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Hauntings at Stephen King’s Stanley Hotel

I blog about The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado—the historic landmark that inspired The Shining and carries its own haunted legends.

The Starlit Path

June 6, 2018

2–3 minutes

denver, estes park, ghost hunting, ghost tours, haunted hotels, stephen king

Stanley 1 — Haunted events have been recorded at the **Stanley Hotel** in Estes Park, Colorado, since as far back as 1911, when Ms. Elizabeth Wilson, a housekeeper, was electrocuted during a lightening storm

Of all the places I’ve travelled to in Colorado, Estes Park seems the most mysterious! In what seems to be the center of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the hotel was opened in 1909.

It’s a swanky backdrop for ghost hunting groups and historical tours. It really seems to capture the eerie mood Stephen King must have felt the night he spent there and was haunted in room 217. By the way, that room has a 3 year waiting list.

A Bit of History

It was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame and opened on July 4, 1909, catering to the American upper class at the turn of the century. You can imagine the scene on Independence Day back in 1909 when it opened.

A Bit About Hauntings

We were lucky to catch room 217 as it was being cleaned for the day. I was also surprised to learn there is what many call a “vortex” of energy at the foot of the spiral stairwell leading to higher floors. Many seances gather here during meaningful astrological calendar moments.

Interested in Ghost Hunting?

Click here to buy this brilliant paperback: Ghosts of Boulder. Let me know what you think! Would you stay in room 217?

1 (4) — Though she wasn’t killed, the room where it happened, Room 217, has become a hotbed of paranormal activity.

1 (10) — One of the best places to stay in Estes Park, CO!

I wore a vintage coat from a local antique costume shop in Boulder. The air had a spooky feel!

1 (2) — In 1903, the Yankee steam-powered car inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley (1849-1940) was stricken with a life-threatening resurgence of tuberculosis.The most highly recommended treatment of the day was fresh, dry air with lots of sunlight and a hearty diet.

1 (7) — The Stanley Hotel hosted the horror novelist Stephen King, serving as inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in his 1977 bestseller *The Shining* and its 1980 film adaption of the same name, as well as the location for the 1997 miniseries.

One response to “Hauntings at Stephen King’s Stanley Hotel”

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