The Ghosts of Denver’s Union Station
Built all the way back in 1881, the Union Station of Denver Colorado was the first railroad station built by the Union Depot and Railroad Company. The building cost at the time over 500,000$, which would, of course, be millions more today. Suffice to say, that this building was not only a work of revolutionary design but also a great and masterful work of art. A pink stone, rhyolite, was used for the main facade – giving this building a uniquely modern, and outstanding presence in the area.
Unfortunately, the Union Station of Denver Colorado was unable to escape the fate of many of the large, wooden buildings erected in the later part of the nineteenth century, and in 1894, a large portion of the structure burned down. This was the first disaster to befall the Union Station of Denver Colorado, and while its history remains largely untarnished on the books, anyone who travels by train often enough would know – nothing’s ever as it seems on the tracks – and there’s always someone playing an angle.
One such story of odd events occurring in the Union Station was that of an old man, down on his luck, who had decided that it would be best to sleep off his enormous, alcohol-induced haze, on a bench near that to the tracks. It must have been sometime in the night that he had either rolled over or perhaps stumbled awake, unsure of just where it was that he had taken perch. In any case, that man had not been seen again, until of course, they had found his now lifeless, train splattered corpse.
For years it was reported that this man had remained in the station as a spirit, content to spook random passers-by as they came and went. Unfortunately, In the wake of some more recent construction, this particular spirit seems to have vanished, at least for the time.
Other reports of the paranormal around the Union Station of Denver Colorado include those of a man, apparently befuddled on which train he ought to take, roaming around the lobby back and forth for a time until he would suddenly vanish. It is believed that this gentleman might well be the ghostly afterimage of a traveler long passed by, who had died in the station while waiting for his train to arrive.
Another reported phenomenon is that of a commanding presence, who maintains guard over the station’s great hall. Having never actually been seen – only felt by those with a sharpened intuition, this figure remains shrouded deeply in mystery. Thought to perhaps be a military man, due to the strength of his presence, and his diligence in keeping watch – many a common traveler of this station have felt reassured by his presence, in that darkest hour of the night.
The Union Station of Denver Colorado is one of the oldest stations in American History, and in turn, the world. Its rich history of varied economic bystanders has allowed it to remain today as one of the finest examples of early Americana to have ever been. Along with its rustic charm, too, of course, comes the ghosts, ghouls, and hauntings that follow places of such an aged, bountiful past.
