Hotel lee workshop
Yuma, az
April 30, 2005
The workshop crew met in the lobby of the renovated Hotel Lee at 1pm. We checked into our rooms and were ready for some afternoon exploring of some of Yuma’s historical and haunted sights!
The Hotel Lee was built on the historical Lee Highway that was named after General Robert E Lee. It was built in 1917. One of the first owners of the hotel had a mysterious side to her. Although she ran a prim and proper hotel—she also conducted séances in the backroom. It is said her group practiced black magic and would put evil spells on those who crossed them.
In recent years the Yuma Spirit Hunters have done extensive investigations on the renovated hotel and were rewarded with lots of EVP and unexplained paranormal experiences. We were hoping for the same ghostly encounters.
Our first stop in the afternoon was the Yuma Territorial Prison. The first seven inmates entered the prison on July 1, 1876. They were locked in cells they had constructed with their own hands. In the coming 33 years, a total of 3,069 prisoners did their sentence there. Crimes ranged from murder to polygamy—with grand larceny being the most common. During that time, 111 of the prisoners died—mostly from tuberculosis—but stories say some of them never left this place, even in death. The dark cell has been reported to be the most haunted spot on the grounds. They say the ghost loves to antagonize anyone wearing the color red. No records show anyone died in the dark cell—but a few inmates had to be transferred to the asylum in Phoenix after their stay in the isolated hole.
Next we stopped at Yuma Crossing State Park. It is near the banks of the Colorado River and was the best spot to cross into California. The park was the site of the US Army Quarter Master Supply Depot—a supply house for the military posts in the southwest. Many of the adobe structures from that era are still standing. We were searching for any signs of spirit residue that may have been left behind. Everyone agreed there was activity in one of the officer’s buildings.
We headed to old Ft Yuma, which sits on the Indian reservation. We walked passed buildings that sit in ruins that were once the thriving fort. It gave us all an eerie feeling. We toured the little museum and the lady at the desk told us some ghost stories. She said part of the museum was once the kitchen of the mess hall. Sometimes she hears pots and pans banging from the other room. Others have seen ghost soldiers and Indians riding through the grounds after dark.
We met for dinner at haunted Lute’s Casino where we could all chat and do some socializing. It was a good way to get to know the other members of the workshop investigating team. After dinner we briefly stopped for a visit at the Yuma City Cemetery. We stayed until dusk.
At 8PM our sister ghost hunting team—Yuma Spirit Hunters, headed by Don Swain—met us in the lobby of the Lee Hotel. His team took us on his Yuma Ghost Hunter Tour. Taking his informative tour gave us a better view of Yuma’s haunted hot spots! He was able to show us pictures and play back some EVP they had recorded in their research.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE TOUR
After the tour, Don was able to tell us some of the ghost stories his team had gathered during the many years they have researched and investigated the Lee Hotel. He was able to tell us and show us where some of the more active areas were.
They left us to investigate on our own from about 11pm until morning. Some went back out into the streets and retraced their steps to locations the YSH’s showed us on the tour. Others monitored the lobby, hallways and rooms of the hotel. In the morning we all met for a continental breakfast provided by the MVD Ghostchasers and discuss our ghostly encounters.