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| Stanley Hotel, by Tom Lianza, licensed under CC BY 2.0 |
Stanley Hotel is a 3-star hotel located in Estes Park, Colorado, United States. This hotel for the 113+-year-old hotel is not only famous for the spectacular view of Lake Estes and the Rocky Mountains from there and the excellent service of this hotel. This hotel is also famous for the paranormal incidents that took place there and this hotel is regarded as the most haunted hotel in America.
A Brief History of the Stanley Hotel,
The construction of the Stanley hotel began in October 1907. The hotel was built on land that the owner of this hotel Freelan Oscar Stanley purchased from Irish Earl Lord Dunraven. Freelan Oscar Stanley who was also the co-founder of Stanley Motor Carrier Company and his wife Flora traveled west to Colorado when Stanley was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctor advised him to seek fresh mountain air and take complete rest for six months, as rest was considered as an effective treatment against TB at that time.
By 1907 Stanley had recovered completely and he and his wife flora fell in love with that place and that was the time when they decided to build the Stanley hotel. The construction of Stanley hotel that started in 1907 completed in June of 1909 and was opened on July 4, 1909, marking the 133rd independence day of the United States. Stanley hotel was built in Gregorian architectural style this luxurious hotel was equipped with running water, electricity, and telephone and to bring guests from the nearest train depot in the foothills town of Lyons, Colorado Stanley's car company (Stanley Motor Carrier Company)
produced a fleet of specially designed steam vehicles called mountain wagons. But the only facility the hotel lacked was the heat as the hotel was designed to be a summer resort.
The main hotel and the concert hall were completed in 1909 and the manor
Many famous people including Theodore Roosevelt, Molly Brown, Stephen King, John Philip Sousa, Emperor and Empress of Japan, and a variety of Hollywood personalities, etc. visited and stayed at Stanley hotel.
Paranormal Events took place on Stanley hotel (Legends surrounding the Hotel)
Besides being famous as a summer resort the Stanley hotel is regarded as the most haunted hotel in America. This is due to the paranormal experiences that visitors had experienced there.
The Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel
Freelan Oscar Stanley died at the age of 91 due to a heart attack and it is said that his spirit roams in the hotel. Many people claimed to have seen his ghost in the lobby of the hotel and the billiard room, which used to be his favorite room.
People also claimed to see the ghost of Stanley's wife flora. Her spirit is often spotted in the ballroom playing the piano. Employees and guests have reported hearing the music from the piano even though the ballroom was empty.
Not only the ghosts of the owners of this hotel but people have also reported seeing the ghost of a child with autism on the fourth floor of this hotel.
Some people even claimed to see the ghosts of the pet animals of the owners roaming around the hotel
Room 217
It is said that the ghost of a former keeper Elizabeth Wilson of this hotel haunts this room. Even though Stanley hotel had electricity but due to the lack of availability of electricity at that time induced the installation of an auxiliary gas lighting system in 1911. Elizabeth Wilson was serious injured when a gaslight exploded in room 217 while she was lighting it. She survived the blast but passed away after a couple of years. Now it is said that her spirit haunts this room.
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| "7-19 Stanley Hotel" by ShanMcG213 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Many guests who stayed in this room reported items being moved from one place to another and sometimes the lights of this room also flicker for no reason and many people claimed to see a shadowy figure floating inside the room and it is said that even in the summer season this room often remains cold.
Stephen King and Stanley Hotel
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| Stephen King |
American author Stephen King was one of the most famous personalities who visited the Stanley Hotel.
Stephen King and his wife Tabitha visited the Stanley hotel in 1974 during the brief residency in Boulder, Colorado. King paid for his room as the hotel had already sent its credit receipts back to Denver. Coincidentally King and his wife stayed in room number 217. At that time they were the only guests in that hotel and all other rooms were empty as this hotel was about to shut in winter season During his stay there he had a lucid dream that his 3-year-old son is being chased around the hotel and he woke up and he lit up a cigarette sitting in a chair looking out of the window at the rocky mountains. The author says that was the time when he got the idea of his novel "The Shining".
The Shining which was published in 1977 became one of his most successful novels and a film was made based on his novel in 1980. The hotel overlook in this novel is inspired by the Stanley Hotel.
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