Not that all of them are very malicious or vindictive in nature or appearance (however blurry that may be). Many just seem to like wandering around their former abodes, lost in reminiscence. For a state which has an entire route dotted with haunted places, and that too named Route 66, the list should never end.
But here are some of the creepiest places of Arizona which might intrigue the horror-story lover in you.
The Bird Cage Theatre, Tombstone
Inside the The Bird Cage Theatre, Tombstone
Ever since its grand opening on Christmas Eve way back in 1881, the Bird Cage Theatre went on to make its name as one of the most notorious places, even when living and breathing people dwelled the place. The New York Times reported it to be the “Wildest, wickedest nightspot between the Basin Street and Barbary Coast…” The legend says more than 25 people were shot to death during its cowboy era, and many more bullets lodged themselves in the walls – the holes of which you can still see if you go for the ghostly tours.
The visitors have claimed to witness the presence of unseen forces and sounds of reckless partying in the night – as if the wild celebrations of the Old West were still on inside the walls of the theatre.
Yuma Territorial Prison, Yuma
Yuma Territorial Prison with a creepy hallway.
Primarily resided by those prisoners who constructed it with their own hands in 1876, in later years more than 3000 inmates occupied the many cells of Yuma Prison. Among them was John Ryan for committing crimes against the nature, who killed himself in Cell 14. Even though most of the 111 deaths that took place were due to the Tuberculosis epidemic, we should not assume that the souls have left the place happy and satisfied. Especially the dark cell of the prison, which was meant for the disobedient inmates to be chained up, is one creepy hell hole. The last inmates who spent time inside had to be sent up to asylum upon release. You can do the math yourself.
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome
Among Jerome’s many ghostly rumours, the best and the most thrilling one is the story of Jerome Grand Hotel – a looming, four-storeyed, quaint looking building. The former United Verde Hospital for the brutally injured local copper miners and mentally unstable, Arizona’s historic landmark is also a favourite haunted place for many. It is said that the building reeks of its past times, even after it was reopened as a vintage hotel 47 years after closing down in 1950; and shadows of busy, worried nurses, cries of pain and woes and sometimes fleeting cries of the insane minds come floating in the thin air.
Vulture Mine, Wickenburg
Vulture Mine underground: Prepare to run!
The center stage of the great American Gold Rush, the Vulture Mine in Wickenburg provides the perfect backdrop for all the haunted stories it is famous for. As the legend goes, the place was discovered in 1863 by a Henry Wickenburg while shooting vultures and since then it became the target place for people hoping to “strike gold”. Such perpetrators faced the hanging noose, from where the old and mangled hanging tree has become famous. The spirits of these criminals are said to be roaming in the now dilapidated mine and adjacent village, angry at being deprived of their prize.
The haunting story of Jimmy, a worker at the mine who died because of a machinery fault at the mine is also quite famous and easily believable. After all, mines always have the most tragic and haunting tales to tell.
Hotel Monte Viste, Flagstaff
The list had to have at least one spot from the Route 66 haunted places, and Hotel Monte Viste is the best of the lot. The hotel is known for some of the creepiest happenings in real, which led to even more creepy after-sales. For example, the Meat Man – a boarder of Room 220, who is said to have hung meat from his chandelier, was found dead suddenly one fine morning. Visitors also claim to have difficulty living in Room 306, where back in the 1940’s, two prostitutes were lured inside only to be killed and overthrown from the third-floor windows.