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The Legend of the Ute Spirits of the Mist on the Grand Lake

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On misty mornings on the Grand Lake in the Rocky Mountain National park in Colorado, it is said that the ghosts of the Ute tribe are haunting the cursed water after drowning in it after a bloody battle.

“Since that dark night when the storm frowned,
And night her mantle had thrown around,
The ghosts of the warriors lain,
Rise up from their graves again,
Again in battle line they stand,
The dead chief leading his command.
They then engage in deadly fight
And stop not till the morning light;
For at the first faint streak of day
These ghostly forms will fade away.
By Joseph L. Wescott as told by an old Ute Chief

Rocky Mountain National Park, located in northern Colorado, is a breathtaking expanse of wilderness encompassing over 415 square miles of rugged mountains, alpine lakes, and diverse ecosystems. Established in 1915, the park is renowned for its stunning vistas, including the towering peaks of the Continental Divide and the picturesque Trail Ridge Road, which offers panoramic views from over 12,000 feet above sea level. Visitors to the park can explore over 350 miles of hiking trails, encounter a rich variety of wildlife such as elk, bighorn sheep, and black bears, and experience the serene beauty of lush meadows and dense forests. 

The park also houses many of the infamous haunted places, like the real hotel that inspired Stephen King’s iconic novel, The Shining.

Read More: Check out the ghost stories from The Haunted History of The Stanley Hotel, the hotel in the Shining is based on.

Within the majestic beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park, where peaks touch the heavens and valleys cradle secrets, lies a tale that weaves through the landscape like the mist that graces its peaks. 

Rocky Mountains: On misty mornings in the rocky mountain national park by Grand Lake, it is said that the ghost of the Ute Spirits from a bloody battle is still haunted the now cursed lake.

The Ute Tribe on the Grand Lake

Legend speaks of a group of Utes who, centuries ago, established a camp near the serene Grand Lake. This is Colorado’s largest natural body of water and in the time when the natives occupied the land, it was known as Spirit Lake. There are many stories around this lake, some claiming that the spirit of a mighty buffalo is roaming the lake when it is frozen, only leaving hoof prints behind.  

But the most haunted story about the Grand Lake is the Legend of the Ute Spirits. Where the tribe originally came from is uncertain, could they have come from the Great Basin or Mexico? Perhaps they were descendants of the Paleo-Indians who used to hunt mammoths and mastodons in the area. In any case, they held a stronghold in the Western slope of the Rockies for a long time. The nomadic tribes spent their summers in the area until the land was taken by the U.S government in 1803. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

The indigenous had lived in the area for thousands of years and the Ute tribe was primarily at the west side of the park around Grand Lake and Lake Granby. They were hunters and gatherers and migrated every season on the hunting grounds along the Western slope of the Continental Divide.

The Ute People: In addition to their ancestral lands within Colorado and Utah, their historic hunting grounds extended into current-day Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico. The tribe also had sacred grounds outside their home domain that were visited seasonally. Group of Ute Indians on the War Path. 1868. Andrew J. Russell, photographer.

This picturesque scene, however, would soon be marred by tragedy. The Utes found themselves unexpectedly ambushed by a rival tribe, the Arapahos and possibly the Cheyenne as well. The Arapahos were a neighboring tribe, originally from present day Canada who had migrated to the present day Colorado around 1790 because of conflict with their neighbors. They mostly settled in the eastern part of the park, and conflict between the two tribes escalated.

Originally they mostly fought over hunting ground, but after gold was found in Colorado in 1858, both of the tribes were pushed further away and confined them to reservations and by 1878, the Arapaho tribe were pushed into a reservation in Wyoming and Oklahoma, and the Ute pushed into the southwest corner of Colorado and Utah. 

Ute Camp: Prior to living on reservations, Utes shared land with other tribal members according to a traditional societal property system. Instead of recognizing this lifestyle, the U.S. government provided allotments of land. The Utes were intended to farm the land, which also was a forced vocational change. Utes were forced to perform manual labor, relinquish their horses, and send their children to American Indian boarding schools. Almost half of the children sent to boarding school in Albuquerque died in the mid-1880s, due to tuberculosis or other diseases. Photo: Charles Craig, Uncompahgre Ute Indian Camp, 1893

But before the land was completely lost to them, there was fighting around the Grand Lake and evidence of fighting on the west side of the lake and maybe the east side close to Moraine Park. The Arapaho entered the area through Forest Canyon, avoiding detection by Ute scouts.

According to stories, around 300 Utes were killed, with few being able to escape. In a desperate bid to escape the violence, the women and children of the Ute tribe embarked on a canoe or some sort of raft, seeking refuge from the impending danger.

As fate would have it, a sudden gust of wind, an unseen force, disrupted the waters and capsized the canoe, plunging its occupants into the icy depths. The lake, once a source of solace, became a watery grave, claiming the lives of those who sought refuge on its surface.

The Ute Spirits on the Lake

The Ute, grief-stricken and haunted by the memories of that ill-fated day, came to view Grand Lake as a cursed place. They shunned its shores, steering clear of the watery abyss that held the echoes of their collective tragedy. The misty mornings that embraced the lake seemed to carry the whispers of the lost Ute women and children, their spirits forever entwined with the ethereal elements of the landscape.

Read More: Check out all haunted Lakes

Today, visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park may find themselves enraptured by the mist-kissed mornings, where the veil between the seen and the unseen grows thin. The legend holds that you can still see ghostly forms in the morning mist rising from the lake and hear the wailing of the lost women and children beneath the winter ice. 

It is also said that during these moments, the spirits of the Ute women and children manifest, their ghostly figures beckoning onlookers to join them in the depths of the lake.

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References:

The Legend Of Grand Lake | KRKY Ski Country 

The Ute Legend of Grand Lake | Grand County History Stories 

Native American History of Rocky Mountain National Park – Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides 

https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ETG19140711.2.21&e=——-en-20–1–img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA——–0——

Rocky Mountain National Park: An Indigenous History 

The Legend of Grand Lake 

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The Haunted History of The Stanley Hotel

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From rooms filled with terror to séances gone wrong and best seller horror books, discover what really goes on inside The Stanley Hotel and why some say its ghosts still haunt the grounds today. 

The Stanley Hotel is known for its vibrant history, picturesque mountain views, and haunted past. The 140 room hotel in the Rocky Mountains has become an infamous stage for paranormal activity, from séances gone wrong to guests staying in rooms filled with terror. 

Uncover what really goes on inside the hotel rooms and why some believe its ghosts still haunt the grounds today and why the Stanley Hotel is so famous.

Learn the Fascinating History of The Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel has been a Colorado landmark since 1909 when it was first built by businessman Freelan Oscar Stanley with the help of his wife Flora. It was built for the upper-class Easterners and worked as a health retreat for sufferers of tuberculosis. It is still operating as a hotel to this day where they have expanded on the original hotel as well as tried to preserve it.

The place of Estes Park is a pretty remote place in Colorado, so why did a luxury hotel suddenly spring up here?

In 1903, Stanley was given less than 6 months to live because of tuberculosis and he was recommended to take some fresh air. He and his wife went to the Rocky Mountains like so many other people with the means to heal in the brisk fresh mountain air. 

Thinking it would be the last place he would see, he instead recovered in the couple of months he spent there and he fell in love with the place, and he lived to be 91 years old. He then started constructing Estes Park into a summer resort town and building the Stanley Hotel. 

The Stanley Hotel as a Haunted Hotel

Feel an air of mystery and intrigue that seems to linger within its rooms, each full of strange stories and some potentially haunted by those who passed through them over the years.

Read Also: Find out more stories about Haunted Hotels: Here

The Stanley Hotel’s eerie atmosphere—fully illuminated in Estes Park’s pristine night sky—has been featured in films, TV shows and artwork for decades. Its most famous appearance is in Stephen King’s classic horror novel The Shining— a tale involving ghostly apparitions, psychological torment and murder. Despite a rather peaceful history in the early years and not many traumatic happenings connected to the hotel, it has a very strong haunted reputation, especially since King’s visit. 

Others say they’ve found themselves locked in an elevator with a ghostly figure inside and staff members whisper tales of unexplained children’s laughter echoing through the hotel’s hallways. Ghost shows, paranormal researchers as well as guided ghost tours are all trying to get to the bottom of the supposed haunted hotel.

The Shining

“The Shining” is a classic horror novel penned by the renowned author Stephen King. Published in 1977, it delves into the story of Jack Torrance, who becomes the winter caretaker of the secluded and eerie Overlook Hotel. As Jack and his family, including his psychic son Danny, endure the isolation and the hotel’s malevolent supernatural forces, they are gradually consumed by their own inner demons and the sinister history of the place. King’s storytelling and exploration of psychological horror have cemented “The Shining” as a seminal work in the horror genre, and has been adapted into a highly acclaimed film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The novel combines elements of the paranormal with the psychological, creating an atmosphere of dread and unease that lingers.

As mentioned the book was inspired by the Stanley Hotel and the legends that surrounds it. King was inspired to set his book to the hotel after he spent a night there in room number 217 just when it was about to shut down for the winter season. This particular room transformed into the infamous room 237 in the book.

The exterior shots seen in the movie The Shining were filmed on studio sets and at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon, not The Stanley Hotel though. The interior scenes were filmed on sound stages in England. There was a mini series from 1997 on TV by the same name that were actually filmed at The Stanley Hotel.

Room 217

From disembodied voices heard in the hallways to unearthly shadows passing through rooms, The Stanley Hotel has plenty of spine-chilling stories. People who have visited over the years claim to have seen strange mists moving from guest room to guest room and feel a chill as they pass by Room 217. 

So what is it about this room that has made it a hot spot for the alleged paranormal activity? During a Colorado snowstorm there was a housekeeper named Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson who walked around and lit up the acetylene lanterns in the hotel to prepare the hotel for the snowstorm that could cut off the power to the hotel. 

Unbeknownst to her, there was a gas leak on the second floor that filled the entire wing with flammable gas, and when she lit a match inside of room 217 there was an explosion that destroyed the entire floor and she fell down into the MacGregor dining room below. 

No one died and Mrs. Wilson only broke both her ankles. But the legend started to take hold in the hotel and many believe it is Mrs. Wilson is haunting the room after she died at age 90, many years after the explosion. 

Guests who have been staying in room 217 are reporting of the lights turning on and off as well as claiming that their personal items are being moved around in the room. But perhaps there wouldn’t have been as many claims if it hadn’t been that Stephen King himself stayed there when he was inspired by his book. 

Room 217: In the movie The Shining, the use of the haunted room of 217 is still used, although in a different way than in the actual The Stanley Hotel. Inside this room is the ghost of Lorraine Massey who used to to seduce young bell boys into her room. In the end she killed herself in disgust.

The Stairway Vortex

Another place that has gained attention for the strange things happening around it is the stairway connecting the hotel lobby to the second floor. Many think of it as a kind of tunnel of spiritual energy that attracts all the spirits and ghosts around the hotel and makes them stay. 

This is what the mediums are saying, but are normal people just as affected as those claiming to be able to sense energy like that? According to guests and staff members, many feel dizzy walking down the stairs and there have been many ghost sightings in this staircase and some even claim to have it documented. 

One of the more famous documentaries is a picture of what they think could be the ghost of a young girl as they claimed there was no one walking down the stairs at the time. This made headlines in the news and many look at this as convincing evidence for hauntings at the The Stanley Hotel.

So what do we think? Convincing evidence or obvious fraud?

The Concert Hall

One of the gifts the original builder made to his wife, Flora, was the concert hall. In it there was also a piano she would play as often as she could. After her death there is said to be classical piano music coming from the concert hall when there is no one inside late at night that fills the hotel. 

Another ghost that allegedly haunts the place is Paul. He used to be the one enforcing the hotel curfew in the early years of the The Stanley Hotel that started at 11 sharp. Guests as well as staff have said they have heard Paul tell them to get out when it is too late. 

The 4th Floor

In the early days of the The Stanley Hotel, the 4th floor was only used as an attic to store stuff during the closed winter months. It would later be rebuilt, first as lodging for females as well as their children. Then even later the 4th floor would be remade into hotel suits. 

Today, many guests complain about the noise of children running through the halls, laughing as they play throughout the night. When they open the doors for a closer inspection though, there are no children in sight. 

The Child Ghosts: In the movie The Shining, the ghost twins plays a prominent role. The Grady sisters are two ghost girls who were murdered by their father Delbert Grady, when he was possessed by ghosts.

Inside of the rooms, especially in room 428, there are reports about people’s stuff being moved around. Especially the clothes they just casually threw away would be tidied away and folded in the drawers. 

In addition to children playing in the late hours, there is also a rumor of it being haunted by a local cowboy. 

His name was James Nugent, otherwise known as the Rocky Mountain Jim, a local man that was pretty well known in the town. He was known as quite a ladies man, and people tell that they are surprised when they wake up and see the ghost of him standing by their bed. Female guests are particularly bothered and straight up harassed by him, and he is said to try to give them kisses in the middle of the night when they try to sleep. 

The Underground Caves

Under the The Stanley Hotel there is a very intricate underground cave system underneath it where the employees used to discreetly get around the hotel to not be seen by the guests. 

Those still working in the The Stanley Hotel say that there are some activities still going on in those caves. The smell of freshly baked goods has been thought to be from one of the pastry chefs that worked at the hotel when it first opened. 

The Icehouse

Before refrigerators and freezers became an indoor thing with the help of electricity, people used to store food outside in cold ice houses. There they also stored large blocks of ice to use in the bar for fancy drinks. 

Today the ice house is reworked into a museum to hold old cars at the hotel, and there are said to be two ghosts inside. One of them is a kid named Billy that tends to show up rather blurry in photographs. Who he was in regards to the The Stanley Hotel is unknown though.  

Stay at the Haunted Hotel

So those are some of the most famous ghost stories and places around the The Stanley Hotel where there are reported a lot of paranormal activity. 

These stories, combined with King’s famous novel and other supernatural legends attached to the grounds, have made The Stanley Hotel an alluring attraction for those interested in eerie secrets. And the hotel itself has decided to really lean into the haunted rumors with their own ghost tours. 

So, would you like to have checked in and stayed a night for yourself?

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References

Feature Image: Carol M. Highsmith :  http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.33392

The Haunted Stanley Hotel | Haunted Denver

The Stanley Hotel – Wikipedia