The Plastic Christmas Tree Haunting at the Dorrington Hotel

The Legacy of John Gardner and his Inn

The Dorrington Hotel was built in 1852 by John and Rebecca Gardner, on top of the Big Valley Road as a coach stop were it served as a depot for stockmen as well as a summer resort. John Gardner, a Scottish immigrant, purchased a small sheep ranch and 160 acres of land from Barnabus Smith when it was still just a trail passing by the Miwok and Washoe Native land. Smith, a former Private Captain in the Massachusetts Militia during the War of 1812, had been granted the land for his military service.

“This is the place!” he wrote to his new bride, Rebecca, who had remained at home in Scotland, waiting for his word. Gardner quickly turned the property known for its cold springs, and he called it first, Cold Spring Ranch, into a profitable roadside business, providing refuge for countless emigrants journeying over the Central Sierra Mountains.

The Lady of the Night: Rebecca Dorrington Gardner

Rebecca Dorrington Gardner, the beloved mistress of the hotel, sailed from Scotland to join her husband in the Sierra Gold Country, and the place was soon called Dorrington, her maiden name. She survived her husband by many years, however, legend has it that she met a tragic end that left her spirit bound to the place she once managed.

It is said that Rebecca suffered fatal injuries in 1870 when she fell down the rear staircase of the hotel. Some also claim she went out in a snowstorm and lost her way as she froze to death. Others say she was massacred by the natives. Though historical records indicate she passed away on October 16, 1910, in Altaville, California when she was 83 years old, her ghostly presence remains a fixture at the Dorrington Hotel.

Visitors and staff have frequently reported encountering Rebecca’s spirit, peeking out threw curtains in unopccupied rooms, not really liking how the new owners keeps interfering in her buisness. Her spectral activities include doors mysteriously opening and closing, lights flickering, and furniture inexplicably moving.

The hotel’s dining room is a common spot for sightings, with many claiming to see or feel her presence as she glides through the space. Many guests also claim that they have seen the ghost of her fall down the stairs as a ghostly reenactment of her death.

Rebecca’s ghost also seems to enjoy interacting with modern technology, often triggering the motion detectors installed around the hotel.

One time it was said she warned the owner at the time og a gas leak in the kitchen. According to the stoy, she woke him up in the middle of the night to warn him.

The Christmas Tree Incident

The Christmas season brings an increase in Rebecca’s ghostly activities. One particularly spine-chilling tale involves the annual holiday decorations. One year, the hotel’s owner decided to place an artificial Christmas tree in every room. To everyone’s astonishment, each night Rebecca would go from room to room, knocking the trees down. Every morning, the staff and guests would find the trees toppled over, a clear sign of Rebecca’s nocturnal rounds.

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In another eerie incident, the owner, Marc Lanthier, experienced something that solidified the hotel’s haunted reputation. One Christmas after this event, Marc took two pictures of the hotel adorned with Christmas lights. When he uploaded the photos to his computer, he discovered something unsettling. One photo was bright and clear, while the other showed a vaporous figure floating over the hotel. Could this be Rebecca Dorrington Gardner, still overseeing her beloved establishment?

**Christmas Haunting**: Christmas seems to be a season where the haunted occurrences get more frequent. The alleged ghost seems to have a period of adjustments to new owners and new traditions and way of operating the hotel. Could the use of plastic Christmas trees be a trigger this one Christmas?

Other Ghostly Residents at Dorrington Hotel

Rebecca is not the only spirit said to haunt the Dorrington Hotel. Guests have reported hearing the laughter and footsteps of children in the dead of night, despite there being no children present. Could this be some of the four children of the original owners that are haunting the hotel together with their mother?

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Hotels

Many guests visiting the Dorrington Hotel specifically seek out the paranormal, hoping for a glimpse of Rebecca or the other spirits said to reside there. Some overnight visitors have reported finding a single footprint by their beds, believed to be left by Rebecca as she patrols the hotel at night.

A Night In the Gold Rush Country

The Dorrington Hotel remains a captivating blend of history and hauntings, with its rich past and active ghostly presence. And during the Christmas season, the chances of encountering Rebecca Dorrington Gardner increases if we are to believe the stories, not pleased at all about the fake and plastic aspect of the modern Christmas traditions.