From the highest peaks of Colorado to its lowest elevations, historic tales of restless spirits and haunted places abound. In the first part of our two-part series, we share our favorite ghost stories from across Colorado.
"Fair Lady" Bedrooms (Alma, Colorado)
A gold miner named J. Dawson Hidgepath arrived in Fairplay in 1865, hoping to find gold and a wife. Instead, he found tragedy. While prospecting for gold on Mount Bross, near the mining town of Alma, he fell several hundred feet and died at the foot of the mountain. He never had a chance to make his fortune or become a married man.
Hidgepath was buried in the Buckskin Joe cemetery, and that was the end of his story. At least, it should’ve been. A couple years later, a fair lady in nearby Alma returned home from a riotous night out to discover the bones of J.D. Hidgepath scattered atop her bed. His grave in the Buckskin Joe cemetery had been disturbed. Some said the man’s ghost was still searching for love.
Life went on after the bones were reburied. Until they resurfaced.
Another fair lady in Alma experienced a terrible fright one evening after finding the bones of J.D. Hidgepath tucked into her bedding. The bones were quickly returned to the cemetery only to appear in her bed once again. Some suspected an elaborate prank was to blame. Others believed the man’s lonely bones were haunted. Either way, the cycle continued until 1872, when an exasperated Alma resident dumped the bones in an outhouse near Leadville. Hidgepath was never heard from again.
Pikes Peak Toll Road (Pikes Peak, Colorado)
On a quiet evening in 1932, a woman named “Desperation Mona” drove off the steep edge of the Pikes Peak Toll Road near mile marker 13. The tangled wreckage of her car was discovered 150 feet below. Somehow, she survived, but her life wasn’t long. Three weeks after the accident, barely recovered from her injuries, “Desperation Mona” died at the hands of her murderous husband.
As dusk fell across Pikes Peak on a cold evening some forty years later, a man working on the mountain spotted a woman shivering at the edge of the road. He blanketed her in his leather jacket and drove her on his motorcycle to the toll booth at the base of the mountain. When he brought his bike to a rest, “Desperation Mona” climbed off, removed the man’s jacket, and ran back up the road. Her hazy form disappeared into the darkness.
Legend has it that every year on the anniversary of her accident, Desperation Mona appears at the edge of the Pikes Peak Toll Road (now Pikes Peak Highway) near mile marker 13, shivering in the cold evening air as she surveys the scene of her crash.
Redstone Castle (Manitou Springs, Colorado)
Redstone Castle was built in Manitou Springs in 1890 on land believed to be haunted. The brothers who bought the land from the original homesteader were made aware of numerous burials that existed on the grounds. Early trappers, pioneers, soldiers, and vagabonds made up the bulk of the graves.
The brothers promised to move the graves to a nearby cemetery before breaking ground on their planned community, Mountain Terrace Estates. However, their promise was only partially kept. Many of the graves were left untouched and simply filled over with dirt.
When the brothers built Redstone Castle, they intended for it to serve as the model home for Mountain Terrace Estates. Despite the grand setting of the community on Iron Mountain, none of the lots in the development sold. Convinced the ghosts of the dead still roamed the grounds, potential buyers were spooked by the presence of the burials.
Redstone Castle sat vacant for many years until a man named Balem Hawkins was hired to serve as the caretaker. His stay in the castle was short. After he and his family moved in, they began hearing strange voices and seeing gauzy apparitions. Their dog became nervous and high-strung; some accounts say the animal went crazy and had to be put down.
In 1910, actress and medium Alice Crawford rented Redstone Castle for her residence. During her time in the building, her behavior became increasingly bizarre. She claimed she saw ghosts in the castle and was injured attempting to set them on fire. People who knew her said she was never the same again.
Over the years that followed, Redstone Castle alternated between sitting vacant and hosting guests as a haunted bed and breakfast. People who passed through its halls recounted similar experiences to those reported by caretaker Balem Hawkins and actress Alice Crawford.
Buckskin Joe Ghost Town (Park County, Colorado)
A dance hall girl named Silver Heels stepped off the stagecoach in the gold mining town of Buckskin Joe, just west of Alma, in 1861. She captivated the miners with her enchanting performances at the local dance hall and saloon. The silver shoes she wore when dancing earned her the name Silver Heels.
When smallpox ravaged Buckskin Joe in the winter of 1861, Silver Heels proved to be more than just a dancer. Rather than leaving town to escape the deadly outbreak, she stayed in Buckskin Joe to nurse the sick, care for their families, and help bury their dead in the cemetery up the hillside. She was considered a hero but vanished in the aftermath.
By the spring of 1862, the worst had passed, but Silver Heels was nowhere to be found. The surviving miners searched the surrounding mountains but found no trace of the beautiful girl. Some said perhaps she’d contracted smallpox and perished. Others said she simply left town. No one knew for sure.
Years later, a veiled woman dressed in all black was seen wandering the Buckskin Joe cemetery. People who lived through the smallpox outbreak believed it was Silver Heels, returning to visit the graves of those she’d helped bury. They tried to thank her for her service, but she spirited off into the mountain air before they could reach the cemetery gate. To this day, many believe the ghost of Silver Heels still wanders what remains of the old cemetery.
Peck House (Empire, Colorado)
Shipping magnate James Peck and his eldest son, Frank Peck, arrived in Colorado in 1861. Reports of the riches of the Colorado Gold Rush lured them away from Chicago in search of treasure. They settled in the mining town of Empire and built the Peck House in 1863. Soon after, James Peck’s wife and children made the journey west.
The Peck family hosted stagecoach travelers and miners passing through Empire. The Peck House offered plenty of space and the only indoor plumbing in town. They enjoyed the hospitality business and converted Peck House into an official hotel in 1872. Famous guests like Civil War generals and circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum graced its halls.
Tragedy struck in 1880 when James Peck died after being thrown from his wagon while traveling from Empire to Georgetown. His son Frank Peck assumed ownership of the hotel, but faced further tragedy five years later when thirteen-year-old Gracie Peck died of pneumonia.
Over the decades that followed, Peck House traded hands and changed names numerous times. The granddaughters of brewer Adolf Coors tried their hand at the hotel business after acquiring Peck House in 1956. Years later, experienced hoteliers Gary and Sally St. Clair bought the Peck House, made extensive updates, and operated the hotel until its closure in 2014.
Throughout the years, hotel guests reported seeing the ghostly figure of James Peck roaming the halls and hearing the sound of Gracie Peck coughing during the night. Cold mists that materialized out of nowhere were also reported, as were the eerie sensations of an unseen presence lingering nearby.
Lampman Building (Cripple Creek, Colorado)
Once a booming gold mining town, Cripple Creek is considered one of the most haunted places in Colorado. Many of the historic buildings on Main Street have ghostly stories to tell, including the historic Lampman Building at the corner of 3rd and Bennett. Over the past 130 years, restaurants, casinos, stores, and even a mortuary have occupied the building. A ghost named Maggie has been present for all of it.
Usually seen on the top two floors of the historic building, Maggie’s ghost manifests as an Irish girl wearing turn-of-the-century attire. Her hair is piled atop her head, and she leaves behind the scent of rose perfume. People who claim to have seen Maggie describe her translucent form descending the stairs from the third floor to the second, only to dissolve into a blur of blue light when sensing the attention of the living. There have also been reports of Maggie’s footsteps clicking on the hardwood floors and her soft, soprano voice tickling the darkness.
No one knows who Maggie is or why she haunts the historic Lampman Building, but those who’ve experienced her presence describe her as pleasant, though shy.
Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CDSB) was built in Colorado Springs in 1874. The Collegiate Gothic-style buildings were designed by local architects. As the only school of its kind in Colorado, CDSB enrollment peaked at 350 students in the 1970s. The school’s decline began a few years later, though nearly 250 students are still served today.
Over the decades, CDSB has amassed a diversity of hauntings. Deaf students have reported seeing ghostly apparitions and unexplained dark shapes in the dormitories, gymnasium, and basement. Blind students have reported hearing bizarre noises coming from the basement and other areas of the campus. All agree the basement is the creepiest location.
It’s unknown whose spirits haunt the school and whether they’re merely residual hauntings or something seeking to make contact with the living. Either way, the eerie sensations felt and seen by the students who’ve passed through the halls of Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind have left their mark on the history of Colorado Springs.
