Checking Out of
the Gadsden Hotel
Douglas, Arizona, was established on the Arizona-Mexico border, founded in 1901 primarily to house smelters for the copper ore that was dug out of the ground in nearby Bisbee. The town also served the interests of miners, cattlemen, ranchers, and businessmen in the area. One of the finest hotels in the Southwest was built downtown. The five-story Gadsden Hotel, named for the famous Gadsden Purchase, opened in 1907.
Tourists still drop in to marvel at and photograph the luxurious two-story lobby, which features a grand staircase of white Italian marble.
Dwight and Rhonda in the lobby of the Gadsden Hotel.
Dan is using a pendulum to communicate
with spirits in the Gadsden Hotel.
Legend said that the chips missing from some of the steps were made by the hooves of Pancho Villa’s horse as the bandit hero rode up the staircase. Four massive marble columns in the center of the lobby are accentuated by 14k gold leaf ornamentation. An authentic Tiffany stained glass mural running 42 feet across the mezzanine wall is one of the few Western scenes ever created by Tiffany & Co. Stained glass skylights run the length of the lobby. It is a stunning sight.
A fire occurred on Feb. 7, 1929, and destroyed everything except the marble staircase. The Gadsden was rebuilt on an even grander scale. The new hotel featured an electric elevator and something novel for that time—individual bathrooms in all 160 air-cooled rooms. At one time there was even a speakeasy housed in the basement.
Throughout the twentieth century, the Gadsden was a happening place. Hollywood discovered the opulent location and many movies, TV shows, and videos were filmed in the hotel.
Dwight and Rhonda had encountered a gentleman spirit during an earlier visit and we were hoping he would drop in to say hello to the three of us. We began down in the basement, which had served as the speakeasy many decades earlier.
This session illustrates why we’re so careful about double-checking EVPs, sounds, and events. Commonplace actions or events can easily be mistaken for paranormal occurrences. For example, as you will read below the sounds of automobiles crossing a metal grate can travel through a building to sound like human voices. Lights and shadows can play tricks on the mind. Someone speaking on a cell phone a hundred yards away can sound like genuine spirit communication. When recording we always called out extraneous sounds as they occurred so that we didn’t have to rely on memory when listening at a later time.
Our recordings are full of:
“Bee.”
“Traffic noise.”
“Water bottle.”
“Helicopter in the distance.”
“That was me.”
It was amazing how easily it was to mistake a normal sound for a captured EVP. Our careful approach allowed us full confidence in reporting our encounters.
Note again, we were always committed to capturing good-quality EVPs, but we never considered them as artifacts to be collected and stored like rare coins or stamps. They make one of many forms of validation of our work. The EVPs were never the primary goal. We found them to be helpful research tools in learning the history of a site and its people, and in learning the needs of spirits requiring our help.
DB: This is EVP session one, Gadsden Hotel with Dwight and Rhonda. Setting my recorder down on the pool table.
R: I just turned off my camera, so … all this shut off here …
D: Okay, we’ll just leave the recorders out.
R: Hey, Mister, if you’re here come over to the pool table and talk into this little box with the red light. I know you’re here.
DB: We’re in the speakeasy …
D: Yep.
DB: … beneath the Gadsden Hotel in the basement.
R: Tell us what your favorite drink was.
DB: I’m getting that he likes straight whiskey. If that’s true would you confirm it with maybe a yes.
D: Whiskey or scotch?
DB: I’m getting scotch.
R: With the pendulum.
DB: I asked for Kentucky bourbon and got a no. I asked scotch and got a yes.
R: Big yes.
DB: A man after my own heart.
R: (Laughs)
DB: Or liver as the case may be.
D: Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Well, we’re going to be walking around here today upstairs, downstairs, everywhere so feel free to join us and come along with us.
R: Dan, can you ask with your pendulum if he just really … if he sees the speakeasy as it was when he was alive?
DB: Do you see the speakeasy as it was at the time when you were alive? (positive swing)
R: Yep.
DB: Can you see it as it is now? Weak yes.
R: Yes. So it is your choice to see it as you prefer it?
DB: Strong yes.
Are you here by choice? Do you want to be here?
A very good yes.
R: Keep your pendulum out because I want to take a picture as well.
DB: You’re here because you want to be here.
(Beep.)
R: My camera.
DB: That’s a very strong yes.
R: Are you wearing a tux, sir? A very fancy jacket?
DB: That’s a yes.
D: That’s the same guy as last time.
R: Yeah, I’m pretty sure.
Is your name William?
DB: I’m getting a no.
R: Does it begin with a W?
DB: I was asking something else.
R: Okay. Sorry.
DB: Go ahead. Go ahead.
R: Does your name start with a W?
DB: I’m getting a yes on that.
R: Is it Bill? So is it William, but you go by Bill?
DB: Don’t mean to interrupt, but I was asking ‘Was it Bill’ at the same time. We got the same thing.
R: He didn’t like William. Maybe that’s it. He didn’t like the name.
DB: Yeah.
R: Okay. Bill, thank you very much.
DB: We overlapped each other there.
R: Intuitively that’s what came to me.
DB: I was asking “Bill” …
R: Same time as I was thinking it as well.
DB: That’s scary.
R: Hey, Bill, do you ever see the little boy that’s down here as well, the little boy that passed.
DB: Yes.
R: Do you know if he’s okay? Is he with his family?
DB: No.
R: Does he need help crossing over?
DB: Yes. Big yes.
R: Okay. Thank you, Bill.
DB: Strong yes. Wow.
D: We encountered him over by the lift.
R: Yep.
Thank you so much, sir, for your time.
DB: Do you know the guy in the maintenance room?
Yes.
R: Is he okay here? Is he here by choice?
(DB positive swing.)
R: That’s what I thought.
DB: Let me do that one again. Ask it again.
R: Is the maintenance man here by choice on this … okay?
DB: Double confirm. My hand just jerked a little bit and I wanted to double check.
Is the maintenance guy a friendly guy?
(Negative pendulum swing.)
D: No.
R: Nope.
D: Nooooo … (laughs)
R: Seriously, last time we were here he led us to believe he liked being back there working on stuff away from everybody else. Is that correct? He does not want any people contact?
DB: Yes.
R: He’s a loner.
DB: Yes.
R: He has to work. You know, he has to make a living, but he does not like people.
D: I’ll record this for posterity … there it is. Got it. (Takes photo.)
DB: Snap one of me with my camera.
R: He did.
D: Oh, I did two while you were doing your session. It’s almost like I’m an intuitive.
DB: I see Fred Peeples. (Movie reference joke.)
D: Okay. Let’s move on. I’ll stop the session.
R: Okay.
DB: Okay, Bill, thank you.
R: Be seeing you, Bill.
D: Ending EVP session one.
DB: Ending session one.
We were guided on our tour by one of the Gadsden Hotel employees, Adam. He was with us all the time although not always near us. This led to some confusion over a photographic image, which we were later able to debunk.
DB: EVP session two. We’re down in the lift section of the Gadsden Hotel trying to speak to a little boy who passed here.
D: If you would say hello that would be great.
R: Yeah. Yell really loud and we can record it and we can record your voice like a picture on this little box. You need to go find your mom and dad. They’re over there waiting for you. I know there are lots of people over here for you to play with, but you need to really go through the light and find your parents, honey.
(Background noise.)
D: That’s street noise for recording purposes.
R: Was that a car?
D: Yeah, it’s the street right here so you can hear the car. There’s a grate up there they go over so it sounds like voices.
R: Yeah. I think it is the man in the top hat. He followed us here to see what we’re doing.
D: Well, he followed us last time.
R: Yeah. To make sure maybe that we’re helping? You want to talk to the little boy, babe?
D: I have been.
R: Okay. You can come back. You just need to go check in with your parents, honey. I promise.
What was that shadow?
DB: Down there.
R: Okay. It freaked me out for a second. It felt like it was right behind me. It went across. Was that Adam? Okay.
(Shout in distance—Adam.)
DB: … all the way down there.
R: Would the shadow come up this far because literally …
DB: What would make the shadow? Because that light is too high.
R: Somebody walked to this. I was looking … Turn around and look.
DB: Yeah.
R: See.
DB: There’s a shadow here. He is making a shadow.
D: Yeah, but he’s not making it on the back of the wall here.
R: Yeah. He’s right there.
DB: It’s coming up to me.
R: Okay, but the shadow is on the back wall.
DB: Well, no. He wouldn’t make that.
R: That’s where I saw it. That’s what freaked me out. Adam’s shadow only comes halfway up into this doorway.
DB: It comes up to where I am, but it’s not on the wall.
R: That was …
DB: I’m going to set my recorder down.
Just step out …
R: Are you going to get a picture?
(Voices in background—Adam on phone.)
Okay, so Adam’s talking in the background.
D: Yep. There was a shadow that just went across so it is … Oh, he’s got a flashlight.
Yeah, so there is some movement there.
R: But I don’t think he was right there with a flashlight when I saw the shadow.
D: Probably not.
(Noise in distance.)
R: That’s interesting.
DB: I’d have to bet that’s Adam down there, but I didn’t see him when I took the picture.
D: Well, when you send me I can put it on the computer and blow it way up and then I can see …
DB: If he’s got a phone in his hand it’ll definitely be Adam.
D: Or a very hip ghost.
DB: Or a time traveler.
D: Yeah. Time traveler.
DB: But I swear I was looking over the camera and I did not see anyone when I took the picture.
D: We can certainly …
R: I took a picture of us in the dark because I can …
D: Okay, so we’re going to head out now. You can follow us if you want. We’re going to be here for a little bit.
R: (Whispering) And go find your dad and your mom. Find ‘em.
D: That was Rhonda whispering.
R: Sorry.
D: There we go. And end EVP session two by the lift.
DB: Ending session two.
I took a picture showing a human figure down the hallway near Adam’s position. Later research proved that the image was Adam and not a materialized spirit. The shadow we saw was something entirely different and is still unexplained.
We believe we helped the boy check out of the Gadsden and to cross over to join his family. The well-dressed gentleman who enjoys a good shot or two of scotch seemed quite happy where he is and in the time frames in which he exists. We saw no need and felt no inclination to urge him to leave a place where he seemed so happy to stay. We moved on and he stayed as a guest in the heyday of the magnificent Gadsden Hotel.
The EVPs
DB: I believe it’s an artifact. I’ll look on my screen when I get it.
R: We need to help this little boy cross over, so …
EVP: He didn’t do it.
To listen to the EVPs go to:
www.beelieveparanormal.com/our-book.html