Arizona Ghost Towns & Places

Come with me to check out some of Arizona’s ghost towns & places. Arizona has many ghost towns & places to choose from as it was part of the wild west. So, there are a lot of interesting places to explore. We will be going from a gold mine, a few hotels/houses, and a cave!

Let’s get into the haunted places in Arizona:

Vulture Gold Mine

As most mining towns happen, they boomed for a little while and then everyone left after the gold was no longer found. As you can imagine, there are many things that have happened here, like rapes, murders, shootouts, and steeling. Even though almost everyone stole from the Vulture Gold Mine, it was punishable by death. The town never had an official law man so, all of the punishments were done vigilante style. Though the town didn’t have an official law man they did have a hanging tree where the men were said to have taken hours to die and left to rot in the hot sun and then they were buried near the tree. The Assay building was where the gold was kept and the scene for many shoot outs and robberies.

Let’s get into what ghosts may haunt Vulture Gold Mine. The most infamous ghost is Jimmy Davis, one day when Jimmy was working the mines a pulley system malfunctioned and caused his death. People today can hear his blood curdling screams that echo through the mine. Some say that they can hear cries for help or the pulley machine whipping around as if it had been malfunctioning. Some have even said that they have seen Jimmy’s spirit hang around the mine’s powerhouse and the mine entrance.

Other ghosts are a group of thieves that were killed in a freak accident that also haunts Vulture City. They can be seen around the head of the mine and others report cold spots or feel as though they are being watched. If you would like more information on Vulture gold mine this article has a few more chilling stories of the people who died and still haunt the Vulture Gold Mine.

Copper Queen Hotel

This hotel seems to have a few different haunted rooms all by different people, some that we know their names and one that has not been named yet. We will start in room 315, which was actually featured in a few TV shows. This room is said to be haunted by the ghost of Julia Lowell.  Julia was a courtesan, a high-end prostitute, who hung herself after a love affair with a regular of hers. Her regular refused to leave his wife after Julia confessed her love for him and she decided to hang herself in room 315. 

Now to room 401, who is haunted by an unknown older gentleman. People have said to smell the faint aroma of cigar smoke; some have even said that they have seen the man with a top hat and cape. He is said to usually lurk in doorways and in shadows of rooms on the fourth floor. Room 401 is also said to be the Copper Queen Hotel’s most haunted room.

Last, but certainly not least, is room 412. This room is said to be haunted by a ghost of a young boy named Billy who had drowned in the San Pedro River. People often hear Billy running through the hallways giggling. Often he will turn door handles or move peoples belongings, unless you leave out some candy and then he might not touch your things. This hotel you can actually go and stay. This is a link to their website if you dare to stay a night in the Copper Queen Hotel haunted rooms.

Oliver House

This building has many spirits that roam through it as it has had at least 27 deaths. The real number of deaths is unknown as the records were burned.  There are a few well known rooms/areas that are haunted by certain spirits.  One of the rooms is Room 13 and it is haunted by the ghost of Nat Anderson. Nat, in 1920, was at the center of an affair with another man’s wife, a man he owed money to. The man found out about the affair and shot Nat Anderson in the forehead in room 13. Many have said to hear footsteps in their room at night, cold spots, have the feeling that they are being watched, and even seeing the apparition on Nat Anderson.

Another room that has a tragic past is the Blue Room. This room had a mass murder in 1932 because a policeman discovered that his wife was having an affair shot his wife, the lover, ten other people before shooting himself.  Some people say that they can hear sounds of gunfire, someone crying for help, and the staff has even found that some of the furniture in the room is shuffled around even when it has been empty.

The next room that we will get into is nicknamed The Grandma Room after the old woman who haunts the room.  She is said that she usually appears in a rocking chair and causes the broken coo-coo clock to chime at 2am. The only time the woman became aggressive was when the house was bought by new owners that removed both the rocking chair and the coo-coo clock from the room for a young boy. Though, when the boy went to check out the room, he claims that an old woman hit him upside the head.

The last place is actually the most haunted area in the house, the second floor. People often report a very intense feeling of being watched as soon as they arrive. The doors are said to open and close with little to no warning.  Some people have even said that they heard parties in the middle of the night, but upon investigation there is nothing. Another common thing people hear is what sounds like a handyman doing work on a leaky pipe, but yet again when they investigate there is no one. This house is so full of ghosts and history, if you would like to learn more about The Oliver House and its ghosts this is a fantastic page on the Phoenix Ghosts website.

The Carleton House/Fort Huachuca

The Carleton House was actually built to be a hospital for injured soldiers, but it was used for a variety of purposes because it only had room for about 8 soldiers. It has mostly served as housing for officers, post headquarters, a cafe, and a schoolhouse. As the house has worn so many hats over the years, there are a few different ghosts other than just soldiers. There is said to be a spirit of a young boy who is looking for his family. The boy will often be a little mischievous by ringing the doorbell and throwing things off the shelf. 

Then there is the spirit of Charlotte, though it’s not her real name an officer’s wife gave her that name. Charlotte is a teenager with blonde hair and when she is upset, you know about it. Past residents have tried to hand pictures and other decor on the wall only to find it on the floor the next morning, but Charlotte has a soft spot for kids. One child said that Charlotte appeared and led her downstairs to the rocking chair that was placed in her corner and Charlotte rocked her to sleep. This soft spot for children is likely due to the fact she died in childbirth and is still looking for her child.  If you would like to learn more about the history and more stories about these two spirits this website has quite a few more as well as more on the history of it.

Colossal Cave

This cave has had many uses over the years and so there are quite a few different ghosts haunting the place. A couple centuries ago it’s said that two young Native American boys died while exploring the cave and people have said that their phones and cameras malfunction in the area it is presumed they died. Another one is a woman from a local tribe was getting chased by a bear and she ran to the cave to hopefully escape. At the time the entrance had a steep twenty foot cliff at the entrance and when she ran into the cave she fell to her death. She is often heard moaning and crying. There has also been a lady in white that people have seen at the entrance, but many think it is the apparition of the Native American woman.

Another very well known ghost is Frank Schmidt who was one of the early developers of the cave. People have often seen him following tour groups, walking in the restricted areas and disappearing before staff can catch up to him. You can always tell when Frank is around as he was quite the smoker and the smell of tobacco fills the air when he is around. 

Bank robbers are also said to haunt the area. It is said that a group of bank robbers were hiding their loot in the cave. They had a shoot out where two of the bank robbers were killed. The money that was stolen was never recovered. So, sometimes you can see men in cowboy gear wandering around most likely looking for the lost loot. For more about the history and the ghosts that seem to hang around the Colossal Cave this website has good information.

Thank You for Joining Me!

These ghost towns in Arizona were so fun to research!  Do you think that any/all of these places are haunted?  Do you have any experiences in these places? Let me know in the comments. Through my research, I found a website called  Phoenix Ghost that has had good information about ghost towns in Arizona and other haunted places. It’s my main source for most of these places as they have such good information about a lot of places. Don’t forget to checkout Arizona’s Cryptids. If you’re looking for more haunted places check out my haunted places page or check out my cryptids page.