There is something comforting in thinking that the good sister is still making her rounds. Ellen Baumler, one of Montana’s premier public historians and ghost aficionado thinks the figure is probably Sister Irene, a nun beloved of the community who was one of the most active in looking after the welfare of the town’s residents. The Bonanza used to the hospital of the Sisters of Charity.

This might not be as terrifying as it first sounds. Visitors regularly report seeing a black-robed figure walking the streets of town, and guests at the Bonanza Inn encounter unexplained noises and ‘cloying’ smells. But, one story stands out to me because it is something quite different. But over the years–both before and after the brothel closed–visitors also frequently report seeing the apparition of a woman descending the stairs.Īs a gold rush town, Virginia City has its share of gristly tales and hauntings. As a site of crime, suffering, and desperation, any visit to the Dumas carries with it a sense of weight. In the words of my boss, the Dumas Hotel in Butte is “super haunted, that place is terrifying.” The famous Dumas was a brothel from 1890 until 1982 and was the entrance to the notorious Venus Alley–Butte’s crime-ridden red light district. Today actors and patrons frequently comment on the haunting presence of the window. Although she only lived in Helena for a few years, Clara was a force of comfort and joy to many–especially children–in the community. The window of the former church was commissioned as a memorial to Clara Bicknell Hodgin, the minister’s wife who died in 1905. The beautiful stained glass window in Helena’s Grandstreet Theater is the site of a peculiar type of haunting. It’s not clear who exactly might be haunting the ranch or why, but workers and visitors report unexpected smells, the sounds of conversation when no one is around, doors opened that had been locked, and more… A family ranch from 1859 to the 1970s, multiple generations lived and worked on the land before the National Parks Service took up stewardship in the 1970s. Not long after, he closest friend saw an apparition in the Meade garbed in Dorothy’s distinctive blue dress.įrom the specific to the uncertain, we head towards the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Sixteen-year old Dunn drowned in a nearby dredge pond in 1916. One of the more tragic stories on this list is that of Dorothy Dunn, who lingers around the Hotel Meade in Bannack. Whether you’re the sort of person who thrills in experiencing the spectral or prefers to loudly (if unconvincingly) declare that you are don’t believe in superstitious nonsense, you’ll want to check out the sites and stories below. The tales of these ghostly denizens range from the tragic and terrifying to the touching and sweet.

Whatever you believe about ghosts, there’s no denying that Southwest Montana has its fair share of stories of the dead-but-not-yet-departed. More opinions than there are writers, in fact, because my skepticism/belief in ghosts has a good deal to do with how dark the night is and how creepily the wind is blowing. Here on the blog, there are a variety of opinions about ghosts and the like. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy ( Hamlet, I.5)

Anaconda montana haunted ranch