We don’t believe in ghosts. Never have. With the exception of the Holy Ghost, of course. 😊 Our belief is that if in fact there’s paranormal activity, its demon sponsored. But that’s just our opinion. Here in Estes Park, there’s a huge hotel that caters to the more well-to-do side of society. And one of the hotel’s most significant claims to fame is that it provided the inspiration for Stephen King’s “The Shining”. Can’t you just picture and hear Jack Nickelson’s crazy madman scene, “Heeerrre’s Johnny!” ? Below is how King got his inspiration for one of the most successful and haunting books and movies of all time:
In late September of 1974, Tabby and I spent a night at a grand old hotel in Estes Park, the Stanley. We were the only guests as it turned out; the following day they were going to close the place down for the winter. Wandering through its corridors, I thought that it seemed the perfect—maybe the archetypical—setting for a ghost story. That night I dreamed of my three-year-old son running through the corridors, looking back over his shoulder, eyes wide, screaming. He was being chased by a fire-hose. I woke up with a tremendous jerk, sweating all over, within an inch of falling out of bed. I got up, lit a cigarette, sat in the chair looking out the window at the Rockies, and by the time the cigarette was done, I had the bones of the book firmly set in my mind.
Below are articles copied from legendsofamerica.com:
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is not only famous for its old-world charm and excellent service, but it is also known for its “active” paranormal phenomena and spirit folklore. The 100+-year-old hotel, located about five miles from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, offers panoramic views of Lake Estes and the Rocky Mountains, and especially Long’s Peak.
This old hotel was built in the early 1900s by F.O. Stanley, who created the Stanley Steam Engine — a steam-powered horseless carriage. The majestic Georgian style hotel opened in 1909, catering to the rich and famous.
Freelan Oscar Stanley (F.O.) and his wife, Flora, traveled west to Colorado in 1903 because F.O. Stanley’s doctor advised him to seek the fresh mountain air.
Stanley, who suffered from tuberculosis, had been advised to not make plans beyond six months. The doctor arranged for the couple to stay in a friend’s cabin in Estes Park for the summer. Immediately, they fell in love with the area and F.O.’s health began to dramatically improve
After spending the summer in the cabin, Flora wanted a home like the one she had left in Maine and the couple built their new home about one-half mile west of where the Stanley Hotel would later be built. Today the house is a private residence.
F.O. Stanley built the hotel on land that he purchased from the Irish Earl Lord Dunraven. Dunraven came to the area in 1872 while on a hunting trip. He built a hunting lodge, cabin, and hotel for his guests and illegally homesteaded up to 6,000 acres in an unsuccessful attempt to create a private hunting preserve. Dunraven was finally run out of the area after trying to swindle folks out of their land and money.
In 1906, construction started on the Stanley Hotel. Wood and rock were obtained from the nearby mountains and the hotel was built in the Georgian architectural style, which experienced a revival in the early twentieth century. In 1909, the luxury hotel was completed, with no expense spared. Equipped with running water, electricity and telephones, the only amenity the hotel lacked was heat, as the hotel was designed as a summer resort.
The Stanley Hotel has hosted many “famous” guests including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, John Philip Sousa, Theodore Roosevelt, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and a variety of Hollywood personalities. And, of course, the Stanley Hotel hosted Stephen King, whose experience inspired his book, “The Shining.”
In addition to its regular guests, the hotel is also said to play host to a number of otherworldly visitors. The most notable is F.O. Stanley himself who is most often seen in the lobby and the Billiard Room, which was his favorite room when he was still alive. On one such occasion, he was said to have appeared during a tour group’s visit to the Billiard Room, materializing behind a member of the tour. Bartenders at the old hotel also report having seen F.O. stroll through the bar, disappearing when they try to cut him off at the kitchen.
Not to be left out, Flora Stanley also haunts the hotel, continuing to entertain guests with her piano playing in the ballroom. Employees and guests have reported hearing music coming from the room, and when they take a peek in there, they can see the piano keys moving. However, as soon as someone walks across the thresh-hold to investigate further, the music stops and no more movement can be seen upon the keys of the piano.
There are several rooms in the hotel that seem to be particularly haunted. One is Room 407, which is said to sometimes be occupied by Lord Dunraven, who owned the land prior to F.O. Stanley. Reportedly, he likes to stand in the corner of the room near the bathroom door. On one such account, witnesses reported that a light in that corner kept turning on and off. While the light was off, they told the ghost that they knew that he was there, they would only be staying two nights, and would he please turn the light back on. The light turned back on. However, later when the lights were turned off and they were trying to sleep, noises were constantly heard from the nearby elevator during a time when the elevator was not in use. At other times, a ghostly face has been reported to be looking out the window of Room 407, when the room is not booked.
Room 418 gets the most reports of haunting activity apparently from children’s’ spirits. Cleaning crews report having heard many strange noises from the room, as well as seeing impressions on the bed when the room has been empty. When guests stay in the room, they often report that they hear children playing in the hallway at night. One couple reportedly checked out of the hotel very early in the morning, complaining that the children in the hallway kept them up all night. However, there were no children booked in the hotel at the time.
There have also been many reports by guests of haunting activities in Rooms 217 and 401. Tour guides tell a story of the ghost of a small child who has been seen by many of the staff in various areas of the old hotel. Reportedly, Stephen King also saw the child, who was calling out to his nanny on the second floor. Other past employees report footsteps and apparitions seen throughout the building.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places today, the Stanley Hotel is open year-round and offers various accommodations including historic rooms, modern apartment-style residences for extended stays, and expansive condominiums.
The hotel offers both historical and paranormal tours.
And eptrail.com has this to say:
What makes a good ghost story? The Stanley Hotel’s employees have spent a lot of time working on that question and on February 24, they found something else to support one of the most interesting stories they tell. Pieces of wallpapered drywall and carpet from the hotel’s infamous Room 217 was discovered in the bowels of the structure while the hotel’s engineer was checking the air handlers.
A good ghost story has an interesting and eventful life story, otherwise known as a rich history. Inspiring innovation, groundbreaking technologies, and colorful characters abound in the story of the Stanley Hotel. Freeland O. Stanley moved to Estes Park with his wife Flora in the early 1900s, seeking the “mountain cure” for tuberculosis. Co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer motorcar (with his twin brother, Francis), Stanley brought many new technologies to Estes Park and his hotel. He built a hydroplant at Fall River; the electricity generated from this plant was distributed along overhead lines to his hotel. He also sold electricity to Estes Park citizens, not by metering usage but rather, by selling light bulbs. Stanley also built the town’s first wooden-pipe water distribution system. In 1909, the doors of his luxury hotel opened offering a flood of electric lights and running water to his guests. “It was one of the first hotels west of the Mississippi to have electricity,” Freitas explained.
In 1911, Room 217 was the Presidential Suite, said Jesse Freitas, the hotel’s archivist: an L-shaped room that took up the space that now houses two rooms: 217 and 215. On the evening of June 25 of that year, a thunderstorm cut the power and all of the hotel’s guests were taken down to the lobby while staff was charged with lighting the back-up acetylene gas lamps. There was an unknown gas leak when chambermaid Elizabeth Wilson entered Room 217 with a lit candle.
“The gas didn’t have an odor in that time period,” said Freitas, “so she couldn’t smell anything. As soon as she entered the room, there was an instant explosion.” The massive blast destroyed about 10% of the nearly 70,000 square-foot hotel, it’s entire west wing. “It was a compression explosion,” Freitas explained, “so it actually put out its own fire, otherwise it would have burned down the hotel because it is mostly wood, a timber-frame structure.” The force of the explosion sent Wilson crashing into the MacGregor Dining Room located directly under Room 217. She suffered two broken ankles, but recovered from her injuries. Stanley paid her all her medical bills and after she recuperated, Wilson was made head chambermaid and worked at the hotel until her death in the 1950s. After her death, she purportedly began to haunt the room, sometimes by folding guests’ clothing and putting them away. If an unmarried couple is occupying the room, Freitas said, the very proper Mrs. Wilson’s ghost may climb into bed with them and try to force them apart.
Below are some pictures I found:
It looks like they’ve added mountains, but I’m pretty sure they were already there. : )
I couldn’t find a picture of Room 428. : (
Rooms can be had for $200-300/night, if you’ve got the nerve. 😊
And to think. It’s not even Halloween! muuahahhahaha . . . . .
I’d be remiss if I didn’t share something about the man responsible for this historic landmark. Once again from legendsofamerica.com, I bring you, the Stanley Brothers:
There is an old adage that claims two heads are better than one. Well, with the Stanley twins, F.O. and F.E., the adage was made manifest in spades.
The brothers began displaying hints of being gifted with sharp and inquisitive minds at a very early age. In addition, they proved to be quite ambitious in their quest for knowledge.
Both brothers pursued a career in teaching but for minds as imaginative as theirs the confines of a classroom proved too restrictive. Instead they turned their creative talents toward inventing and manufacturing endeavors that included establishment of the first company for the commercial manufacture of violins, the invention of a home generator for gas utilized for illumination, and pioneering work in the development of early x-ray equipment.
Initially success proved elusive. Then in 1875, at age 26, F.E. purchased a photographic studio for an investment of $500, an endeavor that would prove to be the brothers Stanley path toward fame as well as fortune.
A decade of attentive management provided the capital for the development of the first practical dry photographic plate process. F.O. joined his brother as a full partner in the new company.
In 1888, the facility in Lewiston, Maine was sold, and a new, larger company, Stanley Brothers Dry Plate Manufacturing Company, was established in Watertown, Massachusetts. The demise of this pioneering company was not the result of anemic sales, poor management, malfeasance, or even technological development that rendered their primary product obsolete but a pivotal encounter with the display of a steam-powered carriage at the Brockton, Massachusetts, fair in 1896.
Though the initial demonstration of the primitive automobile was rather lackluster resultant of multiple breakdowns it was enough to pique the inquisitive and imaginative mind of F.E. Early in 1897, a steam engine and boiler were purchased from J.W. Penny & Sons, a body was purchased from Currier, Cameron & Company, and a wide array of other parts was acquired from a variety of manufacturers.
The Stanley built “steamer” made its debut at the 1897 Brockton Fair and the response received was such the brothers were compelled to manufacture three more “steam wagons,” each reflecting improvement over the predecessor. The last of these initial models was sold for $650 to John Brisbane Walker in 1898 who subsequently sold it, for a profit, to Amzi L. Barber, a financier who specialized in investment in new technologies.
The Stanley built “steam wagon” bought by Walker generated so much interest both Walker and Barber initiated negotiations to buy out the Stanley brothers. Initially the brothers rejected these overtures and instead concentrated on perfecting their vehicle.
In November of 1898, F.E. stunned more than 5,000 spectators as he drove the improved model around a one third mile track to a new world automotive speed record with an average speed of 27.4 miles per hour without mechanical failure.
Inundated with hundreds of orders as a result of the demonstration the brothers felt compelled to initiate the manufacture of automobiles for sale to the general public. The first step in this new endeavor was the acquisition of a former bicycle factory adjacent to their former photographic plate company from Sterling Elliot in January of 1899. Next they established standardized, interchangeable mechanical components for their vehicles, and arranged with Currier, Cameron & Company to supply bodies.
By summer, one hundred vehicles had been completed and sold, and the brothers had acquired patents for numerous key components. All of this led Barber and Walker to redouble their efforts to purchase the company.
By the end of the summer the brothers succumbed to the astounding offer made by John Walker who purchased the company the brothers had built for less than $20,000 for $250,000. He immediately sold half interest in the company to Amzi L. Barber for $250,000. Initially the new company manufactured vehicles under the name Automobile Company of America but within weeks it reorganized as Locomobile Company of America. Almost immediately the partnership disintegrated and on July 18, 1899, it was announced, “A. Lorenzo Barber and J.B. Walker, organizers of the Locomobile Company of America, have made a partition and the outgrowth of the is two companies, Barber will retain the Locomobile Company in Watertown, Mass. and will manufacture Stanley Carriages. Walker has taken the Mobile Company of America and will manufacture Stanley Steam Vehicles. The Stanley brothers will act as general managers of both companies for one year.”
As an historical footnote, in 1899 the Stanley brothers played a key role in the launching of another American corporate icon. The sale of their patents and photographic plate manufacturing company became the cornerstone for the Eastman Kodak Company.
In 1901, as technological advancements to the gasoline engine made them more practical, Locomobile reorganized, abandoned the use of steam propulsion, and sold the Stanley patents, and former factory, to the brothers Stanley who had been developing improved components for steam engines. The rest, as they say, is history.
By 1903, the all-new Stanley Brothers Manufacturing Company, was well on its way to establishing an automotive icon that would long outlive the company and the brothers even though sales never surpassed 10,000 units per year. In part this status was the result of stunning record setting prowess.
In 1906, at Ormond Beach (now Daytona Beach) Fred Marriott of the company’s repair department piloted a special bodied Stanley to a stunning 127 miles per hour, a new automotive speed record. The following year he survived a horrendous crash at nearly 150 miles per hour during an attempt to break that record.
The death knell for the company sounded in 1912 with the introduction of an electric starter as standard equipment on Cadillac. A primary obstacle to the dominance of gasoline engines had been breached.
The company soldiered on in the face of declining sales until 1923 when it slid into bankruptcy and receivership. The assets formed a primary component in the formation of the Steam Vehicle Corporation of America, a company that produced a scant handful of vehicles under the Stanley name until 1927.
The brothers Stanley were not myopic in their endeavors. In 1903, under a doctor’s recommendations, F.O. Stanley began spending time in Estes Park, Colorado. In 1907, he addressed the lack of amenities for the increasing number of tourists by initiating construction of the Stanley Hotel, a grand hotel that opened in 1909, and that is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and that served as an inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining.
To further foster tourism in the area, which in turn resulted in a booming business for the hotel, he had a road built from Lyons. For transport from the train station there to the hotel he utilized specially constructed Stanley built steam powered busses.
What the brothers may have contributed to the world in the years after the First World War is a matter of speculation as F.E. Stanley died in an automobile accident in 1918. F.O. spent the remainder of his life developing Estes Park with the establishment of the first bank there, as well as a sewer, power, and water company.
The brothers Stanley are just one of many pioneering automobile manufacturers who have obtained a dubious form of immortality. Their name is known throughout the world but few know that behind the legendary automobile were men of diverse genius that transformed the world.
Born June 1, 1849, F.O. Stanley died of heart failure in October, 1940 at age 91. Ironically (I thought), his brother died in July, 1918 from injuries sustained in a traffic collision.
Stanley was also a maker of fine violins and operated a violin-making firm with his nephew, Carleton Stanley.
A 1929 FO Stanley violin was recently advertised online for $18,000. This is a far cry from the $100 apiece that FO Stanley made for several violins ordered from Pennsylvania in his early adult life in 1878. FO Stanley remarked, “You can imagine my feelings when I made four hundred dollars in a few weeks for four violins, just one half my year`s salary as principal.”
The Stanley twins, who had been fascinated with violin making even before they hit their teen years, had a long love affair with these instruments, studying, measuring and experimenting with new and better techniques for their artistic creation. FE`s wife wrote of them spending one Christmas morning in their workshop fiddling with violin construction. When they had the money, the twins bought several Stradivarius to study and work with. They even bought wood from the same forest in an effort to duplicate the magnificent instruments.
In Estes Park the Stanley Museum is fortunate enough to have two playable Stanley violins. The first violin was made for a young Colorado musician who enjoyed a long career with the Denver Symphony,playing on her specially built Stanley violin. The second, is a Carleton Stanley violin. Carleton made 524 violins in his life, making a profession of the trade after the steam car factory was shut down and he lost his job as general manager. ~ eptrail.com
We didn’t see either of these violins, but that’s not surprising given that we were in the hotel. We didn’t realize there was a museum as well. Most likely closed due to COVID. : (