Colorado Haunted History

In 1911, Lakeside Park constructed the Derby racing coaster. It cost $65,000 to build (roughly $2.4 million in today's dollars), and was believed to be the largest structure of its kind and was more than a mile in length.

Just a couple of weeks after the park officially opened for the season, on June 15th, 1911, the coaster had its first major accident when Mrs. E. Nist nearly fell from the coaster and was severely injured, leading some to speculate she would die.

As described in the Denver Post:
"Mrs. Nist, in company with her brother-in-law, Henry Colburn...entered one of the cars for the trip around the coaster. When the summit was reached and the car was rushing around the tracks at a terrific rate of speed, Mrs. Nist suddenly lurched forcibly in her seat and plunged over the side of the car. Just as her body cleared the side, Colburn reached frantically after the falling woman and succeeded in grasping her clothing securely enough to keep her suspended from the side of the flying car. Owing to the velocity which had been attained, it was impossible to make a stop for some time. Meantime, the dangling body of the unconscious Mrs. Nist was buffeted along the side of the track, striking her head and almost every portion of her body against the projecting rails with terrible force."

"When speed had been sufficiently reduced to allow the occupants of the car to draw the lacerated form into the car, it was found that Mr.s Nist had been practially scalped, one arm mangled, and back and limbs cut in numerous places...All efforts to restore her to consciousness failed until this morning, when she was partially roused from the comatose state."

Mrs. Nist was a widow, who had lost her husband sixth months prior, and her relatives tried their best to divert her mind from her sadness. "It is thought that the excitement of the trip on the derby racing coaster may have proved to much for Mrs. Nist's overwrought nerves, and that she involuntarily made the leap from the car."

No bones were broken in her body, and I have found no evidence that Mrs. Nist died from her injuries.

The Derby had at least two deaths on it, one of which I've posted in the past. It was torn down in 1937, and replaced with the existing Cyclone in 1940.

Today's cooler weather makes me think of fall, the perfect season for a haunted history tour. Tonight, I'll be in Arvada conducting an "Olde Town Haunts" tour. Space is still available!

On June 13th, 1908, just weeks after Lakeside opened officially for the first time, tragedy struck the Scenic Railway coaster. Seventeen people were crushed and maimed when cars fell 20 feet from the track as it ascended the incline at the beginning of the attraction. (Dramatically depicted in the photo from the Rocky Mountain News, with the people flying/falling drawn in by the News).

According to the News: "The train was being carried up the steep incline at the depot end of the railway preparatory to starting its second trip around the track, when the mechanism of the cars became entangled in the mechanism of the cable device. The cars were raised up, thrown from the rails and dropped over the side of the structure to the track below.

The heavy cars turned on their side as they left the incline, throwing several of the passengers out, and then fell almost on top of the victims, who, unconscious and bleeding, were unable to get out of the way.

The accident occurred shortly after 9:30, at a time when the railway was crowded and hundreds of persons were at the loading station waiting to embark on the trip. The ill fated train had just passed through the depot and the occupants, shouting and laughing, had parleyed good naturedly with their friends as they passed through."

Working feverishly overnight, the workmen repaired the ride and it was running again the next day. However, the park shut it down again a day later to await mechanical engineers from out east to inspect the ride. It reopened about three weeks later, after a few adjustments and passing the engineer's inspection.

Among the most seriously injured included Miss May Bohanna: "She was pinned under the fallen car, and the combined efforts of several men were required to extricate her from the wreckage. She received internal injuries which are causing repeated hemorrhages from the lungs and ears; her left ankle was sprained, a large bruise was inflicted on her right shoulder, and her entire body was scratched and contused."

"Albert Meyers, president of the Meyers Veal and Mutton company, was riding in the same seat with his wife when the car left the track...Meyers sustained a fracture of the right shoulder, a deep gash on the head, and body bruises. His wife was more seriously injured. Her left thigh and right elbow were fractured and her body seriously cut and bruised."

Later reports indicated that Mrs. Meyers also had a fractured skull, and was near death. Ralph Duncan was also near death when pneumonia coupled with his internal injuries had set in. As far as I've been able to discern, neither of them passed away from their injuries.

This was the second major incident on the Scenic Railway. In February of 1908, during previews of the park, it also derailed, leading to the death of Francis Bray. I posted about that incident earlier this year.

The scenic railway was destroyed by fire in November, 1911.

On this date, June 12th, 1901, a terrible tragedy played out at a home located at 2447 Welton Street in Denver, leaving two young children without their parents.

Elizabeth and Julian Benton (pictured), were happily married for ten years, when in April 1901, they moved into the home on Welton St, renting the two front rooms. A few days prior to the incident, they had what everybody considered to be a small argument. What the argument entailed, nobody knows. Elizabeth's father, John W. Lowell, a former state auditor, knew there was trouble between his daughter and son-in-law, but his daughter simply said they had a disagreement, and they could settle it on their own.

On the evening of the 12th, Elizabeth was in the back rooms, helping the other boarders dry their dishes, and had sat upon their bed to have a chat with Mrs. Krick. Meanwhile, Julian left the front of the home and stole around to backside. Peering through the windows, he spotted his wife, and through a six-inch gap between the bottom of the curtain and the window frame, he took aim with his weapon and fired.

The bullet flew through the room, just inches away from the neighbor's young child, and struck Elizabeth in the chest, piercing her heart. She stumbled to the kitchen before collapsing, dead. Meanwhile, Mr. Krick ran from the house in time to see Julian shoot himself through the temple with the same gun, ending his life.

When Elizabeth's father arrived, she was found on her back "with towel over her face and great clots of blood on her dress and pools on the floor...the expression of her face was that of repose rather than agony.

In a statement he said, "“I cannot tell what was the matter,” said he. "My daughter has been talking to my wife during the last three day about some slight trouble between her and her husband, but it was slight, and we did not acquaint ourselves with the details. We told her to settle it between themselves, and thought nothing serious would happen. My daughter and her husband have been extremely fond of each other, and from the day of their marriage, ten years ago in Routt county, were as affectionate and devoted as man and wife could be. They lived for each other and their children.“

Thankfully, their children were not home that evening. Nine-year-old Ida was staying with her grandparents, closer to the school she was attending, and seven-year-old Valentine was at the Sacred Heart College.

Elizabeth and Julian Benton are buried in unmarked graves in Fairmount Cemetery.

If you've been following my page for a while, you know that I frequently post about Colorado amusement park disasters. During the Covid lockdowns, I created a presentation detailing many of them from the old Manhattan Beach to the modern Elitch Gardens. During my research at the time, I missed this story.

In the early hours of June 10th, 1965, Elitch Gardens (38th and Tennyson) was hosting an all-night "Grad Night" party. Approximately 700 high school students (mostly graduates) were attending the party at the park. At about 2:30 a.m., the miniature train (photo from early 1900s) derailed around a curve, killing 15-year-old Gloria Kosciw, and injuring 8 others.

According to the 19-year-old operator of the train, he was advised to increase the speed of the train as they approached the corner due to an incline. He stated that the speed was less than 20 miles per hour, which according to park operators, was really 3.5 to 4 mph. "We were going along as usual. Suddenly, I heard a band and some screams. We were going about 18 miles per hour around the curve. I slammed on the brakes, stopped, and ran all the way back to the end of the train. People were lying all over."

The rear car of the train had toppled, and all riding it were thrown out. Miss Kosciw was found about 10 feet away in a rock garden. Initially, investigators thought she died of a ruptured heart due to fright, but the coroner's report stated that her heart ruptured from being thrown from the train into the rock garden. Her ribs lacerated the heart.

Others injured included 17-year-old Gary Tyler, Gloria's boyfriend, who suffered back and internal injuries. Others received face and head cuts, torn ligaments, leg and chest injuries, and a fractured ankle.

The train was operational the next day while they investigated the damaged train car and cause of the derailment.

Gloria Kay Kosciw, a student from George Washington, was entombed in Fairmount Mausoleum.

Thank you to everybody who follows this page and reacts to my posts about Colorado's darker, and many times, lost history. I enjoy doing the research and digging into the past. Outside of reading my posts, one of the best ways you can support my endeavor is to take one of my haunted history tours, and it just so happens I'm running all three of them this weekend.

Friday night - "Murder, Mayhem, and Madness" in Golden
Saturday night - "Ghosts and Legends" in Morrison
Sunday night - "Olde Town Haunts" in Arvada

I am as small business as they come (just myself), and all three tours were meticulously researched and created by me.

More tour dates will be posted soon.
Thanks! - Joel

Unsolved murder - On the evening of June 9th, 1949, 19-year-old Roy G. Spore, a sophomore at the University of Colorado, went on a blind date with 18-year-old Doris Ann Weaver, freshman. (both pictured) At about 10:30 that night, the couple headed down to sit upon banks of Boulder Creek when they were brutally attacked.

The assailant snuck up on the couple and hit Miss Weaver from behind on the head three times with a pipe at which point Spore attempted to defend her. Weaver screamed, and Spore pulled her to her feet and yelled "Run! Doris! Run!" She ran to her dormitory to get help, and could hear Spore fighting and yelling "Lay Off!"

Unfortunately, when Miss Weaver returned to the scene, Spore was nowhere to be found. The next day, his body was found 72 yards down stream, his head bludgeoned with 29 wounds, and other wounds upon his body. The medical examiner stated that Roy Spore had died from drowning as his lungs contained water and gravel from taking his last breaths. However, it was unlikely he would have survived the other wounds.

The evidence of the scene showed a trail of blood from where they were attacked to the streambank where his unconscious body was thrown into the creek. "He suffered four to six head fractures, and the back of his head was beaten into one large fracture...there were eight deep cuts on the face and the nose was fractured. There was a cut on the forehead, three on the left side of the head, two on the right side of the head, and numerous ones at the back of the head."

Spore was unable to get away or full fight for himself as he had a full length cast on his left leg from cutting a tendon a month prior, and he was unable to bend his knee.

Over the next few weeks, investigators thought they had several leads and made arrests. Unfortunately, none of those leads or arrests panned out, and the leads started to fizzle.

In September, 1949, investigators thought they had a strong lead in Roy Dempsey Gardner, a former Denverite, who was arrested in Utah. He quickly became known as a Want Ad killer, and confessed to the slaying of at least three women, to whose want ads he had responded. His alibis for June, 1949, did not hold up, but authorities could not definitively place Gardner in Boulder on the night of the murder.

In 1954, Harry Lum, inmate of a Los Angeles mental hospital admitted to the killing of Roy Spore. Initially, he had written a letter to his sister, stating that he needed to get the confession of his chest. Lum was a student at CU during the time of the murder, so it was plausible that he had committed the crime. However, when questioned by doctors and investigators, there were too many inconsistencies in his story. He had the dates wrong and claimed he used a rock (instead of a pipe) to cause the bludgeoning. His confession was dismissed as the ravings of a mentally unwell man.

Today, the case remains unsolved. Doris Ann Weaver, who was from Twin Falls, Idaho, never returned to school at CU, not wanting to relive the memories of that horrible night. She eventually continued her education at Washington University in St. Louis. She married in 1954, and died in 2024 at the age of 94, and was buried in Pocatello, Idaho.

Roy G. Spore was buried after a small private service in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.

On June 7th, 1902, 36 members of the West Denver High School took a fateful journey up Turkey Creek Canyon, just south of Morrison. They had traveled in two hayracks, but after their day of enjoyment, tragedy struck as they descended at around 7:30 pm.

As they crossed a small bridge, the horses of the second wagon were spooked and the driver lost control of the reins, causing the hayrack to topple down the 15 foot steep embankment to the creek. In the fall, fifteen of the revelers were injured, including Edith Withers (photo in full view), who suffered a fractured skull and broken neck. Help was quickly dispatched by the people of Morrison, and the injured were taken to the Cliff House, which turned into a makeshift hospital until a train could arrive to bring doctors and transport the injured to hospitals in Denver.

Unfortunately, shortly after arriving to the Cliff House, Miss Withers perished due to her injuries.

Mazie Pumphrey (photo in profile), who was knocked unconscious during the accident, perished the next day at St. Joseph's hospital. She had suffered a fractured skull, broken jawbone, and a paralyzed right side.

On June 10th, 1902, double funeral services were held at Grant Avenue Methodist Church, and they were buried in Fairmount Cemetery.

Injuries of the survivors included a broken wrist, compound fracture of an arm, bruised liver, scalp wounds, internal injuries, bruising, and nervous shock.

Unfortunately, two months later, Miss Withers's mother was killed when she fell from a tramway car in Denver.

Due to the tragedy, and the fact that Miss Withers perished there, her spirit may haunt the Cliff House in Morrison along with many other spirits and stories that I'm aware of there.

1900 was not a good year for Julius Schwabe, a Coors employee living in Golden.

In April of 1900, Schwabe "had a narrow escape from cremation. He went to bed, and lay there comfortably smoking his German pipe and reading his German newspaper. Next thing he knew, other occupants of the house were in his room busily engaged in extinguishing the fire. The bedding was sadly demolished, and among other things burned was Mr. Schwabe's clothes and $80 in currency."

On June 4th of 1900, Schwabe, who was the foreman of the fermenting cellars of Coors, drowned in Clear Creek. His body was found five mile downstream of where he fell in from a swinging foot bridge. He had been heavily drinking that day (not at work), crossed the creek and fell into the 6 foot deep waters that flowed with a swift current over the rocks at that point. His body was found resting on a small sand bar, and with him was found a knife, $1.20 in cash, and the remnants of a watch.

He is buried in the Golden Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

Stock image

On June 5th, 1929, Adolph Coors Sr., the originator of the Coors Brewery in Golden, fell to his death from his 6th floor room at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. Whether it was an accident, su***de, or murder remains a mystery to this day.

At the age of 82, in April of 1929, Coors had moved into the hotel with his wife, as he had been advised to visit Virginia to build up his health from a bout of pneumonia he had suffered a few years prior. At the time, due to prohibition, the brewery was not making beer, which was his passion.

In the early hours of June 5th, he was near the window when he either jumped, fell, or was pushed from the 6th floor to the brick walkway below. The initial reports stated that it simply was an accident, and his age caused him to stumble. However, the coroner quickly reported it as such, no inquiry or autopsy into the death were performed.

In later years, rumors swirled that Coors may have had a gunshot wound, and later rumors stated that his hotel room window was found closed and locked from the inside after his death, further leading to a potential cause of murder.

After his death, his body was shipped back to Colorado, where he was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery during a private ceremony. His will only left $10,000 to his wife Louise. During disclosure of the will, it was discovered that he had divided $2,000,000 in assets with his family in 1923.

In 2018, after a few years of major renovations, the Cavalier reopened, showcasing it's 1920s art deco style. I was able to tour the building during some previews. Unfortunately, I was not able to head to the 6th floor, but there are many stories of the ghost of Adolph Coors haunting the hotel (and the brewery).

There are stories of lights on the 6th floor mysteriously turning on during the renovations. Some claim to hear his body hitting the concrete below his room. Employees of the hotel have received phone calls from the floor and when they pick up, no one is on the other end of the call.