The Pikes Peak Region Archives

Oct 22nd Halloween Hauntings Cripple Creek- Part Two

With its wild and turbulent past, Cripple Creek has a history of unexplained, supernatural occurrences, no wonder it’s earned the reputation of one of the most haunted towns in America. Tales of haunted Cripple Creek hotels, casinos, and homes flourish. What better way to celebrate Halloween than visit a haunted Cripple Creek?
The Imperial Hotel at Third Street and Bennett Avenue known originally as the Collins Hotel, was built after most the town burned to the ground in 1896. As a young man, George Long emigrated from Europe and eventually made his way to Denver. He married his first cousin and together they ran the hotel. The union produced two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter, Alice, was mentally disturbed and the parents were forced to keep her locked in their apartment next to the lobby for her safety and the safety of others. Soon after George fell to his death while negotiating the narrow stairs to the basement. Or some say Alice escaped, waited for him at the top of the stairs, struck him over the head and he crashed to his death from the stop of the stairs. It’s rumored his ghost haunts the hotel to this day.
My experience at the Imperial Hotel was at the performance of Dracula by the Imperial Players in early 1990’s. The performance was excellent, but the strong feeling of someone watching, icy patches and pressure on my arm and lower back, when no one was there. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. After meeting the cast in the lobby for an autograph session, my family and I quickly exited the hotel and raced to the safety of our vehicle, thankful that we hadn’t booked a room. Looking back on the experience, was it the performance of Dracula in the supposedly haunted hotel that caused my imagination to run wild, or was there really something there? I admit to having an overactive imagination, but not that time. In the years since, I’ve visited Cripple Creek on numerous occasions, to explore old buildings and mining shacks. My husband and I drive up Hwy 67 to enjoy the turning of the Aspens in autumn, used to camp at the Lost Burro Campground but I haven’t set foot in the Imperial Hotel since that night.
** Next week, more Halloween Haunting with traditions, legends and spooky fun. You don’t want to miss it.

Visits: 64

Posted in For Fun, My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged Colorado, Cripple Creek The Imperial Hotel, Dracula, Halloween, Haunted Towns by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Oct 15th Halloween Hauntings- Cripple Creek – Part One

Cripple Creek Mining District of Colorado is extremely rich in history and it is also touted to be one of the Most Haunted Places in the United States.
On Highway 67, at the base of Pike’s Peak, southwest of Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek sits at an elevation of 9,500 feet. There are mine shafts, head frames, miner’s cabins long abandoned tumbling down. A lonely stone fireplace may be all that’s left of a miners home. Standing among the rubble might cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand on end. A brief visit to one of the abandoned cabins still standing, gives you a window into what it was like back in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. Can you imagine a more inviting place for ghost to spend Halloween?

Cripple Creek, Colorado was the land of opportunity beckoning men from across land and sea to claim their fortune in the gold fields. Most of the men came from the east where they were farmers and had little knowledge of gold mining. Pikes Peak or Bust was their battle cry, it was painted on covered wagons and carts. But the Rocky Mountains didn’t give up its gold easily, buried deep in the mountain, it was fifty years after the first wave of gold fever hit that the mountain gave up its gold.

Many prospectors lost everything they had, some even their lives in the pursuit of gold. With the tales of fires, (Cripple Creek burned to the ground in 1896) floods, mining accidents, general lawlessness in the beginning then bloody battles between mine owners and labor unions, it’s no wonder stories abound of ghosts haunting this historic town that once boasted one murder a day.

Hotel St. Nicolas

So let’s take a closer look at those ghosts. First up, The Hotel St. Nicholas boasts a colorful history. Today its spectacular view of Cripple Creek, 15 guest rooms, furnished with elegance of a bygone era and one restored historic miner’s cottage still includes tales of the supernatural and unexplained. Originally built as a hospital that served the flood victims in the region in the late nineteenth century, it also served as a home for the Sisters of Mercy. As time went on, the hospital served prospectors and their families and then expanded adding a ward for the mentally ill. The hospital closed in the 1970’s. St. Nicholas is rumored to be haunted by several spirits including children, former patients of the mental ward, nuns and an old cantankerous miner. For more information see Hotel St. Nicholas.

** Next week we’ll take a look at more Halloween hauntings in Cripple Creek including the Imperial Hotel where I once attended a theater production of Dracula during the week of Halloween. That was a hair-raising experience I can’t wait to share with you. Until then Happy Haunting! Bawahahaha

Visits: 81

Posted in For Fun, My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged Colorado, Cripple Creek, Halloween, Haunted Places, Hotel St. Nicholas by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Oct 1st Colorado Hauntings – Mines, Mountains and Mysteries!

Full of old mines from the Gold Rush Days, Mountains and Mysteries, no wonder Colorado has an abundance of paranormal sightings. From the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, to the Cliff House in Manitou Springs spirits abound. As we learned in previous weeks, Cripple Creek, Colorado with its wild and turbulent past has a history of unexplained, supernatural occurrences earning it the reputation of one of the most haunted towns in America.

Let’s take a quick look at a few:

cliff-house The Cliff House in Manitou Springs was built in 1873, before Colorado was even a state. Through it’s many renovations, paranormal experiences remain, including disembodied footsteps, ghostly voices when no one is there and white orbs floating through the hallways late at night. Could these be spirits of the old American West? The Cliff House was known as only The Inn was a popular stagecoach stop in route from Colorado Springs to Leadville? Hmmm….

How about Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs? 12187909_10156228888785008_109156638325622110_n The story goes, that Crawford moved to Manitou in the 1800’s to heal her tuberculosis. She succumbed to the disease and was buried on Red Mountain. A favorite spot of hers. Construction on the mountain forced relocation of her coffin to the south slope in 1912. Unfortunately, heavy spring rains washed her coffin down the side of the mountain, where her ghost is said to still roam today. Participants of the race, held in downtown Manitou Springs, claim they feel her presence every year. See for yourself, this year the coffin races are October 26, 2019. See you there!

The ghost of Maggie, haunts the Colorado Grande Casino & Hotel and Maggie’s Restaurant in Cripple Creek, Colorado. At night, voices (Maggie’s lilting Irish soprano) and music can be heard from the ballroom, slots clinging and clanging after hours. The hotel’s security cameras have caught Maggie in her turn-of-the-century clothing, only to have the tapes mysteriously disappear. The scent of her rose perfume lingers even if she chooses not to make an appearance.

Want to know more about the Ghosts of Cripple Creek Mining District?

Speaking of Ghosts, if you are looking for a fun Halloween read. A Witch’s Journey has meddling ghosts, shifters, stolen magic and a handsome Navy SEAL who has a dark secret. Available at Amazon.com, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

Every Tuesday throughout the month of October I will have Colorado Hauntings we’ll take a look at The Stanley Hotel and the Halloween traditions. Mark your calendars, you don’t want to miss any of these Halloween Celebrations!

Visits: 180

Posted in For Fun, Holidays, My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged A Witch's Journey, Colorado, Cripple Creek, ghosts, Halloween, Haunted by Tena Stetler with 9 comments.

Jun 5th Great Horned Owl Family Loves Lowe’s!

Have you seen a Great Horned Owl up close and personal? Well here’s your chance. For the second year in a row, in the shadow of Pikes Peak, a pair of Great Horned Owls have taken up residence on a pallet of Ice Melt at the Lowe’s Garden Center at University Village shopping center, Colorado Springs. Seems these owls who normally have a habit of stealing nesting sites from other birds, have decided to call Lowe’s home. There are also a family of Great Horned Owls in residence at the Lowe’s Garden Center on Constitution and Powers in Colorado Springs.

Two weekends ago, we went to visit the owls and see what all the commotion was about. Employees of Lowe’s spotted the owl eggs months ago and contacted the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The three owlets are now nearly as big as their parents and oh so cute! But DO NOT TOUCH THE OWLS. Not only is this a warning, but it’s the law. The great horned owls are not endangered but along with all owls, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the capture, killing or possession of them without a permit.

An employee told us that behind the Lowe’s are a wide open fields and access to a creek. Perfect hunting grounds for the owls. The two feet tall mother owl watches the owlets by day and the father takes over parenting duties by night. When the owlets fly down to the floor, the employees cordon off the area until the birds return to the rafters. Safety for all since according to the Nature Conservancy reports a great horned owl can extend its talons. As with all wildlife, it is wise to keep a safe distance from owlets and their nests. Great horned owls are not afraid to attack if they perceive a threat to their family.

The owlets will remain with their parents for another two or three months, then fly off to find a place of their own. Perhaps another Lowe’s will be in their future?

Not the first time great horned owls have called home improvement centers home. In 2009, an owl family selected a Home Depot in Prescott Valley, AZ. The pair of great horned owls nested in the outdoor canopy area atop a bag of soil. In 2014 great horned owls staked their claim in a Lowe’s in Omaha, NE., and in 2016, A great horned owl family nested in a Phoenix, AZ at an unspecified home improvement store. Guess word got out on the Great Horned Owl Network that home improvement centers make great nesting sites. LOL

Did you know there are psychological benefits of wildlife viewing? According to Where Is The Wildlife. Nature produces an emotional response of awe, wonder and privilege that unlocks ecocentric and anthropomorphic connections to wild animals and a feeling that is ‘beyond words’. There is time to stand and stare and contemplate. Nature and wildlife are not only spatial events but also temporal ones. In this liminal, embodied space of a wildlife encounter, socially constructed modern fast time dissipates and is replaced by stillness and nature’s time whereby participants are totally absorbed in the spectacle. All thought and action is concentrated on the moment. This provokes a deep sense of well-being that transcends the initial encounter leading to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits. Yep, this is why our family goes camping!

So if you’re in the market for flowers, home improvement supplies, or an owl sighting that could lead to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits, Lowe’s at University Village, Colorado Springs is the place for you!