Many people love a good ghost story and most cities have at least one or two hauntings to call their own. Some places, however, have more than their fair share of spirits, and Cheyenne seems to be just such a place. Maybe the state’s capital is a natural magnet for supernatural activity, or maybe it’s been the site of a number of tragic deaths over the years. Whatever the reason, Cheyenne just might be the most haunted city in Wyoming.
1. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1908 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Constructed in the late 1800s, the bell tower of this historical building is said to be haunted by the spirit of a Swedish immigrant. The man and his friend had been hired to complete the previously unfinished tower but both of them disappeared before they finished the job. Soon after, the pastor of the church began hearing banging noises in the bell tower, which had been capped off and remained incomplete for years. When construction on the tower resumed, it was hard to keep workers on the job because they would leave after hearing whispered voices, banging, and other strange noises. Sometime later, it was reported that one of the original Swedish workers showed up one day and confessed to the pastor that his friend had slipped while working in the tower and was killed in the fall. Afraid that he would be deported, he'd entombed his coworker's body in an unfinished piece of the wall and had never returned. The immigrant's spirit is said to still haunt the church along with the ghost of the pastor who had hired him. Many people have heard unexplained whispering in the church as well as a pipe organ being played, even though the pipe organ was removed years ago. Also, it's said that the bells in the tower ring on their own from time to time.
2. Deming Elementary School, 715 W. 5th Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Deming Elementary School was constructed in 1945 and is said to be haunted by a man who was killed in the furnace room. If you dare look into one of the school windows at night, you will see not only your own shadow, but a second one, as well, supposedly cast by the ghost. This spirit stays busy after dark, making clanking noises and causing the lights to flicker.
3. 1712 Pioneer Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
The building at 1712 Pioneer Avenue has housed different businesses over the years. At one point, it was the location of the city fire department and it was during that time that the haunting began. Apparently, one of the firemen became angered and shot a man who was walking by the building. Ever since that incident, people have reported seeing a man walking through the upper floor of the building. The apparition is always described as wearing a white shirt and dark pants, and he always disappears suddenly.
4. Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Established in 1867, this area is the oldest military installation in the Air Force that has been continually active, serving the Cavalry and the U.S. Army during lawless frontier days and through the Spanish-American War as well as World Wars I and II. Though the base has expanded over the years and many structures have been added, numerous historic buildings are still standing, and that is where most of the paranormal activity is reported. Old Cavalry soldiers have been seen in the buildings and walking the grounds. One specific spirit is apparently a male chauvinist - he likes to hassle females on the security teams. The ghost of a nurse has also been seen in the buildings where women on the base used to live.
5. Atlas Theatre, 211 W. 16th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming
This three-story building on West 16th Street has seen a lot of action. Since its original construction in 1887 it has been a confectionery shoppe, housed offices, a night club, and a theatre. It sat idle for about three years in the 1960s and that could be when spirits moved into the vast, vacant space with so much history. The Atlas reopened in 1966 and has been used for live theatre productions ever since, even though at least two ghosts have made their presence known. Orbs are routinely reported floating around, things get moved about, the spirits play with the electricity, and their voices have been heard on recordings. Paranormal investigators typically come away with evidence of spirit activity at the Atlas.
6. The Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
This palatial and historic hotel opened for business in 1911. There are at least four ghosts haunting the halls of the Plains Hotel and, as is often the case, it was traumatic deaths that keep them where they died. It's said that a double-murder-suicide is responsible for three of the spirits. Apparently, a new bride secretly followed her groom down from their room to the bar where he picked up another woman. When they left the bar for the other woman's room, the bride trailed behind. After her husband entered the room with his paramour, the bride burst in and shot them both, then went back to the bridal suite and committed suicide. There's not as much known about the fourth ghost other than that she was thrown from a fourth floor window by a husband or lover. Guests often experience feelings of dread in certain areas of the hotel, and many report feeling as if they're being watched. Also, hotel employees hear unexplained crying and sometimes laughter coming from the room where the bride shot herself.
7. Wyoming Supreme Court Building, 2301 Capital Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Constructed in 1937, the Supreme Court Building is one of the newer structures being haunted in Cheyenne. Fred Blume was a successful lawyer in Sheridan for years before being appointed to the Wyoming Supreme Court in 1922. He lived almost a decade more after retiring in 1963 but, after his death (of natural causes) in 1971, employees began reporting odd occurrences near the office that had been Judge Blume's. Unexplained footsteps are heard in the halls, the light in Blume's office somehow gets turned on at night, and books get pulled from shelves and dropped to the floor. Also, Judge Blume was a smoker who favored cigars and many people who have worked late into the night at the building have reported smelling cigar smoke coming from the haunted office.
Ever been on a ghost hunt yourself? What other cities have you found in Wyoming that are home to numerous spooky spirits?
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