Episode 24 Stanley Hotel

Listen as Ghost and Gavels Sabryna and Joey discuss the history and haunting behind the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. Did you know it not only inspired movies and books but many others were recorded there as well? Find out which ones.

Don’t forget that you can email us at ghostandgavel@gmail.com with your own personal encounters and stories. If you want us to we will give you a shout out on an episode and share your stories with others.

Sources:
Www.stanleyhotel.com
Wikipedia.org 

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Welcome to Ghost and Gavel with Sabrina and Yeah, we do. I'm gonna go ahead and do this at the beginning rather than at the end. Whatever podcast platform you were listening on, please just, if you could, give us a star rating that helps push us out there. And of course, find us on our um social media platforms Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. We're trying to get a little better about making sure that we post on it. We do have to work on time management. There's been a lot going on lately. Hopefully, after May, where the big things happen. Um, more so with me, we'll have a little more time to make sure that we can post not only the podcast episodes, but on social media as well. And of course the shenanigans starts. Anyways, today's episode is episode twenty four, and it's being handed over to Joey.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

But on today's episode, we are talking about the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. The Stanley Hotel is a hundred and forty-room Georgerine Ravine hotel in Estates Park, Colorado, about five miles or eight kilometers from the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The hotel is considered one of the most haunted hotels. It includes a restaurant, spa, and bed and breakfast with prominent views of lake estates, the Rockies, and Long Peak. We're gonna start off with the nineteen eleven gas explosion. Upon opening, the hotel was alleged to be one of the few in the world powered internally by electricity. However, lack of available power, including the insulation of exhilarating gas lightning systems in June of 1911. Then it is rumored on June 5th, the day after the pipes have been filled, an explosion occurred and injured a maid and damaged the structure through the comporty newspaper article defined on certain details. Eight people were injured, one seriously. One of the guests were injured. Elizabeth Wilson of Lanchester PA. A hotel employee was hurled from the second to the first floor, and both ankles were broken. The other seven are waiters. Then the frozen dead guy.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

Honestly, I hadn't even heard about the gas explosion. I didn't know about that one, so that one was interesting to me. I think I've heard a little bits and pieces of the frozen dead guy, but uh because wasn't it an incorporated to some extent with Stephen King?

SPEAKER_01 4:21

I'm not a hundred percent sure. I just found like a small paragraph of research that I did, and this is about the most I could find about it. And none of us mentioning anything for Stephen King. Then in August of 2023, Colorado's famous Kyoginer Frozen Man. I'm not even gonna pronounce his name because that is gonna get butchered. That's what it kind of looks like. The inspiration for Colorado's annual Frozen Dead Guys Festival was relocated to the Stanley's Ice House. The Life Extension Foundation assisted in relocating the body from its prior home in the Netherlands shed and setting up a new Cairo chamber to contain frozen corpse. The hotel named the ice house of International Chirosens Muscle or Museum and offered pay tours to visits.

SPEAKER_04 6:03

So is that or do you know if it said anything about that being like the chirogenics after somebody dies type thing?

SPEAKER_01 6:13

I could not find anything about that. That was something that I was trying to look up. I could have missed it. Okay, it was just a curiosity because you kept saying Cairo, so So that's something I would have to probably look into, and we could probably add it in later. The floor well, let's get back into the main building for the Stanley Hotel. The floor plan of the main hotel completed in 1909 was laid out to accommodate various activities popular with American upper class at the turn of the 20th century, and spaces are decorated accordingly. The music room, for instance, with its cream-colored walls originally green and white, rumored. Picture windows and fine classical paper walk was designed for lettering or letter writing during the day and chamber music at night. Cultural pursuits presived as feminine. On the other hand, the smoking lounge. Today the piper room and adjoining billet room with their dark stained wood elements, granite, orc fireplace were designed for enjoyment by male guests. Stanley himself, having been raised in a controversial household and recovered from serious lung diseases, did not smoke cigars or drink alcohol, but these were essential after dinner activities for most men at the time. Millards, however, was among Stanley's most charitation pastimes.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Now we're getting into the most common thing. That was mentioned by you. Or the author or the writer.

SPEAKER_04 8:47

Stephen King, my man. I know it's controversial when it comes to him as an author. Some people don't like as much detail as he goes into, but me personally, I love the detail Stephen King puts into his writings.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

With that, so what are we getting into?

SPEAKER_04 9:11

The shine. Act like I don't know my Stephen King.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Here, you just want to read this whole paragraph then of Stephen King's for the shining?

SPEAKER_04 9:25

No, I'll let you do your job. I'll let you have this one.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

But yes, we are getting into the shining. In 1974, during debrief residential in Boulder, Colorado, America horror writer Stephen King and his wife Tabitha spent one night at the Stanley Hotel. The visit is known entirely through the interviews given by King in which prepresents different narratives of the experience. According to George Behams, I know I just butchered his last name. Steffi King's Stephen.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

Don't even mess with me when it comes to Stephen King.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Stefan.

SPEAKER_04 10:32

Stephen.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Stefan?

SPEAKER_04 10:36

Okay, can I give a little fun fact?

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Here in a bit.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

I know you've heard it, but here in a bit. Okay. As long as you don't call him Stefan anymore.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Stefan?

SPEAKER_01 10:55

But Steve A. King's companion on the advisement of locals who suggested a resort hotel located in Estes Park in our drive north away. Well, an hour drive away to the north, Stephen and Tabitha King found themselves checking in at the Stanley Hotel just as other guests were checking out. Because the hotel was shutting down for the winter season after checking in. And after Tabitha went to bed, King rummed the halls, went down to the hotel bar where drinks were served by a bartender named Gordy. Later, when King went to the bathroom and pulled back the pink curtain for the tub, which had a claw feed, he thought, what if somebody died here? At that moment, I knew I had a book. So that's how he came up with The Shining.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Alright, go ahead. Just go with what you want to.

SPEAKER_04 12:14

Okay, you guys have to know that um I am a little on ADHD, so my love language tends to come when fun facts that might have hyperfixations on. Stephen King being one of Stephen. Stephen King being one of them. And I know Joey already knows, because I've told him before, but King was actually not his original last name, or at least not supposed to be. Don't remember exactly what it is. I would have to look back into it, but it was not supposed to be his original last name, or it was not his original last name.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

The Stanley Hotel served as the fictional hotel and filming location for Dunberry of Aspen, Colorado, and the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. Did you know that one?

SPEAKER_04 13:16

I remember hearing it at one point, but that reiterated it for me.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

The Shining, a three-part mistress and horde TV adaption was written and produced by Stephen King based off his 1997 novel of the same name, which had been largely inspired by the Stanley Hotel. The Ministries were produced by King, who had been dissatisfied with Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, unlike oh well, reread in the where we typed out the same sentence again. Oh directed by Mick Goranes or Goranes or not Grains, but whatever. I don't know. I'm butchering a lot of names. Besides Steph and I'm doing that one on person.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

I'm gonna let it go because I know you're doing it just uh just to irritate me.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Yeah. Was filmed at the Staley Hotel, which stood in for the fictional overlook hotel located in the Colorado Rockies, film produce production started in March 1996, and the first episode being released in March 1997. From twenty thirteen to twenty fifteen, the hotel hosted the Stanley Film Festival in an independent horror film festival operated by the Denver Film Society, held in early May. Hey, that's one was coming up.

SPEAKER_04 15:30

Yeah, but they said it was 2013 basically. I know 2015, so we're SOL on that one.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

The festival featured screenings, panels, student complications, or competitions, audience awards, and represents the Stanley Film Festival was put on hiatus in 2016 and canceled for 2017. Wonder why. Bravo's cooking competition. Top chef also used the Stanley as a venue for episode 10 of Season 15, which took place in various locations around Colorado. NDO rock band Murder by Death have performed an annual series of winter concerts at the Stanley Hotel since 2014, with the 2020 edition being their seventh such event. Despite a peaceful early history in recent decades, thanks to the Shining, the sh Stanley Hotel has gained a repetition of CN paranormal activity as it hosted numerous paranormal investigations and appeared in shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

I do remember watching both episodes for both of them.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Do you know what happened in room 217?

SPEAKER_04 17:22

I have vague memory, yes, but reiterate and go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

Um you know it just gotta mess with you. It's Stephen King spent the night in this room where he had a dream that created the shining. However, on June 5th, 1911, an incident much greater took place that started the room's haunted reputation. The hotel's power had gone out after a flood had occurred on the freelanced. So free land Stanley wanted his guests to have a source of light. He gave eight each one of them a gas powered lantern. As a result of a leak in room 217, abundance of gas being produced. An explosion occurred when it uh Elizabeth Wilson, the head chamber maid, lit the candle after walking into the room. Wilson survived the explosion in the bathtub, was either claimed to be seen flying across in the air.

SPEAKER_04 18:51

Can I uh correct something real quick? Because I did it was aggravating me. I did have to look it up. Okay, Stephen King's father, his original last name when he was born was Pollock. He had an Irish last name. He changed it as an adult, so he ended up Stephen King ended up being um named by his father's change name as King instead of Pollock. Um, but it is uh noted in like biographies and summaries and stuff like that, that that is why he changed his name due to his Irish heritage. And potentially like his lineage and the way people looked at him for that.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Elizabeth Wilson returned to work at the Stanley, but when she passed away, guests have claimed her spirit still compasses the room. The state when they awake for the day, the room is cleaner than when they fell asleep, their clothes folded, and suitcases organized. Married couples tend to have mostly a peaceful state where the spears are only cleaning the space around them, but unmarried couples have reported a cold and chilling being coming into bed the next to them as they slept. The most famous dog associated with the Stanley Hotel is Casey, a golden retriever rumored to haunt the property according to the ghost tour lore. Casey frequently uh appears around the lodge knowing for greeting guests, bringing newspapers, and choosing Pacific, sometimes surprise visitors to sleep with. Ever heard that one?

SPEAKER_04 21:20

Yes, I have, because actually I think it was featured on one of the either Ghost Adventures or Ghost What was it? Um Ghost Adventures or Ghost Hunters. Hunters. Oh no, I was more of a fan of Ghost Adventures than I was ghost hunters.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

So was I.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Aaron Zach and I forgot the third dude's name. Sorry. Somebody's gonna call us out for not knowing.

SPEAKER_05 22:06

I know.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Hey, give me credit for two to three. Even though I don't remember the fourth guy's name. I think I think the fourth guy I'm thinking of. I wanna go in, I think it was Billy. The one that'll always sit sit at location with him. But be in the vehicle or behind the scenes or whatever it was.

SPEAKER_04 22:30

Maybe I don't remember. Zach and Aaron are the ones that are typically notorious for things, and and Aaron's the one notorious for being dramatic.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

But of course, there has also been some famous guests that stayed at the Stanley Hotel. Willahim Blackhaus, a German penguist.

SPEAKER_04 23:04

Pianist?

SPEAKER_01 23:05

Piana? No.

SPEAKER_04 23:13

Yeah, pianist.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

I guess. You know what? I'm not I'm just gonna give their names.

SPEAKER_04 23:25

Oh bad. Sorry, my eye itched, you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Yeah, no. My nose itches. Uh Eric from a German psycho analyst.

SPEAKER_04 23:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Governor Elf Landor.

unknown 23:50

Landon.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Oh, what is that? Or is Republican from Kansas? Judy Collins, Michael, Nece Smith, Shell Silverstein. Yes. Bobby Wameck and Joseph Banks.

SPEAKER_04 24:22

Then of course Stephen King. Not Stefan.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Stephen King. But yeah, Stephen King, uh Bob Dylan, Joanne.

SPEAKER_04 24:41

Joan.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Joan Beesick. I I don't know. Ooh, I don't know that one.

SPEAKER_04 24:58

Clive Cos Costler.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Okay. Sky Carpenter. And Will. Steager? Okay, yeah, that yeah, that's enough. I'm fucking do with the rest of that.

SPEAKER_04 25:23

And then of course, you know, the the characters of Dumb and Dumber as well. Yeah. Jim Carrey and uh Jeff, what is it, Daniels?

SPEAKER_01 25:33

Yep, then the crew or the casting crew for The Shining. Did you know they got tours at the Stanley Hotel?

SPEAKER_04 25:46

Yes, I want to go. Are you gonna take me to the Stanley Hotel? I know I don't get out and travel very much, but I would go to the Stanley Hotel.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

But the Stanley Hotel, uh historical day tour, learn all about the their history since 1909, and a rich story of the history of the Stanley Hotel. It is a 60-minute walking tour. Well, introduce you into Mr. F. O. Stanley, his wife, Stephen King, and other notary visitors since 1909.

SPEAKER_04 26:33

Well, being 60 minutes, my knees may not be able to handle that. You don't push me around, sweetheart. We'll make it work, right?

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Yes, we would. And a unique way to experience the hotel's history, architect, folklore, pop culture with a knowledgeable storyteller. Each tour offers you an opportunity to explore, ask questions, perhaps leave a few with a few stories of your own. You just mentioned a wheelchair. Yes, this tour is wheelchair accessible to the tour route varies based on availability, time of day, and time of year. History day tours will explore the hotel floors, but never go into guest rooms. And the ticket standard price is twenty-five dollars a person. Children ages eight to seventeen is twenty dollars per person. Hotel guest is twenty-three dollars per person. Uh the triple A discount must present card twenty-three dollars per person, limit of twenty people per tour. So we have to get 18 other people to go.

SPEAKER_04 28:19

That's okay, but they have to pay for themselves, and we have to be able to stay the night too. I want to stay the night, and I want to stay in I want to stay in the notorious room. The 217 room.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Oh, the one that Step Stefan King stayed in.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

Yes, I'm gonna let it go. The one that Stephen King stayed in. I wanna stay in the notorious room.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

I don't know. Cause just mentioning that married couples had a pleasant time in that room, but unmarried couples have not.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

I know, that's why I think it'd be fun. I mean, we're not married, but we're a couple, so maybe they'll give us a little bit of grace with pleasantry. Maybe they'll shame us for, you know, premarital issues. But um either way, I want to stay in 217.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Okay, I would either stay in 216 or 218.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

Okay, you can stay by yourself. I will wait with the ghost then.

SPEAKER_04 29:56

I seriously do, though, want to do some real life haunted tours. Like, not just go to the haunted house where they jump out and boo, you know, woohoohoo, because you know, I I get in trouble with those. I get kicked out because the jump scares, and I have a bad reflex of hitting when when I get jump scared, kind of like you have found out that you have nearly done been hit a few times. Um, but I would like to go stay in notorious haunted homes.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

Why so I could try to punch people's spirits and all that, try to fight them off if they fuck with you?

SPEAKER_04 30:45

I mean, I might. If you hear me in the middle of the night, motherfucker, and like hitting if you come in the room and I'm just like swinging in the air, then you know I'm trying to fight off the ghosts, but when you do haunted tours like that, it's not so much jump scares. I mean, you do have jump scares when it comes to realistic hauntings, but I mean, it's more so they're more casual scares and they come slowly. Sometimes you have that, you know, oh, an apparition in the hallway that may startle you type thing, and I would turn around and swing in the air, but it's it's the fake haunted houses I can't do.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Hmm. But for me, that was all that I had on the Stanley Hotel. Wanna add anything?

SPEAKER_04 31:59

Well, with it being May, that may be your only one of May, because I told you my next one may be my first two-parter. Just maybe. Maybe a long one, but I'm looking forward to it. So, like, I would like to go places like the Stanley Hotel, go visit the Lizzie Borden house, things of that sort. I think that would be fun. Or um local to us at hospital down in Louisville. I'm having a brain fart, my brain fog's kicking in right now because it was an early morning, but uh yes, I would like to go there as well.

SPEAKER_06 32:44

Uh fuck it.

SPEAKER_04 32:46

We've already done an episode on it. Yeah. It's gonna buggy, ain't it?

SPEAKER_01 32:59

Yeah, it is. I'm just gonna do let me fix this real quick. Let me do the auto rotate. Where's my auto rotate? Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 33:17

Waverly hills. One of our first episodes, and we're still having a brain part. But yes, I would like to go visit places like that.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Or even the uh no, we couldn't do the original site for uh what's it called? What uh then go for a wilder uh that they moved uh Bobby Mackey is but you know what we could do and um pre-anticipation for another episode the Bell Witch tour Yeah, you stole my episode. No, I never stole it. You never bitch you did.

SPEAKER_04 34:07

I didn't. I didn't mention it, but I was looking forward to doing that one. But it is anticipation for what's to come. We could do a tour of the Bell Witch Cave. Can we take a rock?

SPEAKER_06 34:21

No, no, no, no, no, no. You fuck off. Fuck off.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

That that's like that's like me and Ouija boards.

SPEAKER_04 34:34

I know there's a safe way to do Ouija boards and handle them and do that, but I couldn't bring myself to do a Ouija board.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

No, if we'd ever go to Bellwitch, you would be handcuffed, tied up, hog tied, whatever.

SPEAKER_03 34:50

Ooh, we're getting kinky.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

You would not be taking a rock.

SPEAKER_03 34:58

No, I wouldn't take a rock because nothing's coming home with us. The hauntings can stay where we visit.

SPEAKER_04 35:08

All right, guys, that is the end of it for the Stanley Hotel and the jokes that we have about everything else that we would like to do eventually. But as it is Monday, I hope you guys have a great week and that you are anticipating another episode because, like I said, um my next one may be my first two-parter. Joey's had his first two-parter already. So now it's time for me to do a little bit of extra, extra. Yeah, and we were shocked because I was the one that was most excited about starting this podcast. So we were shocked that you ended up with the first two-parter, but that's okay. Time is coming, time is coming, I promise, guys. We love you. We hope that you have a fantastic week and stay spooky. Bye.