| Address |
| 405 Spray Ave, Calgary, AB, Canada |
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| Information |
The Banff Springs Hotel
This luxurious hotel lies in the forests of Alberta, Canada and is just as famous for the amount of celebrities that have stayed there as it is for the countless ghost stories it hosts. William Cornelius Van Horne conceived the resort when he saw the potential of the scenery and hot springs around the city of Banff as a perfect stop along the Canadian Pacific Railway, which he just happened to be the general manager of. He contracted famed architect Bruce Price to design the hotel and the work was underway.
One year into the construction of the facility, Van Horne arrived to see how things were going and made a disturbing discovery. The plans had been misinterpreted and the hotel was being built backwards from the plans. Rather than having the front looking out over the majestic view of the river, it was facing the forest and mountain behind, leaving the kitchen area with the great view. He quickly made some revisions to the original plans to correct the error the best he could and construction finally continued.
On June 1, 1888 the Banff Springs Hotel opened its doors and advertised itself as, "The Finest Hotel on the North American Continent." Indeed, the hotel soon saw so much traffic through its doors that the owners had to quickly add on to the original structure. It was during one of these enhancements that another quirky design flaw would come to light. One of the rooms in the new addition had the unique feature of having no doors or windows. The room was walled up and the blueprints were quickly altered so that the design flaw was quickly forgotten.
The room would be rediscovered in a tragic fashion when a fire broke out in 1926 that would ultimately burn down the original wooden hotel. It would be completely rebuilt in the Scottish Baronial style and reopened in 1928. Over the years, the hotel has continued to expand until the year 2000, when it became part of the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain and became known as the Fairmont Banff Springs. Originally opened with 250 guest rooms, the hotel now offers 778 guest rooms, countless restaurants and gift shops, spas, a golf course, and more. It also has a few spooky tales that have become part of its reputation.
The Ghosts of the Fairmont Banff Springs
There are numerous stories of paranormal goings-on associated with the hotel today. For starters, there were claims of spooky sightings and odd occurrences near the "secret room" for the years before the fire of 1926 and even some accounts of the fire started in the room itself. Apparently, those spirits have since moved on since that strange activity was never reported again after the reconstruction. However, there were plenty of other tales to take its place.
Sam the Bellhop
Probably the most popular tale of ghostly activities revolves around the hotel's former bellhop, Sam McCauley. McCauley was a Scottish immigrant who worked at the hotel over the years and reportedly even served as the winter caretaker when the hotel used to shutdown for the winter. By all accounts, McCauley loved the hotel itself and even told a few people that he intended to return to it even after he died. The story goes that after the owners pushed McCauley into retirement in 1978, he went home and died before he had a chance to get his last paycheck. His story didn't end there though.
Two years after Sam's death, two women became locked out of their room and had to call down to the front desk for assistance. By the time someone arrived to provide aid, they found the women already in their room. According to them, an elderly bellhop with white hair had come and opened the door for them, to which the employee replied that there were no elderly employees of that description on the payroll. The stories of Sam had only just begun though, since the reports still come pouring in of an elderly bellhop letting people into their rooms, helping them with their luggage, or even just being sighted on the top floor. Some even report turning back to tip the gentleman to find that he has completely vanished.
The Ghostly Bride
Another popular story concerns the ghost of a woman seen wearing her bridal gown either on the main staircase or in one of the opulent ballrooms. There are a variety of different origins to this tale. One concerns the young bride descending the main staircase on the day of her wedding when a gust of wind from an open window entangles her train with her feet and she tragically trips down the stairs to her death on the marble stone below. Another has the staircase lined with candles that accidentally catches her gown on fire and in her panic; she takes the fatal fall down the stairs. Yet another moves the story to the ballroom during the reception where an errant candle catches the gown on fire and she burns to death before anyone can extinguish the flames.
Whatever the case, the ghostly bride is said to be seen walking down the stairs, sometimes with her gown on fire, and reenacting the scene of her demise. She is also seen dancing alone in the ballroom, reportedly seeking the wedding night that was not meant to be.
Room 873
Oddly enough, the hotel does not have a Room 873, but does have rooms 872 and 874. Some guests have said that they could make out the faint outline of a door where one might expect to find Room 873. According to stories these days, the hotel had a very good reason to wall up that particular room. The legend goes that a family was murdered in Room 873 and strange things kept taking place after the room was cleaned up and re-opened. The most popular version of the tale refers to the mirror that hung in the room that displayed the fingerprints of the little girl that died there. No matter how many times the staff would clean the mirror, the fingerprints would constantly reappear. Coupled with the reports of guests who claimed to see the family on occasion, the management decided to close off and wall up the room. Today, people still reportedly see the spirits of the family near or around where the room should be.
Other Ghosts
A ghostly bartender is said to occupy the Rob Roy Dining Room (which also is tied to the story of the dancing bride on occasion). There are stories of a voice telling folks that they have had too much to drink and that it was time for bed. Another tale has an employee of the hotel stopping by for a quick drink before he headed home for the night. As he went to take a sip of his cocktail, the glass was knocked out of his hand by an unseen force. Unnerved, the employee left the hotel and headed home, only to be pulled over by a Mountie; thus saved the embarrassment of a DUI. There are even tales of a headless bagpiper seen wandering the halls, though those accounts seldom expand on the story.
Fact or Fiction?
Though the stories are typically rich in detail and witnessed by more than a few guests, there are questions as to the validity of the stories themselves. In fact, the current public relations stance on the haunted happenings of the Fairmont Banff Springs is that they are nothing more than the creative marketing of a former public relations director. An elderly bellhop named Sam McCauley did in fact work for the hotel, but whether he returned to the place following his death is openly questioned.
Author Dana Dunnan was inspired to look into the tales after hearing some strange noises above his room that a staff member explained away as the ghost of Sam. In particular, he focused his efforts on the story of the ghostly bride and attempted to track down any news reports of the incident. It wasn't an easy task. As is the case with most of the stories, there are seldom dates and times associated with a given event and when there was, there was no documentation to back it up.
He turned towards local historian, Robert Sandford, who had been on a similar quest in his years in residence. Sandford had looked over the security papers and other documents from the hotel's history and had never found any mention of a guest or event that fit with the story of the bride. According to his investigations, he did uncover stories of a former manager of the hotel that liked to fuel the stories; including going so far as to rig up some luggage with fishing line and dragging them through the lobby to make it appear as if they were being guided by invisible hands.
Dunnan published his findings in an article titled "The Bellman Helps Out" that was published in the June 2003 edition of Fate Magazine. Today, the management has reportedly issued a standing "gag order" on the staff to not talk about the stories of ghosts or paranormal accounts, apparently finding the stories demeaning to the grandeur and history of the facility. Regardless, guests to the hotel still report strange activity during their stays to this day, leading some to wonder if there isn't at least some truth to the reported haunting of the Fairmont Banff Springs.
The Hotel Today
The hotel was purchased by Oxford Properties in 2006, but still operates under the Fairmont Banff Springs label. From reports since, it appears that the wall of silence over the ghost tales still persists however. Even if some question the stories, the hotel and surrounding area have plenty to offer a dark traveler. Aside from the scenic beauty and luxurious offerings of the hotel itself, there is nearby Lake Minnewanka ("Lake of the Water Spirit"), which was believed to hide a half-man, half-fish demon by the Native Americans in the area. There is also the odd stuffed "Merman" display that fits that very description at the nearby Indian Trading Post. And there are the reported personal paranormal experiences by guests of the hotel itself that still continue to pour out, regardless of the official stance that the current management has taken. For their part, the guests stand by their stories that something odd is happening inside the walls of the grand hotel. |
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| Related Sites |
The Fairmont Banff Springs
Official Web site for the reportedly haunted Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Calgary, Canada. |
The Bellman Helps Out by Dana Dunnan
An article from Dana Dunnan that appeared in Fate Magazine and looks into the stories of ghosts and hauntings of the legendary Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/27/07) |
| Blog: The Banff Springs Hotel (06/01/08) |
| Blog: Spooky Legends of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (06/01/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
Ghost Stories of Alberta |
Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America's National Parks |
Calgary: the Unknown City |
Haunted Hotels (Scary Places) |
The International Directory of Haunted Places |
Haunted States Of America: Haunted Houses and Spooky Places in All 50 States and Canada, Too! |
The Fairmont Banff Springs: The Castle in the Rockies (Great Hotels of Canada Collection) |
Banff Springs The Story of a Hotel |
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