THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Sentinel Hill near Hays is associated with the ghost of Elizabeth Polly, a Fort Hays hospital matron who died during the devastating cholera epidemic of 1867. Known locally as the "Blue Light Lady," Polly is said to appear on and around the hill wearing a blue dress and white bonnet, sometimes manifesting as an eerie blue glow or mist. According to tradition, Sentinel Hill was one of her favorite places in life and became her burial place after her death.
Elizabeth Polly is remembered in Hays folklore as the "Blue Light Lady," one of western Kansas' best-known ghost legends. Her husband, Ephraim Polly, served as a hospital steward at Fort Hays during the cholera epidemic of 1867, while Elizabeth helped care for soldiers suffering from the disease. She eventually contracted cholera herself and died. According to local tradition, Elizabeth had loved walking on Sentinel Hill southwest of Fort Hays, and after her death she was buried somewhere on or near the hill while wearing her hospital clothing, traditionally described as a blue dress and white bonnet. Her exact grave location has been lost, but a memorial on Sentinel Hill honors her. For generations, residents and visitors have reported encountering a mysterious woman dressed in blue around the hill, particularly after dark. Some witnesses describe a recognizable female apparition in a blue prairie-style dress and white bonnet, while others report only a strange blue light or mist moving across the landscape. Unexplained footsteps have also been associated with the hill. The persistence of the legend has made Elizabeth Polly an enduring figure in Hays history and folklore. The City of Hays continues to recognize the Blue Light Lady tradition and directs visitors interested in the legend to Sentinel Hill. A separate Elizabeth Polly Park at 26th Street and Indian Trail in Hays contains a stone sculpture of Polly facing southwest toward the hill where legend says her ghost continues to wander.