Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon
Phantom miners in this Old West hotel will have you saying, “there’s ghosts in them there hills!”
Ghost Stories of
Gold Hill Hotel
- The smell of rose perfume is frequently reported in Room 4
- Figures of children are sometimes seen
- Disembodied voices and cries are heard in the miner’s cabin
- The smell of tobacco is often found in Room 5
- Visitors report seeing shadowy figures sitting at the edge of their beds
- Ghost hunters report strange EMF activity throughout the hotel and cabin
- Doors around the hotel slam and lock on their own
- Lights in guest rooms turn on and off
- Potential EVPs are recorded by visiting ghost hunters
Boomtown Success:
History of the Gold Hill Hotel
The life of an Old West ore miner was no easy task. Workers faced the dangers of cave-ins, gas leaks, and underground fires. But still, countless men flocked westward in the 1800s to face these perils. All to cut glimmers of metal out of rock, for their chance to etch their names in gold and silver.
A few found fortune, but many more found untimely demise.
Beneath the modern tourist town of Virginia City, Nevada, are the remains of the Yellow Jacket Mine. A graveyard for some of those lost souls. But rather than spend their time in the darkness, some of the Yellow Jacket specters reportedly ascend to Virginia City’s surface.
There, they purportedly take refuge in the Gold Hill Hotel. Rumors of run-ins with them make the historic lodge one of the town’s paranormal hotspots.
Timeline of Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon through the years
1859
In 1859, the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada brought throngs of people to the twin towns of Virginia City and Gold Hill. Prospectors hoped to strike it rich, while mine workers just hoped to carve out a life for themselves. By 1861, the population boom brought all kinds of business to the region. That year, the Riesen Hotel opened in Gold Hill. A simple structure, the business did well with those who could afford it. Many were otherwise left living in tents.
1862
Following flood damage in 1862, the Riesen was sold to Horace Vesey, who renamed it Vesey House. The hotel was expanded as the region developed into a full boomtown. The property saw all the classic kinds of Old West events, from raucous town meetings to merciless shootings. But, as happened with many places like it, the boom in Virginia City and Gold Hill eventually died out. Vesey himself died in the 1870s, just as the town’s success reached its peak. By the late 1890s, the future for both the hotel and the community was uncertain.
1907
By 1907, the former Vesey House was listed as a private residence. It remained that way, going through successive owners, until 1958. That year, Dorothy and Fred Inmoor bought the building. The couple were the first to brand it as the Gold Hill Hotel. Public operations restarted shortly after. And as Virginia City found its footing as a tourist attraction, the Gold Hill Hotel came to life. As a bar and lodge, Gold Hill quickly became a favorite stop for the region’s visitors.
1987
A large renovation occurred in 1987, building a new wing onto the original hotel. The hotel went through many owners after that, who all took great care in maintaining the lodge. Into the 2000s, tales of ghostly happenings in Virginia City started becoming popular. Gold Hill’s ghost stories started getting more attention as well. Visitors and staff began identifying distinct entities haunting the hotel. And while the hotel saw its share of death in the Wild West era, the Gold Hill ghosts seemed to stem from a different tragedy.
Is Gold Hill Hotel Haunted?
Many paranormal claims at the Gold Hill Hotel are traced back to one fateful day in the region’s mining boom era. In April, 1869, the local Yellow Jacket Mine suffered a devastating fire.
Thirty-five miners were killed, and the ongoing burn required much of the mine to be sealed off. Some bodies have never been recovered.
Now, it’s thought that the restless specters from that mining disaster now haunt the hotel.
People figure the ghosts come from the mine because it once ran right beneath the hotel. The Gold Hill Hotel now also operates a mining cabin lodge even closer to the site of the Yellow Jacket Mine.
The Haunted Mining Cabin
The Gold Hill Hotel’s mining cabin is said to be one of the biggest haunted hotspots on the property. Disembodied voices are among the most common reports from cabin lodgers.
Other than distant, muttering voices, another regular report is the sound of a man crying in the cabin.
The reports, as well as the cabin’s appearance in the original Ghost Adventures film, make it popular with ghost hunters.
Visitors often bring ghost hunting equipment with them for their stays in the cabin. Recorders sometimes pick up the reported voices and cries. Ghost hunters also report strange EMF activity in the cabin.
William’s Room at Gold Hill Hotel
Though the cabin is the closest hotel site to the mine, there are plenty of reports from inside the hotel too. In Room 5, now known as William’s room, a well-known phantom lingers.
William, thought to be the spirit of a Yellow Jacket miner, now haunts the room with his tell-tale stench. William seems to enjoy a good smoke and takes to leaving his tobacco aroma everywhere he goes. But while William’s phantom stench is pungent, another hotel ghost beautifies the air.
Gold Hill’s Most Famous Ghost: Rosie
In the nearby Room 4, known as Rosie’s room, another aromatic apparition awaits. Rosie is thought to be the spirit of a prostitute who, for whatever reason, took up permanent residence in Room 4. Rosie’s phantom is best identified by her rose-scented perfume.
Guests frequently note running right into the sudden smell of roses in Room 4. But when they step out for a moment and return, the scent is gone. Along with trailing her perfume around, some guests say Rosie is a bit of a prankster. She may flip the lights on and off in Room 4 during the night. She may also be the ghost responsible for reports of doors slamming and locking around the hotel.
Spend the night in a Haunted hotel
Aside from Rosie and William, other hauntings are reported all through the Gold Hill Hotel. Guests in different rooms sometimes report items moved around by unseen forces. Others still claim to see shadowy figures sitting on their bed at night.
Apparitions of young children are also spotted at times. Some people also report the sounds of children laughing and playing from empty rooms. The hotel’s great room is said to be a hotspot for the ghostly kids. There, visiting ghost hunting teams claim to record EVPs, note EMF spikes, and hear the children’s footsteps.
From Mining to Ghost Hunting
Much like the towns of Virginia City and Gold Hill, the Gold Hill Hotel’s mission has changed a lot since the 1860s. Originally built to welcome mine workers, the hotel now caters to tourist traffic.
And many of those tourists search for the ghosts of the Gold Hill Hotel’s original clients.
Formal ghost hunts are not usually offered at the Gold Hill Hotel. But the lodge knows the draw of its ghost stories and prominently features the tales of Rosie and William.
Many interested ghost hunters book both rooms and the miner’s cabin to investigate them all. The Gold Hill’s history alone was always the perfect recipe for hauntings. Add in the mining tragedy that burned beneath the hotel’s ground, and the Gold Hill Hotel truly sits on a hill of ghosts.
