Turns out that the small foothills town of Morrison, in addition to being a popular summer destination for metro-area dwellers, is crawling with ghosts.
“Morrison has a very high per-capita amount of ghosts, considering the town’s size,” said Renee Nellis.
Capitalizing on the otherworldly population of Morrison, Nellis, along with Joel Chirhart and Monica Ferrel, are offering walking ghost tours of the town throughout the summer.
Combining a dash of history with their spooky tales, the Morrison haunted tours, which generally occur at 7 p.m. on Saturday nights, apprise visitors of the more famous and infamous rumors of specters in the small town. A minute sampling of the tour includes locations and explanations of:
Amy, who haunts the Horton House Bed and Breakfast. Amy allegedly lived in the home until the 1880s, when a bad mixture of alcoholism and depression caused her to hang herself near the barn. Some claim her figure occasionally pops up in the creepy courtyard.
Karen was co-owner of the Red Rocks Grill in the late 1980s. A tragic motorcycle accident took her life, but workers at the restaurant claim her love for cleanliness extends into death, prompting her to keep the building tidy.
Workers at Tony Rigatoni’s Pizza and Pasta claim a ghostly little girl with uncertain origins haunts the building. She supposedly dislikes men, and often rigs a hanging gate to strike waiters in the groin.
The security of well-lit buildings likes the ones above eventually yield to the outdoors stops, such as the hanging tree, the cliffside house and the stomping grounds of the hatchet lady. The outdoor locales become slightly more menacing with the descending sun.
Nellis, Chirhart and Ferrel met when they took ghost photography classes by Dee Chandler and Beaux Blakemore. When Chandler and Blakemore moved to Wyoming last year, they asked the three pupils to take over their Morrison haunted tours, thereby keeping alive a tradition also seen in Denver and Golden.
“I don’t think people necessarily have to believe in ghosts to enjoy the tours,” said Chirhart. “There’s lots of history in the tour. As for the ghosts, at least we might give them something to think about.”
The tours are $15 for adults and $10 for children 4 to 12. Special tours can also be given by appointment. For reservations, contact the trio at www.coloradohauntedhistory.com.