13 Haunted Places Where Checkout Is Apparently Optional

I love historic hotels. Give me creaky floors, old-fashioned saloons, brass beds, and enough Wild West history to make me wonder who walked those hallways hundreds of years ago.

Then somebody says: “Oh, by the way. It's haunted.” And I’m hooked.

So, in honor of October, I found 13 historic hotels across the American West where cowboys, gamblers, miners, lawmen, outlaws, and a few mysterious residents once crossed the threshold.

The hotels are real.

The history is real.

The ghosts? I'll let you decide.

Would I actually spend the night?

Maybe. Maybe not. But no way would I want the room said to be haunted. 

I'm incredibly brave ... while sitting at my computer in broad daylight.

Still, I'd love to visit these places because behind every ghost story is something even better.

Are you brave or a little bit scared? I’d love to hear what you would do and which hotels you have visited.

Niki J. Mitchell

 

 

1.    Bullock Hotel — Deadwood, South Dakota

The Bullock Hotel opened in 1896 by famous Deadwood lawman and businessman Seth Bullock and his partner, Sol Star. Visitors have reported seeing Bullock's ghost wandering the hotel, and the hotel even offers ghost tours. According to legend, Seth still checks on the place. Guests and employees have reported seeing his apparition.

Would I stay? Probably not. But it’s on my bucket list to visit.

 

2.    The Occidental Hotel — Buffalo, Wyoming

This one absolutely belongs near the top. Founded in 1880, the Occidental hosted figures including Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A resident ghost known as Emily, a young girl visitors claim to have heard laughing and seen wandering the building.

Would I stay? 

That’s the plan. But I'm sleeping with the light on.

 

3.    St. James Hotel — Cimarron, New Mexico

 Built in 1872, this is about as Wild West as we can get. Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Billy the Kid and other famous Western figures stayed there. Room 18 is associated with the ghost legend of gambler T.J. Wright who supposedly won the hotel in a poker game before being shot. The room is kept locked. Room 17 is associated with Mary Lambert, wife of hotel founder Henri Lambert. Guests have reported rose perfume, tapping, and a female apparition. 

Would I go? 

Yes, but no way would I open that door.

 

4.    Silver Queen Hotel — Virginia City, Nevada

      Built in 1876, the Silver Queen has its own collection of paranormal tales, including the legend of a woman called Rosie who is said to appear around Room 11 and the staircase. Guests have heard footsteps, whispering, doors moving, and other unexplained activity.

Would I stay?  

Sure. Just don't give me the room everyone describes as the haunted one.

 

5.    Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon — Gold Hill, Nevada

     This is a fantastic addition because it dates to 1861 and is Nevada's oldest operating hotel. Rooms 4 and 5 are associated with spirits called Rosie and William. The hotel itself describes them as friendly. 

Would I stay? 

Most likely.

 

6.    Copper Queen Hotel — Bisbee, Arizona

      A classic Arizona mining-town hotel with several longstanding ghost stories. The Copper Queen has several reported ghosts, including a woman called Julia Lowell, a young boy named Billy, and even ghostly miners. Guests have reported strange noises, apparitions, and unexplained activity.

Would I stay? 

No, but I have visited the hotel. It’a well worth your while. Make sure to get a drink at the bar.

 

 1.    Jerome Grand Hotel — Jerome, Arizona

This is the one we talked about. It occupies Jerome's former hospital building, so it brings a very different type of history to the list. Which already sounds like the beginning of a ghost story. Guests have reported footsteps, voices, apparitions, and other unexplained happenings. Stories involving nurses and former patients have become part of the hotel's paranormal lore.

Would I spend the night?

Maybe. Would I investigate a strange noise in the hallway at 2:00 a.m.?

Absolutely not. That's what hotel management is for.

2.    Connor Hotel — Jerome, Arizona
The Connor gives us the older Jerome connection. It dates to the mining boom and originally combined lodging with the kind of drinking and gambling atmosphere we'd expect from a Western mining town.

Would I spend the night? Why not. Mining towns are fascinating.

3.    Hotel Monte Vista — Flagstaff, Arizona
Opened in 1927, so it's later than our classic Old West period, but its famous phantom bellboy story is too much fun to leave out. John Wayne is among the people associated with that tale.

Did I stayed there when I visited? No. But I did enjoy the hotel tour.

 

4.    The Stanley Hotel — Estes Park, Colorado
The Stanley opened in 1909 and later became famous after Stephen King stayed there. His visit helped inspire The Shining. Guests have reported mysterious music, laughter, footsteps, and apparitions.

 

Would I stay? 

Probably not because the hotel inspired a horror story.

 

5.    Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Hotel Colorado opened in 1893 and has hosted everyone from wealthy travelers to Theodore Roosevelt. Visitors have reported unexplained noises and apparitions throughout the historic property.

 

Would I stay? Yes because there are hot springs nearby. I have priorities. But the lights will stay on all night.

6.    The Bird Cage Theatre, Tombstone, Arizona

The Bird Cage opened in 1881 as a theater, saloon, gambling hall, and brothel. Visitors have mentioned phantom music, laughter, footsteps, and even a handsome cowboy appearing out of nowhere?

Have I been there? 

Yes. This town is way smaller than I expected, but it well worth visiting. Make sure to take on the trolley tour.

 

Happy haunting seems fitting for the month of October.

Why do I like ghost stories? 

It’s plain fascinating and a little bit scary. In Goldi’s Grumpy Cowboy, she asks to stay in room 211 because it’s said to be haunted. And when the infamous ghost named Tom Devlin appears and spins a translucent gun, she stands up to him and tells him to put it away. 

Would I be that brave? 

No way. 

I have hints of ghost in my next two stories, but I plan to have Tom show up in other stories. He’s too interesting of a character.

Niki J. Mitchell

 

 

1887-1961 Hesperia Hotel: Locomotives, Candlelit Nights, and Western Charm

 

Imagine rolling into the high desert of California on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. You step off the train and there it is: a three-story, red adobe beauty—the brand-new Hesperia Hotel. With 28 rooms, running water (a serious luxury at the time), and desert views for miles, it must have seemed like an oasis in the middle of nowhere.

The hotel sat on the west side of the railroad tracks, surrounded by 35,000 acres of land that speculators were eager to sell. Newspapers went so far as to call Hesperia “The Denver of California.” Bold claim, right?

A Desert Dream—or Desert Scheme?

The masterminds were Judge Robert Widney and his brother Dr. Joseph Widney, along with Ontario developers George and William Chaffey. They bought up land, gave the settlement a poetic name (Hesperia meaning “western land”), and launched a massive promotion campaign.

The sales pitch promised a desert utopia: broad tree-lined boulevards, shady parks, fine schools, grand churches, healthy air that could cure whatever ailed you, and even riches from mining in the nearby mountains.

The reality? Well… let’s just say some of it was more illusion than fact.

Trickery in the Desert

One of the most famous “sales tactics” involved tricking eager easterners who couldn’t tell a yucca from an orange tree. The promoters literally trimmed up Joshua trees and stuck oranges on the ends of their bayonet-like spikes to give the illusion of flourishing citrus groves.

Still, the developers grand idea did put Hesperia on the map—and today, more than 100,000 people call it home.

The Hotel’s Heyday

Back in its prime, the Hesperia Hotel was more than just a place to sleep. Guests enjoyed modern marvels like hot water, flushing toilets, and speaking tubes for communication. The hotel boasted a spacious dining room complete with a bandstand, a piano bar, and fancy balls in middle of the Mojave.

Once the California Southern Railroad line pushed through the Cajon Pass in 1885, many settlers and tourists came by rail. Victor (later Victorville) became the major stop, but Hesperia snagged its own small depot, drawing curious travelers. By the way, this platform actually could be moved.

The Beginning of the End

For a time, the hotel thrived. But when Route 66 rerouted travelers away from Hesperia, the once-bustling stop faded. The hotel closed its doors in 1926 and, after decades of decline, was torn down in 1974.

Today, nearby Los Flores Ranch lands are filled with tract homes, and the once-grand hotel exists only in photographs and stories.

Why This Hotel Caught My Eye

As a local, I couldn’t resist bringing the Hesperia Hotel back to life in my western time travel novel, Time to Save a Cowboy. It struck me as the perfect meeting place for my time-traveling lovers, Mia and Dusty, before they headed off for the Los Flores Ranch.

For more information click here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Cowboy-Western-Travel-Romance-ebook/dp/B07K62JGP7