This story is the definitive primer for a Utah ghost aficionado—dozens of haunted hot spots, stories from paranormal experts, our “Who you gonna call?” directory to the supernatural and ghostly encounters from readers like you. Believer or not, by the end of this story, you’ll be ready to do a little paranormal digging of your own into Utah's ghostly legends. If you dare. By Jaime Winston
Ghost ExpertS
Park City Ghost TourS tour guide s
Park City Ghost Tours takes guests on strolls around Park City’s historic Main Street and Park Avenue, telling the stories of the dead and the places they haunt. It starts across the street from Bistro 412. How it started Erik Hutchins and Rob Newey originally set out to write a book or film a documentary about Park City’s ghosts, but eventually decided on a tour instead. They researched old issues of the Park Record and relied heavily on Gary Kimball’s book, Death and Dying in Old Park City, a tome about people who died in Park City with no official death records or locations of their graves. The costume The duo leads tours in period dress from the early 20th century. “It adds to the experience,” says Hutchins. “You want it to be entertaining and dramatic. Equipment A satchel full of supernatural gadgets,
including a gaussmeter to measure magnetic fields; a plumb-bob, which ghosts can supposedly move to communicate; and, of course, a magical, portable credit card machine. Ghost you might meet Lizzy was a prostitute, but her husband didn’t know it. When he found Lizzy at the Imperial Hotel with another man, he shot them both. She is said to still flirt with men, especially those sporting beards. So, make sure your man is clean shaven—or away from room eight, where Lizzy was reportedly slain. Our favorite ghost on the tour Black Jack Murphy killed a miner who stumbled on his property back in the late 1800s. The miner's neighbors and friends formed a mob, broke Murphy out of his Coalville jail cell and hanged him—right about where the Kimball Art Center's kilm pipe is today. Hutchins says guests might see Murphy still, well, hanging around. Tours are held around Halloween and during ski season. Call 435-615-7673 or visit parkcityghosttours.com info.
s a lt l a k e m a g a z i n e . c o m
83