SPOOKS OF THE WEST

October is a super time to travel in the west.  The Rockies haven’t filled with snow as yet, the southwest has lost its biting heat, and the crowds are gone.  But if, on top of that, you’d like to make western October travel Halloween-related, here are a few ghostly venues for you to visit.

Lobby of The Occidental

1.                    The Occidental Hotel, Buffalo, WY.  I’ve mentioned this place before (see https://cowboykisses.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-visit-buffalo-wy.html ) famous for having played host to several western luminaries:  Buffalo Bill, General Phil Sheridan, Butch Cassidy, Owen Wister and so on. But the Occidental is apparently considered one of the most haunted places in WY.  A former bordello, its main spirit visitor is said to be the daughter of one of the soiled doves.  She died on an upper floor and now moves furniture about.  Be warned!

Sheridan Inn (1)

2.                    Up the road a piece is The Sheridan Inn in, yes, Sheridan, WY.  The ashes of former employee Miss Kate Arnold have been laid to rest in room 306.  Miss Kate worked at the inn from 1901 to 1965 (yes!) doing about every job imaginable from gardening to babysitting, and from housekeeping to greeting guests.  She continues to look after the inn though you may not be too happy with flickering lights, cold spots and eery footsteps.

3.                    The St. James Hotel, originally called Lambert’s Inn, in Cimarron, NM, has witnessed no less than 26 murders. Bullet holes in the main dining room bear witness to visits by Jesse James, Buffalo Bill, Black jack Ketchum, the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and, of course, Billy the Kid among others. Psychics have apparently found the spirits of at least three restless souls and Room 18 is kept locked because of one poor man who bled to death.  You have been cautioned!

4.                    Texas certainly has its share of the supernatural.  Ranch Road 32 is known as The Devil’s Backbone.  It runs between Wimberly and Blanco and by day offers scenic views of Texas Hill Country.  Nighttime is another matter.  The foreman of a local ranch spotted twenty Confederate soldiers riding swiftly enough to shake his cabin.  The ghost of a Native American named Drago herds cattle here as well, and a miner’s wife and child wander about.  But drive carefully—it has also been the scene of several car accidents on its twisty roads, possibly leaving more ghosts behind.

Looking at White Rock Lake, Dallas (2)

5.                    The Lady of White Rock Lake near Dallas is possibly an urban myth, possibly a ghost to be reckoned with.  She wears a 1930s white evening dress, is soaked to the skin, and flags down cars asking for a lift home. She’ll even give you her address.  But by the time you get there, of course, she will have disappeared from your car leaving only a puddle.

6.                    And while we’re in Texas, there’re the Marfa Lights.  Near Rte. 67 on Mitchell Flats, these have been reported since the 1800s and no one knows exactly what they are.  Some say ghosts, some UFOs.  The orbs of light bounce around in an area that is basically uninhabited and of rough terrain.  Sometimes they move swiftly, sometimes are red, blue or white.  The official Marfa Lights viewing area is 9 miles east of town on Highway 90. Have fun!

Obviously, with the west known for its ghost towns, there is plenty more where these came from. Near Death Valley National Park is Rhyolite, a full sized town with two electric plants, near the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. Terlingua near Big Bend NP in TX is another semi-deserted mining town, complete with crumbling mine-owner's mansion.  St. Thomas, NV, near Lake Mead, was originally settled by Mormons who believed they were in Utah. When the Hoover Dam was built, the last occupant floated away but with the low water levels some of the structures are now visible and the NP service maintains a trail around it.  
 And if staying at home for Halloween is more your style, why not curl up with a couple of good ghost stories.  Patti Sherry-Crews and I offer you stories From the Files of Nat Tremayne: Two Tales of Hauntings in the Old West available at https://www.amazon.com/Files-Nat-Tremayne-Tales-Hauntings-ebook/dp/B0767HWT6S/

The Wild West gets even wilder when Nat Tremayne sends out his agents from Psychic Specters Investigations offices in St. Louis and Denver. Across country and across time, these agents will stop at nothing to unravel the mysteries that beset poor unsuspecting ranchers and cowboys who have no idea what they’re seeing . . .or not, as the case may be.
In The Ghost and The Bridegroom, P.S.I. Agent Healy Harrison is sent to Tucson to rid a rancher of the ghost in the bedroom interfering in his marriage to a mail-order bride. Healy doesn’t think she’s destined for romance—until she meets Pinkerton detective Aaron Turrell. But when their two cases dovetail, will their newfound love survive the ultimate showdown between mortal and immortal.

In Long A Ghost and Far Away, agent Dudley Worksop aims to unravel the mystery of Colby Gates’ dead wife. Lizzie not only seems to have reappeared as a ghost, but has time traveled from 2016 to the 1800s. Can revenge be had for her murder? And can the couple be reunited across country and across time?

Photo (1):  Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, WYO,17-SHER,1-2, Public Domain 

(2) Public Domain from Free Photos