Boulder
Pearl Street- 1866 - (www.photoswest.org)
In the early to mid 1800s, nomadic Arapaho Indians frequently wintered at the base of the foothills in the Boulder area. The first recorded
European settlers in the area were gold prospectors who arrived in 1858. Mining in the Boulder area continued to be a prominent part of the
local economy through the mid 1900s. Colorado statehood in 1876 led to the state’s creation of the University of Colorado at Boulder, which
opened in 1877.
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'Haunted' cafe renamed for ghost
Resident spirit inspires the Boulder Theater to rename its cafe
Photo from www.bouldertheater.com
Boulder Daily Camera article
By Vince Darcangelo
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Above photo by: Kasia Broussalian
Mike Donohoe, a server for three months, sets up the bar before the evening rush at George's next to the Boulder Theater in
downtown Boulder last week. George's, which opened as the Lounge in July, was renamed in honor of a ghost said to haunt
the Boulder Theater.
There's a new eatery in town, a place to enjoy a sandwich and a beer while watching the game, or to take in a pre-concert meal before
catching a show at the Boulder Theater. According to those who work there, even if you show up by yourself, you never dine alone at
George's Food and Drink, where the spirits are brewed locally -- even the dead ones.
On June 27, the Boulder Theater opened up The Lounge, a bar/cafe adjacent to the theater at 2028 14th St. The idea was to serve a light
Italian-inspired menu and local beers, and give concert-goers a pre- and post-show option for dining and drinks.
"It's just kind of a space that we've made our own," says Sarah Coffield, the Boulder Theater's publicist.
But she says The Lounge attracted an unexpected guest -- George Paper, the Boulder Theater's resident ghost.
Legend has it that in 1944 Paper, who managed the theater (then known as the Curran), was fixing a lighting rig when he slipped and
became tangled in the wiring. He inadvertently hung himself. In the years since, Paper's spirit has been seen or felt by everyone from
managers to intruders to employees. Sometimes he's been seen wearing his 1920s suit. Other times he's manifested as unexplained cold
spots, or been accused of removing light bulbs from the backstage area.
Since The Lounge opened, Coffield says George has been more present in the theater, so in his honor The Lounge was renamed George's
Food and Drink on Oct. 10. Earlier this week it launched a revamped menu, featuring everything from salads and appetizers to pot roast,
pulled pork sandwiches and even a George's Panini.
"We were finding that people wanted more of a heartier meal, so we decided to broaden our menu. We kept a lot of the same stuff. The food
was great, but people wanted more," Coffield says. "We're calling it contemporary comfort food."
The question is: Comfort for whom?
Since The Lounge opened, some unexplained phenomena have been taking place in the historic theater. The employees attribute it to
George.
"He's always been active in the theater, but people have just had some weird experiences recently: Bathroom doors swinging when they're
not supposed to be swinging," Coffield says. "My co-worker has seen outlines of a man dash across the room into nowhere when he was
coming down the stairs and going into George's. George is always around the bathrooms."
Coffield was the only employee willing to talk about her experiences.
The most significant happened just a few weeks ago.
"I was at the bar, and I was turning off the lights in George's in the early morning. I had just let in a vendor to the kitchen, and he had just
left," Coffield says. "I was turning out the lights, and I heard a creak, and the (men's bathroom) door was swinging. Not violently, but as if
someone had just walked out of it."
She looked around, but she was alone in the building. And there was no breeze that could have caused the heavy door to swing on its own.
Coffield has also experienced bathroom faucets turning on and off by themselves, and co-workers have reported eerie happenings inside the
theater's third-floor VIP room and the old projection room -- the former apartment of George Paper.
There's probably no one in town more familiar with the hauntings than John Georgis, who founded Banjo Billy's Bus Tours and every October
runs a monthlong Ghosts of Boulder tour, including a stop at the old theater.
"They've had so many problems there that the lounge next to the theater has been changed to George's," he says. "That guy is around."
On his bus tour, Georgis tells of Dick MacLeod, the former owner who lived in the Boulder Theater in the 1980s. One night there was a break-
in, and when the police arrived they found the intruder -- hiding in the projection booth.
"He said he kept running into that big, old tall guy with a hat," Georgis says.
There was one problem: MacLeod wasn't old and wasn't wearing a hat. But the intruder's description of the man matched that of George
Paper.
Other employees throughout the years have reported seeing a tall man wearing a hat disappearing into the bathrooms, leaving only a cold
spot behind.
"They think George still haunts this place to this day," Georgis says.
He says a recently hired bartender told him about feeling the urge to paint while working at the theater one night.
"She'd never heard of George Paper before," Georgis says.
She went home and painted a picture of the inside of the Boulder Theater, but for some reason was inspired to draw a man hanging over the
stage. She showed the painting to some of her co-workers, who clued her in to the theater's haunted history.
Ironically, the theater hired Banjo Billy to provide transportation for an employee party one night, and along the way, Coffield says, they
asked him to tell some of the Boulder Theater ghost stories -- many of which they'd never heard.
"We regretted it after that," she says with a laugh.
Has the name change worked? Hard to say. Coffield says her most recent encounter with George occurred on Oct. 15 -- five days after The
Lounge became George's. But she adds that the overall activity has decreased.
Besides, they wouldn't want George's ghost to disappear altogether.
"It's a fun little thing to have around, and it's always been something that the theater cherishes," Coffield says. "And now we can kind of
dedicate a little space to him.
"He just wants to make sure that he's still part of it."
www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/oct/30/furious-george/
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GEORGE’S FOOD AND DRINK
2028 14th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Located just south of the Boulder Theater
303.998.9350
Open daily 5pm Daily
Happy Hour 5pm-7pm, $3 well, draft beer, & house wine.
Sunday and Monday Night Football- ALL NIGHT HAPPY HOUR
Introducing for your culinary pleasure- GEORGE’S! Boulder Theater is proud to present the next generation in comfort food; spanning the
world of fine contemporary dining, George’s Food and Drink provides the eager patron with a one-of-a-kind edible experience.
Found just south of the historic Boulder Theater, George’s is named for George Paper, Manager of the Curran Theater (now Boulder
Theater) in the 1920s. Legend has it that as manager of the Curran, George was fixing the lighting rigging above the main floor when he
accidentally slipped, inadvertently hanging himself in the wiring. While much mystery surrounds this legend (his obituary which ran in the
Daily Camera in April, 1944, makes no mention of any accident and cites his place of death as Fitzsimmons Medical Center) one thing is for
sure: generation after generation of Boulder Theater patrons and employees have seen and felt the presence of a friendly specter roaming
the halls, stealing light bulbs and protecting the premise from multiple theft attempts. In his trademark 1920s style suit, this ghost has
repeatedly been reported as resembling the late George Paper.
So stop by for a drink, an inalienable piece of Boulder history and your chance to make friends with a kindly man who has made his home
open for all to share. But maybe don’t come alone…
Opened in 1906 as Curran Opera House by wealthy billboard sign owner James Curran, the venue featured opera, musical productions and
silent movies. In 1927 the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer", was presented by Warner Brothers. With the advent of the motion picture, all live
performances ceased as the theater became a movie house from 1927 to 1978. During the Depression, the theater kept going with double
features and "Country Store Nights", when sacks of groceries were given away to those in the lucky numbered seats.
For more on the history of the theater; click here
2032 14th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: Box Office / Administrative Office: 303.786.7030
Production Line: 303.998.9420
cliguori@bouldertheater.com
mnicolella@bouldertheater.com
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(Past Event) ----------> Meet the Spirits at Columbia Cemetery! July 4th, 2009
However, this cemetery tour may be held annually during different months.
Stroll with the Spirits ~ Columbia Cemetery
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 --- the Sesquicentennial Cemetery Stroll
1:30 – 4:30 pm
As part of the ongoing celebrations honoring Boulder’s 150th birthday throughout the year, a very special day-long series of events are
planned for July 4th – the Sesquicentennial Stroll. Beginning at 11 am in the Chautauqua Auditorium with a welcome ceremony, the
day culminates with the annual fireworks display at Folsom Field. Historic Boulder will host a Stroll with the Spirits from 1:30 – 4:30 pm on July
4 at Columbia Cemetery. Thirteen of the cemetery’s dearly departed historic figures will rise to share their stories with Sesquicentennial
Strollers. Established in 1870, Columbia Cemetery was the first permanent burial ground in Boulder. It is a virtual “Who’s Who” of early
Boulder containing the remains for many of the city’s founders and pioneers. Columbia Cemetery is the final resting place for early Boulder
merchants, educators, ranchers, tavern owners, miners, farmers, and even Ladies of the Evening! You’ll meet a deaf tea-leaf reader, famous
gunslinger, scandalous attorney, a gold-digging wife – and more. Ghost Hunters with ParaFPI -- an elite TAPS Family team that is currently
investigating the Cemetery -- will also demonstrate the equipment and techniques used in paranormal research. The Boulder Genealogical
Society will also be available to answer questions and share information. Enter the cemetery at 9th & College. Don’t miss this spirited event!
www.historicboulder.org/HBjuly09.pdf
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Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Be afraid, be very afraid! Tom Horn, Rocky Mountain Joe, Mary Rippon, "Lady of the Evening" Marietta Kingsley and many other Columbia
Cemetery "residents" will rise from the dead to tell their stories from noon to 5 p.m, Sunday, Oct. 12.
Get into the Halloween spirit with Victorian mourners, funereal music, vintage hearses, and a reenactment of a solemn Masonic burial service
by members of Columbia Lodge #14!
Ghost Hunters with ParaFPI-an elite TAPS Family team that is currently investigating the Cemetery-will also be on hand to demonstrate the
equipment and techniques used in their "spirited" paranormal research.
Rain/snow date is Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 5 p.m.
This fun and educational event is sponsored by Historic Boulder, Inc. and the city of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department. Tickets are
$10 for adults, $5 for children/students under 16, and are available in advance at Historic Boulder at 1123 Spruce Street in Boulder, or at
Columbia Cemetery at Ninth and Pleasant Streets on University Hill on the day of the event. Proceeds will benefit Columbia Cemetery and
Historic Boulder. For more information call 303-444-5192.
America's Most Wanted filmed this event in 2006 - (Boulder's Jane Doe)- see story here!
Tickets prices are $10 for adults and $5 children. Fundraising to benefit the on-going conservation efforts at the cemetery and Historic
Boulder. Call HB for additional information. Co-sponsored by the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information or questions, please call HB at 303-444-5192
www.historicboulder.org
Columbia Cemetery is located west of Ninth Street, between Pleasant and College Streets, in Boulder, Colorado. The main entrance is
located at the corner of Ninth and Pleasant Streets. The cemetery is located on University Hill, and is several blocks west of the University of
Colorado.
From Denver, take I-25 to Highway 36 west. Take the Baseline exit from Highway 36 in Boulder, and go left (west) on Baseline. Follow
Baseline west to Ninth Street (located just east of the entrance to Chautauqua Park); go right (north) on Ninth Street. Follow Ninth Street
past College Avenue to the next street on the left, which is Pleasant Street.
From Boulder, follow Arapahoe, Canyon or Pearl Street west to Ninth Street. Go south on Ninth Street to Pleasant Street.
About Columbia Cemetery:
Situated on 10.5 acres at Ninth and Pleasant Streets, the Cemetery is a virtual "Who's Who" of early Boulder--a historic, cultural, and artistic
resource containing the remains of many of our city's founders and pioneers.
Nearly 6,500 persons are interred in Columbia Cemetery. The gravestones are not simply inanimate markers of granite, marble, sandstone,
or metal--they are narratives that reveal provocative clues about who we were, how we lived and died, what shaped our values, attitudes, and
traditions. The epitaphs, engravings, and decorations provide insight into the minds and hearts of the hardy pioneers that have helped to
make Boulder and Colorado what they are today.We invite you to browse the various links below to enhance your understanding and
appreciation of Boulder's historic pioneer cemetery.
www.bouldercolorado.gov/columbia-cemetery
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Tales rise from dead
Boulder's past comes to life in a Halloween history lesson amid the graves
Denver Post article
By Sally S. Ho
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/20/2008 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated: 10/20/2008 01:06:08 AM MDT
www.denverpost.com/ci_10763216?source=rss
BOULDER — At Columbia Cemetery, ghost stories are known to be taken seriously. Thirty-five self-professed history buffs gathered at the
Boulder landmark Sunday afternoon dressed as some of the 6,500 "residents" who occupy the 10.5 acres.
Some of the famous "dead" who participate in the event include Mary Rippon (the first female faculty member at the University of Colorado),
Tom Horn (the notorious gunslinger) and Rocky Mountain Joe (a painter and photographer).
The event, known as "Meet the Spirits," has been put on by Historic Boulder every two years since 1986.
Kathryn Keller, an organizer for the event and a board member of the preservation group, dressed up as Kate Herbech, a prominent wealthy
socialite and noted dog owner who once lived in Boulder. She brought her dog to pose as Rover Herbech.
"One of (her) dogs is probably buried here," Keller said. "But my dog's probably thinking 'Why are you calling me Rover?' "
For William Arndt, a lifelong Boulder resident who is retired, his role as the Rev. Edward Gruen is beyond just a passion for history.
"I said I would participate, but only if I get to be my family."
Arndt, who is a cast member for the third time, plays his great-grandfather and brings along family mementos. He is the only cast member
related to his character.
"I'm also the only character who tells of Boulder's history with tuberculosis," Arndt said.
Gruen was a German-language Methodist minister who moved his family to Boulder after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Boulder, back
then, was home to three TB sanctuaries.
Arndt's great-grandmother Lydia Gruen, great-uncle Warren and great-aunt Gertrude are also buried at Columbia Cemetery.
Keller said the event usually brings in 600 to 1,000 people to the often-vandalized cemetery, and all the proceeds go to the upkeep and
preservation of the land.
"We've seen $75,000 worth of damage done to the headstones. We want to emphasize preservation because it is the early history of
Boulder," Keller said.
Dan Anthony brought his daughter, Maya, 10, and his neighbors Noah Holland, 9, and Emma Holland, 11.
The children agreed that their favorite part of the event was the murder-mystery stories and the free Banjo Billy Bus tours given throughout
the day.
For Dan Anthony, his favorite part of the event was the sunny weather.
"It's a good day to be outside, doing this Halloween stuff. It's fun," Anthony said. "And I was surprised how organized it is, but I guess some of
these people are real serious about it."
Sally S. Ho: 303-954-1638 or sho@denverpost.com
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Ghost Walk - Ghost Talk
(Held every 2 years)
Ghost Walk - Ghost Talk - October 2009!
Friday, October 30th, 2009
7pm to 10pm
The ghosts are waiting throughout downtown Boulder! On Oct 30 in the dark hours from 7 to 10 p.m., they will tell their stories from Boulder's
past in their rooms at the Boulderado Hotel, at the Carnegie Library for Local History, in the Masonic Lodge and at Design Within
Reach!
Psychics will be on hand for personal readings and refreshments will be served. Psychic Horizons Center joins Historic Boulder in
sponsoring this evening of chills!
Tickets are $10 for Historic Boulder members, $15 for others and $5 for children under 12. They are available at:
Historic Boulder, 1123 Spruce Street, or by phone at 303-444-5192
The Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St.
- and during the event at the Boulder Masonic Lodge, 2205 Broadway
Historic Boulder
www.historicboulder.org
director@historicboulder.org
303-444-5192
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**** For many more haunted and creepy Boulder events- please see my Halloween 2009 page: ****
www.hauntedcolorado.net/Halloween_2009_Colorado.html
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The following photos were taken by HauntedColorado.net during the 2004 ghost walk tour - all rights reserved
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From the 2004 tour:
Historic Mapleton Hill District
Tour of 6 historic & haunted mansions!
2004 haunted mansions on the tour:
~ Arnett-Fullen House- 646 Pearl Street
~ Spencer House- 427 Pine Street
~ Blake House- 933 Pine Street
~ Kohler House- 942 Pine Street
~ McGinniis Mansion- 1020 Mapleton Avenue
~ Grill Mansion- 2305 Broadway
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Banjo Billy's Ghost, Crime & History tours!
Every Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights in October- and Halloween!
Other times available- call or E-mail for details.
2 hours of the most haunted places in Boulder!
Tickets are $20 each
Tour departs from the Hotel Boulderado
720-771-0087
www.banjobilly.com
john@banjobilly.com
Ghost stories included!
.........A bizarre tale of a haunted hotel complete with three suicides but just one note.
..........How the ghost of a boy scout takes revenge on a girl scouts' exhibit.
And much, much more!
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The Hillbilly Machine
By YVONNE MIHALIK YOUR TOWN CORRESPONDENT
Sunday, July 24, 2005 6:37 PM MDT
There's a new bus driving around Boulder this summer. With an orange hood, wood fence siding, and a peaked wood roof on top, this
strange-looking beast turns heads. It's Banjo Billy's Bus Tour, and from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it's Boulder's own historical tour.
Passengers are invited to climb aboard the bus and take a seat in one of the large, over-stuffed chairs similar to the ones that might be
found in Grandma's den. There is also saddle seating available.
"We can seat 28 fun-loving people, and we do have room for three non-fun-loving people on the hood," laughed John Georgis, creator and
owner of Banjo Billy's Bus Tours.
The 80-minute tour embarks from in front of The Boulderado, at 13th and Spruce. And though the bus travels the same route every time, no
two tours are the same.
"People get to choose what stories they want to hear," said Georgis. "Although it's not a true democracy. Voting has more to do with how loud
you are. You have to yell loudly to get what you want, and if you're sitting in the back, you have to yell really loud."
The tour is flavored with ghost stories, crime stories and history. Passengers get to choose from topics such as the false gold rush of 1859,
the haunted hotel with three suicides but just one note, the story of two cops, six sticks of dynamite and one messy kitchen, and (of course)
the Mork and Mindy house.
"I got all of the general history information from the Carnegie Library here in Boulder. They were pretty darn helpful," said Georgis.
In addition, the Boulder ghost stories come from "Haunted Boulder" and "Haunted Boulder 2," by Roz Brown and Ann Legett. The crime
stories come from Sylvia Pettem's "Behind the Badge," a book that covers 125 years of the Boulder Police Department (the crime stories on
the tour are all from 1966 and older - no mention of JonBenet on this tour). The combination of information and the animated guides make
for an interesting and entertaining tour.
The story behind Banjo Billy's Bus Tour is equally as colorful as the tour itself. It began when Georgis did a solo trip through Europe in 1992.
"I didn't know anyone there, but I would go on tours wherever I went, and I met people on those tours all the time," he said. "Then we would
go out and do things together after the tours. I met a lot of really fun people that way and had a great trip. I realized that there just aren't as
many tours in the States."
Some time later, Georgis found himself sitting on a veranda with some friends in Santa Fe, drinking margaritas.
"We saw a trolley go by that was offering tours, so on a whim we decided to go. It turned out to be the most boring tour I had ever been on,
and when it was finished, we all wished we could have that hour-and-a-half back," said Georgis.
"That's when I realized that I'd like to create a really cool tour for people in Boulder. I thought that if I could put together a funky, wild tour,
people would really enjoy it," said Georgis.
The idea for the tour was born, and it percolated in his mind for some time.
"Finally, last winter, I saw a 1994 school bus for sale on ebay. I bought the bus, purchased a one-way ticket to Moline, Ill. and drove the bus
1,000 miles back home. I was so poor I had to pick up hitch-hikers to help along the way," laughed Georgis.
When he got home, Georgis parked the bus outside his house.
"It had just snowed, and I sat on my couch next to my girlfriend, wondering what I had just done. I was so depressed. I told her, 'I don't know
how to chop the top off of a bus, I don't know how to weld! What am I going to do?'"
Georgis's girlfriend replied that something would work out.
"At the time, I thought she was just saying something that friends are supposed to say. Then we got up to go to the Home Depot for supplies
for the bus, and there was a bearded man standing in my driveway," he said.
The man in the driveway turned out to be an experienced welder, metalworker and civil engineer from the School of Mines who had just sold
a bus of his own. He informed Georgis that he could and would help him with the bus, starting on the following Sunday.
The original plan of a Colorado-themed log cabin bus turned out to be too difficult to build, because the logs were just too heavy to mount
onto the side of the bus. Georgis improvised with a wood fence that blew down in his girlfriend's mother's backyard. After some
experimentation and compromise, and a lot of work, the bus was completed.
"When it was finished, a friend of mine told me it looked like a hillbilly machine," said Georgis. Jokingly, the friend asked if Georgis was "Banjo
Billy," and Georgis replied, "Well yes, yes I am."
Thanks to the sarcasm of a good friend, the tour had a name.
"I never actually thought I would go through with this, and then when I did, fear set in like no other fear in the world," laughed Georgis.
"If there's one thing I can say about this whole experience, it's that I've met some really cool people in this town. We have a lot of really
supportive and helpful people here, and I don't think you can say that about every town."
http://www.coloradodaily.com
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Murder Mysteries at the historic (& haunted) Hotel Boulderado!
Our Murder Mystery Dinners are a great success and a lot of fun!
Intriguing mysteries, stellar performances, and fine dining all meet to give you a wonderful night out.
To make your reservation for a Murder Mystery Dinner,
please call our Sales Office at (303) 440-2880, or book online now!
2009 Fall Murder Mystery Dinner Dates:
Friday, October 9th
Friday, October 23rd
Friday, October 30th
Performance by: 'Til Death Do Us Party
Murder 1936 ~ "It's My Party, I Can Die If I Want To"
Our "birthday murder," where we explore the thorny questions of youth, maturity, and mortality.
The guests are invited to the mayor's fiftieth birthday party where they will meet some of the town's
most portentous and influential people. The mayor's gifts and guests make this murder fascinating to the very end.
Murder Mystery Dinner Menu:
Appetizers:
Crispy Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Rounds with Marinara Sauce
Mini Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese
Buffet:
Boulderado Mixed Greens Salad with Pickled Beets and Radish Sprouts
Served with Orange-Basil Dressing
Fresh Baked Brioche Rolls and Butter
Golden Crusted Au Gratin Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Fresh Broccoli and Julienne Butternut Squash with Roasted Shallot Butter
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Roasted Squash and Ricotta Cheese
Served with Tomato Provencal Sauce
Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Seared Spinach, Saffron Buerre Blanc,
and Fried Green Tomatoes
Maple Glazed Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Red Wine and Cremini Mushroom Sauce
Dessert
French Apple Cranberry Tarts with Chantilly Cream
DINNER PACKAGE:
Our Murder Mystery Dinners are a terrific value: $64 per person includes the performance, a fabulous buffet dinner, one beverage of your
choice (beer, wine, mixed liquor drink, or soft drink), tax, gratuity, and valet parking.
DINNER & OVERNIGHT PACKAGE:
Murder Mystery for 2 and Traditional Queen Room ~ $259
Murder Mystery for 2 and Deluxe Two Queen Room ~ $279
Murder Mystery for 2 and Boulderado King Room ~ $299
Murder Mystery for 2 and Classic King Room ~ $319
Murder Mystery for 2 and One Bedroom Suite ~ $359
Murder Mystery for 2 and Presidential Suite ~ $378.99
Check back here for more information in the coming months, or join the Boulderado's mailing list and be the first "in the know" about their
upcoming events!
2115 13th Street,
Boulder Colorado
303.442.4344 – 1.800.433.4344
www.boulderado.com
info@boulderado.com
info@rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
(303) 473-0811
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The haunted Hotel Boulderado
In 1985, at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, C.M. Johnson heard tales about the front desk she had begun manning. She recalled the stories
she had heard three years earlier, when she was hired as a housekeeper at the hotel.
“I had heard, ‘Oh, there’s been sightings, and these housekeepers won’t go in these rooms,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, what are you talking about?’”
Johnson says.
It inevitably happened: inexplicable movement; voices from nowhere; electrical glitches that weren’t electrical at all; light touches in empty
rooms; allusions to the past. It took years for these things to unfold for Johnson.
Old buildings have strange quirks and odd creaks
A few years back, while doing some maintenance in a room, Johnson found something odd.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open the room’s window.
She left to get a tool to dislodge it.
“I came back into the room, and the window was open,” she says.
It was lunchtime; the guests were gone.
“And in an old building like this, you can hear people walking around,” Johnson says.
But there was no one. She closed the window, then walked out again.
When she returned, the window had been opened once more. It was her first experience with spirits in the hotel, she says.
“I was happy,” Johnson recalls. “I was thinking, ‘God, you guys sure took a long time to show yourself to me.’”
The woman in the rocking chair
The Hotel Boulderado has its own set of regulars, but perhaps none are as consistent as the woman in the rocking chair.
Guests and employees have seen her, a woman donning a flowing, Victorian gown and shawl. She rocks in her chair, leaving folks
bewildered.
Upon checking out, some guests have told employees they felt as if they had unwittingly shared their rooms.
“They say, ‘I felt like someone was sitting on my bed last night,’” Johnson recalls at least one guest saying.
Old elevator
It takes a lot to faze some employees at the Hotel Boulderado.
For instance, when the manually operated elevator at the hotel gets a mind of its own, longtime staffers tend to chalk it up to the usual
suspects.
Some folks on the first floor have watched the light flicker on the third floor, only to ride the elevator up to find no one is there at all.
“I think it still happens,” Johnson says somewhat cavalierly. “It’s just we’re so used to these type of things.”
Pranks
It was one thing when they messed with her hair.
But Johnson admitted she was a bit taken aback when what she believes was a spirit pulled a prank using a shawl.
During the first incident, Johnson was standing in front of a storage closet when she felt a light yank on her hair. Within seconds, the rubber
band holding her hair up fell to the ground.
But later, when she was searching for a hotel guest’s shawl — which Johnson believed would be stored in the lost-and-found storeroom —
she became befuddled. She searched through three months’ worth of unclaimed items, and there was nothing. She checked three times,
eventually locking the room, to which she and her supervisor — who was on vacation — were the only key holders.
“The next morning when I come in, there is the shawl, draped on the shelves,” Johnson says.
Source: Longmont FYI
October 21st, 2005
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'Colorado X: Case Files of the Paranormal' investigates Macky 'ghost'
Group working on television series looks into local paranormal phenomena
Boulder Daily Camera article
By Cindy Sutter
Sunday, August 16, 2009
www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/aug/16/of-ghosts-and-ghost-stories/
If you go: What: "Paranormal University: An evening with Colorado X and the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society
When: 6 p.m. Aug. 27th, 2009
Where: Hale Science Auditorium, room 270, University of Colorado
Tickets: Free admission
Info: www.coloradoxcasefiles.com, 720-496-8809
BOULDER, Colo. — Perhaps you've heard about this: Strains of organ music waft from Macky Auditorium late at night when no one's in the
building. Sometimes there's singing, even screaming. The lights come on inexplicably, showing a woman's shadow. Blood appears on the wall
of a tower room and on the floor.
Parents sending freshman to the University of Colorado expect them to learn about environmental science, astrophysics or perhaps Russian
literature.
But chances are one thing that will stick with all students in their first year and after graduation is the story of the tragic murder of Elaura
Jaquette in Macky tower in 1966 and the ghost purported to haunt the tower to this day.
"It's campus folklore," says Jack Hanley, a folklorist and European historian working on his doctorate at CU. "It's part of the traditionary
process, the initiation into new folklore. If (new students) haven't heard it yet, they will shortly."
But what if the ghost is more than folklore?
Hanley decided to find out.
After watching television shows about the paranormal, which he considered maddening for the lack of real investigatory techniques, Hanley
had an idea.
What about a television show that was a mashup of SyFy's "Ghost Hunters" and Discovery Channel's "Myth Busters?"
Hanley assembled a team of skeptics composed of himself, a psychologist and an investigative journalist. He then approached the Rocky
Mountain Paranormal Research Society, a local group that uses various types of sophisticated equipment to investigate paranormal
phenomena.
The result of the collaboration is "Colorado X: Case Files of the Paranormal," five hour-long television episodes that take a look at five cases
of paranormal activity in Colorado. They started with Macky.
"It's the first one that came to mind," Hanley says.
But it was also the most sensitive. With a real victim, the situation was much less abstract than, say, the Lafayette vampire, which the group
will investigate in a future episode. Yet CU and the Boulder police both cooperated, and researchers went about their work.
The team's reporting showed that the first reports of a ghost in the tower dated to roughly five years after the murder, around 1970.
The story was picked up by newspapers nationally, but the reports were different from local accounts and sensationalized.
"Some stories made an effort to point out that she was a 'pretty coed' or a 'tanned coed,' Hanley says. One account said she was murdered
while other students were practicing music, drowning out her screams. No one was practicing, and the room was soundproof."
Finding a ghost -- or not
To investigate a haunting or other paranormal event -- monsters in lakes and UFO sightings also count -- the teams use their areas of
expertise.
In the case of Rocky Mountain Paranormal, that involves several types of equipment. Investigator Bryan Bonner says the group has audio
recording, seismographs, electro-magnetic field sensors and video among other types of investigatory devices. They take their work
seriously, with members getting training and certification on each piece of equipment.
"We work hard on keeping a credible reputation, which in this field is hard to do," Bonner says.
He adds that the group has been ostracized a bit among paranormal groups, because Rocky Mountain Paranormal will not draw conclusions
not supported by data.
He says in most cases, they find a natural explanation for the phenomenon they're investigating, But "very, very rarely" they find something
they can't explain.
The paranormal research group spent five nights at Macky. Bonner says that hasn't been done before.
"Previously, teams who have been at the Macky have spent 45 minutes or a couple of hours," he says.
With an incident being reported only once a month of so, the statistical likelihood of encountering a ghost -- or an unexplained event with a
natural explanation -- is very small if investigators are only there for a short time, Bonner says.
When the team arrived at Macky, they secured the space to make sure no outsiders came in and took baseline readings. That's to get the
sounds of the building settling, to see car lights that might shine on the wall and to discover other occurrences that are normal to the building.
Bonner finds the investigations shown on television irritating for their lack of precision.
"They walk around with their equipment, talking," he says. "That's fun, but you won't get results. You're contaminating your data."
His team members stay still for hours.
"It's a terribly boring thing to do most of the time," he says. "(But) when we do find something, it's amazing."
Understanding a legend
Hanley's team began their investigation in a completely different way. They went about tracing the story of the Macky tower ghost and how it
was and is spread.
An obvious transmission point was Banjo Billy and his tours, which stop at Macky.
"He's out there four times a week, taking tourists from Colorado and all parts of the country and telling them ghost stories," Hanley says.
The team worked back, finding the primary sources of information.
"It's funny how badly transformed and mutated (the story is)," Hanley says. "In one of the first scenes (of 'Case Files of the Paranormal,' we
have) 10 or 12 different students telling us the story. All they can agree on is that there is a student and a tower."
The story is also omnipresent in Boulder. During the team's investigation, they caught two separate groups of teenagers trying to sneak into
the tower, Hanley says, adding that the ghost story is so full of cultural archetypes that it was bound to persist even if a ghost was never
there.
Jaquette was a girl in a tower, in peril, a cultural meme dating to the 14th century. It's also a plot familiar to horror movie fans -- a campus
coed, alone and unable to get help. Sadly, the crime was also very bloody.
The story is fed by new initiants, as Hanley calls them, coming to CU every year and hearing about the murder and the ghost.
The episode is in the final editing stages. The format includes an introduction to the story of Macky tower, with action intercut between the
two groups' investigations. Each group then presents their conclusions and either agree or disagree on the results.
So, is there a ghost at Macky?
Hanley will say only that both groups agreed on their conclusion.
Students learning about the Macky ghost along with their Tolstoy, will have to wait until December when the episode is played on the
Colorado X Web site or picked up by television to find out if there actually is a ghost on campus -- or at least if two teams of investigators
think there is a ghost.
Those who have a personal sighting can draw their own conclusions.
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Murder Mysteries at The Gold Hill Inn
MURDER AT THE GOLD HILL INN & BLUEBIRD LODGE
{{Note: It is unknown whether this facility is haunted or not}}
The 2009 Murder Mystery Schedule:
June 20, 27 July 17, 24, 25
August 21, 22, 28
September 4, 5,11,12, 25, 26 October 9,10, 17
Other dates available for private groups
401 Main Street
Gold Hill
Boulder, CO 80302
www.goldhillinn.com
(303) 443-6461
Bluebird Lodge (303) 443-6475
Come join us, high in the Rocky Mountains, at the historic Bluebird Lodge built in 1872; for an evening of mystery and suspense. A limit of
eighteen guests insures a very intimate and unusual theatrical experience. Begin with a champagne reception, surrounded by characters
from the past with stories to tell and secrets to divulge (or withhold). Later, in the dining room, keep your eyes and ears open as you enjoy a
meal prepared by the famous Gold Hill Inn. You just may be sitting next to a "killer." You and your team-mates will survey the scene of a
crime, look for clues and interrogate suspects. Solve the mystery over brandy and dessert and win a prize. Unwind next door at the Inn, gaze
at the stars, or go to bed in the rustic Lodge, happy to have survived the evening... At last the mystery is over, or is it? Was that creaking on
the stairs just an old building settling, or was it the ghost of Eugene Field, or some other ethereal denizen of the old mining town? Look if you
dare, or pull up the covers a little higher and dream of days long gone, but not forgotten. In the morning, enjoy breakfast with your fellow
guests and new found friends, but don't say goodbye, because we think you'll be back soon to hear and see another tall tale of the West.
Murder mysteries take place next door to the Gold Hill Inn at a historic hotel called the Bluebird Lodge. The package includes: champagne
reception with hors d'oeuvres, five course meal with wine, after dinner brandy, overnight accommodations, continental breakfast, tax and
gratuity. It also includes the murder mystery itself. We book 9 couples per M.M. either individually or as a private party. There are 9 sleeping
rooms, each with a new queen size bed.
Cost is $ 215.00 per couple. The bathrooms are down the hall; there are no baths in the rooms.
We require a $100.00 non-refundable deposit per room Check in is between 5 & 7 pm; the M.M. starts at 7:30.
We need to know ahead of time of any dietary restrictions (ie. no red meat, vegetarian, or food allergies).
Please be very careful and try to stay alive.................
The Management
Call 303 443-6461 for reservations
Chris Finn - cfinn@mho.net
Brian Finn - bfinn@mho.net
www.rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
info@rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
Back to home page
Pearl Street- 1866 - (www.photoswest.org)
In the early to mid 1800s, nomadic Arapaho Indians frequently wintered at the base of the foothills in the Boulder area. The first recorded
European settlers in the area were gold prospectors who arrived in 1858. Mining in the Boulder area continued to be a prominent part of the
local economy through the mid 1900s. Colorado statehood in 1876 led to the state’s creation of the University of Colorado at Boulder, which
opened in 1877.
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'Haunted' cafe renamed for ghost
Resident spirit inspires the Boulder Theater to rename its cafe
Photo from www.bouldertheater.com
Boulder Daily Camera article
By Vince Darcangelo
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Above photo by: Kasia Broussalian
Mike Donohoe, a server for three months, sets up the bar before the evening rush at George's next to the Boulder Theater in
downtown Boulder last week. George's, which opened as the Lounge in July, was renamed in honor of a ghost said to haunt
the Boulder Theater.
There's a new eatery in town, a place to enjoy a sandwich and a beer while watching the game, or to take in a pre-concert meal before
catching a show at the Boulder Theater. According to those who work there, even if you show up by yourself, you never dine alone at
George's Food and Drink, where the spirits are brewed locally -- even the dead ones.
On June 27, the Boulder Theater opened up The Lounge, a bar/cafe adjacent to the theater at 2028 14th St. The idea was to serve a light
Italian-inspired menu and local beers, and give concert-goers a pre- and post-show option for dining and drinks.
"It's just kind of a space that we've made our own," says Sarah Coffield, the Boulder Theater's publicist.
But she says The Lounge attracted an unexpected guest -- George Paper, the Boulder Theater's resident ghost.
Legend has it that in 1944 Paper, who managed the theater (then known as the Curran), was fixing a lighting rig when he slipped and
became tangled in the wiring. He inadvertently hung himself. In the years since, Paper's spirit has been seen or felt by everyone from
managers to intruders to employees. Sometimes he's been seen wearing his 1920s suit. Other times he's manifested as unexplained cold
spots, or been accused of removing light bulbs from the backstage area.
Since The Lounge opened, Coffield says George has been more present in the theater, so in his honor The Lounge was renamed George's
Food and Drink on Oct. 10. Earlier this week it launched a revamped menu, featuring everything from salads and appetizers to pot roast,
pulled pork sandwiches and even a George's Panini.
"We were finding that people wanted more of a heartier meal, so we decided to broaden our menu. We kept a lot of the same stuff. The food
was great, but people wanted more," Coffield says. "We're calling it contemporary comfort food."
The question is: Comfort for whom?
Since The Lounge opened, some unexplained phenomena have been taking place in the historic theater. The employees attribute it to
George.
"He's always been active in the theater, but people have just had some weird experiences recently: Bathroom doors swinging when they're
not supposed to be swinging," Coffield says. "My co-worker has seen outlines of a man dash across the room into nowhere when he was
coming down the stairs and going into George's. George is always around the bathrooms."
Coffield was the only employee willing to talk about her experiences.
The most significant happened just a few weeks ago.
"I was at the bar, and I was turning off the lights in George's in the early morning. I had just let in a vendor to the kitchen, and he had just
left," Coffield says. "I was turning out the lights, and I heard a creak, and the (men's bathroom) door was swinging. Not violently, but as if
someone had just walked out of it."
She looked around, but she was alone in the building. And there was no breeze that could have caused the heavy door to swing on its own.
Coffield has also experienced bathroom faucets turning on and off by themselves, and co-workers have reported eerie happenings inside the
theater's third-floor VIP room and the old projection room -- the former apartment of George Paper.
There's probably no one in town more familiar with the hauntings than John Georgis, who founded Banjo Billy's Bus Tours and every October
runs a monthlong Ghosts of Boulder tour, including a stop at the old theater.
"They've had so many problems there that the lounge next to the theater has been changed to George's," he says. "That guy is around."
On his bus tour, Georgis tells of Dick MacLeod, the former owner who lived in the Boulder Theater in the 1980s. One night there was a break-
in, and when the police arrived they found the intruder -- hiding in the projection booth.
"He said he kept running into that big, old tall guy with a hat," Georgis says.
There was one problem: MacLeod wasn't old and wasn't wearing a hat. But the intruder's description of the man matched that of George
Paper.
Other employees throughout the years have reported seeing a tall man wearing a hat disappearing into the bathrooms, leaving only a cold
spot behind.
"They think George still haunts this place to this day," Georgis says.
He says a recently hired bartender told him about feeling the urge to paint while working at the theater one night.
"She'd never heard of George Paper before," Georgis says.
She went home and painted a picture of the inside of the Boulder Theater, but for some reason was inspired to draw a man hanging over the
stage. She showed the painting to some of her co-workers, who clued her in to the theater's haunted history.
Ironically, the theater hired Banjo Billy to provide transportation for an employee party one night, and along the way, Coffield says, they
asked him to tell some of the Boulder Theater ghost stories -- many of which they'd never heard.
"We regretted it after that," she says with a laugh.
Has the name change worked? Hard to say. Coffield says her most recent encounter with George occurred on Oct. 15 -- five days after The
Lounge became George's. But she adds that the overall activity has decreased.
Besides, they wouldn't want George's ghost to disappear altogether.
"It's a fun little thing to have around, and it's always been something that the theater cherishes," Coffield says. "And now we can kind of
dedicate a little space to him.
"He just wants to make sure that he's still part of it."
www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/oct/30/furious-george/
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GEORGE’S FOOD AND DRINK
2028 14th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Located just south of the Boulder Theater
303.998.9350
Open daily 5pm Daily
Happy Hour 5pm-7pm, $3 well, draft beer, & house wine.
Sunday and Monday Night Football- ALL NIGHT HAPPY HOUR
Introducing for your culinary pleasure- GEORGE’S! Boulder Theater is proud to present the next generation in comfort food; spanning the
world of fine contemporary dining, George’s Food and Drink provides the eager patron with a one-of-a-kind edible experience.
Found just south of the historic Boulder Theater, George’s is named for George Paper, Manager of the Curran Theater (now Boulder
Theater) in the 1920s. Legend has it that as manager of the Curran, George was fixing the lighting rigging above the main floor when he
accidentally slipped, inadvertently hanging himself in the wiring. While much mystery surrounds this legend (his obituary which ran in the
Daily Camera in April, 1944, makes no mention of any accident and cites his place of death as Fitzsimmons Medical Center) one thing is for
sure: generation after generation of Boulder Theater patrons and employees have seen and felt the presence of a friendly specter roaming
the halls, stealing light bulbs and protecting the premise from multiple theft attempts. In his trademark 1920s style suit, this ghost has
repeatedly been reported as resembling the late George Paper.
So stop by for a drink, an inalienable piece of Boulder history and your chance to make friends with a kindly man who has made his home
open for all to share. But maybe don’t come alone…
Opened in 1906 as Curran Opera House by wealthy billboard sign owner James Curran, the venue featured opera, musical productions and
silent movies. In 1927 the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer", was presented by Warner Brothers. With the advent of the motion picture, all live
performances ceased as the theater became a movie house from 1927 to 1978. During the Depression, the theater kept going with double
features and "Country Store Nights", when sacks of groceries were given away to those in the lucky numbered seats.
For more on the history of the theater; click here
2032 14th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: Box Office / Administrative Office: 303.786.7030
Production Line: 303.998.9420
cliguori@bouldertheater.com
mnicolella@bouldertheater.com
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(Past Event) ----------> Meet the Spirits at Columbia Cemetery! July 4th, 2009
However, this cemetery tour may be held annually during different months.
Stroll with the Spirits ~ Columbia Cemetery
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 --- the Sesquicentennial Cemetery Stroll
1:30 – 4:30 pm
As part of the ongoing celebrations honoring Boulder’s 150th birthday throughout the year, a very special day-long series of events are
planned for July 4th – the Sesquicentennial Stroll. Beginning at 11 am in the Chautauqua Auditorium with a welcome ceremony, the
day culminates with the annual fireworks display at Folsom Field. Historic Boulder will host a Stroll with the Spirits from 1:30 – 4:30 pm on July
4 at Columbia Cemetery. Thirteen of the cemetery’s dearly departed historic figures will rise to share their stories with Sesquicentennial
Strollers. Established in 1870, Columbia Cemetery was the first permanent burial ground in Boulder. It is a virtual “Who’s Who” of early
Boulder containing the remains for many of the city’s founders and pioneers. Columbia Cemetery is the final resting place for early Boulder
merchants, educators, ranchers, tavern owners, miners, farmers, and even Ladies of the Evening! You’ll meet a deaf tea-leaf reader, famous
gunslinger, scandalous attorney, a gold-digging wife – and more. Ghost Hunters with ParaFPI -- an elite TAPS Family team that is currently
investigating the Cemetery -- will also demonstrate the equipment and techniques used in paranormal research. The Boulder Genealogical
Society will also be available to answer questions and share information. Enter the cemetery at 9th & College. Don’t miss this spirited event!
www.historicboulder.org/HBjuly09.pdf
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Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Be afraid, be very afraid! Tom Horn, Rocky Mountain Joe, Mary Rippon, "Lady of the Evening" Marietta Kingsley and many other Columbia
Cemetery "residents" will rise from the dead to tell their stories from noon to 5 p.m, Sunday, Oct. 12.
Get into the Halloween spirit with Victorian mourners, funereal music, vintage hearses, and a reenactment of a solemn Masonic burial service
by members of Columbia Lodge #14!
Ghost Hunters with ParaFPI-an elite TAPS Family team that is currently investigating the Cemetery-will also be on hand to demonstrate the
equipment and techniques used in their "spirited" paranormal research.
Rain/snow date is Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 5 p.m.
This fun and educational event is sponsored by Historic Boulder, Inc. and the city of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department. Tickets are
$10 for adults, $5 for children/students under 16, and are available in advance at Historic Boulder at 1123 Spruce Street in Boulder, or at
Columbia Cemetery at Ninth and Pleasant Streets on University Hill on the day of the event. Proceeds will benefit Columbia Cemetery and
Historic Boulder. For more information call 303-444-5192.
America's Most Wanted filmed this event in 2006 - (Boulder's Jane Doe)- see story here!
Tickets prices are $10 for adults and $5 children. Fundraising to benefit the on-going conservation efforts at the cemetery and Historic
Boulder. Call HB for additional information. Co-sponsored by the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information or questions, please call HB at 303-444-5192
www.historicboulder.org
Columbia Cemetery is located west of Ninth Street, between Pleasant and College Streets, in Boulder, Colorado. The main entrance is
located at the corner of Ninth and Pleasant Streets. The cemetery is located on University Hill, and is several blocks west of the University of
Colorado.
From Denver, take I-25 to Highway 36 west. Take the Baseline exit from Highway 36 in Boulder, and go left (west) on Baseline. Follow
Baseline west to Ninth Street (located just east of the entrance to Chautauqua Park); go right (north) on Ninth Street. Follow Ninth Street
past College Avenue to the next street on the left, which is Pleasant Street.
From Boulder, follow Arapahoe, Canyon or Pearl Street west to Ninth Street. Go south on Ninth Street to Pleasant Street.
About Columbia Cemetery:
Situated on 10.5 acres at Ninth and Pleasant Streets, the Cemetery is a virtual "Who's Who" of early Boulder--a historic, cultural, and artistic
resource containing the remains of many of our city's founders and pioneers.
Nearly 6,500 persons are interred in Columbia Cemetery. The gravestones are not simply inanimate markers of granite, marble, sandstone,
or metal--they are narratives that reveal provocative clues about who we were, how we lived and died, what shaped our values, attitudes, and
traditions. The epitaphs, engravings, and decorations provide insight into the minds and hearts of the hardy pioneers that have helped to
make Boulder and Colorado what they are today.We invite you to browse the various links below to enhance your understanding and
appreciation of Boulder's historic pioneer cemetery.
www.bouldercolorado.gov/columbia-cemetery
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Tales rise from dead
Boulder's past comes to life in a Halloween history lesson amid the graves
Denver Post article
By Sally S. Ho
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/20/2008 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated: 10/20/2008 01:06:08 AM MDT
www.denverpost.com/ci_10763216?source=rss
BOULDER — At Columbia Cemetery, ghost stories are known to be taken seriously. Thirty-five self-professed history buffs gathered at the
Boulder landmark Sunday afternoon dressed as some of the 6,500 "residents" who occupy the 10.5 acres.
Some of the famous "dead" who participate in the event include Mary Rippon (the first female faculty member at the University of Colorado),
Tom Horn (the notorious gunslinger) and Rocky Mountain Joe (a painter and photographer).
The event, known as "Meet the Spirits," has been put on by Historic Boulder every two years since 1986.
Kathryn Keller, an organizer for the event and a board member of the preservation group, dressed up as Kate Herbech, a prominent wealthy
socialite and noted dog owner who once lived in Boulder. She brought her dog to pose as Rover Herbech.
"One of (her) dogs is probably buried here," Keller said. "But my dog's probably thinking 'Why are you calling me Rover?' "
For William Arndt, a lifelong Boulder resident who is retired, his role as the Rev. Edward Gruen is beyond just a passion for history.
"I said I would participate, but only if I get to be my family."
Arndt, who is a cast member for the third time, plays his great-grandfather and brings along family mementos. He is the only cast member
related to his character.
"I'm also the only character who tells of Boulder's history with tuberculosis," Arndt said.
Gruen was a German-language Methodist minister who moved his family to Boulder after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Boulder, back
then, was home to three TB sanctuaries.
Arndt's great-grandmother Lydia Gruen, great-uncle Warren and great-aunt Gertrude are also buried at Columbia Cemetery.
Keller said the event usually brings in 600 to 1,000 people to the often-vandalized cemetery, and all the proceeds go to the upkeep and
preservation of the land.
"We've seen $75,000 worth of damage done to the headstones. We want to emphasize preservation because it is the early history of
Boulder," Keller said.
Dan Anthony brought his daughter, Maya, 10, and his neighbors Noah Holland, 9, and Emma Holland, 11.
The children agreed that their favorite part of the event was the murder-mystery stories and the free Banjo Billy Bus tours given throughout
the day.
For Dan Anthony, his favorite part of the event was the sunny weather.
"It's a good day to be outside, doing this Halloween stuff. It's fun," Anthony said. "And I was surprised how organized it is, but I guess some of
these people are real serious about it."
Sally S. Ho: 303-954-1638 or sho@denverpost.com
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Ghost Walk - Ghost Talk
(Held every 2 years)
Ghost Walk - Ghost Talk - October 2009!
Friday, October 30th, 2009
7pm to 10pm
The ghosts are waiting throughout downtown Boulder! On Oct 30 in the dark hours from 7 to 10 p.m., they will tell their stories from Boulder's
past in their rooms at the Boulderado Hotel, at the Carnegie Library for Local History, in the Masonic Lodge and at Design Within
Reach!
Psychics will be on hand for personal readings and refreshments will be served. Psychic Horizons Center joins Historic Boulder in
sponsoring this evening of chills!
Tickets are $10 for Historic Boulder members, $15 for others and $5 for children under 12. They are available at:
Historic Boulder, 1123 Spruce Street, or by phone at 303-444-5192
The Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St.
- and during the event at the Boulder Masonic Lodge, 2205 Broadway
Historic Boulder
www.historicboulder.org
director@historicboulder.org
303-444-5192
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**** For many more haunted and creepy Boulder events- please see my Halloween 2009 page: ****
www.hauntedcolorado.net/Halloween_2009_Colorado.html
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The following photos were taken by HauntedColorado.net during the 2004 ghost walk tour - all rights reserved
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From the 2004 tour:
Historic Mapleton Hill District
Tour of 6 historic & haunted mansions!
2004 haunted mansions on the tour:
~ Arnett-Fullen House- 646 Pearl Street
~ Spencer House- 427 Pine Street
~ Blake House- 933 Pine Street
~ Kohler House- 942 Pine Street
~ McGinniis Mansion- 1020 Mapleton Avenue
~ Grill Mansion- 2305 Broadway
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Banjo Billy's Ghost, Crime & History tours!
Every Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights in October- and Halloween!
Other times available- call or E-mail for details.
2 hours of the most haunted places in Boulder!
Tickets are $20 each
Tour departs from the Hotel Boulderado
720-771-0087
www.banjobilly.com
john@banjobilly.com
Ghost stories included!
.........A bizarre tale of a haunted hotel complete with three suicides but just one note.
..........How the ghost of a boy scout takes revenge on a girl scouts' exhibit.
And much, much more!
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The Hillbilly Machine
By YVONNE MIHALIK YOUR TOWN CORRESPONDENT
Sunday, July 24, 2005 6:37 PM MDT
There's a new bus driving around Boulder this summer. With an orange hood, wood fence siding, and a peaked wood roof on top, this
strange-looking beast turns heads. It's Banjo Billy's Bus Tour, and from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it's Boulder's own historical tour.
Passengers are invited to climb aboard the bus and take a seat in one of the large, over-stuffed chairs similar to the ones that might be
found in Grandma's den. There is also saddle seating available.
"We can seat 28 fun-loving people, and we do have room for three non-fun-loving people on the hood," laughed John Georgis, creator and
owner of Banjo Billy's Bus Tours.
The 80-minute tour embarks from in front of The Boulderado, at 13th and Spruce. And though the bus travels the same route every time, no
two tours are the same.
"People get to choose what stories they want to hear," said Georgis. "Although it's not a true democracy. Voting has more to do with how loud
you are. You have to yell loudly to get what you want, and if you're sitting in the back, you have to yell really loud."
The tour is flavored with ghost stories, crime stories and history. Passengers get to choose from topics such as the false gold rush of 1859,
the haunted hotel with three suicides but just one note, the story of two cops, six sticks of dynamite and one messy kitchen, and (of course)
the Mork and Mindy house.
"I got all of the general history information from the Carnegie Library here in Boulder. They were pretty darn helpful," said Georgis.
In addition, the Boulder ghost stories come from "Haunted Boulder" and "Haunted Boulder 2," by Roz Brown and Ann Legett. The crime
stories come from Sylvia Pettem's "Behind the Badge," a book that covers 125 years of the Boulder Police Department (the crime stories on
the tour are all from 1966 and older - no mention of JonBenet on this tour). The combination of information and the animated guides make
for an interesting and entertaining tour.
The story behind Banjo Billy's Bus Tour is equally as colorful as the tour itself. It began when Georgis did a solo trip through Europe in 1992.
"I didn't know anyone there, but I would go on tours wherever I went, and I met people on those tours all the time," he said. "Then we would
go out and do things together after the tours. I met a lot of really fun people that way and had a great trip. I realized that there just aren't as
many tours in the States."
Some time later, Georgis found himself sitting on a veranda with some friends in Santa Fe, drinking margaritas.
"We saw a trolley go by that was offering tours, so on a whim we decided to go. It turned out to be the most boring tour I had ever been on,
and when it was finished, we all wished we could have that hour-and-a-half back," said Georgis.
"That's when I realized that I'd like to create a really cool tour for people in Boulder. I thought that if I could put together a funky, wild tour,
people would really enjoy it," said Georgis.
The idea for the tour was born, and it percolated in his mind for some time.
"Finally, last winter, I saw a 1994 school bus for sale on ebay. I bought the bus, purchased a one-way ticket to Moline, Ill. and drove the bus
1,000 miles back home. I was so poor I had to pick up hitch-hikers to help along the way," laughed Georgis.
When he got home, Georgis parked the bus outside his house.
"It had just snowed, and I sat on my couch next to my girlfriend, wondering what I had just done. I was so depressed. I told her, 'I don't know
how to chop the top off of a bus, I don't know how to weld! What am I going to do?'"
Georgis's girlfriend replied that something would work out.
"At the time, I thought she was just saying something that friends are supposed to say. Then we got up to go to the Home Depot for supplies
for the bus, and there was a bearded man standing in my driveway," he said.
The man in the driveway turned out to be an experienced welder, metalworker and civil engineer from the School of Mines who had just sold
a bus of his own. He informed Georgis that he could and would help him with the bus, starting on the following Sunday.
The original plan of a Colorado-themed log cabin bus turned out to be too difficult to build, because the logs were just too heavy to mount
onto the side of the bus. Georgis improvised with a wood fence that blew down in his girlfriend's mother's backyard. After some
experimentation and compromise, and a lot of work, the bus was completed.
"When it was finished, a friend of mine told me it looked like a hillbilly machine," said Georgis. Jokingly, the friend asked if Georgis was "Banjo
Billy," and Georgis replied, "Well yes, yes I am."
Thanks to the sarcasm of a good friend, the tour had a name.
"I never actually thought I would go through with this, and then when I did, fear set in like no other fear in the world," laughed Georgis.
"If there's one thing I can say about this whole experience, it's that I've met some really cool people in this town. We have a lot of really
supportive and helpful people here, and I don't think you can say that about every town."
http://www.coloradodaily.com
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Murder Mysteries at the historic (& haunted) Hotel Boulderado!
Our Murder Mystery Dinners are a great success and a lot of fun!
Intriguing mysteries, stellar performances, and fine dining all meet to give you a wonderful night out.
To make your reservation for a Murder Mystery Dinner,
please call our Sales Office at (303) 440-2880, or book online now!
2009 Fall Murder Mystery Dinner Dates:
Friday, October 9th
Friday, October 23rd
Friday, October 30th
Performance by: 'Til Death Do Us Party
Murder 1936 ~ "It's My Party, I Can Die If I Want To"
Our "birthday murder," where we explore the thorny questions of youth, maturity, and mortality.
The guests are invited to the mayor's fiftieth birthday party where they will meet some of the town's
most portentous and influential people. The mayor's gifts and guests make this murder fascinating to the very end.
Murder Mystery Dinner Menu:
Appetizers:
Crispy Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Rounds with Marinara Sauce
Mini Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese
Buffet:
Boulderado Mixed Greens Salad with Pickled Beets and Radish Sprouts
Served with Orange-Basil Dressing
Fresh Baked Brioche Rolls and Butter
Golden Crusted Au Gratin Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Fresh Broccoli and Julienne Butternut Squash with Roasted Shallot Butter
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Roasted Squash and Ricotta Cheese
Served with Tomato Provencal Sauce
Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Seared Spinach, Saffron Buerre Blanc,
and Fried Green Tomatoes
Maple Glazed Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Red Wine and Cremini Mushroom Sauce
Dessert
French Apple Cranberry Tarts with Chantilly Cream
DINNER PACKAGE:
Our Murder Mystery Dinners are a terrific value: $64 per person includes the performance, a fabulous buffet dinner, one beverage of your
choice (beer, wine, mixed liquor drink, or soft drink), tax, gratuity, and valet parking.
DINNER & OVERNIGHT PACKAGE:
Murder Mystery for 2 and Traditional Queen Room ~ $259
Murder Mystery for 2 and Deluxe Two Queen Room ~ $279
Murder Mystery for 2 and Boulderado King Room ~ $299
Murder Mystery for 2 and Classic King Room ~ $319
Murder Mystery for 2 and One Bedroom Suite ~ $359
Murder Mystery for 2 and Presidential Suite ~ $378.99
Check back here for more information in the coming months, or join the Boulderado's mailing list and be the first "in the know" about their
upcoming events!
2115 13th Street,
Boulder Colorado
303.442.4344 – 1.800.433.4344
www.boulderado.com
info@boulderado.com
info@rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
(303) 473-0811
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The haunted Hotel Boulderado
In 1985, at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, C.M. Johnson heard tales about the front desk she had begun manning. She recalled the stories
she had heard three years earlier, when she was hired as a housekeeper at the hotel.
“I had heard, ‘Oh, there’s been sightings, and these housekeepers won’t go in these rooms,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, what are you talking about?’”
Johnson says.
It inevitably happened: inexplicable movement; voices from nowhere; electrical glitches that weren’t electrical at all; light touches in empty
rooms; allusions to the past. It took years for these things to unfold for Johnson.
Old buildings have strange quirks and odd creaks
A few years back, while doing some maintenance in a room, Johnson found something odd.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open the room’s window.
She left to get a tool to dislodge it.
“I came back into the room, and the window was open,” she says.
It was lunchtime; the guests were gone.
“And in an old building like this, you can hear people walking around,” Johnson says.
But there was no one. She closed the window, then walked out again.
When she returned, the window had been opened once more. It was her first experience with spirits in the hotel, she says.
“I was happy,” Johnson recalls. “I was thinking, ‘God, you guys sure took a long time to show yourself to me.’”
The woman in the rocking chair
The Hotel Boulderado has its own set of regulars, but perhaps none are as consistent as the woman in the rocking chair.
Guests and employees have seen her, a woman donning a flowing, Victorian gown and shawl. She rocks in her chair, leaving folks
bewildered.
Upon checking out, some guests have told employees they felt as if they had unwittingly shared their rooms.
“They say, ‘I felt like someone was sitting on my bed last night,’” Johnson recalls at least one guest saying.
Old elevator
It takes a lot to faze some employees at the Hotel Boulderado.
For instance, when the manually operated elevator at the hotel gets a mind of its own, longtime staffers tend to chalk it up to the usual
suspects.
Some folks on the first floor have watched the light flicker on the third floor, only to ride the elevator up to find no one is there at all.
“I think it still happens,” Johnson says somewhat cavalierly. “It’s just we’re so used to these type of things.”
Pranks
It was one thing when they messed with her hair.
But Johnson admitted she was a bit taken aback when what she believes was a spirit pulled a prank using a shawl.
During the first incident, Johnson was standing in front of a storage closet when she felt a light yank on her hair. Within seconds, the rubber
band holding her hair up fell to the ground.
But later, when she was searching for a hotel guest’s shawl — which Johnson believed would be stored in the lost-and-found storeroom —
she became befuddled. She searched through three months’ worth of unclaimed items, and there was nothing. She checked three times,
eventually locking the room, to which she and her supervisor — who was on vacation — were the only key holders.
“The next morning when I come in, there is the shawl, draped on the shelves,” Johnson says.
Source: Longmont FYI
October 21st, 2005
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'Colorado X: Case Files of the Paranormal' investigates Macky 'ghost'
Group working on television series looks into local paranormal phenomena
Boulder Daily Camera article
By Cindy Sutter
Sunday, August 16, 2009
www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/aug/16/of-ghosts-and-ghost-stories/
If you go: What: "Paranormal University: An evening with Colorado X and the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society
When: 6 p.m. Aug. 27th, 2009
Where: Hale Science Auditorium, room 270, University of Colorado
Tickets: Free admission
Info: www.coloradoxcasefiles.com, 720-496-8809
BOULDER, Colo. — Perhaps you've heard about this: Strains of organ music waft from Macky Auditorium late at night when no one's in the
building. Sometimes there's singing, even screaming. The lights come on inexplicably, showing a woman's shadow. Blood appears on the wall
of a tower room and on the floor.
Parents sending freshman to the University of Colorado expect them to learn about environmental science, astrophysics or perhaps Russian
literature.
But chances are one thing that will stick with all students in their first year and after graduation is the story of the tragic murder of Elaura
Jaquette in Macky tower in 1966 and the ghost purported to haunt the tower to this day.
"It's campus folklore," says Jack Hanley, a folklorist and European historian working on his doctorate at CU. "It's part of the traditionary
process, the initiation into new folklore. If (new students) haven't heard it yet, they will shortly."
But what if the ghost is more than folklore?
Hanley decided to find out.
After watching television shows about the paranormal, which he considered maddening for the lack of real investigatory techniques, Hanley
had an idea.
What about a television show that was a mashup of SyFy's "Ghost Hunters" and Discovery Channel's "Myth Busters?"
Hanley assembled a team of skeptics composed of himself, a psychologist and an investigative journalist. He then approached the Rocky
Mountain Paranormal Research Society, a local group that uses various types of sophisticated equipment to investigate paranormal
phenomena.
The result of the collaboration is "Colorado X: Case Files of the Paranormal," five hour-long television episodes that take a look at five cases
of paranormal activity in Colorado. They started with Macky.
"It's the first one that came to mind," Hanley says.
But it was also the most sensitive. With a real victim, the situation was much less abstract than, say, the Lafayette vampire, which the group
will investigate in a future episode. Yet CU and the Boulder police both cooperated, and researchers went about their work.
The team's reporting showed that the first reports of a ghost in the tower dated to roughly five years after the murder, around 1970.
The story was picked up by newspapers nationally, but the reports were different from local accounts and sensationalized.
"Some stories made an effort to point out that she was a 'pretty coed' or a 'tanned coed,' Hanley says. One account said she was murdered
while other students were practicing music, drowning out her screams. No one was practicing, and the room was soundproof."
Finding a ghost -- or not
To investigate a haunting or other paranormal event -- monsters in lakes and UFO sightings also count -- the teams use their areas of
expertise.
In the case of Rocky Mountain Paranormal, that involves several types of equipment. Investigator Bryan Bonner says the group has audio
recording, seismographs, electro-magnetic field sensors and video among other types of investigatory devices. They take their work
seriously, with members getting training and certification on each piece of equipment.
"We work hard on keeping a credible reputation, which in this field is hard to do," Bonner says.
He adds that the group has been ostracized a bit among paranormal groups, because Rocky Mountain Paranormal will not draw conclusions
not supported by data.
He says in most cases, they find a natural explanation for the phenomenon they're investigating, But "very, very rarely" they find something
they can't explain.
The paranormal research group spent five nights at Macky. Bonner says that hasn't been done before.
"Previously, teams who have been at the Macky have spent 45 minutes or a couple of hours," he says.
With an incident being reported only once a month of so, the statistical likelihood of encountering a ghost -- or an unexplained event with a
natural explanation -- is very small if investigators are only there for a short time, Bonner says.
When the team arrived at Macky, they secured the space to make sure no outsiders came in and took baseline readings. That's to get the
sounds of the building settling, to see car lights that might shine on the wall and to discover other occurrences that are normal to the building.
Bonner finds the investigations shown on television irritating for their lack of precision.
"They walk around with their equipment, talking," he says. "That's fun, but you won't get results. You're contaminating your data."
His team members stay still for hours.
"It's a terribly boring thing to do most of the time," he says. "(But) when we do find something, it's amazing."
Understanding a legend
Hanley's team began their investigation in a completely different way. They went about tracing the story of the Macky tower ghost and how it
was and is spread.
An obvious transmission point was Banjo Billy and his tours, which stop at Macky.
"He's out there four times a week, taking tourists from Colorado and all parts of the country and telling them ghost stories," Hanley says.
The team worked back, finding the primary sources of information.
"It's funny how badly transformed and mutated (the story is)," Hanley says. "In one of the first scenes (of 'Case Files of the Paranormal,' we
have) 10 or 12 different students telling us the story. All they can agree on is that there is a student and a tower."
The story is also omnipresent in Boulder. During the team's investigation, they caught two separate groups of teenagers trying to sneak into
the tower, Hanley says, adding that the ghost story is so full of cultural archetypes that it was bound to persist even if a ghost was never
there.
Jaquette was a girl in a tower, in peril, a cultural meme dating to the 14th century. It's also a plot familiar to horror movie fans -- a campus
coed, alone and unable to get help. Sadly, the crime was also very bloody.
The story is fed by new initiants, as Hanley calls them, coming to CU every year and hearing about the murder and the ghost.
The episode is in the final editing stages. The format includes an introduction to the story of Macky tower, with action intercut between the
two groups' investigations. Each group then presents their conclusions and either agree or disagree on the results.
So, is there a ghost at Macky?
Hanley will say only that both groups agreed on their conclusion.
Students learning about the Macky ghost along with their Tolstoy, will have to wait until December when the episode is played on the
Colorado X Web site or picked up by television to find out if there actually is a ghost on campus -- or at least if two teams of investigators
think there is a ghost.
Those who have a personal sighting can draw their own conclusions.
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Murder Mysteries at The Gold Hill Inn
MURDER AT THE GOLD HILL INN & BLUEBIRD LODGE
{{Note: It is unknown whether this facility is haunted or not}}
The 2009 Murder Mystery Schedule:
June 20, 27 July 17, 24, 25
August 21, 22, 28
September 4, 5,11,12, 25, 26 October 9,10, 17
Other dates available for private groups
401 Main Street
Gold Hill
Boulder, CO 80302
www.goldhillinn.com
(303) 443-6461
Bluebird Lodge (303) 443-6475
Come join us, high in the Rocky Mountains, at the historic Bluebird Lodge built in 1872; for an evening of mystery and suspense. A limit of
eighteen guests insures a very intimate and unusual theatrical experience. Begin with a champagne reception, surrounded by characters
from the past with stories to tell and secrets to divulge (or withhold). Later, in the dining room, keep your eyes and ears open as you enjoy a
meal prepared by the famous Gold Hill Inn. You just may be sitting next to a "killer." You and your team-mates will survey the scene of a
crime, look for clues and interrogate suspects. Solve the mystery over brandy and dessert and win a prize. Unwind next door at the Inn, gaze
at the stars, or go to bed in the rustic Lodge, happy to have survived the evening... At last the mystery is over, or is it? Was that creaking on
the stairs just an old building settling, or was it the ghost of Eugene Field, or some other ethereal denizen of the old mining town? Look if you
dare, or pull up the covers a little higher and dream of days long gone, but not forgotten. In the morning, enjoy breakfast with your fellow
guests and new found friends, but don't say goodbye, because we think you'll be back soon to hear and see another tall tale of the West.
Murder mysteries take place next door to the Gold Hill Inn at a historic hotel called the Bluebird Lodge. The package includes: champagne
reception with hors d'oeuvres, five course meal with wine, after dinner brandy, overnight accommodations, continental breakfast, tax and
gratuity. It also includes the murder mystery itself. We book 9 couples per M.M. either individually or as a private party. There are 9 sleeping
rooms, each with a new queen size bed.
Cost is $ 215.00 per couple. The bathrooms are down the hall; there are no baths in the rooms.
We require a $100.00 non-refundable deposit per room Check in is between 5 & 7 pm; the M.M. starts at 7:30.
We need to know ahead of time of any dietary restrictions (ie. no red meat, vegetarian, or food allergies).
Please be very careful and try to stay alive.................
The Management
Call 303 443-6461 for reservations
Chris Finn - cfinn@mho.net
Brian Finn - bfinn@mho.net
www.rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
info@rockymountainmurdermysteries.com
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