The state of Colorado is teeming with historic relics of the past with its copious number of ghost towns and haunted hotels that capture the spirit of the Wild West. This month, skip the haunted houses and thrill rides and experience the state’s most ghostly hauntings firsthand with a visit to one of these haunted hot spots in Colorado.
Ashcroft Ghost Town
One of the best ways to discover Colorado’s past is with a visit to one of its many ghost towns nestled amongst some of the state’s highest terrain. Like so much of Colorado, booming mining days brought treasure hunters from all over to form thriving mining communities. But once the mining operations dried up and the rush was over, many of these towns vanished into thin air, leaving only skeletal remnants and ghostly hauntings behind.
One such place is the ghost town of Ashcroft near Aspen. Once home to two newspapers, 20 saloons, a school and many private homes, Ashcroft had the makings of a booming mining town. But as quickly as it rose, Ashcroft faded just as fast right before the turn of the century. All that remains today are the restored remains of a saloon, hotel, post office and several other historic buildings.
Only 10 miles from Aspen, visitors can take a guided tour of a dozen or so buildings preserved by the Aspen Historical Society. A self-guided honor system admission is available during the off-season of fall, winter and spring.
Black Monarch Hotel
Located two hours and 15 minutes south of Denver, the town of Victor is another boom-gone-bust story and is the site of the Colorado Labor Wars. Home to innumerable Gold Rush-era murders and industrial accidents, it’s said to be one of the most haunted cities in Colorado.
In the late 1800s during the town of Victor’s heyday, the Black Monarch Hotel, formerly called the Monarch, served miners and international travelers as the Gold Rush fueled their indiscretions as a brothel, casino and saloon. With such a storied past, it’s bound to hold a few torrid stories.
Today, you can stay at this renovated gothic-style boutique hotel and experience its paranormal activity for yourself. Those working the hotel bar have reported strange sights that cannot be explained, including a woman’s silhouette in the window when no one was there and the sounds of women laughing and men yelling in the middle of the night.
Phantom Canyon Road
Not too far from Victor and not for the faint of heart, Phantom Canyon Road offers killer views and killer ghost stories. A slight detour off the Gold Belt Tour byway, Phantom Canyon Road is the former route of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad.
The drive itself is not for the timid as the narrow, gravel road climbs 4,000 feet in elevation, twisting and turning through eerie mountain tunnels and the old ghost towns of Wilbur, Adelaide and Glenbrook. While the 30-mile road is scary enough itself just driving it, you might also encounter a few permanent pedestrians along the way. Particularly the ghost of a uniformed 1890s prison inmate who was spotted walking the railway days after he was executed.
Hotel Colorado
While many of you know about the Christmas extravaganza the Hotel Colorado puts on every year, some may not know its haunted past. Built in 1893, the Glenwood Springs hotel is known as one of the state’s most haunted places thanks to the paranormal activity that has been accounted for on many different occasions. Both guests and staff have reported getting goosebumps at the sound of a woman (believed to be a murdered chambermaid) wailing at night. Lights are known to flicker unexpectedly and locked doors open and close without explanation.
Aside from its famous guests including the “unsinkable” Molly Brown and Al Capone (who used the hotel’s basement as an escape route while on the run), the hotel is also famous for its role as a crematorium for WW II military personnel. It’s no wonder this hotel is said to be haunted.
The Oxford Hotel
Or you can enjoy a little local holiday haunt with Denver’s oldest boutique hotel, The Oxford. Located in the Union Station neighborhood, this 131-year-old hotel is known for its haunted happenings, with tales of locked bathroom stalls and sinks that turn on and off during the middle of the night.
But its biggest mystery lies behind the door of Room 320. The story goes that in 1898, a woman shot and killed her lover before taking her own life in that room. Those that have stayed in the room have reported sheets being ripped off the bed and their arms being pulled by an unseen force.
But it’s not just the hotel’s rooms that are haunted. While the hotel’s Cruise Room bar is best known for its martinis and its iconic Art Deco style, it also has a mysterious patron that pays a visit every now and then. Bartenders often report a man walking into the bar wearing an old post office uniform. He always orders a beer before muttering “the children, I have to get the gifts to the children.” Guests say he appears to drink the beer and leave.