The Ghost of The Golden North Hotel
Photo taken from wikimedia.org
In the 1890s Skagway, Alaska was one of the main jump-off points for the Yukon gold rush in the Gulf of Alaska. People all over the area were possessed by the thought of finding gold, and most never got even a taste of it. Most of the time, people came back even more broke, or died trying to get there. These people never considered how hard and how unlikely it would be for them to become rich.
Avalanches, falling over rock ledges, and starvation were the most common causes for death. It was a cold and very dangerous area that if one did not go with proper equipment and supplies, it was almost a sure death wish. One legend is about a man named Klondike Ike. He left his 19 year-old fiancee Mary from Skagway to participate in the gold rush. He promised Mary upon his return that he would be rich and they can then get married. Mary was back in Skagway waiting for Klondike to come home when she found out he had been killed by an avalanche.
Mary could not bear the news of her fiancee not coming back and she locked herself in room 24 of the Golden North Hotel. She would wait years after his death in that room, looking out the window at the docks, hoping he would return on one of the ships.
The Ghost of Mary is seen quite often at the hotel. She is said to be in the corridors and in particular room 24. Most of the time, Mary has been a warm presence, except for one occurrence where a man reported sleeping in the room and something trying to choke him to death as he slept. To this day, room 24 is always booked in advance for tourists who want to witness the ghost of Mary herself.
(Source: Cohen, Daniel. Hauntings and Horrors. 2002.)
