The creepy legend of the Donkey Lady at Old Applewhite Bridge in San Antonio, Texas

3 min read

3 months ago Leo S

Texas has plenty of interesting ghost stories to keep us up at night, and one of them is the one linked to the Old Applewhite Bridge.
It is only about half an hour’s drive away south from downtown San Antonio, and it is locally known as the “Donkey Lady Bridge.”

Legends about the mysterious character know as Donkey Lady vary widely, and even how long she’s been around is not agreed upon.
Her story dates back to at least the 1950s, but it could be even earlier, as far back as the 1800s.
Some say she was disfigured in a horrible fire started by her husband, and she may have even lost two children in that fire.
In any case, she was left horribly disfigured.
It was said that when her face healed, all the skin had something of a drooped, baggy appearance, with her fingers all fused together, leaving dark stumps, like hooves. Disfigured and totally insane, grieving the loss of her children and the betrayal of her husband, she stayed mostly in the rural areas of Bexar County and terrorized those who try to cross the bridge and anyone who approached her.
According to one variation of the same story, it wasn’t the farmer who caused the fire, but a stranger who came across the family in his travels.
In this version, he sets their home on fire, killing the farmer and the children.
The mother forces her way out of the house, screaming in agony, her body already disfigured to resemble a donkey. She chases the cruel arsonists away and falls into the river, but her body is never found.
Others speculate her soul merged with that of her domesticated donkey when they were drowned together.
Though many of the details about the Donkey Lady are not agreed upon, they all hold that she haunts the area around Elm Creek, going after anyone who dares to cross.
And most accounts say that if you honk your horn, she may come looking for you.

Whatever the truth of the Donkey Lady’s story may be, some visitors to the bridge claim to have spotted a person with a donkey’s face, others report finding hoof-like indentations on their car, and many claim to hear the sound of rushing hooves.
Folklore apart, the trailheads around the bridge are really a lovely visit.
But just beware, if the Donkey Lady doesn’t scare you, snakes, or feral hogs might!r