Haunted Hotels of Southern Colorado

You can catch the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and travel sixty-four miles over the ten-thousand-foot-high Cumbres Pass and then chug across the yawning Toltec Gorge to Chama, New Mexico. This historic narrow-gauge line was built in 1881 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad as part of its operations to support mining in the San Juan Mountains. This railroad is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the early 1800s, huge land grants were given by Spanish viceroys to their citizens to encourage settlement of this remote, unknown region. Despite frequent attacks by the Navajos and other Indian tribes, Spanish settlers came north from New Mexico to the vast San Luis Valley. They built tiny adobe villages, planted their crops, and dug irrigation ditches to carry water from the river to their fields of beans and corn. They brought herds of sheep from New Mexico, and this eventually developed into an important industry for this area. Some settlers owned very large herds of as many as fifty thousand animals.

After the Civil War ended, the Homestead Act of 1862 was enacted. The act gave 160 acres of land to anyone who would settle on it and farm for at least five years. As more Anglos came to the San Luis Valley, two ferries were established that crossed the Rio Grande, while another was built on the Culebra River.

Antonito grew rapidly, and it soon dominated the area, becoming a railroad and commercial center for the surrounding farmers and ranchers. Large numbers of sheep were shipped to eastern markets, and the depot was often crowded with wool brokers.

Images

This water tower supplied the coal-fired engines of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1879. Courtesy of Wendy Williams.

Antonito had once been a tiny border sheep camp called San Antonio Junction. When the Denver & Rio Grande selected this site for a rail center and built a depot out of lava rock, people saw the commercial opportunities. If they wanted the business generated by the railroad, they would have to leave Conejos and move a few miles south to Antonito. Most did just that, and soon the tiny town along the railroad tracks had a population of around one thousand. They were proud that the oldest church in Colorado, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, built in 1857, is nearby.

Two Spanish-language newspapers were printed in Antonito, and the SPMDTU (Sociedad Proteccion Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos) was organized in 1900. This Society for the Mutual Protection of United Workers soon had more than one thousand members, most of whom lived in this southern part of the San Luis Valley. The benevolent fraternal organization provided direct benefits through a members’ insurance program and gave them a voice against discrimination toward Spanish-speaking workers. The large beige headquarters building in Antonito, constructed in 1925, is still in use, and its members extend helping hands to those in need.

During the 1920s, many Japanese moved into this valley and began raising lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, and garden crops. Potatoes and sugar beets became very important in the agricultural economy, which still sustains the San Luis Valley. Most visitors to Antonito today come to ride the narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which runs May through October. This is no luxury excursion, and visitors experience the train as western travelers did more than a century ago. Antonito is brightened by the numerous large, colorful murals that have been painted on buildings, water towers, and silos by Fred Haberlein. A native of this area, Haberlein has completed over 130 murals single-handedly, which is more than any other U.S. artist.

The big, black safe from the local bank is still sitting in the lobby of the Steam Train Hotel. It dates back to the days when it protected the money of farmers, wool brokers, and sheep men of Antonito. This two-story, red brick building on the corner of Fourth and Main Street was a multipurpose structure with a lobby and the bank on the first floor and hotel rooms on the second. They were reached by a staircase built on the outside of the building. Like many buildings of its time, the Steam Train was situated on a large corner lot with two entrances. Some buildings of the late 1890s and early twentieth century were constructed with three stories. There would be a bank, saloon, restaurant, or mercantile stores on the first floor; office space that was often rented by doctors, lawyers, and mining or utility companies on the second; and the top floor usually contained hotel rooms or apartments.

The safe remained in the building when the bank closed, and it is eye-catching. Large and black, with its name in bright gold letters, its heavy vault door swings open to reveal rows of large, old-fashioned safe deposit boxes. Interesting old ledgers are stored here, as well as rolls of aged documents. This building was constructed in 1911 and was located across the street from the original train depot.

Today, the Steam Train Hotel provides accommodations to travelers and those who come to ride the historic Cumbres & Toltec Railroad to Chama, New Mexico. The hotel has been refurbished and offers twelve guest rooms, decorated with an interesting assortment of antiques and southwestern furnishings. The attached building on the hotel’s east side is much older than the brick bank building and was once a brothel. Its narrow halls and few windows set deep within its thick adobe walls show that it must be several hundred years old.

Images

Many Steam Train Hotel guests ride the Cumbres &Toltec Scenic over ten thousand feet high Cumbres Pass to Chama, New Mexico. Courtesy of Wendy Williams.

Investigators have reported a strange form of paranormal activity here that is usually seen as a gray mist or a drifting cloud. This cloud has been seen floating through the halls, and occasionally it moves toward the old, inoperable elevator shaft. This type of paranormal phenomenon is rare, and some say it’s an entity manifesting itself in an unusual way. Two rooms are believed to have their own resident ghosts that rarely venture out into the rest of the hotel.

The presence of several spirits has been noted by the manager and others familiar with this old building. Doors open and close on their own, and objects mysteriously disappear or are moved about. When no one is present upstairs, loud footsteps can be heard walking about overhead. This sound is noticed most often by a person who is standing in the lobby below the room believed to be haunted by a very active ghost.

The manager has been puzzled by a strange phenomenon that has occurred several times. The lobby has been cleaned, the floor swept, and first floor locked up for the night. The next morning, the hotel manager finds muddy footprints and loose dirt directly in front of the safe. She said that there is always enough that she has to sweep it up with a broom and dustpan. This room is always locked at night, and no one has access to it.