Melon Heads And A Yellow Motel – A West Michigan Mystery Part 2

In my previous post I spoke of the melon or wobble heads of West Michigan. They have been said to live in the woods of Laketown Township by the Felt Mansion. It's a story that has spread across the area but another story amazes me for it's connection to the ruthless gangster, Al Capone. Growing up I heard of the Yellow Motel within the Pullman area of Allegan County. It was said to be haunted by the murder victims of Capone. The gangster and his men would frequent the Yellow Motel back when he was in power. There were underground tunnels as well as a pit of quicksand where his victims were left to be swallowed by the land. Years later, the stories of a ghostly car that crashes in the area as well as white dogs guarding the area continue to be a topic of interest. I've driven down the back roads of Allegan County but I've never witnessed anything. I suppose it's because it was never at night...well, I have been there at night but I was in a different area. So how true is this story involving this motel and Al Capone? According to Charlotte Weick who wrote on the topic for Advance Newspapers, "Witnesses claim to have observed an unearthly yellow glow around the ruins of a former resort in the Allegan Forest and others report being chased by white dogs near the ruins. Others report a blue motel that transforms to a sickly yellow." The story of white dogs is one that I have heard before. Back when I was in high school, a cousin of mine told me that he and some other friends drove out to where the Yellow Motel was located. He said that they pulled up, left the lights on to the car, and began walking towards the motel. He said that the lights turned off and all they could see were red eyes. He said that they ran back to the car and when they turned the lights on a white dog jumped on the hood. He said that it took a minute for the car to turn on but once it did they took off and the dog disappeared. There are more stories that relate to the Yellow Motel other than the one of Al Capone.

Tonya Howe, a Yahoo Network Contributor, also wrote about the Yellow Motel. "Ken, a friend of mine, was renting it when my husband and I dropped by for a visit, however, Ken was not home. As we drove around the circle driveway a lady looked out the window at us. When I later told Ken about this, he told me he lives there alone but that the lady watches him when he is mowing the lawn as well." I can't imagine seeing this let alone living within the motel when it once stood. The stories are almost unbelievable but if it was haunted, where did it all start? Howe states that, "It is said a young couple honeymooning there caused the hauntings to begin when the groom, discovering his bride not to be a virgin, killed her and threw himself out the window." It would be something else to find out the truth behind the Yellow Motel but I think it's the mystery that keeps the story going. The motel burned down in the late 90's. Some say it was vandalized, but others think it was the ghosts that haunted the motel. "I stopped to talk to the renters who were going through the rubble", said Howe, "they indicated they felt the fire was set by the ghosts and that it was not their first attempt to set the place ablaze."

So what really happened at the Yellow Motel? What really happened at the Felt Mansion and is the Dunes Correctional Facility the site of the mysterious Junction Asylum? Both stories require more research. I would love to head out to both spots and do some recording. It's definitely worth a try. I'm sure that the ones who know the truth behind both stories are long gone but what if? What if someone has evidence? Something the county doesn't want people to know about in reference to The Junction. Maybe someone has actually seen the underground tunnels around the Yellow Motel. The quicksand might still be there, and maybe, just maybe, the white dogs are still guarding the area. Please comment and if anyone has further information, I'd love to discuss it.