rather than ghost stories, this book offers an ideal balance of historical depth and objective storytelling. Despite not being a fan of ghost stories, my husband thoroughly enjoyed it, although the description of the little girl rocking in the chair at the Lower Fort Garry did freak him out a bit.
I was particularly captivated by the fascinating story of the Delta Marsh Field Station in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie.
The stories in the book are organized by specific areas/regions, such as The Lower Fort Garry, New Iceland (The Interlake), Northern Manitoba, Brandon, Central Plains, and Winnipeg, which I found helpful to keep in mind while reading.
This book is a must-read for Manitobans who appreciate history, even if they’re not particularly interested in ghost stories. I look forward to reading more from him.
As a lover of both history and ghost stories, I found these tales to be a treasure trove of historical details, providing a rich background for each historic site or building mentioned in the book. History always took center stage in each story, and the known (or lesser known) ghost story associated with the area was intertwined throughout. For those who have a stronger inclination towards history rather than ghost stories, this book offers an ideal balance of historical depth and objective storytelling. Despite not being a fan of ghost stories, my husband thoroughly enjoyed it, although the description of the little girl rocking in the chair at the Lower Fort Garry did freak him out a bit.
I was particularly captivated by the fascinating story of the Delta Marsh Field Station in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie.
The stories in the book are organized by specific areas/regions, such as The Lower Fort Garry, New Iceland (The Interlake), Northern Manitoba, Brandon, Central Plains, and Winnipeg, which I found helpful to keep in mind while reading.
This book is a must-read for Manitobans who appreciate history, even if they’re not particularly interested in ghost stories. I look forward to reading more from him.
October 13, 2022
Spooky stories with a great backgrounder on Manitoba history? Sign me up.
Skillfully introducing the location and its history before diving into the supernatural, with neatly divided sections based on area of the province. Easy read, interesting.
Skillfully introducing the location and its history before diving into the supernatural, with neatly divided sections based on area of the province. Easy read, interesting.
June 17, 2021
I was impressed by the amount of research that went into this book, I think I may have found the history more interesting than the ghost stories (not to say there weren't a few very creepy ghost stories too of course). There's so many interesting stories and people talked about in here. My one criticism is that I wish there'd been photos of some of the places talked about, some I could find online but not all.
January 5, 2022
I’m giving this book five stars. I picked it up for the ghost stories, but I was blown away with the amount of research and history in addition to the interviews that was done to write this book - and I loved it all! Not only did I get my ghost story fix but I honestly learned something new and fascinating about my home province that I didn’t know before in each story. So we’ll done!! I bought Haunted Winnipeg and can’t wait to read it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews