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Wild West Ghosts

© Janice Oberding

Wherever there is great tragedy, there is bound to be ghost or two. Plenty of gunslingers, gamblers and dance hall gals met violent deaths. These unfortunates were buried in the boot hill cemeteries throughout the west. The trouble is, some of them don't find death to their liking. These are some of the ghosts that haunt many spots in the wild west.

While other cities are making room for progress by demolishing any old buildings that stand in its path, Tombstone, Arizona has managed to preserve many of its old buildings. Tombstone is a town with a colorful past. Consequently it is a town with more than its fair share of ghosts. Lively dance hall gals and phantom cowboys hang around many old establishments. More than one person has heard the sounds of unseen boots scraping on floors, or the raucous laughter of long dead saloon ladies.

Ghostly soldiers, still ready to heed the call of battle, have been spotted in many places in the west, particularly in and around old abandoned forts and battlefields. One of the most famous of these is the Little Bighorn National Monument in Montana. Many ghostly cavalrymen and General George Armstrong Custer himself have been spotted here in the area since that tragic battle on June 25, 1876 when General Custer and his men met their deaths so violently.

Ghostly troops have been heard laughing and joking late at night within the crumbling walls of Fort Churchill in Nevada.

Fort Laramie in Wyoming is yet another old fort inhabited by phantom troops. No dereliction of duty here. More than one person has seen these ghostly soldiers as they go about their daily duties.

Justice was swift in the old west. The span from conviction to execution was a short one. Even shorter if an hombre happened to be lynched before the jury could render its verdict. A secret committee sworn to keep the town of Virginia City free from the criminal element strung up many a man. Today some of their ghosts are believed to still haunt the town. No doubt they're looking for justice.

In 1867 a jury of his peers found John Millian guilty of the murder of Virginia City courtesan, Julia Bulette. All the way to the gallows he swore his innocence. He proclaimed it all the louder just before the trap door swung open and he dropped to his death. Does he still haunt the area near Geiger Grade where 10,000 people witnessed his execution. Some folks believe he does indeed.

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