Mary's Ghost of the Golden North Hotel - Skagway, Alaska

Around the end of the 19th century, one of the first hotels known in the Alaskan wilderness was built in Skagway, Alaska.  A young gold prospector and his fiancé Mary came to the area looking for fortune.  He got Mary a room at the Golden North Hotel until he could find enough gold to establish a homestead of their very own.  That unfortunately, would never happen.

The ghost of Mary, a bride to be, haunts the Golden North Hotel where she died waiting for her fiancé to return from a prospecting trip.

After Mary's fiancé headed back out to collect his fortune in gold, she became very ill with pneumonia.  She languished in room 23, waiting for her love to return, but tragically she passed away before he did.  The two lovers would be forever parted.

From that point on, many guests in the hotel that stayed in room 23 have awakened with the sensation of being choked as if by some unseen hands.  Others have actually seen the apparition of a young woman dressed in turn of the century attire, standing in the room with them.  The ghostly figure would then disappear.

Below in room 14, there are other unworldly experiences reported by guests.  Most refer to a bizarre light they have seen floating around the room which seems to be shimmering.  Many witnesses describe it to be in the shape of a ball.  Whether it is related to Mary's ghost, it is unknown.

The Golden North Hotel building still stands to this day, however it is no longer operating as a hotel.  The hotel sign still remains, but the building contains shops and the upper floors remain unoccupied.  Except for Mary that is...


Location:
3rd & Broadway
Skagway, Alaska

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Children of Birch Hill Cemetery - Fairbanks, Alaska (White Lady of Birch Hill)

Overlooking the city of Fairbanks, Alaska is the Birch Hill Cemetery which provides a great view of the town.  However, it is also well known around Fairbanks for another reason.  It is believed to be haunted by the spirits of children.

The misty figure in this photo taken by paranormal researcher Jessie Desmond, is a supposed ghost in Birch Hill Cemetery located in Fairbanks, Alaska

The full bodied apparition of a young boy has been seen wandering about the cemetery.  It is believed that this boy is from the early 1900s based on the type of clothing he is wearing.  This apparition is often seen just wandering around the cemetery as if looking for someone.  He does however, have company.  The most famous ghost of Fairbanks, Alaska, also resides in this location.  A young girl is often seen wandering through the graveyard wearing a white dress.  Witnesses say she is also dressed according to early 1900s fashion. She is commonly referred to as The White Lady of Birch Hill.  She was reportedly photographed on one occasion by paranormal researcher Jessie Desmond.



A few visitors to the cemetery have spotted a small dark figure floating just above the ground moving about the cemetery as if it were looking for something or perhaps playing.  Shadow figures have been known to be malevolent spirits, however there have been no reports of anything torrid happening to those witnessing this dark spirit.  
 
The ghost children of Birch Hill also seem to possibly take another form.  There are witnesses driving along Chena Hot Springs Road who look upon Birch Hill and see strange glowing orbs hovering the air above the cemetery. Sometimes, hovering, sometimes moving, seemingly dancing around, and some say they seem to radiate light. Could it be that these orbs are the spirits of the young children playing around?  Perhaps so.

A view of Fairbanks, Alaska taken from Birch Hill Cemetery where strange orbs and apparitions have been seen by visitors and passers by.

It may be that these youngsters are victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic that hit Fairbanks.  Many died being isolated in the Arctic with lack of medicine when the epidemic struck.  No matter how they died, they wander in death among the grave markers, perhaps searching for a life they never knew.

American Ghosts and Hauntings Index of Haunted Places

 

Lydia's Ghost -The Red Onion Saloon - Skagway, Alaska

In the late 1890s, the Alaskan wilderness had havens such as Skagway where the gold miners would come in from their claims and unwind.  The Red Onion Saloon was one of the most renown casino and most notably, bordellos around the area.  As more settlement were established closer to the gold fields, business began to slow and the Red Onion moved to a location closer to the rail depot in hopes of luring in more customers.
 

The haunted Red Onion Saloon in Skagway, Alaska is home to a ghost named Lydia

Over time, the building that used to host The Red Onion served a number of purposes including a U.S. Army barracks during World War II, a bakery, TV station, and a gift shop.  In 1980, it was re-opened as The Red Onion, only this time as a restaurant-bar and in its own unique way, a museum of prostitution.

The years may have passed, but one of the former prostitutes apparently did not.  There have been reports of footsteps heard on the 2nd floor where the brothel used to be.  Upon investigation, no one would be around.  However, the strong smell of perfume would be lingering in the air and there would be extremely cold spots where the smell would be coming from.  On one occasion when a disturbance was heard upstairs, the police were called and as they approached the top of the stairs, they claimed they saw what was a shadow figure running down the hall and into a room.  The room turned out to be the former madame's room. The resident ghost would also make herself known by watering the plants upstairs.  The hostess of the house would go to water the plants and the soil would be damp as if someone had just done so.  

Modern day interior of the Red Onion Saloon in Skagway, Alaska

It is unknown if this female spirit died in the building, but it is believed that she is one of the former madams named Lydia.  She has made personal appearances on  several occasions when the form of a female apparition was observed walking around the madame's room going through the motions as if watering plants.  However, there were no plants in that room!

Old Kennecott Copper Railroad - Chitina, Alaska

Winding along the Copper River from Chitina to Kennicott, the Copper River and Northwestern Railway was built in 1908.  For 30 years the trains toiled along the trek from Cordova through Chitina and McCarthy to the nearby Kennecott copper mines. The area along the railway became home to many of the copper miners, mechanics, their families, and all of those it took to keep the mines running.  After the copper was depleted in 1938, the Copper River and Northwestern Railway railway closed as well and the tracks covered over with dirt.

The old copper mine railroad from Chitina, AK to Kennecott is now known as McCarthy road

The abandoned copper mines at Kennecott, Alaska

Over the years as people walked along the dirt path they have sworn to have seen tombstones in the woods along the trail that did not look familiar.  On return trips however, their investigation would take a startling turn as the graves seem to have disappeared.  Many have claimed to hear the voices of children laughing and playing in the woods in the evenings as well as adults talking, only to find no one around.

Some portions of the abandoned Copper River and Northwestern Railway where the tracks buckled from the extreme conditions

In the 1990's a public housing project was underway along the Kennecott trail.  However, it had to be closed down for a period because the construction workers refused to report to work.  They claimed to hear the disembodied voices that so many before them had heard.  Tools would turn up missing and many strange happenings would take place.  So they refused to set foot on the site.

Some portions of the old copper railroad are very narrow

The road is now paved over and is known as McCarthy Road. It is the main passageway into the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park which happens to be the largest park in the United States.  The copper mines, long since abandoned, still stand as a monument to past mining culture of the area.  However, you still may get a glimpse of the phantom gravestones and hear the children laughing along the old copper railroad.