Colorado Haunted History

Colorado Haunted History Colorado Haunted History currently provides historically accurate haunted walking tours of Morrison a Children under 5 are free.
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Colorado Haunted History currently provides historically accurate haunted history tours of Morrison and Golden, Colorado. The Morrison tour is a one and a half hour walking tour covering the fascinating history amd paranormal accounts of this small town located just minutes from Denver and literally in the shadow of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Tales include the Hatchet Lady of Red Rocks, the

ghosts of the haunted Cliff House, ghost stories of love, murder, robbery, and much more. The Golden tours cover the wild west origins of this town that once was the territorial capital of Colorado. Hear harrowing tales of multiple hangings, shootouts, disasters, and the spirits that still hang around. Due to some salty language and the nature of a few stories, parental guidance is advised on this tour. Tours cost $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Check the website for currently available tours, however, groups of five or more can request other dates and times throughout the year.

888-649-3849
www.coloradohauntedhistory.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here is a ghostly tale that was printed in the March 17th, 1888 edition of The Weekly Irish Tim...
03/17/2025

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here is a ghostly tale that was printed in the March 17th, 1888 edition of The Weekly Irish Times. Enjoy!

The Ghost in Graigue

A lady in the neighbourhood of that old town, much celebrated for her charities, died, and great sorrow was felt for her loss. Many Masses were celebrated, and many prayers offered up for the repose of her soul, and there was a moral certainty of her salvation among her acquaintance.
One evening, after the family had retired to rest, a servant girl in the house, a great favourite with her late mistress, was sitting beside the fire, enjoying the dreamy comfort of a hard-worked person after the day’s fatigues, and just before the utter forgetfulness of sleep.
Her mind was wandering to her late loved mistress, when she was startled by a sensation in her instep, as if it were trodden upon. “Bad manners to you, for a dog,” said she, suspecting the collie of the house to be the offender. But to her great terror, when she looked down, and around the hearth, she saw no living thing.
“Who’s that?” she cried out with the teeth chattering in her head.
“It’s I,” was the answer, and the dead lady came visible to her.
“Oh, mistress, darling!” said she, “What is disturbing out, and can I do anything for you?”
“You can do a little,” said the spirit, “and that is the reason I have appeared to you. Every day and every hour some one of my family and friends are lamenting me, and speaking of my goodness, and that is tormenting me in the other world. All my charities were done only for the pleasure of having myself spoken well of, and they are now prolonging my punishment. The only real good I ever did was to give, once, half a crown to a poor scholar that was studying to be a priest and charging him to say nothing about it.
“That was the only good act that followed me into the other world. And now you must tell my husband and my children to speak well of my past life no more, or I will haunt you night after night.”
The appearance, the next moment, was no longer there, and the poor girl fainted the moment it vanished. When she recovered, she hastened into her settled bed, and covered herself up, head and all, and cried and sobbed till morning.
Everyone wondered the next day to see such a troubled countenance. But she went through her business one way or other, though she could not make up her mind to tell her master what she seen and heard. She dreaded the quiet hour of rest; and well she might, for the displeased lady visited her again at the same hour, and reproached her for her neglect.
Three times the endured the dread visits before she made the required revelation.

131 years ago today (Mar. 14, 1894), large numbers of Denver city policeman and fireman barricaded themselves inside of ...
03/14/2025

131 years ago today (Mar. 14, 1894), large numbers of Denver city policeman and fireman barricaded themselves inside of Denver City Hall, starting what became known as the "City Hall War." At that time, Denver city hall stood at the corner of Larimer St. and 14th St. The location is now a parking lot, however, the city hall bell is part of a monument on that corner.

In 1893, the price of silver dropped, sending Denver into a major depression. Government jobs were considered the best jobs to have, as they were quite stable. However, Governor Davis H. Waite (elected 1892), was a very strong moralist and wanted to rid the state of gambling, prostitution, and other vices such as o***m and alcohol. Denver was rampant with corruption at the time. It was believed by Governor Waite that the biggest gambling rackets were strongly influencing the police commissioners. One piece of evidence was that many people imprisoned for gambling, once transferred from the penitentiary to the reformatory, were being paroled early. Due to this, Governor Waite decided to replace a few members of the board of commissioners, firing the current commissioners. But, the commissioners did not want to go quietly.
On March 14th, a few days after the decision to replace them, the commissioners and their supporters, which included a very large portion of the police force in Denver, holed themselves up inside city hall. Among the supporters were a few of Denver's notorious gamblers including Soapy Smith. They were armed with shotguns and rifles and it is rumored that they also had a large stash of dynamite that they were willing to use to blow up the building.
Governor Waite then called in the Colorado infantry, which placed cannons and gatling guns on 14th St., and aimed them directly at the front doors of city hall. During the following days, the standoff continued drawing crowds of people to watch the situation. It is estimated that up to 20,000 people would gather at any given time.
Thankfully, the situation was resolved peacefully when the Colorado courts decided that the governor did have the right to replace the commissioners. The men, holed up in city hall, peacefully removed themselves after the decision was made in April.
The city hall was torn down in 1936, and only the bell marks its original location on the corner of 14th and Larimer.
Photos from the Denver Public Library Digital Collections. Drawings from Rocky Mountain News.

Reports of ghosts in Colorado have been around a long time. This 1893 article in the Rocky Mountain News reported that t...
03/13/2025

Reports of ghosts in Colorado have been around a long time. This 1893 article in the Rocky Mountain News reported that the town of Lafayette had its own ghost.

"Lafayette has a genuine spook, they say.

"The citizens of this town have been thoroughly excited over the discovery of a real ghost. The visitor from the other world is supposed to be in hiding in an old section house about two miles from Lafayette on the line of the now defunct Denver, Utah and Northern Railroad company.

"The house is occupied by Oscar Mitchletree and family. This family have the reputation of being spiritualists. One night about two weeks ago the ghost, which is supposed to be one of the gentle s*x, was discovered standing at the head of the stairs inside the house by the two ladies of the family, who, on seeing her ghostship, screamed and fainted.

"The noise alarmed Mr. Mitchletree, who rushed into the hall to ascertain the trouble and on seeing the apparition at the tip of the stairs ran back and procured his shotgun and pumped two loads of buckshot into it, which failed to phase Mrs. Ghost. The excitement ran so high that last night a crowd numbering 150, headed by Chief Marshal Runge and Steve Kilian went over the haunted house to capture the ghost.

"Marshal Runge swears by all the saints that he could see the ghost and feel the house sway as though rocked by a violent gale of wind."

It looks like the next time you take a Morrison tour, there will be some new construction in town. A brand new hotel is ...
03/11/2025

It looks like the next time you take a Morrison tour, there will be some new construction in town. A brand new hotel is being constructed between the stone building that housed Cafe Prague and the Morrison Mercantile. Two buildings will be torn down to make way for the new structure (the first new one in downtown in 60 years). Thankfully, neither of the two buildings being razed hold ghost stories, but the look of downtown will certainly change.

BTW, I feel like we're currently in false spring. Tour dates will begin to be published soon.

On this date in 1991 (March 3rd), 25 passengers and crew perished when Flight 585 from Denver to Colorado Springs crashe...
03/03/2025

On this date in 1991 (March 3rd), 25 passengers and crew perished when Flight 585 from Denver to Colorado Springs crashed during final approach to the Colorado Springs airport.

Initially, the NTSB could not determine a cause for the sudden nosedive of the plane that buried parts deep into the ground upon impact. High winds were suspected, but not found to be conclusive. It wasn't until another similar crash near Pittsburgh in 1994, that a probable cause of a rudder defect/malfunction was determined. That defect in Boeing 737 aircraft has since been resolved.

Today, there is a memorial to the victims of flight 585 located in Widefield Park. Twenty-five trees surround the memorial and gazebo, dedicated to the 25 lives that were taken that day.

As I research various interests and topics, I occasionally run across some odd things. This is a photo of two tanks driv...
03/02/2025

As I research various interests and topics, I occasionally run across some odd things. This is a photo of two tanks driving down what is now Old Wadsworth in Arvada, taken in 1927. Was this a Memorial Day parade? Nope. It was part of Arvada's annual Harvest Festival Parade.

Happy Valentine's Day! I know I've been quiet lately, but I'm still around. Tour info and news coming soon!
02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know I've been quiet lately, but I'm still around. Tour info and news coming soon!

It's New Years Eve, so you know what that means! It's time for my annual post of the Aspen Pleasure Seekers Club photo f...
01/01/2025

It's New Years Eve, so you know what that means! It's time for my annual post of the Aspen Pleasure Seekers Club photo from 1910.

Thank you to everybody for another great year of tours and storytelling! I'm already looking forward to 2025 and creating something new! More details will be announced in the coming months, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year! - Joel

Happy Friday the 13th in December!
12/13/2024

Happy Friday the 13th in December!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful to all of you that follow this page and have supported my tours over the years!This ima...
11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful to all of you that follow this page and have supported my tours over the years!

This image is from the 1924 Rocky Mountain News where they reported that 800,000 pounds of turkey had been brought into Denver for the holiday.

Meanwhile, in the same week, the National Poultry, Butter and Egg Association feared that turkeys would be extinct within 20 years. Well, they're still around, and still a traditional part of our Thanksgiving meal.

11/21/2024

This is sad news to hear. Bishop Castle is such an iconic location.

On this date in 1903, it was reported that Father Lepore (pictured) of the Church of our Lady of Mount Carmel had died f...
11/21/2024

On this date in 1903, it was reported that Father Lepore (pictured) of the Church of our Lady of Mount Carmel had died from his gunshot wounds, obtained during a quarrel with Joseph Sorice inside the church. Sorice died about an hour later.

Conflicting stories arose as to what led to the shooting in the church. Father Lepore claimed that Sorice had come from out East where he lost a sum of money from a bank that Lepore unsuccessfully ran several years prior. Sorice came into his office and began shooting. Lepore's nephew claims the two men were playing cards for a quarter a game, and heard the priest say "You lose." An argument ensued, and then Sorice yelled, "YOU lose!!" Gunshots followed.

Whatever led to the shooting, the facts of the shooting were not confused. Sorice shot Father Lepore three times, and then tried to escape out the back door. Lepore caught up to him and turned Sorice's gun upon him and shot him in the abdomen, upon which Sorice fell down the stairs. The gun was found in a heap of trash/rubble at the bottom of the stairs as the church was still under construction.

Father Lepore called out for his nephew and sent for his brother. Lepore asked to be led to the alter, leaving a trail of blood from the hallway into the sacristy. He tried to kneel before the Virgin Mary, but sank, burying his head into a prayer cushion. Both men died at St. Joseph's Hospital. Father Lepore is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Sorice is buried in an unmarked grave in Riverside Cemetery.

This week in 1919, the Colorado School of Mines was in a very heated rivalry with the University of Denver. DU students ...
11/10/2024

This week in 1919, the Colorado School of Mines was in a very heated rivalry with the University of Denver. DU students consistently threatened that they were going to paint the M on the hillside crimson and gold. However, before they did so, a couple of explosions occurred on the DU campus, shattering many windows.

On November 7th, eight DU students made the trek to Golden and attempted to paint the M, but they were discovered and captured by Mines students. They were then placed in mining overalls, had their heads shaved, and were branded with silver nitrate paint on their foreheads (photo).

The next day, Mines students, fed up with the negative stories told about them by the Denver Post, invited a reporter out for a 'Big Story.' They captured him, placed him in overalls, and forced him to carry a copy of the Post that stated 'Yellow Journal.' He was saved from the branding when he declared he was leaving the Post in a few days.

The game on the 8th ended in a 0-0 tie in snowy conditions.

On November 10th an explosion on the mountainside blew away a part of the 'M'. A major snowstorm prevented any tracking of the perpetrators. This was followed by a proclamation from the governor declaring an end to the lawlessness, and a hope that he would not need to send in troops to stop it.

On this day in 1887, Doc Holliday (or Holladay as many newspapers spelled it) passed away from consumption in Glenwood S...
11/08/2024

On this day in 1887, Doc Holliday (or Holladay as many newspapers spelled it) passed away from consumption in Glenwood Springs. His remains were taken to the cemetery that afternoon, but it was believed the ground was too frozen to bury him at that time. Nobody knows the exact spot that he was buried.

As reported in the Denver Republican:

"Doc Holladay is dead. Few men have been better known to a certain class of sporting people, and few men of his character had more friends or stronger champions. He represented a class of men who are fast disappearing in the New West. He had the reputation of being a bunco-man, desperado and bad man generally, yet he was a very mild-mannered man; was genial and companionable, and had many excellent qualities. In Arizona he was associated with the Wyatt Earp gang. These men were officers of the law, and were opposed to the "rustlers" or cattle thieves. Holladay killed several men during his life in Arizona and his body was full of wounds received in bloody encounters. His history was an interesting one. He was sometimes in the right, but quite often in the wrong, probably, in his various escapades. The Doctor had only one deadly encounter in Colorado, and this was in Leadville. He was well known in Denver and had lived here a great deal in the past few years. He had strong friends in some old-time detective officers and in certain representatives of the sporting element. He was a rather good looking man and his coolness and courage, his affable ways and fund of interesting experiences, won him many admirers. He was a strong friend, a cool and determined enemy and a man of quite strong character. He has been well known to all the States and Territories west of Kentucky, which was his old home. His death took place at Glenwood Springs Tuesday morning."

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!Thanks to everyone that attended one of my tours this season! I absolutely love telling ...
11/05/2024

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Thanks to everyone that attended one of my tours this season! I absolutely love telling the stories of these two small towns and seeing the shock on your faces as some disturbing tidbit is revealed. I also love interacting with you and hearing your own stories that cause me to start researching even further into the histories and mysteries of Colorado.

Stay tuned, as I am diligently working on a 3rd potential tour to begin sometime next year. Throughout the winter, I'll also continue to post stories from Colorado's darker past.

Thank you for our continued partnership in Morrison. It's been a pleasure to start and end the tours at your haunted establishment.

Until next time, Joel

Photo credit: Laura R. (Thanks!)

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Mount Vernon Avenue At Stone Street
Morrison, CO
80465

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Colorado Haunted History currently provides historically accurate haunted history tours of Morrison and Golden, Colorado. The Morrison tour is a one and a half hour walking tour covering the fascinating history amd paranormal accounts of this small town located just minutes from Denver and literally in the shadow of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Tales include the Hatchet Lady of Red Rocks, the ghosts of the haunted Cliff House, ghost stories of love, murder, robbery, and much more. The Golden tours cover the wild west origins of this town that once was the territorial capital of Colorado. Hear harrowing tales of multiple hangings, shootouts, disasters, and the spirits that still hang around. Due to some salty language and the nature of a few stories, parental guidance is advised on this tour. Tours cost $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Children 5 and under are free. Check the website for currently available tours, however, groups of five or more can request other dates and times throughout the year. 888-649-3849 www.coloradohauntedhistory.com