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St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico
Pat Sitzburger reached for the light switch of the chandelier and pushed it downward, leaving her and her husband, Ed, to make their way out of the
St. James Hotel, with only a flashlight. They got outside on the lawn, turned back to take one more look at their newly purchased property when
they saw the chandelier light go back on. Ed went back into the building to turn the chandelier off once more, when he rejoined Pat, the light went
back on again. This was the first incident of the haunting of the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico that Pat and Ed experienced. It was not the
last.
The St. James Hotel was built in 1872, at least it began then, finishing in 1880. It housed a saloon, gambling hall and rooms. While still
relatively new, a total of twenty six people were killed inside the hotel, according to historical records. Some of the most famed western legends graced this hotel. The likes of
Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Jessie James, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill, to name just a few. The tin ceiling, put in around 1902, shows the marks
of stray bullets; showing us the harshness of the western era.
In 1960 the hotel closed for the first time since opening in 1880 and stayed that way until 1985 when the Sitzburgers bought it. They began the
renovations and repairs, bringing the hotel back to its glory years.
When the Sitzburger's bought the hotel, the people selling it mentioned, in jest almost, of strange happenings. Nothing further was said. Many activities center around the second floor hallway where the chandelier
hangs. Another strange thing happened once the bar and restaurant opened. Pat mixed orange juice in a jar for the next day's business one night. She
labeled the jar with the date then placed it into the cooler. Next morning the jar was gone. She asked the only people, three of them who could have
taken the jar, if in fact they had taken it; all denied taking it. Two weeks later Pat opened the cooler to find the jar there. She opened it, tasted it and found it as fresh as the day she had mixed it. The accountant for the hotel sat preparing W-4's for the employees. (For our European friends, a W-4 is a tax form). She got a thirst for a cup of freshly brewed coffee, rose, locked her office door, went downstairs to the kitchen and got her coffee. When she returned, she unlocked her office
door, she glanced at the desk and noticed the W-4's were missing. She searched the office but to no avail. Two weeks later, the W-4's were placed
neatly back on her desk by unseen hands. Pat and Ed realized they had a ghost who enjoyed playing pranks on those in the living realm. Often their prankster, dubbed by them, "the little imp," would take things then return them weeks later.
But the little imp isn't the only spirit in the hotel. There's a room in the hotel that Mary, the original builder's wife, died in. Mary was very young and still inhabits the room. But Mary is a very gentle entity. In
Mary's room one frequently seems the scent of perfume. The perfume smell lasts only a few seconds but long enough to mingle lightly with your senses.
The ghost in room 18 is not so nice or gentle. He is actually quite nasty. A visitor to the hotel need not worry though, for room 18 is not open to the
public because the entity is nasty. The entity in this room has made the numbers on the door disappear and with the numbers disappearance so did the
nails and the nail holes. Pat has experienced the entity swirling past her as she opened the door, knocking her to her knees. She stood up again, only
to be knocked down again to her knees. Finally Pat vowed to enter the room only after saying loudly at the doorway the following: "Whatever is here,
you're free to stay as long as you're positive and will help me. Otherwise, go in peace." A truce was called, Pat hasn't been knocked down since. But
the truce is obviously strained. Odors and strange and odd sounds emanate from the room.
The hotel is opened all year long. The prices are modest and the motel the Sitzburger's built are even better. It is in Cimarron, New
Mexico.
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