In 1867, at the spot where the Union Pacific Railroad crossed Crow Creek, the city of Cheyenne was born. Since then, the Magic City of the Plains has had a long history of hauntings. Drop into the Shadows Pub and Grill, and you may find yourself sharing a drink with a spectral patron from another era. Spend a night at the Historic Plains Hotel, and you may run into one of the many ghostly guests who refuse to check out. Even the Wrangler store seems to be home to a phantom cowboy. From the ghosts of the historic Depot and Rail Yard to the spirits that still linger in some of the city's private homes, this frontier town is filled with spooky happenings and chilling sightings. Join writer and guide Jill Pope on a tour of the stories behind this city's most chilling spots. Jill Pope has worked for the Visit Cheyenne Convention & Visitor's Bureau and Cheyenne Street Railway Trolleys for over ten years. During that time, she has written the trolley historic tours and the annual ghost tour scripts, working with various paranormal groups and presenting on the subject at local venues. Haunted Cheyenne By Jill Pope The History Press Copyright © 2013 Jill Pope All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62619-158-7 Contents Acknowledgements, Introduction: Get into the Spirit, I. FIFTEENTH STREET, 1. Historic Cheyenne Depot: Fifteenth Street and Capitol Avenue, 2. Hofman Building: Depot Street Merchants, 316 West Fifteenth Street, II. LINCOLNWAY, WEST 100 BLOCK, 3. Historic Plains Hotel: Lincolnway and Central Avenue, III. LINCOLNWAY, WEST 200 BLOCK, 4. Wrangler Western Store: Southwest Corner of Lincolnway and Capitol Avenue, 5. Hynds Building: Northwest Corner of Lincolnway and Capitol Avenue, 6. The Atlas Theatre: 211 West Lincolnway, 7. DEC'ORoom and Ernie November Store: 215 and 217 West Lincolnway, 8. Wyoming Home: 210–212 West Lincolnway, IV. LINCOLNWAY, WEST 300 BLOCK, 9. Freedoms Edge Tap House/Tivoli Building: 301 West Lincolnway, 10. Quilted Corner: 309 West Lincolnway, 11. Lavender Boutique: 315 West Lincolnway, 12. Graffito: 317 West Lincolnway, 13. Carnival Antiques: 319 West Lincolnway, 14. Our Place Store: 321 West Lincolnway, V. EAST LINCOLNWAY, 15. Real Estate Office: East Lincolnway and Morrie Avenue, VI. SEVENTEETH STREET, 16. Deselms Fine Art: 303 East Seventeenth Street, 17. Knights of Pythias: 312 West Seventeenth Street, VII. PIONEER AVENUE, 18. Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company Fire Department: 1712 Pioneer Avenue, VIII. CAPITOL AVENUE, 19. Don Rey's Restaurant: 1617 Capitol Avenue, 20. Wyoming Supreme Court Building: 2301 Capitol Avenue, 21. Wyoming State Capitol: Capitol Avenue and Twenty-Fourth Street, IX. CAREY AVENUE, 22. City News and Pipe Shop: Eighteenth Street and Carey Avenue, 23. Mrs. Draper: 2116 Carey Avenue, 24. Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum: 4610 Carey Avenue, X. CENTRAL AVENUE, 25. St. Mark's Episcopal Church: 1908 Central Avenue, 26. Frontier Hotel/Suite Bistro: 1901 Central Avenue, 27. Terry Bison Ranch: 51 I-25 Service Road East, XI. DOWNTOWN AND RAINSFORD DISTRICT, 28. Avenues Home, 29. Candi Land: South Greeley Highway, 30. Fort D.A. Russell House, 31. For Sale: Home of the Lost Child, 32. Spider Maxwell: Maxwell Avenue, 33. Snuffed Out: East Nineteenth Street, XII. SOUTH OF THE TRACKS, 34. Help Me: West Sixth Street, 35. Chinese Rail Worker: Bent Avenue, 36. Sixth Street, 37. Darkness within Darkness: East Fifth Street, 38. Life Cycle: Eighth Street, 39. A Grave Situation: Lakeview Cemetery, Conclusion, Bibliography, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 FIFTEENTH STREET 1. HISTORIC CHEYENNE DEPOT: FIFTEENTH STREET AND CAPITOL AVENUE Tracking Spirits When you arrive in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming, you're bound to notice two prominent buildings that rise above the others. One is the elegant, gold-domed Wyoming state capitol building, and nine blocks directly to the south is the historic depot with its steeple clock tower. The buildings face each other, and it is said they were built this way so the government and the railroad could keep an eye on each other. Both buildings are said to have resident ghosts. I have the privilege of working in the depot. This wonderful building actually sat empty for years after Union Pacific moved its offices out. It narrowly escaped the wrecking ball, only to be skillfully renovated and then designated and protected as a National Landmark. There are about 2,500 National Landmarks in the United States; the depot finds itself in the company of Pearl Harbor and the Ryman Grand Ole Opry. My office is located on the second of the three floors. My company also operates a tourist visitor center in the lobby. Besides Visit Cheyenne and Cheyenne Street Railway Trolleys, the depot also houses the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, LEADS (an economic development entity), the Cheyenne Depot Museum, the depot management offices and Shadows Brew Pub, along with all of their att