Phantom Miners of Vulture City, Arizona

In the late 1800's, a man named Henry Wickenburg established a mining colony in the deserts of Arizona.  Originally a quartz mining site, gold was discovered and the colony grew into the thriving mining town of Vulture City with over five thousand people living in or around it's midst.  However, Vulture City was not entirely peaceful.  

It is believed that spirits of dead miners haunt the remains of the gold mines at Vulture Mines, Arizona

Many claim jumpers, would pilfer from other miners and over the years it is known that eighteen men died in the town as a result of being executed at what was known as the hanging tree.  A tree that still stands to this day as well as other structures in the town.  The old gold mine shaft remains intact as well where it is thought that many miners died in a collapse.

It is known that eighteen "claim robbers" were hung on what Vulture City residents called "The Hanging Tree" which still stands.

Although a ghost town since 1942, it is thought that some of these miners, thieves and the like, still haunt the buildings and mineshaft. An eerie feeling passes over visitors as they make their way through the ghost town. And it is even thought that the spirit of a Native American brave haunts the area. It's headless figure has been seen near the cemetery where he was buried. Some visitors believe that the ghost of a child haunts the old school house on the premises.

Vulture City has been the object of many paranormal investigations. Several teams have made EVP recordings of voices coming from the old mine shaft. One famous team, the crew of Ghost Adventures, has even recorded the eerie sounds of a piano playing in the abandoned school house...  on a piano that no longer works!

The remains of the Vulture City Assay office still stand to this day.

The town is open for paid tours to this day, so you can check it out and see for yourself.  You just may hear the phantoms of Vulture City!


References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture_Mine
http://www.arizona-leisure.com/vulture-mine.html
http://vultureminetours.com/

Location:

Latitude: 33.813866°
Longitude: -112.832183°

For driving directions and tour info, visit: http://vultureminetours.com/

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Haunted Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, Colorado

The world famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is well known for hosting many of the rich and famous who want to get away into the mountains for a while.  The hotel is also the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining.  However, it is not the actual hotel in the movie which was filmed at Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon. Even though the inspiration was fictional, the Stanley hotel is very haunted!

The haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining and it is actually haunted by many ghosts.

The year was 1903 when Freelan Stanley and his wife Flora moved to Estes Park, Colorado.  He stayed there to take in the clear mountain air of the Rocky Mountains because he was suffering from tuberculosis.  The Stanley name may sound familiar because Freelan Stanley was the inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile.  Freelan's health improved and he like the area, so he decided to stay.  In the process, he made many improvements to the town and wanted to give visitors to the town lush accommodations to stay at so he began construction in 1907 on what would become The Stanley Hotel.  When it was completed, he shuttled guests to the hotel via his Stanley Steamer automobiles which was a first for a hotel to do so. 

The Stanley Hotel is haunted by many ghosts include the founders, a housekeeper, a thief and phantom children who run and play in the hallways.

Ghost of Ms. Wilson

Many of the guests were greeted with the services of Ms. Elizabeth Wilson the head housekeeper of the hotel.  Ms. Wilson encountered a nearly fatal accident in 1911 when a gas lighting system which exploded, throwing her to the level below severely injuring her.  Today that area of the hotel is Room 217 and is thought to be haunted by the ghost of Ms. Wilson. Staff had reported that the linens in the room had been changed before they had a chance to do so.  This is the room that Stephen King chose to stay in while he spent the night in the nearly deserted hotel. It is said that he was wandering the maze of hallways and had gotten lost.  It was from this stay over that he got the inspiration for The Shining. 

The apparition of a woman in early 20th century maid attire has been seen wandering the hallways and she also haunts other parts of the hotel.  Many believe this is the dedicated head housekeeper Ms. Wilson carrying on her excellent service in the afterlife.

The Phantom Thief

One particular room at The Stanley Hotel is thought to be haunted by a thief.  Some guests say they have awoken in the night to find a stranger standing in their room and sometimes over their beds.  He would then disappear into the closet. Many say that personal affects such as jewelry have actually turned up missing after a night in the room with no other possible place to lose it.  Other guests have reported furniture in the room moving about on it's own including the bed, with eyewitness still in it!

The lobby of the Stanley Hotel is said to be haunted by the hotel founder Freelan Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile. One is actually on display in the lobby.

Ghost of Freelan Stanley

The apparition of a man dressed in stately turn of the century gentleman's attire has been seen walking the lobby area of The Stanley Hotel.  That is where one of his vintage Stanley Steamer automobiles is kept. He has also been seen in the billiard room, perhaps taking in a game or two to pass his time in the netherworld.

Ghost of Flora Stanley

Flora Stanley loved to play the piano.  So much so that her husband bought her a Steinway Grand Piano which she played to her heart's content.  Many of the staff and visitor alike have heard the resonating sound of a piano being played within the hotel.  The sounds seem to come from the ballroom.  However, when anyone has ever entered the ballroom to investigate, the piano music stops immediately.  It is thought that this is the spirit of Flora Stanley enjoying her piano still.

The ballroom of the Stanley Hotel is thought to be haunted by the spirit of Flora Stanley who liked to play the piano.  You can still hear her tunes echoing through the halls of the Stanley Hotel to this day.

Phantom Children in the Hall

One of the most compelling hautings within The Stanley Hotel is the children in the hall.  Staff and guests have often heard the sounds of children giggling and playing outside of the rooms in the hallways.  However, when the doors to the room are opened and the hallway checked out, nothing is there and the sounds are gone.  Paranormal investigators at the hotel have even heard this phenomenon, the sounds of children running through the hallways upstairs when there wasn't even a single child staying at the hotel!  This is probably the closest haunting that was actually in Stephen King's book The Shining. 


The ghosts of The Stanley Hotel will welcome you if you choose to venture there.  You can hear all about the hauntings with complete ghost tours of the famous hotel.  Without a doubt, The Stanley Hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in America if not the world!


Location:

40°23'0"N 105°31'6"W

333 Wonderview Avenue
Estes Park, CO 80517
info@stanleyhotel.com
www.stanleyhotel.com 

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References:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel
http://www.stanleyhotel.com/about/haunted-history#sthash.DaMPXdHj.dpuf
http://voices.yahoo.com/haunted-stanley-hotel-estes-park-co-575868.html?cat=37

The White Lady of Spring Canyon - Latuda, Utah

During the 1880s around Carbon County, Utah, the coal mining industry began to boom after the railroad opened up between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah.  This caused the explosion of many small mining communities springing up around the area, especially in the area that became known as Spring Canyon.  The towns have since withered away into ghost towns, but the spirit of one particular woman still walks the area known as Latuda.

The White Lady of Spring Canyon roams the area where the ghost towns of Latuda and Helper, Utah used to be.         Photo: © Photographer: Juice Team | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Legend states that a woman, whose name remains unknown, lived near the Latuda / Helper region of Spring Canyon with her husband who worked the mines owned by the Liberty Fuel Company.  Her husband suddenly died for reasons unrelated to the mine, so they refused to compensate her and her infant child for his death.  Destitute and helpless with nowhere to go, she fell into madness and drowned her infant in the stream that runs through the canyon.  The next morning, the mine owners found her hanging from mining office roof where she had killed herself.

Folks in the canyon over the years report seeing a lady, dressed in white roaming down the canyon towards the spot where the mining office was located. One eyewitness, who lived in the canyon for years not believing the tale, saw The White Lady one evening while camping out in the canyon one particular evening.  Most witnesses say they saw the figure of a lady in white floating near the Liberty mine.  Many thought the entity to be evil, luring men into the mine to follow her, only to meet their doom.

It was well known back in the day among miners that if a lady were to set foot in a mine, it was a bad omen.  There are many who believe that The White Lady of Latuda is benign spirit that warns of eminent danger just like the legends of The Tommyknockers of the western mining areas.  These were "good" spirits reported to save miner's lives.

Hikers have been known to see The White Lady throughout the twentieth century near the mine or lingering along the stream that washes through the canyon. She always seems to be making her way towards the old Mining Company office. So if you are hiking the trails of Spring Canyon, keep an eye out for The White Lady!

Location:

Latitude 39.716836  Longitude -110.951475
Road maps: Latuda, Helper, Carbon County, Utah 84526

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References:

Kathy Weiser/Legends of America
www.prairieghosts.com/latuda

Stone Lion Inn - Guthrie, Oklahoma

The Houghton home was built in 1906 by T. E. Houghton, a successful merchant who wanted to build a larger home for his expanding family.  They lived in the house for approximately two decades with their eleven children.  They had twelve children, however, one of the children, young eight year old Augusta, came down with the whooping cough and died when she was given an overdose of cough medicine which back in the day, contained opium.  Even after all these years, it is thought that she still roams this house.

The Stone Lion Inn in Guthrie, Oklahoma is said to be haunted by family of it's original owners, the Houghton family.

The Houghton's moved out of the home in the 1920s, when it became a boarding house.  Soon afterward, the home was converted into a funeral parlor.  Years passed and it would seem that the house would go back in time as it became a boarding house again, and then finally a residence again which serves as a bed and breakfast.

The old Houghton house is now the Stone Lion Inn which is owned and run by the Luker family.  Sometimes late at night, footsteps can be heard making their way up the stairs to the third floor.  It is there where the youngest Luker boy's room is located.  Although he stacks his toys neatly on the shelves in his closet at night, in the morning all of the toys are found scattered all over the room as if some youthful spirit were at play during the night.  Sometimes, the patter of little feet can be heard running down the hallway when everyone is snug in bed.  Many believe this to be the spirit of little Augusta Houghton. 

Shadow Divers of Waimea Falls - North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii

In the spectacular Waimea Valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, there is a trail that takes you deep into the Waimea Valley where there is a water fall and a beautiful pool of water.  Water that has held a mystic over the ages and has claimed many lives.

Deep in the pool of Waimea Falls, is believed to be a temple that is home of a akua that claims the lives of divers as a sacrifice.

Natives to the area have believed this island to be sacred for hundreds of years.  Ceremonies were held there to appease the god or akua, believed to live at the very bottom of the pool in a hidden temple.  It said that every so often the akua gets restless and is in need of a sacrifice.  So the akua takes the life of a diver who jumps into the waters from the cliffs. In most cases, the body is not recovered at the time the ill fated diver disappears into the water.  The days later, the akua will release the body of the victim and it will rise to the surface of the water.  This pattern has been repeated over centuries.

The ominous history of the valley deepened in the Spring of 1792 when Captain Richard Hergest anchored his ship Daedalus in the Waimea Bay.  Having visited the area over a decade previously, he had a wonderful experience and warm welcome by the Waimea Valley's inhabitants.  However, this time his welcome was not so warm.  He and another sailor who made the shore landing where captured by fierce native warriors, while another escaped back to the ship.  It is believed that Captain Hergest and the other crew member were sacrificed to the akua at the Waimea Falls.

Around the end of the 19th century, the Waimea Valley fell out of native Hawaiian hands and exchanged hands several times, becoming a commercial attraction. When World War II broke out, the area was taken over by the military and an outpost established there.  The deaths of divers continued at the falls, oddly enough, mainly the victims were non-natives and coincidentally, sailors. At some point, diving was prohibited from the rock cliffs at Waimea Falls.  Only professional, experienced divers were allowed to dive and a park was established where the divers would do shows for visitors to the falls.  It was during one of these shows that a visitor snapped a photograph of two divers jumping simultaneously from the rock face.  However, in the photograph, there were distinctly shadows from three divers.  Two in a tuck position which were the show divers, and a third diver clearly shown in full body extension.  There was no third diver!  Many believe that visitor captured a shadow diver or spirit from one of those who lost their life to Waimea Falls.

Professional divers make the plunge into the pool at Waimea Falls which is thought to be haunted by a akua spirit.  Photo credit: Sandcastle VI

When the water is low at the falls during the dry season, it is said that the outline of a skeleton can be seen which is formed from the shapes on the cliff face combined with their reflection in the water. Perhaps a warning by the akua to stay away from the pool. At one point in the park's history, it was turned into an adventure park that offered ATV trail rides, etc.  Another death at the Waimea Falls brought on the banning of diving at the pool altogether.

Today, the Waimea Falls Park is a botanical garden and bird sanctuary which shows off some of the archaeological history of the Waimea Valley.  Events such as weddings are held there as well.  The valley is owned by Hawaiians again, with respect to the nature of this sacred place restored.

Location: Waimea Valley Rd, Haleiwa, HI 96712 
(located across from Waimea Bay)
http://www.waimeavalley.net/

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References: 
http://www.waimeavalley.net/
http://www.discover-oahu.com/waimea-falls-park.html
http://www.tprconline.com/index.php?topic=34294.0;wap2
http://www.squidoo.com/haunted-hawaii