Ghosts, History, & Stephen King: Experiencing the Stanley Hotel

September 1, 2021

Stanley Hotel the shining — Photo: Stephen Rosenberg

On a brisk Autumn day in 1974, the newly renowned author Stephen King, who had just released his first novel Carrie a few months before, was feeling a serious case of writer’s block. Living in Boulder, CO, at the time with his wife Tabitha and son Joe, King thought a trip into the mountains with his family might give him the peace of mind he needed to get to work. Originally trying to get further into the Colorado mountains, his path was halted as inclement weather caused the road to be closed, and the detour led him straight to Estes Park and the infamous Stanley Hotel.

The Stanley Hotel was built in 1909 by founder F.O. Stanley, a revolutionary in modern photography and steam engines in the automobile industry. The hotel was built as a lavish escape for Stanley’s rich friends and family members, offering amazing views, luxurious rooms, and maximum comfort. We’ll get back to Stanley in a few, but by the time the ’70s rolled around, he was long dead, and the ownership of the hotel had let it start to wither and fall to ruin. The yellow paint was cracked, the red roofs were turning brown and black, and some of the walls of the buildings were sunken and starting to collapse.

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King decided that this would be the perfect place to stay for the night, but was disappointed when told that most of the staff had left, as the hotel was preparing to close for the season. In fact, that night was the last night it would be open until the Spring. The rooms had been emptied and the beds had been stripped, except for one, the Presidential suite, Room 217.

Back to the times of F.O. Stanley, in June of 1911, room 217 was part of a four-room mega suite, fit to house the most famous of the hotel’s guests. This massive suite was also the only area of the hotel to use gas for heating. Unknowing of a gas leak the day after the pipes were turned on, head maid Elizabeth Wilson walked into the room with a lit lantern, and the entire hallway exploded, injuring eight staff members, sending Wilson flying two stories down, and pieces of the hotel soaring almost a mile away. Wilson, shockingly, only suffered two broken ankles, and returned to her position after healing, to continue working in the Stanley until she died in her 90’s. The area of the hotel was rebuilt into four separate rooms, and you can still feel the unevenness of the hallway as it transitions from the older part of the hotel to the rebuilt part. After her death, Mrs. Wilson was still seen many times throughout these rooms, folding laundry, packing suitcases, and carrying lanterns.

So, the leftover seasonal staff decided to let the King family stay for a night. The weather had picked up, and they couldn’t just send the family back out into the snow. They were the only two guests in the entire 142-room hotel. Mrs. King had a headache and decided to get some sleep with little Joe, and Stephen King decided to go where any King fan would suspect a 1970’s Stephen King would go…the bar. It’s here that King meets Lloyd Grady (do these names sound familiar?), the last remaining bartender at the Stanley. King wants a drink, and slides a crisp twenty over to Lloyd, to which his responds “Your money is no good here.” Not because of some creepy ulterior motives, but because he had already closed the financial books for the season. The two sat for hours next to the dimly lit bar, shining a gold glow as Grady shared some of the darker stories of the Stanley, and the ghosts that continue to roam the halls and rooms. There were tales of ghost cowboys kissing women in their sleep, ghost dogs and cats roaming the on-site pet cemetery, and the original owner’s wife, playing a ghostly tune on the grand piano while guests slept.

After getting good and inebriated, King returned to his room to write down his inspirations, but instead passed out in bed. He rose to the sound of his son screaming from out in the hall, jumped out of bed and ran to the door. He swung it open, but was unable to leave the room due to an invisible force holding him captive. In the hall, young Joe was being chased by an unraveling fire hose that slithered like a giant, rubbery snake. The hose wrapped around Joe and started to constrict him until he couldn’t breathe, choking Joe’s life out of him. King cried out, and awoke in bed, realizing he’d just had the scariest and most vivid dream he’d ever had. The next day, the King family left the Stanley Hotel, and within three years, Stephen King would release his best-selling book to date, The Shining.

I got the chance to walk the halls of the Stanley last week, and was blown away by how exact some of the details are in the book. The drab patterned carpet and wallpaper, the pale winding fire hoses, the large golden keys, and the hallways with pictures of all the past owners, seemingly following you with their glares. It was incredible. The creep factor remains high, even more than 100 years after the hotel was built, as I looked down scary underground tunnels leading from the Stanley into the mountainous area, created to hide the hotel’s servants from their guest’s vision. Although The Shining film by Kubrick was filmed in Oregon, the 1997 ABC mini-series was filmed at the Stanley Lodge, a 1/3 scale version of the main hotel, also on the premises. A few years ago, the hotel even put in a hedge maze, though the shrubbery is a little short due to local wild Elk snacking on the leaves.

Placing yourself in a location of inspiration is truly memorable. You can feel what the creator felt, see exactly what they saw, and how it translated to their art. Even if you’re not a believer in the paranormal, it’s hard to argue with the history and darkness that can become attached to a building more than a century old. If you’re ever around Estes Park, CO, I highly recommend checking out the Stanley Hotel. I brought back an amazing experience and inspiration to write this article. Who knows what you’ll bring back with you?