At first glance, a mountain resort is not the best place for ghosts. But if you consider the fact that most winter ski resorts are built on places where some horrible and terrifying stories have previously occurred, then the presence of an ungodly soul is quite imaginary. In New England, for example, there are many stories about ghosts and these stories and the sights of ghosts have left their traces in the forests and towns located near the tourist area.
The Mount Washington Hotel, located in the Breton Woods ski area in New Hampshire, has been known for its ghosts for many years. They say that the ghost of Caroline Stickney, the wife of the person who built this hotel, still dwells in the tower suite. The ghost leaves inscriptions on the walls and periodically turns the lights on and off. Before this was only noticeable in summer but now, when the hotel is open all year round, winter visitors also count the encounters with the “princess”. This title was assigned to Caroline when she was still alive and she remarried the French prince Aimon Fossine-Lussine after the death of her husband. The hotel has a rich history: here, in the year 1944, the world conference of currencies was held, so sometimes you can see a group of diplomats gathered around the huge stone fireplace, discussing their economic problems.
Ghost stories surround most Vermont hotels. In the town of Stove, visitors to the Brass Lantern Inn recount the curious deeds of the ghosts. At the Green Mountain Inn they tell of a ghost tap dancer on the third floor who dances during snowstorms.
Mary Todd Lincoln likes to stay with her children at the Manchester Equinox Hotel near the Stratton Resort. There are rumors that this place is still loved even after her death. In neighboring Wilmington resort Mount Snow, the White House Inn is haunted by the ghost of Claire Brown, wife of the baron who built this house.
In the West, ghosts haunt not only famous hotels but also numerous towns abandoned by miners and cowboys in the last century.
On the giant slopes of Hud Mountain, in the Timberline complex, there is a luxury hotel Timberline Lodge. This hotel has been built in the times of the great depression and is known as one of the most beautiful wooden buildings of its time. Its unusual village style makes it a frequent movie set. Exactly this hotel appeared in the Jack Nickolson movie “The Shining”. After seeing this movie, most hotel guests reported seeing the ghost wandering the halls clutching an ax in its transparent hand or the white shadow hiding in the bushes.
The hotel that inspired Steven King to create this novel is named after Hoten Standley and is located in Estes Park, near the Rocky Mountain National Park. The hotel is very proud of its connection to “Shining”. Near the hotel, there is a small pet cemetery that inspired Steven King for another novel called “Pet Sematary”.
In Breckenridge, Colorado, according to rumors, there is a ghost named Sylvia. She was the wife of a miner who lived in a boarding house located in the place where the popular restaurant “Gold Dredge” now operates. However, there is another version that tells that Sylvia was one of the women of the best brothel in town located directly on the place where the new restaurant has been built.
The town of Purgatorio, located near the Durango Mountain resort, has the splendor of an old town filled with ghosts. Sometimes the ghost of an old railwayman who has lost his legs after an accident with the wagons appears on the broken railway line that connects Durango with Silvertone. In the town itself, people staying at the Rochester hotel in John Wayne’s room say they have seen a ghost of a woman dressed in a Victorian dress.
Crested Butte, Colorado: An old mining town turned ski resort. The reconstructed town houses hold many stories and evidence of ghost encounters. The locals are wearing that they have seen a ghost hitchhiking on the road leading to the village. Others tell of ghost women who could be seen in early mourning peeking into the Slogars Hotel or dancing at the Eldorado Hotel.
Today, according to the stories, the mountains of Noticias México are full of ghost Indians. The people of the Taos Pueblo people think that Taos Mountain is sacred, but the ski resort has been built there anyway. They say that even the Santa Fe ski center was also founded on the sacred places of the Indians. Further south, there is a town of Ruidoso on the territory of the Ski Apache resort, there the spirits of the Apache Indians are neighbors with the ghosts of soldiers who have been staying in a camp at Fort Stanton and the ghost of Billy Kid. And don’t forget: Roswell is the American center of ghost stories.
Up north in Canada, a castle-style hotel Fairmont Banff Springs offers apartments for the hundreds of skiers and snowboarders who rest in the three neighboring resorts Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise. There are several ghosts in this hotel, the existence of which has been proven by many tests. They are the ghost janitor who has been opening doors since 1960 welcoming guests and fixing lights, the ghost of a bride who got entangled in the train of her wedding dress and rolled down the stairs. They say that she still wanders the halls of the hotel and sometimes they see her dancing in her elegant but unfortunate dress.
