Visit This Infamously Haunted Train Depot In Utah If You Dare
By Catherine Armstrong
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Published August 13, 2016
Utah’s historic buildings have so much rich, interesting history…and that also includes legends and folklore. In the case of the Rio Grande Train Depot in Salt Lake City, many stories exist about the spirits that supposedly haunt this building. Read on to learn more!
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot was built in 1910. It's located at 300 S. Rio Grande St. (450 West) in Salt Lake City.
It cost $750,000 to build, and was constructed just a few blocks away from the Union Pacific Depot.
For decades, the depot served as the departure and return point for many people.
Families and sweethearts kissed soldiers goodbye at this depot during WWI and WWII...
..then welcomed the boys home at the end of those wars.
The Rio Grande Zephyr took its last run through the depot on May 29, 1979. But while the trains left...
...apparently some spirits stayed behind.
The most famous spirit at the Rio Grande Depot is called The Purple Lady.
While details vary depending on who you talk to, it's agreed that a woman wearing early 1900s dress is often seen in the women's restroom of the depot. She's wearing a large hat and long dress, both in dark purple. The woman is quite beautiful, but appears sad. It's said that the woman and her fiance were at the train depot and got into an argument. In the heat of the fight, either the Purple Lady or her fiance threw her engagement ring onto the tracks. Sobbing and distraught, the woman went down onto the tracks to find the ring and was hit by an incoming train. She died instantly. Now she's seen in the restroom, as well as many other locations in the train depot.
According to a security guard who once worked at the depot, there's an invisible entity who walks around on the mezzanine.
Supposedly, the guard would hear footsteps on the mezzanine at around the same time every night. Each time, he would race up the stairs to face the perpetrator...only to find that no one was there. One night, he decided to hide on the mezzanine and wait to see who was playing pranks on him. He heard the footsteps approach him, but didn't see anyone. Then, he felt someone brush up against him..and the footsteps faded away as if the person had walked away.
Interested in learning about more hauntings in Utah’s historic buildings? Read about Utah’s Most Haunted Hotel!
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