America’s Most Haunted Places in The West and South West
San Francisco, LA, Portland, San Diego, and other cities are full of otherworldly traps. The West was once a place where you could reinvent yourself and where dreams could come true. Yet the price was too high. And to others, the worst of the lot, the price was not only just right, but they were willing to pay it repeatedly.
Why is the West so haunted?
This is a region where stars crumble to dust under the eye of the press. The West is where the light was sharper and harsher, but also where the shadows were deeper. Let’s take a deep dive into the most haunted places in the West. And to visit some of these locations in person, take a ghost tour with US Ghost Adventures!
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California
Originally an eight-room farmhouse, Sarah Winchester’s Victorian mansion is now one of America’s most fascinating architectural feats. It contains dead-end stairways at the top, doors that open to frightening drops, and several other odd features. Construction went on constantly from 1886 until Winchester died in 1922 — all without a plan or blueprint. Rumors flew that the heiress was following the advice of a psychic: Move out West and continuously add onto a house to protect yourself from the angry ghosts of men murdered with Winchester riffles. Today, guides and guests have reported hearing strange noises and seeing a man pushing a wheelbarrow in the basement.
Whaley House in San Diego, California
The Whaley’s had six children: Francis, Thomas, Anna, George, Violet, and Corrine. After baby Thomas was born, he died of scarlet fever just 18 months after. Afterward, a fire destroyed part of the house and transformed it into a general store. Distressed, the family moved to San Francisco. Because of investments made by Thomas over ten years, the family returned to San Diego and repaired what was left of the house. However, tragedy struck again.
Violet got married, but two weeks later, her husband abandoned her. She would go on to shoot herself in the chest in 1885. After these events, Thomas and his family built a new house and moved, leaving the Whaley House empty for decades. In 1888, Thomas Whaley died due to health deterioration. It wasn’t until 1909 that Thomas Whaley’s son, Francis, restored the original house and turned it into a tourist attraction. The rest of the family lived in the house until their deaths. The Whaley House now runs as a museum with occasional late-night ghost-hunting tours.
The house is known to be haunted. Visitors and staff have seen the ghosts of the Whaley’s wander inside the house. Heavy footsteps can be heard, believed to be the ghost of James “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who was hanged on the property for stealing a boat years before the house was built. Also, baby Thomas’s spirit cries and giggles can be heard down the halls, Thomas Whaley’s specter can be seen looking down the stairs, and Violet’s ghost roaming the second floor. Besides all these sightings, unexplained sounds and smells, cold spots, and a chandelier swinging back and forth without wind are other paranormal activities at the Whaley House.
The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
If you don’t remember the Alamo, the spirits who reside there will ensure you do from now on.
The San Antonio fort — which Davy Crockett and roughly 200 other Texans defended for almost two weeks before General Santa Anna and his men overtook them — has been haunted since the day it fell in 1836. When Santa Anna ordered his men to destroy the fort and its Franciscan church, the men returned defeated. They claimed they encountered“six diablos” carrying flaming swords. Many believe these were former monks’ spirits defending their sacred mission — and it worked.
The church and surrounding plaza are now protected historic sites dedicated to the battle, but the spirits haven’t left their posts. There have been reports of spectral figures, disembodied voices, loud bangs, and the sound of horses.
Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, Arizona
Hotel Monte Vista is located along old Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. While in the prohibition era, the Hotel Monte Vista Lounge ran a bootlegging operation out of Flagstaff, but in 1931 it was raided by the police and shut down. Western movies were filmed near the hotel between the 1940s and 1950s, so it hosted several famous figures such as Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, and Bing Crosby. Even a scene from the Casablanca movie was filmed at the hotel.
Today, all types of spooky phenomena are reported at the hotel. The ghost of a gunman who died in the lounge welcomes guests with an eerie “Good morning” or “Hello.” A band is heard playing on the second floor even when there is none. In room 210, a bellboy spirit awakes guests by knocking at their door and calling “room service.” Down the hall in room 220, the ghost of a long-term guest who loved to hang raw meat from the chandelier haunts the place. He died in this room, and his body was found days later. Stories tell that coughing is heard inside the empty room, sheets are tossed after maintenance has made the bed, and the TV acts on its own. Also, room 305 holds the spirit of an old lady sitting on a rocking chair by the window, and room 306 is haunted by the spirit of a prostitute who was murdered and thrown out the window.
Colorado Grande Casino & Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado
The Colorado Grande Casino opened its doors on October 1, 1991, as a solution to Cripple Creek’s tourism downfall caused by mining strikes. The casino was built inside the historic Fairley Bros. & Lampman Building, originally built in 1896. Today, the casino holds countless stories of unearthly activities. An Irish red-haired woman called Maggie has been seen on the second and third floors of the casino playing with the slot machines. Her spirit is always amicable, and she loves to play tricks on players. On some nights, she is seen accompanied by a tall, well-dressed man. Security guards have also seen her wandering the halls of the hotel late at night.
The Casino also houses a young female spirit named Lily. She appears in a full-body surrounded by a blue orb. Employees report that she loves to play with purple balloons. But if a different color is used, it will pop inexplicably. However, if a purple one is left, it can be seen floating around the casino as if Lily is holding it.
The Overland Hotel & Saloon in Pioche, Nevada
The original hotel was built in 1908 serving as a bar and a boarding house. In 1947, a fire destroyed most of Pioche, including the Overland Hotel. That same year, construction of the new hotel began. Today, it stands as a boutique hotel with 13 rooms. After the devastating fire, a lot of energy remained in the hotel, causing apparitions and ethereal activities. Footsteps, noises, and loud bangs can be heard throughout the hotel.
Paranormal investigators believe that the hauntings are the product of Pioche’s violent stories. Back in its mining days, gunfights were common. At least 72 people were killed and buried in nearby Boot Hill Cemetery. Employees have claimed to hear disembodied voices of men in the hotel, inexplicable footsteps in empty guest rooms, and spirits sitting on the beds. Nonetheless, the most haunted spot in the hotel is Room 10. Guests who have stayed reported being constantly watched by an unseen presence. Doors are slammed shut without reason, objects are thrown across the room, hangers swing uncontrollably, and strange sounds are heard during the night.
The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, California
The Cecil Hotels was built in 1924 by three enterprising hoteliers, William Banks Hanner, Charles Dix, and Robert Schops. By the end of the 1940s, the place was spiraling down the drain — it became one of the premier hot spots in the area known as Skid Row. Today, the hotel is still operational, barely. It has been rebranded so many times that visitors have no idea what they are stepping into.
Is the hotel haunted? Well, the first suicide occurred in 1927, followed by a couple of more through the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The place had so many suicides that by 2008, it was nicknamed “The Suicide” — and a website tracked each hotel’s death. On top of that, drug activity, prostitutes, and adulterous couples often frequented the hotel. It’s also rumored that this was the last spot where Elizabeth Short – she of the infamous Black Dahlia murder – was last seen.
At one point it was the residence of serial killer Richard “the Night Stalker” Ramirez. Most notably, in 2013, the place once more became a trending sensation. Elisa Lam, a Canadian Student, was filmed behaving erratically – running into an elevator, escaping from something, pressing the buttons repeatedly, stepping in and out of the box. Then, in a flash, she disappears. She got off on the ONLY floor without a video camera.
Days later, guests complained that the “water tasted funny” and had “no pressure.” Elisa’s body was uncovered in the cistern tank. The coroner depicted her death as “an accident” due to the fact that she had bipolar disorder. Her death, however, remains a mystery as the cistern tank’s opening was too small for Elisa, in addition to several other discrepancies.
Delve deeper into America’s Most Haunted Places
America’s haunted history is as vast and complex as the country itself, and this list only scratches the surface.
In the meantime, you can visit our blog to find in-depth information about hauntings in the US and around the world. You can also follow US Ghost Adventures on Facebook and Instagram for daily content that’s both bone-chilling and fascinating.
If reading isn’t enough, join us for a live ghost tour in your city!
Visit our webpage to see the list of locations and start your ghost-hunting journey.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisa_Lam(opens in a new tab)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Unterweger(opens in a new tab)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez(opens in a new tab)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dahlia(opens in a new tab)