One of the most fascinating activities that I enjoyed while living in the desert years ago was ghost town hunting. Wonderful treasures could be found - especially in what had once been the town dump. Sometimes even real ghosts could be seen in the towns that were often in the middle of nowhere and seemingly devoid of any type of souls.

Goldfield, Nevada, is not a typical ghost town in that there are a few hundred warm-blooded people currently living there. But, in the Goldfield Hotel, there are entities that give Goldfield another reason to be called a "ghost town."

The luxurious Goldfield Hotel opened in 1908 with more than 150 rooms offering the modern conveniences of telephones and electricity to patrons. The lobby was beautifully paneled and furnished, and chefs were imported from Europe to cook delightful meals for customers.

The hotel changed hands several times in its halcyon days during the time when the mines were turning out gold. By the 1930s, the population of Goldfield had declined considerably, and the hotel had seen better days.

During World War II, the Goldfield was home to Army Air Corp personnel, but after that was abandoned. Throughout the years since, several entrepreneurs have purchased the hotel with plans to remodel it, but not one has ever finished the job.

The ghosts of the Goldfield Hotel include Elizabeth, a prostitute reportedly murdered by the original owner of the hotel in the 1930s. Legend has it that she had become pregnant by the owner. He was afraid she would ruin his reputation by going public with the pregnancy, and is said to have locked her up in room 109 and chained her to a radiator.

Elizabeth either died in childbirth, or was murdered soon after. The baby was supposedly thrown down a mineshaft. Witnesses say that Elizabeth walks through the halls searching for her baby whose cries can sometimes be heard throughout the hotel. Complaints of extreme cold have often been reported in room 109. There is also supposed to be a photograph taken by a reporter from Las Vegas in which Elizabeth can be seen chained to the radiator.

Many have described seeing the ghosts of two people who allegedly committed suicide on the third floor.

Another spirit is called “The Stabber,” and is said to terrify people with a knife, although no one has actually been harmed.

There are also some mischievous spirits, probably children, who often giggle, and enjoy playing tricks on people like touching them and running away.

Cigar smoke and ashes have frequently been reported in one of the first floor rooms.

Several psychics have claimed that the Goldfield is one of seven doors to another world.

More information about the Goldfield Hotel can be seen on Fox Family TV’s World Scariest Places, and on Sci-Fi Channel’s Scariest Places on Earth.

References:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/nv-goldfieldhotel2.html

http://www.allstays.com/Haunted/nv_goldfield_goldfield.htm

http://www.hauntednevada.com/gold2.html