05. The Haunted Stanley Hotel

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello and welcome to the truecrime podcast beyond the ferns

(00:05):
with your host Susie buckle upThings are about to get a little
scary hello, and welcome to thepodcast, Beyond the Ferns.

(00:53):
I'm happy to have y'all heretoday.
It is October.
I Just threw up my hands.
It is the 10th month of theyear, and not only are we in the
10th month of the year, butwe're in the spookiest, most
mysterious, most crazy time ofthe year.

(01:15):
The time where We have thingsthat are unexplained.
We have ghosts, we have goblins,we have haunted houses.
And I am here to bring you allof it.
Now, we will be moving frommurder, our favorite, I know, to
a different flavor today, whichis haunted house.

(01:38):
A haunted house.
And none other than Then thehaunted Stanley Hotel, one of
the most iconic hotels in thenation when it comes to
paranormal activity.
Without further ado, let's getinto it.
I'm going to take you back tothe 18 hundreds.

(02:01):
The land and era of my parentsmade me walk 10 miles to school.
No matter the weatherconditions, snow rain, sunshine,
blizzard.
Knees to chest kid.
That is in the era that we aregoing to be exploring today.
Now in June of 18 49, 2 twinscame into the world and that was

(02:26):
the Stanley brothers.
Freelance Oscar.
And he was referred to as Andhis brother Francis Edgar
referred to as F E they wereborn in Kingfield Maine to
parents, Solomon, and a FIAStanley.
They were identical twins, twoof seven siblings, their father
Solomon, who was a farmer andteacher was a catalyst to
instilling a sense of importancearound education and
entrepreneurship.

(02:47):
At a very young age, the Stanleybrothers were bright, natural
inventors.
They were the type of kids inschool that you knew could make
waves in society.
If they use their skills wiselyand spoiler alert, they did.
EPO started his career ineducation.
He enjoyed this career fieldimmensely after teaching for.
After teaching for eight years,he turned his love of education
into a business opportunity bystarting a company, selling

(03:08):
school supplies.
And although it was successfulfo decided to join his brother
in the company he hadestablished, which was the
Stanley dry plate company.
Fo started his career ineducation.
And he enjoyed this career fieldimmensely.
After teaching for eight years,he turned his love and
enthusiasm with an educationinto a business opportunity.

(03:31):
This business was a company thatsold school supplies.
And although it was successful.
F O decided to join his brotherin the company that he had
established, which was theStanley dry plate company.
This was a revolutionaryprocess, which allowed for
greater ease of photography.
The method was first invented byDr.
Richard L Maddix.

(03:51):
Remember those old timey photoswhere everyone looks tight, Jod
and angry at the world.
It's probably because thatfamily photo took upwards of 30
to 45 minutes of sitting andholding a pose, hoping that
Timmy could stay in one placebefore having a tantrum.
And I asked those mids to makecookies in the oven.
Would it burn.
They're poor face muscles, allto say the trailblazers are
photography made this processeasier than that.
With the dry plates.

(04:12):
Now the profits made from thedry plate venture allowed them
to invent the Stanley steamer in1897, which was alternative.
Which was an alternative fuelprocess.
The first steam poweredautomobiles manufactured by
Stanley motor carriage company,and think.
With the dry plates.
The profits made from the strikeplate venture allowed them to
advent the Stanley steamer in1897.

(04:35):
Which was an alternative fuelprocess.
The first steam poweredautomobile manufactured by none
other than the Stanley motorcarriage company.
In 1903 while the Stanleysteamer was taking off, fo
Stanley was experiencing a majorhealth decline.
Having received news that he hadtuberculosis from his doctor.

(04:58):
Now tuberculosis is an infectionof the lungs.
And in this day and age, you canreceive antibiotics and
oftentimes make a full recoveryif carried out correctly.
However, back in the early 19hundreds, medicine was not where
it is today.
Sometimes we're not alwaysapparent.
It could mean a matter of lifeor death quickly.
EFA visited his doctor and wasmet with an unexpected year to

(05:19):
live diagnosis.
Alongside that diagnosis withdoctor's orders, or rather
advising him to seek crisp,fresh, dry air that could
provide him with a betterquality of life.
AKA Colorado.
And in 1903 F O and floraaccepted the doctor's orders
move to Denver to the couple, itwould be a miracle if he made it
the whole year or had a solidone at that given EFA was
suffering through thesesymptoms.

(05:41):
And the move reaped littleresults.
They were desperate to tryanything and everything.
At this point, a couple ofretreated to a small mining town
in Estes park.
The leading at this town couldserve as at least a peaceful
environment they needed for foto continue out his remaining
months.
But the universe said somethingbetter in mind for this couple
miraculously FL made a fullrecovery.
In Estes park would turn intotheir forever home.

(06:03):
I haven't heard the CS.
Yay.
Fo and flora bought 8.4 acresand built a house and fo could
have stopped retired on amountain side, breathing in the
clean air and feeding theneighborhood sheep.
However, He wanted more.
He wanted more than that.
And he was edging onto his midto late fifties at this time.
But he wanted to use his talentsto contribute to the overall

(06:24):
town.
To add in the prosperity byestablishing a new and improved
I have in parentheses.
Yay.
Fo and flora bought 8.4 acresand built a house and fo could
have stopped retired on amountain side, breathing in the
clean air and feeding theneighboring sheep.

(06:46):
He was edging on to mid to latefifties at this time.
However, he had dreams that wereunfulfilled.
And he wanted to press on makingthese a reality.
F O used his talents tocontribute to the overall
prosperity of the town byestablishing a new and improved
road system.
This road was compatible withspending a steamer car on it.

(07:07):
Smart.
You also created a sewer serviceand with these brains came a
townie that wanted to truly getback to his town, offering a
kind and charismatic personalitythat put locals at ease.
And offering a hand to localprojects and a ride to anyone
that may need one.
And a steamer car.
Of course he was a businessmanat heart.
Now, aside from the majorimprovements made in Estes park.
F, oh, was I in the land?
Wyndham Quinn, Don Raven ownednearly 15,000 acres of Estes

(07:31):
park.
Some of that land today is theRocky mountain national park.
Owning as much land was unheardof.
And when they say also illegal,if we're being honest, but done
Raven founded loopholes in thehomestead act of 1862, which
allowed for a lot of bind landselling to another and buying
back land a very complicatedprocess that I'm not going to
act like I know anything about,but that's how dun Raven could

(07:51):
have possibly inquired.
All of this land was throughseveral loopholes.
And this homestead act, thewhole point of it was to protect
this very thing from happening.
And allotted 160 acres of landper citizen.
Was allowed.
So at this point, it's like15,000 against one 60.
You know, done.
Raven was on the primarymonopoly board.
He was the winner here.
He dropped us, keeping this areaa private game preserve where he

(08:13):
could hunt bigger game, like bighorn sheep bears and big cats.
This is why I don't eat meat,but for real, I hate this and
the locals did this to.
And the locals did too.
the homestead act was supposedto protect this very thing from
happening.
And it meant that everybody wassupposed to be capped off at 160

(08:35):
acres of land per citizen.
However, if we're looking at amonopoly board done, Raven would
have been a winner because hehad this much land.
And he dreamt of keeping thisarea a private game preserve
where he could hunt bigger game,like big horn, sheep bears, and
big cats.
This is why I don't eat meat,but for real.

(08:56):
I hate this and the locals didtoo.
And the imbalance of the localsideas and visions for what the
town could be.
We're bound to the ideas andvisions of one single person,
but that would change quickly.
And on Raven streams for Estespark would dissolve when more
settlers and tourism skyrocket.
That would quickly change.
Because Don Raven's dreams forestos park and his vision would

(09:19):
dissolve when more settlers camein and tourism began to
skyrocket.
Don Raven then looked intoselling the land and there were
eager buyers.
DB suborn and ours truly foStanley.
I would jump.
At the opportunity to buy landfrom Dunn, Raven.

(09:40):
And all three men would haveholdings on the land, but.
As soon as done, Raven didrelinquish anybody he had in the
batter and moved back toEngland.
He did make out like a banditthough, having a mountain named
after him in the Rockymountains, along with
restaurants and other places.
So EFA Stanley the innovator andvisionary up his hotel, thought
the hotel could be named afterDon Raven, since the land was
monumental to the creation ofthe hotel, from where it's at.

(10:02):
But the townspeople were like,hell no.
And strongly oppose this namesince dumber even had held such
power and control over thefuture of Estes park.
The local spell the name, held anegative connotation and local
farmers, ranchers, and otherlocals in the town.
Took to the buckskin.
Yes.
You heard that, right?
They signed a petition on abuckskin and disapproval of the
name done Raven and offered thesuggestion of the Stanley hotel

(10:25):
to be named after fo Stanley.
They're like, Hey, grab me apiece of paper.
Better yet.
Make it a buckskin.
Fo Stanley obliged and thevision began to come to life and
fo drew inspiration from homes,familiar to his and new England.
With the help of an architectnamed T Robert Waker and
contractor Frank Kerkhoff the140 room hotel.
In colonial revival style wasbuilt.

(10:47):
And with wood and steel, thishotel at body, the aesthetics
and essence of a call tranquilsummer retreat.
Catering to the wealthiest ofthe wealthy.
Offering an escape from thebustling city life where one
could seek refuge andrejuvenation and the remote
mountain valley of the Rockymountains.

(11:46):
Now this hotel offered top ofthe line architecture.
Beautiful scenery.
And cutting edge amenities beingthe first, all electric hotel.
Surpassing, even those in NewYork city.
With electricity, indoorplumbing and telephones.

(12:08):
Uh, groundbreaking feet for thisbeing a remote mountain valley
location.
The property consisted of 160acres with 10 other buildings
offering entertainment toguests, such as a concert hall.
Bowling alleys and a casino.
The property was valued at500,000.
Be right back.
Let me go find The property wasvalued at$500,000.

(12:33):
Be right back.
I'm going to go find a shack forthat price in Portland.
Which would be around$17 milliontoday.
And hotel guests paid a whoppingfive to$10 a day, which would
include their stateentertainment and meals.
That would be in this day andage, the price of a number one

(12:56):
on the McDonald's.
Yeah.
So, uh, the addition to best ispark community.
I turned Now we've gottenthrough the history.
We understand how it was built.
We understand the visionariesbehind it.
But when do the hauntings comein, you ask.
Well, now we have hit the pointin the episode where I'm going
to introduce some ghost to you.

(13:18):
But not without explaining aquick story.
So in 1911, just two years afterthe Stanley hotel opened its
stores community, a stormflooded into the mountain valley
causing a major power outage inthe hotel.
No FL bean and adventure and beprepared for something like this
happen.
He made his current backup plan.

(13:39):
He was able to figure out whatcould be done in case of this
kind of emergency.
And the backup plan for poweroutages was to supply a
gasoline, turned in each guestroom.
Elizabeth Watson was the head ofchambermaid for the hotel.
And she entered into each roomwith a candle and handed to
light the gas lanterns.
One-to-one.
Ashley is making her way throughthe hotel, greeting guests and
offering.
She approaches room two 17.
Unknowingly this specific roomwas experiencing a gas leak.
With the candle and hand and thegas leak, you can see.

(14:03):
Elizabeth was matched with amassive explosion that had her.
I'm 30 air and launched from thesecond floor room.
The first floor dining room.
Now she did survive thisincident.
She just suffered.
I mean, she only suffered twobroken ankles and a total of
eight people were injured inthis wing of the hotel,
including a couple of hotelemployees.
However, nowadays, route two 17is a popular pair of normal
room.
It is the one that oftentimeshas bookings for months in

(14:24):
advance, years in advance, wherepeople to be able to stay in
this room.
As it was known as one of theitems.
Was known to be one of the mostactive rooms in the hotel.
There's been numerous accountsof guest experiencing strange
phenomena during their hotelstays.
Elizabeth spirit dwells in thisroom, although she is known to
be friendly and helpful on mostoccasions, guest report, have
you been woken up to theirclothes?
Unfolded suitcase packs andtoiletry items neatly arranged
on the best.

(16:22):
Now that years carried on andhosted many guests.
However, with any major hotel,there is a ton of upkeep.
And there was a lot of changesthroughout ownership of the
hotel throughout these decades.
And due to a lack of investmentin upkeep, the hotel was

(16:44):
failing.
However an unexpected hotelvisitor would change everything
for the Stanley.
Perhaps you've heard of thisauthor.
Steven.
King.
Now in October of 1974, StephenKing and his wife made the Trek
out to Estes park.
And when they arrived, they weresurprised to find the hotel
nearly empty.

(17:05):
Now because the season wasnearing its end and a hotel
close for the winter.
Remember it's a summer resort.
This massive hotel.
Now because the season wasnearing its end and the hotel
closure for the winter wascoming.
Remember, it's a summer resort.
This massive of a hotel and ahaunted one that was only an

(17:27):
opportunity for king.
Although a horror writer, it wasunsettling.
The vastness of the longhallways and high ceilings, the
hotel seem to be frozen at time.
Like a treasured Relic in a snowglobe straight out of the early
19 hundreds.
So king made his way through thespace and claimed to have seen a
ghostly figure of a boy.

(17:48):
Since it was just them in thehotel.
He knew it couldn't have beenanother guest.
Startled.
He made a note of this andheaded back to his room for the
night.
As he laid down to sleep, he hada nightmare.
His three-year-old son was beingchased through the hotel's
hallway, screaming and horror.
As a firehose serpent, likeobject began to wrap itself
around his body and swallow himwhole.
Absolutely rocked and startledby the stream.

(18:09):
King would do what any saneperson would do.
Get up.
Light a cigarette and beginmapping out the plot and premise
of his next novel.
This would be none other fan theshiny.
The shining, although none ofthat was filmed at the Stanley.
The Stanley was the inspirationto buy King's experience in the
hotel, and it would be anAmerican, psychological horror
classic of its time.
Starring Jack Nicholson andShelley Duvall.

(18:30):
This changed everything for theStanley hotel, moving forward
now.
And forevermore.
This would be a primedestination for movie buffs and
paranormal lovers.

(19:11):
The Stanley hotel is consideredone of the most haunted hotels
in the us.
And many of the rooms arehaunted.
But the fourth floor is said tohave the most out of any other
floor.
The fourth floor used to be anattic where kids and nannies and
female employees resided.

(19:33):
And some of the common thingsreported our kids giggling
running up and down the floor,closet doors and windows opening
and closing on their own.
And room 4 28, a spirit of acowboy is known to spend the
night with you.
The cowboy likes to pace backand forth at the foot of the bed
while gazing directly at theperson in bed.
Only to vanish moments laterthrough the door, out into the

(19:53):
floors hallway.
Claims of furniture being movedand female guests describing
experiences where they feel aghost sleep KIS have been
reported.
The most creepy.
The most creepiest of things tome is the reports of footsteps
on the ceiling.
According to the director oftours of the Stanley hotel, clay
Johnson, the footsteps on theceiling don't offer a clear
logical explanation.
A specific room.
There are no other floors.

(20:14):
Above this room.
North.
There are no other floors aboutthis room nor standing room, let
alone walking room.
There was no roof access and theroof slants, which would make it
incredibly hard for anything towalk across.
So those tours are held daily atthe Stanley hotel.
This offers a change.
This offers a chance to hear andsee things the Callaway room,
and while reviewing the photo,he was met with an unexpected

(20:34):
Erie image sitting in front ofthis room was a young boy brown
at age of seven to eight,wearing the common attire of the
early 19 hundreds off whiteruffled shorts and a large brown
Bryn hat over his eyes.
Room 4 0 1 really.
4, 0 7, several guests havereported being tucked into bed.
And then after they be tuckedinto bed, that presence goes and

(20:55):
sits on the foot of the bed.
When they're startled and theyturn on the lights.
No one is there just anindention mark on the covers.
Now Stanley's hotel lobby isknown to be a hot spot for
paranormal activity.
This area is referred to as thevortex, The staircase that

(21:15):
connects the lobby to the secondfloor is thought to be a
paranormal portal.
Guests have reported feelinginstantly dizzy and immediate
temperature changes to eerilycold.
Others have seen orbs.
And one guest was able to snap aphoto of the staircase and in
her photo was an image of ayoung girl sitting on the

(21:36):
stairs.
F.
Oh, and flora have been seenlooking down from the staircase
often.
Can anyone say ghost goals?
Okay.
That was terrible.
Anyway.
So moving on to billard room andpiano room paranormal

(21:57):
occurrences.
Flora Stanley FO's wife passedaway in 1939.
And fo passed away shortly afterin 1940.
They may not be in the same formof uni.
Their spirits live on in theStanley.
FMS favorite room in the hotelwas a billiards room.
As he was an avid pool player.

(22:19):
His ghostly apparition has beenknown to be seen walking
throughout this area.
And flora loved playing piano inthe concert hall.
Many guests have reportedhearing floors, tunes, pod,
further inspection ofidentifying the person, playing
the piano.
Yes, sir.
Gessi only the keys being pusheddown.
When they go in a little furtherto inspect the guests movements
are enough to stop the musicaltogether.
Another popular paranormal thefirst few years of the hotel's

(22:41):
existence.
Paul was the Nightwatch for thehotel.
He enforced the curfew at 11:00PM and he has known to say, get
out.
If guests are around this arealate into the night.
After 11:00 PM.
That is it.
Construction worker who havebeen doing some work late into
the night on the concert hall,reported feeling.
The nudge and then two and thenthree, until he thought he
better leave.
He thought that's probably Paul.

(24:01):
Which takes us to the tunnel.
The creepiest of areas in thehotel.
At least in my opinion.
Since the hotel was built upon amountain valley, there's a giant
exposed tree root.
Under the hotel.
And as the mountain terrainnaturally shifts on its own

(24:22):
doorframes in the hotel roomshave gaps along the top, or
barely noticeable changes areseen throughout the hotel and
other areas.
However, generally these thingsgo back to normal with time.
The tunnel is located in thebottom floor of the hotel.
And originally this tunnel wasmade to give construction
workers, greater access and easeto their work sites.
And back to the dormitories.

(24:42):
After a long day of work, afterthe construction of the hotel,
it was venues for employees todiscreetly navigate their way to
different areas of the hoteldecades.
A decade since this tunnel has,for the most part, been
demolished to avoid injuries oras director clay Johnson.
For the most part, the tunnel isbasically gone.

(25:03):
It's either been caved in on itsown or it's been demolished to
avoid any injuries.
Director clay Johnson shared hisown personal experience of
feeling a tap on his shoulderand turning to what he believed
would be an employee or a guest.
But nothing was there.
There has been reports ofgiggles, shadows, taps of

(25:26):
shoulders and voices near and inthe tunnel.
Now this tunnel is about.
I would say seven to 10 feet atthis time.
It doesn't go back too far.
But ghost tours do take a littlelook into the tunnel.
And oftentimes Paul likes to puton a show and turn on and off
the lights for the guest.

(25:52):
Whether you want to call thereports as heightened level of
awareness to what is deemed tobe a highly paranormal activity,
haunted place in the U S.
Or a real lived experiencedevent.
It's fun to hear about theseexperiences and different areas
of the hotel that are known tocarry this kind of energy.

(26:15):
But what about the skeptics?
During my research, I ran acrossthe blog by Michael Nardin, a
creative writer for thediscover.
Not only is Michael skeptic, buthe doesn't believe that goes to
real.
Although he's open-minded andone team to be open to
persuasion.
He wanted to check out theStanley for himself to answer
the age old question is theStanley hotel haunted.

(26:36):
Now Michael arrived in earlyOctober and booked the famously
haunted room 4 0 1.
Upon his arrival, his room had anote that explained what he was
getting himself into.
I'm going to read the littleexpert.
He found a way to read thelittle note he found in his
room.
Quipped a male goes to somebelieve to be the Lord done.
Raven is reported to be in thisroom.
Although he never visited theroom in his life as it was built
20 years after he left as doespark, it was built on land.

(26:57):
Around her shoulder or waist orhand moving up the back of their
leg.
Men don't feel particularlywelcome in this room.
Sometimes as they have feltsomeone is pressing them into
bed or their jewelrydisappearing.
This was the room where Jasonhad the ghost hunters,
television show had his drinkingglass, which was on the
nightstand implode while he wassleeping.
The closet door also opened andclosed on its own.
And quote, as Michael made hisway up, the two staircases

(27:18):
Michael quote.
Michael says, quote, I was metwith an unsettling silence.
The kind that somehow seems louddespite being the opposite.
The room looked straight out ofthe early 19 hundreds from the
old fashioned decor andfurnishings.
And to the right was a famoushaunted closet.
There were two chairs set upwith a view of the courtyard.
Two things did occur whileMichael was seen in room 4 0 1.

(27:39):
Now one was explained the othernot so much.
The first thing is the windowdid shut, close on its own while
he state of half asleep, halfawake.
Close to dreaming.
But not entirely aware of it.
And at 1:48 AM, he was woken upby stepping, breathing just a
few inches near his face.
Is that Elizabeth perhaps, andI'm spooked Michael flipped on

(28:00):
the lights, but saw nothing.
Although Michael was stillskeptical of what occurred.
His experience opened his eyesto the paranormal.
As being more than just to gostory or folklore, Michael still
carries this experience into hislife.
Open that there could be muchmore than the eyes can see.
Now the Stanley hotel hostupwards to 400,000 visitors
annually.

(28:21):
And although not everything isstraight out of the 19 hundreds
anymore, as things have beenchanged as the years move on and
upkeep.
Fo flora, Paul and Elizabeth.
We'll be more than happy totreat you to a beautiful stay at
their hotel.
Which is now open all year.

(29:54):
and that is the Stanley hotel.
I've been so excited to sharethat one with you.
Located in Estes park yearround, go check out their spooky
scary rooms.
Try the state in room two 17.
If you are up to it or room 4 01 or 4 0 7 or 4 28.

(30:17):
Or there's probably rooms nonhaunted if you want to sleep.
But what's the fun in that.
Thank you, everyone forlistening.
I hope everyone has a beautifulweek ahead and there is more
spooky to come for the month ofOctober.
So bring your emotional supportanimal.
Your blanket, your weightedblanket, and let's get into it
more next week.
I hope everyone has anenjoyable.

(30:37):
I am going to go.
Hmm, probably eat some junkfood.
Drink a liquid IB and just be.
Hello, everyone.
Does the same take care.