Shaded by the mysteries of the desert, the ghosts of Scottsdale’s homicidal history slumber in the bosom of the Sonoran, awoken by those who dare seek them out.
Book NowDiscover why Scottdale’s spirits curse the high sun and those who dare to wake them on a ghost tour with Scottsdale Ghosts. Explore the violent murders of passion, purpose, and chaos that have soaked the dry soil, creating conditions ripe for unexplained activity.
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The first saloon in town, the Rusty Spur Saloon has been serving hard whiskey to mean patrons since 1951, but some can’t escape the dingy lights of this western watering hole where the ghost of the former owner is known to stop by and pour himself a shot from time to time.
A former Maricopa County Marshall took his own life right down the road from the Community Design Studio. A terminal diagnosis led to the barrel of a shotgun, and now his ghost stomps around the building, searching for his final criminal to throw behind bars.
Numerous spirits roam on the land of Scottsdale founder Winfield Scott. Civic Center employees have grown accustomed to them, saying hello as if they were any other co-worker. This 20th-century building is known for Scottsdale’s iconic LOVE sign and the spirited morning routine of two long-dead farmhands.
Scottsdale’s cast of dubious specters roam in the darkness of the night, terrorizing the living from every corner of the affluent Arizona community. From bodies found in canals to the spirits of the saloons, the mysteries of old Scottsdale eagerly welcome you.
“The West’s Most Western Town” has seen triumphs and failures of everyone and anyone, from celebrities to farmers to the average traveler passing through. Scottsdale has experienced it all, and the desert favors no one. Many of these chaotic, bloody downfalls ended inside a police line of yellow tape.
One such tragic case is that of Hogan’s Heroes star Bob Crane. Following the decline of his career, the actor began performing in dinner theater, with his final role being here in Scottsdale. In June 1978, Crane was found bludgeoned to death inside his apartment. Scottsdale Ghosts introduces you to the horrific murder of Bob Crane and the terrifying hauntings of his restless spirit.
Hear the gruesome details of his death and the unexplained activity that was so chilling, a seancé was conducted to help put his soul to rest. Uncover the truth behind his unsolved murder and what the psychic that caused some to flee during the conjuring.
The murder and the unavenged apparition of Bob Crane are only the beginning in this tortured tale of tragedy and death that is just a portion of Scottsdale’s dark and disturbing past. You’re about to embark on a journey that exposes the horrors that helped shape the city into the haunted haven it is today. Welcome to Scottsdale Ghosts.
Visit Scottsdale’s Most Haunted Locations, Including:
Swinging wooden doors of Western saloons symbolize hard times, even harder men, and drunken fistfights ending in whiz-bang shootouts. At the Rusty Spur Saloon, the first bar in old Scottsdale, these doors remain open to everyone, even the dead.
The 1921 building has more than a few former patrons hanging around. O.E. Brown, banker, farmer, and postmaster, once ruled the bank with an iron fist before the Great Depression ended his success.
But it was the bright desert sun that ended O.E Brown’s life. Educate yourself on the deadly rays that can blind drivers and send them spiraling into each other. Such was the unfortunate scenario for Brown and his prized Chevy.
Join Scottsdale Ghosts to hear the hair-raising tale of the bartender who met Brown working his first late night alone in the favored watering hole. The young man, skeptical of the rumors of spirits floating around his new workplace, soon discovered how frighteningly real they were.
Listen closely for the sounds of phantom spurs jingling and shot glasses clinking as we reveal who made a believer out of the fresh-faced Scottdalian on one of our nightly ghost tours.
When Scottsdale founder Winfield Scott first arrived in 1888, the area was nothing more than “Rotting Hay,” the native name for the barren land. Of course, it’s not the only thing rotting in Scottsdale.
Visit the Civic Center that sits on Scott’s former land and serves as a testament to the irrigation that made his town affluent and bountiful. But bounty comes at a cost: the blood, sweat, and tears of farmhands, many of whom are reportedly still around long after their duties ended.
Keep an eye out for two good, hardworking souls watering the trees left behind by Scott’s estate. Local security guards claim they are the ghosts of two determined laborers murdered by a maniacal mailman. Their tired souls show up every morning at 6 am to tend to the haunted grounds of the Civic Center, unjustly sentenced to an eternity of hard labor.
Their spirits aren’t the only trapped souls confined to the property. Explore the double-murder mystery that keeps female employees looking over their shoulders and why an angry apparition continues to spook anyone who ventures near the Arizona Canal.
Mighty Saguaro Cacti watch over Scottsdale, casting ominous shadows beneath the blue skies. Experience the shady side of Scottsdale tourism as Scottsdale Ghosts reveals the city’s plentiful stock of murder cases and mayhem. Visit the Van Norman Law Firm, which has witnessed terrible displays of human horror, and discover your latest “true crime” obsession.
One woman entered the epic canon of Scottsdale criminal history when her body was found with twenty-six stab wounds, marks made by her dangerous and degenerate husband. Feel the residual energy of cases like this one emanating from the city on a ghost tour with Scottsdale Ghosts.
The putrid verdict of these infamous acts still resonates deeply in haunted Scottsdale. Ask the chefs at the Maricopa County Courthouse who see knives vibrate into the air and appear in the least expected places. It seems as if the trickery of Scottsdale’s legal system has left the women’s spirit bitter and sharp.
Embrace the element of the Wild West that lives on through the buildings and suffering spectral bodies of Scottsdale. Many libraries find their reading rooms and play areas populated by the eager minds of this lost time. Behind equestrian names like Arabian and Mustang, the Scottsdale Public Library harnesses the essence of the Old West in more ways than one.
Reported creepy, unexplained activity here promoted an investigation by the Sonoran Paranormal Investigators in 2010. Their shocking findings aligned with the library staff’s stories of phantom visitors hiding behind bookshelves and the tenuous squeak of an unseen book cart.
Investigators were commanded by small voices to “read it again” as a childhood classic piqued the interest of their spectral minds. Open the pages of Scottsdale’s haunted history and dive into the spine-chilling incidents of the investigation that revealed the spirits behind these frightening experiences.
Scottsdale Ghosts introduces you to the stories behind some of the most skin-crawling haunted houses in Scottsdale. Deep in the collections of local news stations is the tale of a woman who says something creeping and dark ran down her hallway. Dismissed as nothing but fantasy by her devout catholic husband, the apparitions kept coming night after night.
Until one evening, he saw it too. The rose-scented apparition appeared and disappeared as quickly as it came, vanishing as the couple moved. Scottsdale Ghosts brings this unique experience from the other side to life at The Clayton House.
The legacy of architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Scottsdale is a complex, saturated story of one man’s lust for beauty in art and love and the resulting violence surrounding his fame. Soak up the traditions he inspired at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the terrors he accidentally unleashed on his lover.
Relive the terrifying day in the 1930s when she and her two children were chopped to pieces by a hatchet-wielding madman at Taliesin West, his grand creation for her at the foot of the mountains. The home was nearly lapped up by the lick of the killer’s gasoline-fueled farewell, surviving only to keep their souls trapped.
Gather around as we take you through the stories and legends of Scottsdale’s haunted past. You will be among many in a crowd of other curious and like-minded people enthused by dark history and the possibility of an afterlife.
Share ghost stories and disturbing tales with the person next to you, who may have some of their own, while learning new ones with Scottsdale Ghosts. The ghostly community is growing – join us on a ghost tour of Scottsdale tonight to discover why.
* This is a walking tour and we do not enter privately-owned buildings or private property *
Phoenix has become a hot spot these days in many ways. The desert metropolis’s population increase may have you curious about its appeal. Check out what the Valley of The Sun can offer and then some. A Scottsdale ghost tour is a great way to see past Phonex’s downtown shiny highrises.
The McDowell and Superstition Mountains lead adventurers for miles through their haunted and breathtaking wilderness. These trails lead hikers to mysterious visitors that vanish along with the sunset. Return to Scottsdale with these mysteries in hand and tell the group about it. Share your supernatural wilderness experiences with Scottsdale Ghosts!
The affluent north Phoenix community is known for its golf courses, vibrant art scene, and the lifestyle of desert luxury its residents have come to expect. Scottsdale Ghosts offers a family activity in Scottsdale unlike any other—local experiences from the heart of the Arizona paranormal world.
Scottsdale’s Talking Stick Resort is the premier place to throw it all away and win big. But don’t go tossing all those hard-earned vacation dollars into the slots and tables of the casino. Save some dough for a unique and terrifying experience with Scottsdale Ghosts.
Arizona’s infamous battery can produce some of the most extreme heat in the nation. Stay out of the sun and enter the cool moonlight with Scottsdale Ghosts. Our ghost tours are a nighttime excursion through Scottsdale’s shocking and troubled past.
