Oddities at the Occidental Hotel
A historic Wyoming landmark for over one hundred and forty years, the Occidental Hotel, or ‘Ox,’ for short, transports visitors back to the days of the Old West. The hotel was a melting pot of cowboys and presidents and has seen the likes of Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Tom Horn, and even Teddy Roosevelt.
The Occidental Hotel has welcomed travelers from all over the world for centuries. What’s more, it’s believed that some of these guests never checked out.
Why is The Occidental Hotel haunted?
In addition to its history and list of famous guests, the hotel has a sinister side. Over the decades, Countless reports of ghostly activity have disturbed the hotel’s many guests. Keep reading to uncover who, or what, haunts this infamously cursed hotel.
Do you want to experience the hauntings of the West up close and personal? Book a ghost tour with Cheyenne Ghosts!
History of the Occidental Hotel
The Occidental Hotel opened in 1880 and quickly became one of the most renowned hotels in the West. Located near the Bozeman Trail and at the picturesque foot of the Bighorn Mountains, the hotel was a reliable watering hole and rest stop for people traveling along the Trail. From its earliest days, the hotel established a reputation for its fine food and unbeatable hospitality.
Among those who enjoyed the hospitality of the Occidental were famous outlaws Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane, who drove freight wagons on the Bozeman Trail. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rose to the Occidental from their hideout nearby at the Hole-in-the-Wall. The famous cattle detective and killer Tom Horn also frequented the Occidental during the early years. Frontier sheriffs Frank Canton and Red Angus also dropped in for a few rounds at the bar from time to time.
Owen Wister, author of The Virginian, spent many happy hours in the Occidental lobby and saloon and based characters in his celebrated novel on cowboys and gunslingers that he observed there. Many historians believe that the shoot-out at the climax of the book — the first “walk down” in Western literature — took place in front of the Occidental.
As time passed and the hotel needed more space for accommodations, it was expanded and rebuilt until it became known as a ‘grand’ hotel. Cowboys, businessmen, tourists — people from around the world flocked to the Occidental and came miles out of their way to enjoy the amenities the Occidental Hotel had to offer.
However, the splendor of the hotel began to fade around the 1930s due to the Great Depression as it swept its grey blanket all across America. Everyone in Wyoming tightened their purse strings, and businesses started to dry up.
The owners of the Occidental struggled to keep the doors open, and by the 1980s, the hotel had become run down and a shell of its former glorious self. It seemed almost destined to become lost to history, demolished, and replaced with a more modern structure.
The Occidental was not torn down, however. Dawn Dawson purchased the hotel in 1997 with the goal of restoring it. Ten years passed, and the hotel was back to basking in its original splendor. She took the protection of the Occidental a step further and even got it placed on the National Historic Register.
The hotel has been owned by David and Jackie Stewart since 2015.
Stepping foot in the doors of the Occidental is a step back to the days of outlaws. The original ceilings tower overhead and the bar in the saloon was brought to the structure in a horse-drawn wagon countless years ago. All of it was preserved—even the chairs are original, and the bullet holes from the shoot-’em-up days can still be seen.
The Occidental Hotel isn’t just well known for its amenities and original furnishings; it’s also rumored to be extremely haunted.
Hauntings at the Occidental Hotel
The Occidental Hotel is said to be the most haunted hotel in Wyoming. Does it truly deserve such a title? Let’s dive into the stories and dissect why it’s made such an infamous name for itself regarding the unexplainable.
While historians dispute whether the hotel ever served as a brothel, many employees proudly state that it did, using the scuffed-up stairs around the back of the building as evidence. It’s also argued that one of the brothel’s residents never left.
The most commonly seen apparition at the Occidental is that of a young girl the staff calls Emily. She was the daughter of a prostitute who operated out of the Bordello Suite in the hotel. Accounts state that Emily passed away from cholera in the early 1900s, and she is described as thin with long, dark hair.
Emily is known for her mischief, and she often plays pranks on hotel guests. Witnesses have reported feeling a small hand tapping their shoulder or pulling on their pant legs, only to turn and find no one. She’s also appeared to weary travelers as they fall asleep for the night. The closer to the Bordello Suite, the more often Emily appears.
Other entities reported at the hotel include several cowboys and even the apparition of President Teddy Roosevelt getting ready for a fishing trip upstairs in the library.
The hotel exudes a strange unease, and guests often report cold spots passing through them as they walk down the halls, making their way to their rooms at night.
Haunted Wyoming
It’s hard not to think about the trials and tribulations early pioneers of the American West endured on their journies to new land. Walking into the Occidental Hotel gives you the chance to experience a bit of what they did — an oasis on an otherwise lifeless and dusty trail, a place to unwind, and maybe grab a drink.
These days, the Occidental does precisely what it was built to do — it cares for its guests, upholds its history, and gives its ghosts a nice place to rest.
For more of America’s most haunted locations, keep reading our blog. Ready to see America’s most haunted places in person? Check out our location page to find a ghost tour near you!
Instagram: usghostadv
TikTok: usghostadventures
Facebook: US Ghost Adventures
Sources:
https://y95country.com/haunted-307-the-historic-occidental-hotel-in-buffalo/
https://www.occidentalwyoming.com/history
