Ghost of the Guney - Laguna Vista Saloon - Eagle Nest, New Mexico

In Therma, New Mexico around 1889, a saloon called El Monte was built.  Supposedly, it was constructed out of stolen railroad ties.  The El Monte was a busy place during the 20s and 30s serving as an illegal gambling establishment for those stopping over on the way to the race track in Raton, staying at the lodge and getting some time in on the gambling tables.  The nearby Eagle Nest Lake was also an attraction and allowed Therma to provide ice to those who needed it when it froze over in the winter. Many ice houses sprung up in town including some at the El Monte.

The El Monte Saloon circa 1920s

It was during Therma's heyday that a couple who were just married decided to spend their honeymoon in Therma and stayed at the El Monte.  One day during their visit, the groom left his bride at the lodge to go hunting.  He never returned.  The bride with no one to support her became destitute and was forced to work at the saloon to survive.  She stayed there in Therma at the saloon for the remainder of her life.  And then some...  Perhaps, in the hopes that one day her husband would return.

Northern part of Eagle Nest Lake, New Mexico

The hotel still stands today and you can even see the rail road ties in one of the rooms in the old part of the hotel.  However, a lot of things have changed since then including the name of the town and the name of the hotel.  The hotel/restaurant is now the Laguna Vista Saloon which was enlarged and the town is now known as Eagle Nest.  One thing has not changed however, the destitute bride is still there.

This strip of buildings in Eagle Nest, New Mexico is home of the Laguna Vista Saloon

There have been reports by various saloon employees of encounters with a woman dressed in early 1900s dance hall attire seen passing through the saloon area.  This ghostly woman would disappear in an area of the saloon that used to lead to the upstairs.  It is now blocked off and the stairway is hidden.  This phantom has become known as "the ghost of Guney".  "Guney" is now the saloon's nickname.  It seems that the ghost enjoys playing piano in the evenings as well.  Piano music can be heard playing in the dining area only there is nobody there when investigated.  

Shown is the area of the Laguna Vista Saloon where the "Ghost of the Guney" disappears, a hidden stair case.

Other strange activities take place at the Laguna Vista such as various poltergeist encounters.  Employees have found that the ghost's taste in music is not the same as theirs.  Stations on the radios get randomly changed or turned off.  A radio with no batteries was unplugged once and it continued to play on its own!  In the kitchen, pots and pans have been known to randomly fall off the walls as well as other objects in the building.  Once a little girl claimed to her mother that a lady was telling her to be quiet.  When the girl led her mother to where the lady was, no one was there.  However the little girl pointed to an empty corner and exclaimed "That lady right there".  She had seen the Ghost of the Guney!

The Laguna Vista Saloon in Eagle Nest, New Mexico today