Shelli Timmons - The Ghostly Tales of Denver

Published by Arcadia Childrens Books
A division of Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, SC
www.arcadiapublishing.com

Copyright 2021 by Arcadia Childrens Books
All rights reserved.

Spooky America is a trademark of Arcadia Publishing, Inc.

First published in 2021
E-Book edition 2021

ISBN 978-1-43967-340-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021938347

Print edition ISBN 978-1-4671-9822-6

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or Arcadia Publishing. The author and Arcadia Publishing disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All images used courtesy of Shutterstock.com; p. 8 Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock. com; p.76 Arina P Habich/Shutterstock.com.

TABLE OF CONTENTS & MAP KEY

Introduction

Denver, Colorado, is known as the Mile High City due to its altitude, or elevation, of 5,280 feet above sea levelexactly one mile high. And this mile-high city has plenty of things to keep you busy. If you like sports, there are five professional teams you can root for: Denver Broncos for football, Denver Nuggets for basketball, Colorado Rockies for baseball, Colorado Avalanche for hockey, and Colorado Rapids for soccer. The Denver Botanic Gardens offer twenty-three acres of themed gardens, and they host concerts in the summer. Denver is also known for recognizable landmarks like Union Station, the capitol building, historic hotels, and its many museums. Impressive architecture is all around, from government buildings to private homes. And of course, you cant miss the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

Denver is home to over three million people who get around by driving or taking trains or buses. Its an active city with many residents who like to cycle, jog, and walk. There are even some who just walk right through walls. Thats rightthe Mile High City is also home to quite a few ghosts! Denver is definitely haunted.

In the mid-1800s, people moved west across the country in search of gold. Some traveled all the way to what is now California, but others stopped to seek their fortunes along the way. William Larimer stopped along the banks of Cherry Creek and founded Denver City. He named the settlement to honor the governor of the Kansas Territory, James Denver.

The Colorado Territory was officially formed in 1861, and Denver City felt it should be the capital. The city of Golden also wanted that honor, and for a brief period, it succeeded in becoming the capital. But thanks to a gift from a man named Henry Cordes Brown, Denver City regained the title in 1876. And with its newfound importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver and has remained the capital of Colorado. (Mr. Browns gift was a piece of land offered to the Colorado Territory for the construction of a capitol building.)

That gifted piece of land owned by Mr. Brown was originally known simply as Browns Bluff, but it soon became a very fashionable part of town known as Capitol Hill. At one point, it was even called Millionaires Row! Nice gift, huh?

Today, Denver is the bridge between the plains and the mountains, with a heart that beats for the future but murmurs of the past, a place as beautiful as the dazzling sky above. Its no wonder that many ghosts dont want to leave.

Are you ready to meet some of these spirits from the past? Okay, then, come along with me. Right this way... if you dare.

The Corpses of Capitol Hill

Little did Henry Cordes Brown know that the land he donated to the Colorado Territory would end up being haunted. This chapter will take you on a tour of the Capitol Hill neighborhooda place filled with chilling stories about ghosts who have taken up residence in the most densely populated part of the state. If you follow directions well, you will be able to walk the route and see all the buildings mentioned. As far as seeing an actual ghost, we make no promises, but keep your eyes and ears open, as they are lurking out there.

THE SUMMER OF ZOMBIES AND AN ETERNAL HEAD

Denvers nickname of the Mile High City is no exaggeration. In fact, if you make your way to the gold-domed capitol building at the corner of Colfax Avenue and Lincoln Street, you can experience that altitude quite literally.

On the west side of the capitol in downtown Denver is a famous step with these words carved into it: One Mile Above Sea Level. If you stand on this mile-high marker, you will have a great view of the Rocky Mountains. And if you turn to look to the northwest, you will see the tall buildings that shape the citys skyline.

Among those skyscrapers, one at the corner of the Sixteenth Street Mall and Court Place stands out with the big red letters across the top that say SHERATON. From 1883 to 1933, the site where this hotel now stands was the home of the Arapahoe County Courthouse. Theres nothing unusual about buildings changing names and land changing purposes over the years, but there is something very unusual about this particular location. It was once considered to be the actual Gates of Hell! Pretty wild, right?

No one is sure why it happened, but the story goes that in the summer of 1900, the elevator shafts in the basement opened... and the dead emerged. For six nights they walked among the guards who were on night duty, and it was reported that unnatural lights accompanied them, along with the smell of brimstone, or sulfur. (If youve never smelled it, think of rotten eggs and the stink of a skunk.)