Episode Transcript
[00:00:17] Welcome back to Colorado Crime. I'm Amanda. And as the air turns colder and the nights grow longer, we're kicking off our spooky season series, a month dedicated to haunted history, real life crime, crimes, and Colorado's eeriest legends.
[00:00:36] Tonight, we're checking into one of the most famously haunted places in the state, the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.
[00:00:47] Known as the inspiration for Stephen King's the Shining, the Stanley has terrified generations of visitors.
[00:00:55] But behind the ghost tours and flickering lights are real stories.
[00:01:00] Stories of tragedy, survival, and a love so strong it may still echo through the halls.
[00:01:09] So grab a warm drink, turn down the lights, and let's step inside the Stanley Hotel, where the line between history and haunting is thinner than the mountain air.
[00:01:28] Long before the Stanley Hotel became a symbol of haunted elegance, Estes Valley was home to the Ute and Arapaho tribes who used the land for hunting and spiritual ceremony.
[00:01:41] They regarded the surrounding mountains as sacred, a place where the earth and spirit world met.
[00:01:48] In the late 1800s, settlers began arriving, drawn by the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
[00:01:57] Among them was James Nugent, better known as Rocky Mountain Jim, a mountain man with a reputation for both charm and volatility.
[00:02:08] He helped guide early explorers through the region, including Isabella Bird, a British travel writer, who described him as wild, scarred and magnetic.
[00:02:22] By the turn of the century, Estes park was still little more than a cluster of homesteads and rustic lodges.
[00:02:30] There was no grand hotel, no trace yet of the luxury resort that would one day overlook the valley.
[00:02:40] By his 50s, Stanley was a wealthy man, co founder of the Stanley Motor Carriage Company, makers of the famous Stanley Steamer automobile.
[00:02:53] But wealth couldn't protect him from illness.
[00:02:56] In 1903, Stanley was diagnosed with tuberculosis, then one of the deadliest diseases in the world.
[00:03:06] Doctors gave him only months to live.
[00:03:10] Their prescription, fresh air, sunlight and rest far away from the damp, polluted cities of the East.
[00:03:21] Stanley and his wife Flora arrived in Estes park that same year.
[00:03:26] The dry, thin air of the Rockies did something miraculous.
[00:03:31] His symptoms began to fade, his strength returned, and within a year, his tuberculosis was effectively in remission.
[00:03:40] Grateful to the mountains that saved his life, Stanley decided to give something back.
[00:03:46] In 1909, he purchased land overlooking the valley and built a sprawling 140 room Colonial Revival style hotel.
[00:03:57] An oasis of comfort amid the wild frontier.
[00:04:01] It had electricity, telephones, running water and automobiles to shuttle guests from town.
[00:04:10] For the time, it was cutting edge luxury at 7,500ft.
[00:04:16] But with its beauty came an undercurrent of something else.
[00:04:23] From the moment it opened, guests began to whisper about flickering lights, cold drafts and voices in empty rooms.
[00:04:33] It was well known that Flora Stanley loved the hotel as deeply as her husband did.
[00:04:40] An accomplished musician, she'd spend her evenings performing for guests in the grand ballroom on her Steinway grand piano, a gift from fo himself.
[00:04:51] To this day, that very piano remains at the hotel, and late at night, its keys are said to move on their own.
[00:05:00] Staff have reported hearing faint melodies drifting through the halls when no one is near it.
[00:05:06] Some believe it's the wind, but others are certain it's Flora Stanley still playing for her guests.
[00:05:16] Paranormal investigators have captured recordings of faint piano music, though no one was near the ballroom at the time.
[00:05:24] One guest standing outside the room described hearing, quote, the most beautiful, haunting waltz, end quote, before realizing the piano lid was closed.
[00:05:38] Whether you believe in spirits or the power of suggestion, it's hard to deny that the Stanley holds an energy, something imprinted in its walls that time can't erase.
[00:05:53] But beauty and tragedy often go hand in hand, and the Stanley Hotel is no exception.
[00:06:02] On June 25, 1911, a massive explosion shook the building.
[00:06:09] Due to unreliable electricity, the hotel relied on an auxiliary gas lighting system.
[00:06:16] A leak filled room 217 unnoticed until housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson entered to light a lamp.
[00:06:27] The resulting blast tore through the room and blew out a section the second floor.
[00:06:33] Elizabeth was thrown down into the dining room below.
[00:06:37] She survived, but with severe injuries, broken ankles and internal trauma.
[00:06:44] After months of recovery, she returned to her job at the hotel.
[00:06:49] Her loyalty never wavered.
[00:06:52] And some say it still hasn't.
[00:06:55] Guests who stay in room 217 often report lights flickering, belongings neatly folded, and the unmistakable feeling of being tucked into their beds.
[00:07:09] Elizabeth's spirit, they say, never left a gentle, caring presence that watches over those who sleep in the very room that nearly claimed her life.
[00:07:23] When it comes to finding your dream home, you shouldn't have to worry about what secrets are lurking behind every corner.
[00:07:30] I'm your host, Amanda Russell, but I'm also a licensed real estate broker with Teeter Realty company.
[00:07:37] This spooky season, I'm here to help you navigate the twists and turns of the real estate market.
[00:07:42] No ghosts involved.
[00:07:45] Visit www.amandarussellrealtor.com to start your journey today.
[00:07:53] Room 217 was made famous for another reason. Here's Johnny. During his stay in the room in 1974, Stephen King reportedly experienced eerie sensations that inspired his novel the Shining. The hotel's grandeur, coupled with its isolation, made it the perfect backdrop for tales that are still whispered Today.
[00:08:23] Then there's the fourth floor, arguably the most haunted part of the hotel.
[00:08:30] Originally it was attic space used as storage.
[00:08:35] Then it was converted to servants quarters and later it housed the children of wealthy guests who came to the Rockies for extended summer stays.
[00:08:47] Today, visitors report hearing children laughing, running down the hallways or knocking on doors in the middle of the night, even when no families are staying on that floor.
[00:09:00] Paranormal investigators have captured recordings of faint voices, clothing, calling out giggling or whispering the names of long gone staff.
[00:09:11] But the fourth floor is also linked to a much older spirit, James Nugent, or Rocky Mountain Jim himself.
[00:09:22] Before Stanley ever built the hotel, Jim was one of the valley's most colorful figures.
[00:09:30] A rugged trapper, guide and ladies man with a quick temper and a scar across his face from a grizzly bear attack.
[00:09:39] Guests, particularly women, have reported feeling touched or brushed by unseen hands, hearing low laughter or catching the faint scent of pipe smoke.
[00:09:53] Some claim he flirts from beyond the grave, a restless spirit forever tied to the mountains he once roamed.
[00:10:02] Between the giggling children and the charm of Rocky Mountain Gym, the fourth floor is said to hum with spiritual energy.
[00:10:11] Playful but unsettling.
[00:10:14] Over the years, investigators, guests and staff have all contributed to the Stanleys reputation as one of the most haunted places in America.
[00:10:26] Footsteps echo where no one walks, Orbs appear in photographs.
[00:10:32] The grand staircase known as the Vortex is said to be a spiritual gateway where guests often feel dizzy or lightheaded, as if energy swirls around them.
[00:10:46] Some photos even show two faint figures, a man and a woman, standing together near the railing.
[00:10:56] Many believe they're Fo in Flora Stanley, still overseeing their masterpiece.
[00:11:04] Fo lived a long life, especially for a man once told he had months to live.
[00:11:11] He passed away in 1940 at the age of 91 in Newton, Massachusetts.
[00:11:18] But his body was returned to Maine where he was laid to rest beside his twin brother, Francis.
[00:11:25] Still, many say his spirit lingers in Estes park, walking the halls at night, checking on the guests and watching over the hotel that carried his name.
[00:11:38] After all, this was the place that gave him his life back.
[00:11:43] And maybe even in death, he couldn't quite bring himself to leave it.
[00:11:50] Today, the Stanley Hotel stands as one of Colorado's crown jewels and one of its most haunted landmarks.
[00:11:59] Between Elizabeth Wilson's near fatal explosion, Flora's ghostly piano and Rocky Mountain Jim's mischievous presence, the Stanley's halls are alive with history that refuses to rest.
[00:12:15] Whether you go for the ghost tours, the mountain views, or just to say you've been where the shining was born, the Stanley hotel offers an experience unlike any other, where every flicker of light and creak of the floorboards makes you wonder who else might be there.
[00:12:38] Thank you for joining me for this first episode of our Spooky Season series.
[00:12:44] If you enjoyed this deep dive into Colorado's haunted past, be sure to follow Colorado crime so you don't miss next week's story.
[00:12:54] Until next time, Remember, not every haunting is caused by ghosts.
[00:13:00] Sometimes it's just history refusing to stay quiet.
