By 1907, Stanley had recovered completely. He had recently been diagnosed with tuberculosis, which doctors said would claim him within months. The primary setting is an isolated Colorado resort named the Overlook Hotel which closes for the winter. In 1903, the Yankee steam-powered car inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley (1849–1940) was stricken with a life-threatening resurgence of tuberculosis. [15], From 2013 to 2015, the hotel property hosted the Stanley Film Festival, an independent horror film festival operated by the Denver Film Society, held in early May. It might be a good idea to wear something a little less revealing if you don't want to attract any ghostly unwanted attention, but then again, it might be the only reason you decide to book a stay at this hotel. When I did the ghost hunt at the Stanley in 2012, the guide said no one had actually died on the grounds of the hotel. It possibly resembled the bowling alley at the Stanley's Hunnewell Club in Newton, pictures of which are archived in the Newton Free Library. But when we arrived, they were just getting ready to close for the season, and we found ourselves the only guests in the place—with all those long, empty corridors." To bring guests from the nearest train depot in the foothills town of Lyons, Colorado, Stanley's car company produced a fleet of specially-designed steam-powered vehicles called Mountain Wagons that seated multiple passengers. '"[11], In a 1977 interview by the Literary Guild, King recounted "While we were living [in Boulder] we heard about this terrific old mountain resort hotel and decided to give it a try. But there is a more accurate history of the majestic Stanley Hotel which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [*] James and Beatrice Shanley purchased the property in 1906. In the front matter of the book, King tactfully states "Some of the most beautiful resort hotels in the world are located in Colorado, but the hotel in these pages is based on none of them. She did survive with a few broken bones and continued to work at the hotel for a few more years, but for some reason, she chose to stick around here after her demise. At least ten large plate glass windows on the ground floor were shattered as well as several doors, which were blown from their hinges. 1858 - In April, Hungerford sells the hotel to John Tonkin. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is not only famous for its old-world charm and excellent service, but it is also known for its “active” paranormal phenomena and spirit folklore. He is quite the gentleman as one couple asked him to leave the room and he obliged, and other ladies have awoken to him kissing their foreheads goodnight. Hell, people come and go. [1] Today, the hotel includes a restaurant, spa, and bed-and-breakfast; with panoramic views of Lake Estes, the Rockies, and Long's Peak. However, not content with the rustic accommodations, lazy pastimes and relaxed social scene of their new summer home, Stanley resolved to turn Estes Park into a resort town. He spent a night at this Boulder, Colorado hotel with his wife back in 1974 and he had a dream while sleeping that turned into a famous book and movie. The interior is decorated in the same manner as the music room in the main hotel and vaguely resembles that of the Boston Symphony Hall (McKim, Mead & White, 1900) with which the Stanleys would have been familiar. Whether or not Stanley had exposure to Taylor's work and ideas, it is certain that he was influenced by Dr. Sherman Grant Bonney of the University of Denver, a contemporary expert in the treatment of tuberculosis; Stanley's Estes Park summer house is illustrated in Bonney's book, Pulmonary Tuberculosis (published while the hotel was under construction), and Stanley himself is acknowledged in the preface for his "interest and efficiency in connection with the photographic illustrations." Attractive views, combining land and sky effect, contribute to a remarkable degree in breaking an unceasing monotony. I woke up with a tremendous jerk, sweating all over, within an inch of falling out of bed. Stanley himself, having been raised in a conservative household and having recovered from a serious lung disease, did not smoke cigars or drink alcohol, but these were essential after-dinner activities for most men at the time. The strong symmetrical arrangement of the primary facade, and the classically derived ornamental articulations such as the two-stage octagonal cupola, Palladian window, fanlights, dormers, swan's neck pediments, scroll brackets, paired Tuscan columns, oval ox-eye windows, and elaborately turned balusters are all stylistic hallmarks of the so-called American Georgian and Federal Styles. Once among the grande dames of the west, The Stanley had fallen on hard times and was a ghost of its former, Edwardian-era self. Spirits of the Stanley Hotel: Ghost of “Lucy” Photographed at Haunted Hotel That Inspired “The Shining” By Greg Newkirk on 08/19/2015 @nuekerk The ghostly tales from Colorado’s Stanley Hotel are well-known and well-repeated, thanks in part to the fact that it inspired Stephen King to write The Shining . A Bit of History About the Stanley Hotel Photo Credit: Stanley Hotel. The lower level once housed a two-lane bowling alley which was removed during the ownership of Maxwell Abbell. This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 11:57. "[12] In another retelling, King said "I dreamed of my three-year-old son running through the corridors, looking back over his shoulder, eyes wide, screaming. In 1974, during their brief residency in Boulder, Colorado, horror writer Stephen King and his wife Tabitha spent one night at the Stanley Hotel. There was a worker named Paul who used to enforce the curfew in the hotel, but unfortunately, he passed away back in 2005 after suffering a heart attack on the job. We have discovered the creepiest things that have happened in this haunted hotel. Indie rock band Murder by Death have performed an annual series of winter concerts at the Stanley Hotel since 2014, with the 2020 edition being their seventh such event. The main hotel and concert hall were completed in 1909 and the Manor in 1910. In the fall of 1974, writer Stephen King and his wife stopped for the night at an old hotel overlooking the city. She was taken to a hospital in Longmont. The other seven are negro [sic] waiters.[4]. Around this time, the alcove of the music room was added. At that moment, I knew I had a book. The 100+-year-old hotel, located about five miles from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, offers panoramic views of Lake Estes and the … Billiards, however, was among Stanley's most cherished pastimes. [2] The hotel and its surrounding structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Stanley (primary hotel) for the classic historic rooms. [*] The location always seemed cursed. Over the season, Stanley's health improved dramatically. There was a worker named Paul who used to enforce the curfew in the hotel, but unfortunately, he passed away back in 2005 after suffering a heart attack on the job. 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