HAUNTED UTAH

INTRODUCTION
The state of Utah is rich in history. I can make this statement with no reservations. It is also one of the most beautiful and scenic states in America, which is something else that I can say from first-hand knowledge, having spent a number of months there in years past. As many of our readers also know, Utah can be a fairly conservative state, especially when it come to ghost stories and haunted spots. There are many stories here, of that I have no doubt, and yet so little documentation exists about the ghosts of Utah, that many would be inclined to believe that there is little here to be haunted. And that would be far from the truth....

History has been made in Utah many times over and perhaps the most famous event took place in the Great Basin in 1869 when the Golden Spike was driven and the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The railroad has left at least two episodes of hauntings in Utah, one at Dove Creek Camp and one at the old Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot... both of which you will read about in this section. But are there more?

The Mormon Church has made perhaps the greatest impact on the state's history. These pioneers moved westward against great odds to found Salt Lake City and dozens of desert settlements. Could they have only left a handful of hauntings behind?

And what about the rich mining camps of southern Utah and in the mountains? Most of them are gone now, leaving desolate ghost towns behind -- could there be more stories here than just a few tales of ghosts at these old mines? The mines operated for decades and the death they left behind caused many to report strange events and apparitions.

And there are other places too.... like the Hardy House Restaurant in St. George. Here a shadowy apparition has been encountered by staff members and customers and yet little is known about this case. Another brief mention is given to the ZCMI Department Store in Salt Lake City, where a former cook allegedly returns to continue cooking for her ghostly customers.

In 2003, the History & Hauntings Book Co. and Whitechapel Press released a books on ghosts and ghostlore in Utah and locations in the west. This book, entitled Down in the Darkness, compiled a haunted history of mines, tunnels and caves all across the country. I included in the book a history of Utah's many lost mines and ghost towns and even included some of my own eerie experiences in the state. I have added some excerpts from the book below.