Ghost in the Window 2 - St. Elmo

St. Elmo, one of the most preserved ghost towns in Colorado, lies about 20 miles southwest of Buena Vista in the heart of the Sawatch Range of the... more

by LeAnne Perry

Title

Ghost in the Window 2 - St. Elmo

Artist

LeAnne Perry

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

St. Elmo, one of the most preserved ghost towns in Colorado, lies about 20 miles southwest of Buena Vista in the heart of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1880, it sits at an elevation of 9,961 feet, 10 miles from Mount Princeton. It was a vibrant mining town during its peak in the 1890's with a telegraph office, general store, town hall, hotels, saloons, dancing halls, brothels, and a railroad station. By 1922, the mining boom was over and the railroad had been abandoned. With the mine and railroad gone, the town's survival depended on the only year-round occupants and owners of the hotel and general store - the Stark family. Anna Stark, a harsh woman, ruthlessly controlled her 3 children, forbidding them to leave home or associate with the townspeople. Eventually, in need of money, her daughter, Annabelle was sent to Salida for work. Happy to escape from her prison of St. Elmo, Annabelle quickly fell in love, decided to marry and move to Trinidad. Neither the marriage nor the move from Colorado worked out and she was forced to return to St. Elmo, unhappy and alone. The town declined and eventually "died" in 1952 when the post office shut down. As Annabelle lived out the rest of her life in the crumbling town, her mind and sanity crumbled as well. She rarely bathed and lived in filthy conditions, earning her the nickname, Dirty Annie. She was also known to roam the old town with a rifle to protect her property. Eventually, Annabelle, was sent to a mental institution, but was released after a few weeks. She died in 1960, but according to legend, still watches over the town today from a window of the old hotel. One such legend from the late 1970's tells of a skier who saw a young woman in a white dress framed in the second story window of the old, abandoned, locked up hotel. The young woman was holding back the curtain, gazing at some snowmobilers in the distance. The skier followed her gaze and went over and informed the snowmobilers that it was illegal to snowmobile in St. Elmo and told them to leave. When the skier looked back up at the window, the young woman nodded and vanished. No trace of her has ever been found and it was concluded that it must have been Annabelle's ghost still keeping watch over the town.

Uploaded

August 5th, 2015