"Some places are like people, some shine & some don't"

Every year around this time, when I see my friends out west post photos of their first snowfalls, I can't help but think another, more sinister, snowfall one October in Colorado back in the 1970s.

The Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon (from movie-locations.com)

Long a mainstay on the "Top 10" lists of horror lovers, and film buffs in general, The Shining is a movie that chills many of us to our core (pun obviously intended). Based on the book of the same name written by Stephen King in 1977, the story follows Jack and Wendy Torrance and their son Danny as they embark on several months alone in the Overlook Hotel (filmed at the Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon), as they agree to look after the property during it's isolated winter months. Though I'm sure most of you have seen it, I'll pump the brakes there as to avoid spoilers.

What you DO need to know about the film is that it speaks to a fear of isolation that we all have to some degree, and what happens if things go very wrong, and no one is anywhere remotely close enough to help you. You should also know that King's story is based on a very real experience that he had in a very real hotel. And *that*, my paranormal pals, is what we're talking about this week.

The Stanley Hotel

In the fall of 1974, Stephen King and his wife Tabitha checked into The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado on the recommendation of friends, and found that as they were arriving, the rest of the guests were checking out, as the hotel was preparing to close for the winter. As you can imagine, being the only guests in a vast, empty hotel in the mountains would be eerie to anyone, and as a horror writer, King allowed his imagination to run with that feeling, creating one of the best horror novels (and films) ever written.

To truly set the scene, let's take a look at the history of The Stanley.

The Stanley Hotel, 1909 (coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/stanley-hotel)

The hotel opened in 1909, a sophisticated resort- not just because it was elegant but also because it had amenities and technology that were exceedingly rare for any hotel, particularly a facility in the rustic mountains of Colorado. This was thanks to the wealthy inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley who made his fortune and fame first on photographic plates and then steam-powered automobiles back on the east coast. Ravaged by "consumption" (we call it tuberculosis), he arrived in Estes Park and miraculously, within months was back on his feet. The story goes that he was so thrilled by this healing from his time in the mountains, he vowed to return every summer. But he wanted his fancy east coast stuff with him, so he built The Stanley.

Now, in 1909, electric power was still not common in most homes, to give you a frame of reference, and The Stanley did have electric lights, but as you can imagine, a grand 100+ room resort didn't have the capability to provide sufficient heat for the Colorado winters, so from about October/November to about April/May, the hotel would close for the season. It remained a summer resort until 1979, when heat was finally added, which explains the experience King had in 1974 with the nearly abandoned hotel.

To add to the creep factor of being alone in such an isolated place in such a grand building, by the 1970s, the hotel had lost its novelty and was falling victim to disrepair. The hotel actually credits the success of The Shining with bringing in guests and ultimately saving the property.

As you can imagine, a hotel with such a history is so much more than it's fame from a book or a movie. And while reports say the hotel enjoyed a quiet past until reports of hauntings began coming to light after The Shining brought it notoriety, one has to wonder just how long those spirits have been hanging around, considering it is now named as one of the most haunted places in the entire country.

The Stanley Hotel, 2020

So what ghastly stories does this beauty hold? What specters roam these halls? As would be expected at the "Disneyland for Ghosts", the ghosts stories begin with the original owner of the property, Mr. Stanley. He is said to haunt the bar area and the billiard room, and his wife Mrs. Flora Stanley's spirit still enjoys playing the piano in the concert hall.

There are reports of a child spirit who likes to play with people's hair and others have heard the sound of children playing and laughing on the 4th floor. If the idea of ghost children doesn't spook you enough, there's also a pet cemetery on the grounds and claims that Cassie, a golden retriever buried there, still scratches at doors to be let in. 

My personal favorite is the story of a pastry chef who supposedly haunts the cave-like limestone tunnels beneath the hotel, where staff used to come and go as to not be seen by guests. His spirit is identified by whiffs of baked goods (wouldn't mind experiencing that, would ya?). 

On the very other hand, the fourth floor (yep, the one with the laughing kids) seems to have the touchy-feely ghosts. In 401 a male ghost apparently likes to touch women inappropriately. In 407, guests have felt someone at the end of the bed or have been tucked in by a spirit. And in 428, a shadowy cowboy figure ("Rocky Mountain Jim") lurks and watches by the bed or in the corner, and sounds of furniture being moved upstairs are heard, even though there's nothing above that floor. 

The lobby staircase is widely known, especially to visiting psychics, as "The Vortex" for being a sort of spiritual highway. In addition to cold spots and plenty of orbs caught on camera, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley have been seen watching the comings-and-goings together. It's also the spot where a viral photo of a little ghost girl was taken on the stairs.

Ghost girl photo (Mausling family, 2017)

And last but not least, the famous room 217, which is reportedly the room where Stephen King had a nightmare that sparked him to have an outline of his famous book before he even left the hotel that next day. That room is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Elizabeth Wilson, a chambermaid who somehow survived a huge gas explosion in room 217 back in 1911 and worked at the hotel until the 1950s. She is rumored to be a mostly helpful ghost, though unmarried guests in that room have felt a chilly presence. It was room 217 that also supposedly sent Jim Carrey running when he stayed there during filming of his beloved movie Dumb and Dumber.

If none of this has scared you off, or if it's even thrilled you (I'm in this boat), hotel guests and visitors-for-the-day alike can not only attend ghost tours of the property (as of 11/2023 they're about $30 per person) but you can request one of their "spirited" rooms if you dare! You can book at The Stanley directly at: stanleyhotel.com (not sponsored, just trying to make your wildest spooky dreams a little easier to bring to life). ;) 

To close it out, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from The Shining- "some places are like people, some shine and some don't", and boy does The Stanley shine.