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 

View the Index of Haunted Places

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

Ghost of Redstone Castle - The Spirit of Alice Crawford - Manitou Springs, Colorado

In 1890, high on Iron Mountain near Manitou Springs, Colorado, a Victorian style manor was built by William Davis.  It was by design, a model home that was to be the showcase of a planned luxury development on the mountain.  However, the development was a complete failure and none of the lots sold.  Davis lived in the house briefly however, for the most part the beautiful manor on the hill stood vacant. Over the years, it became known as Redstone Castle due to its magnificent stature on the hillside and the fact that it is made of red stone that comes from the local quarries.  The house may have been vacant for a good portion of it's existence, but many believe it to be haunted by spirits from the past.

Redstone Castle on Iron Mountain near Manitou Springs, Colorado

Actress Alice Crawford Snow moved to Manitou Springs in 1908.  She leased the Red Castle and made it her home.  Alice was a very spiritual person who deeply believed in the local Native spirits that inhabited the mountains very much like her sister Emma Crawford did.  Emma moved to Manitou Springs in 1889 to try and overcome tuberculosis, however failed to do so and the disease claimed her life a few years later.

Redstone Castle in Manitou Springs, CO is said to be haunted.  Iron Mountain on which it is located is reportedly haunted by one if Redstone's former residents, Alice Crawford.

It is said that Alice held regular seances in the mountain side castle to contact the spirits that dwelled on Iron Mountain.  Some say that some very strange occurrences occurred during these late night sessions such as objects moving around the room on their own.  It is rumored that Alice Crawford may have gotten too in touch with the spirits and became possessed by one.  At one point a friend had found her in her bed on fire and covered in blood.  She had attempted to kill herself to rid her body of the spirit that possessed her.  Some time later, Alice Crawford disappeared and was never seen again.  No one is really sure what exactly happened to her.  Many claim they have seen her walking the slopes of Iron Mountain.  Perhaps she succeeded in surrendering herself to rid her body of the possession and her ghost lingers on the mountain to this day.

Redstone Castle sits high up on Iron Mountain in Manitou Springs, Colorado

Alice's sister's remains were disturbed at one point and it is believed that the Ghost of Emma Crawford haunts the mountain side where she was originally buried, not far from where the spirit of Alice is said to roam.  

The Red Castle still stands to this day and at one point operated as a bed and breakfast. There have been reports of objects still moving in the house over the years and eerie sound occurs when the winds blow high on the mountain.  However, it is privately owned and visitors are only welcomed by invitation.

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Ghost of Emma Crawford - Manitou Springs, Colorado

In central Colorado in the shadow of Pike's Peak, the town of Manitou Springs lies nestled in between the surrounding mountains just west of Colorado Springs. The area boasts many mineral springs which for centuries, visitors have come to take in their waters and breath in the clean mountain air.  One such visitor by the name of Emma Crawford moved to Manitou Springs in 1889 to try and heal her tuberculosis.  Many say she still roams the mountain side over looking the own where she liked to take walks.

Manitou Springs,  Colorado in circa 1950s.  Red Mountain is pictured in the background with the incline track leading to the summit where grave of Emma Crawford was once located

Young Emma Crawford was diagnosed with tuberculosis and decided that like many others, she needed to go to the mountains and take in the fresh air to help her condition.  While there, she liked to pass the time taking walks on a nearby mountain on days when her health permitted.  She was a very spiritual woman and believed she was guided to the area by a spirit guide.  She believed the mountain she liked to spend so much time on was inhabited by the spirit of a Native American.  She called the place Red Mountain, a name which has stuck with the mountain to this day.  It was her desire to be buried on the mountain in a specific spot where she had a vision of the spirit that lived on the mountain.

Emma fell in love with a local railroad engineer by the name of William Hildebrand.  However, before they could be married, Emma succumbed to her disease and passed away in 1891 at the age of 19 years old.  As per her wish, her fiancé buried her on the mountain in the very spot that she requested.

Years later, an inclined plane was being constructed on the mountain and Emma's grave was relocated to another spot nearby.  However, the grave was not dug properly and over time, Emma's casket and remains became exposed to the elements and washed down the side of the mountain.  Later, the people of Manitou Springs, out of respect for Emma Crawford, gathered up her remains and relocated them to the Crystal Valley Cemetery in town in an unmarked grave.  In 2004, the town placed a monument on Emma's grave to honor her. 

Today the inclined plane leading to the summit of Red Mountain in Manitou Springs, Colorado is in ruins.  The burial site of Emma Crawford was once at the top before it was relocated then washed away

Many claim that now in addition to the spirit that dwelled on Red Mountain, Emma's spirit also lives there.  Some folks claimed to have seen a woman walking on the mountain side in a late 19th century style red dress.  Emma Crawford most often wore her favorite red dress on her walks on the mountain side.  They believe this is the spirit of Emma, destined to roam until she is placed back in the spot she requested to be laid to rest.  Many refer to her as The Spirit of Red Mountain or The Lady of Red Mountain.

The Whispering Painting of theTeller House - Central City, Colorado

In the late 1800s, Central City, Colorado was a bustling business center being the world's largest supplier of gold in the world with its local gold mines.   In 1872, lawyer Henry Teller and his brother built the Teller House which was known as one of the finest hotels west of the Mississippi River.  

The 'Face on the Barroom Floor' painting on the floor of the Teller House Central City, Colorado

There is an unsigned painting on the floor of the hotel's barroom dubbed by many as the "Face on the Barroom Floor."  In 1934 the opera house commissioned artist Herndon Davis to do a series of paintings to help revive the cultural mecca.  During his stay in Central City, Davis stayed in the nearby Teller House.  Some claim that the painting is the work of Davis.  Supposedly he scratched out a painting of his wife on the barroom floor in a drunken stupor after being fired from the opera house.  Whether true or not, it is said that he kept this a secret and was only revealed in his will after his death in 1962.

The Teller House in Central City, Colorado

  However, popular legends state that a miner in a distraught state after his wife passed away, sprawled on the floor and painted a picture of her, whispering and speaking softly to the painting as he worked through the night and into the early morning and on for days as if he were having a conversation with his wife.  After completing the painting, he fell unconscious never to wake again.  They say that to this day on the anniversary of his death, you can hear the whispered conversation between he and his wife coming from the painting on the barroom floor.

The 'Face on the Barroom Floor' painting on the floor of the Teller House Central City, Colorado

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