Colorado Hauntings – Happy Halloween
Celebrating a spooktacular Halloween all month on My Say What Blog, so today is the final haunting article about Halloween. What’s not to love about Halloween? One day out of the year you can dress up and pretend to be anything you want and people don’t think you’re crazy. Okay, well, not as crazy as if it wasn’t Halloween!
One of the highest haunts in Colorado is the Stanley Hotel at an altitude of over 7,500 feet. Bawawawa! You know the one that claims to be the inspiration for Stephen’s King’s The Shining (REDRUM – MURDER) . The Hotel was built in 1909 by Freelan and Flora Stanley of Stanley Steamer fortune. Originally, they came to Colorado in an attempt to alleviate the symptoms of Freelan’s tuberculosis. They fell in love with Colorado and purchased property and built a home. The Stanley was built as a summer resort for guests Freelan and Flora entertained during their extended vacations in Colorado.
It’s believed Flora haunts the hotel to this day, enjoying one of her favorite pastimes of playing the piano late at night when no one is around. Tales abound of visitors claiming sounds of revelry occurring in the empty ballroom. Room 217 is purported to be haunted by the ghost of a long-term housekeeper. If you gain her favor, she’ll help you unpack. If not…. Well…. It is the room allegedly occupied by Stephen King at one time. Inspiring The Shining?
I don’t know about that, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I took photos of The Stanley Hotel outside in broad daylight.
Want to know more about haunted places in Colorado? Click on the link.
Speaking of Hauntings!
Did you know, most present day Halloween traditions are traceable to the ancient Celtic day of the dead? Halloween consists of mysterious customs, but each has a history, or at least a story behind it.
Take wearing costumes, and roaming from door to door demanding treats. This behavior can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and about, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This is where the practice of trick-or-treating began. To this day, vampires, witches, ghosts, and skeletons are among the favorite costumes.
Our Halloween also retains activities from the original harvest holiday of Samhain, such as bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, (pumpkins) as well as the fruits, nuts, and spices for cider associated with the day. Although at my house, hot chocolate is pretty popular, since Halloween almost guarantees the first snow of the year.
Looking for a fun Halloween Read? A Witch’s Journey is full of meddling ghosts, shapeshifters, sexy witch, a ruggedly-handsome Navy SEAL. An exciting story of redemption, wildlife rescue and Halloween festivals. Available at Amazon.com, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. And I let you in on a little secret. A Witch’s Journey is available in audiobook, so grab yours! After you’ve read A Witch’s Journey, you’ll want the sequel, A Witch’s Holiday Wedding, also available in audiobook Amazon.com,
Well, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to don my vampire costume, custom fitted fangs and pull up a stool in the shadows. With a candy bowl beside me, I sneakily turn on the fog machine. Out of the mist, I’ll greet the little trick or treaters or scare the bejeebers out of the older ones with bats hanging over head and screeching on my command. Won’t you join me? Happy Halloween!
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Posted in For Fun, Holidays, My Say What Blog and tagged All Hallows Eve, Colorado, ghosts, Halloween, Haunting, Lobster Cove, shifters, Stanley Hotel, wildlife, Witches by Tena Stetler with 35 comments.
Wonderful post and I love your books!! Happy Halloween!
Casi,
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked the post. I love Halloween and do my best to make it interesting for others. LOL Thanks, I love you books too. Now if I could only get more time to read. Hahaha!
Fascinating post – I love hearing about actual haunted buildings! Happy Halloween!
Thanks for stopping by Lyn. Happy Halloween to you too!
Great post, Tena! I bet you’ll look great in that vampire costume.
I’ve had my vampire costume a long time. Its really warm, which is important in Colorado. It still looks great, or so I’m told. Happy Halloween!
OHMYGOD that movie scared the crap outta me! I’ve never been able to watch Jack Nicholson since and not think about how horrible he looked with that ax in his hand!!!!
What a great post Tena. I love reading about places with spooky pasts.
Great post about Celtic traditions. Vampire costume? What fun!
You really get into the spirit of Halloween! Loved The Shining, both the novel and the movie. Just seeing your picture of the Overlook Hotel spooked me. Happy Halloween
Great post, Tena! Fascinating history of this hotel. Love it! Happy Halloween! 🙂
Love to read about haunted places! Great post, Tena. I once attended a midnight ghost hunt in a building the identity of which I was sworn not to reveal. Nothing happened, but it was an experience to remember nonetheless.
Was it only of those things that if you told they’d kill you?LOL Thanks for stopping by!
Great post! And thank you for participating in the Snarkology Halloween Hop! 🙂
I’d like to visit there! Spooky and fun! Happy Halloween 🙂
Right back at you. Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Halloween! I ♡ haunted places!
bw2323bro@yahoo.com
Me to. Thank you for stoping by. Happy Halloween
Great post! Thanks for participating in the hop.
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by.
With that being the inspiration for The Shining hotel I don’t think I would be brave enough to stay there but it would be neat to check out during the day lol.
Yeah, taking pictures during the day on the outside was enough for me. It is a beautiful and interesting place.
Thank you for the chance both are done! <3
Wonderful!! Thanks so much! Good Luck!
Thank you so much for being in the HOP!
Loving every minute of it! This is my second year and what a fun.
Happy Halloween. I learned so much from this post. Thank you for being so informative and fun.
I am so glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Halloween!
Thanks hope you have fun in your vampire costume.
The weather is supposed to be beautiful. So should be a fun night. Thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks for popping by, hope you liked the posts.
I love haunted places. The Stanley Hotel is on my bucket list. Ghost Hunters has been there at least twice…they got some of their best footage there. I’ll never forget the clip of Jason sleeping–cameras were stationed around the room. In the middle of the night, the closet door just randomly opened. He got up and walked over and turned the light on to show there was no one there–it had just gone from closed to open. Another night the glass next to his bed shattered suddenly. I’m not saying they couldn’t have faked the footage but it looked pretty darn convincing to me! They rarely, RARELY catch anything visual on that show.
I’ve never seen Ghost hunters but the aura around there is spooky. Thanks for dropping by!
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