✅ SOLVED Haunted Hotel Necklace?

Old Pueblo

Bronze Member
Mar 7, 2017
1,695
2,005
Arizona
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I stopped today to look at this really old hotel from the 1880s that is falling down, and in the doorway to the crawlspace underneath was this creepy necklace, hanging right down in the center of the doorway. (The door was gone). Its not valuable, cheap metal and probably a glass stone. I was just wondering if this thing had any sort of symbolic meaning or anything like that. I couldnt help but think whoever had left it behind was trying to ward off evil spirits or something. I couldnt see what this thing was hanging from, as it was on the inside of the crawlspace doorway, but it felt like it came out of the floor above, which was kind of weird. And after pulling it out, I didnt want to just throw it on the ground, so I brought it home to ask you guys here. And heres a photo of the old place. Work is being done to save this piece of frontier history before it falls down completely.

DSC03633.jpgDSC03635.jpgDSC03575.jpg
 

I sure do like those old buildings in S AZ., my interest is history and photography. Are you willing to give the location of this old hotel?

Yes, and sorry I didnt mention it before. Its in Benson, AZ, across the street from where the old railroad depot used to be. It was built about 1889, I want to say, if not earlier, buts its been a while since I looked it up. There are some old RR shotgun houses next to it, and the RR foreman's house. The depot in Benson now is a modern reconstruction of the old depot, and is now used by Amtrak, but there is a small history exhibit inside. There are several other old historic buildings in Benson, as well. My favorite is the old jail or this hotel.

And if you want to know where anymore old places like this are, let me know and Ill see if I can help. Ive spent the last 10 years on a personal quest to see and photograph Southeast Arizona's historical architecture, before it falls down or is destroyed by modern development, so I know of a lot of little "hidden" historical places out here, old schoolhouses, jails ect...
 

Last edited:
Upvote 0
Sure I know that place! I've been to a lot of historic sites in Cochise County. Bisbee is my home town. I'm heading out tomorrow to find a way into the Winchesters and hopefully get to "Three Oaks" where "Well Digger" O'Reilly built one of his four stage stations. Cochise County is one giant playground and I've left a lot of footprints and tire tracks there. Every adventure starts with breakfast at Reb's but I just found out they are closing shop. I like the little museum in Benson, they have an advertisement on the counter of the recreated general store that advertises my grandfathers dairy out in the Divide, west of Bisbee, as I'm sure you know where the "divide" is. Grand father built the Pintek Ranch in early 1900's. I've been to lots of the old abandoned ranches in that county and have conducted a great deal of research there. I found an important Apache site up in the Peloncillos and an arch wrote quite a paper on it. Her findings show the Chiricahua were there as early as the 1300's, which is much earlier than previously thought. I found Apache sites in the Whitlocks and the Chiricahuas as well. Have you seen the charming Rucker Schoolhouse on the way to Rucker? The outhouse recently blew over, shame. A lot of these places are falling apart just in my lifetime. The Chandler Milkranch is down to one wall. brunckow's Cabin will be gone in the next few years. Have you visited Old Fort Rucker? A real gem of a place. I know a lot of secret places in Rucker. In that area one can find the tunnel the Hermit Monroe built to escape the Apaches. It had two ninety degree turns in it so he couldn't be shot from either end. I've located Noonan's cabin site along the est side of the Dragoons. He was killed, out of revenge, by the Apaches in 1885, when the Apaches broke the Rez and gave so much trouble to the ranchers in Sulpher Springs Valley. I've had three encounters with smugglers with their contraband, heading north, but it was no problem for me, I just shrug my shoulders at them and go about my business while they go about their's. Well now, I guess you opened up a gate and I've rambled a bit. Love Cochise County!
 

Upvote 0
Sure I know that place! I've been to a lot of historic sites in Cochise County. Bisbee is my home town. I'm heading out tomorrow to find a way into the Winchesters and hopefully get to "Three Oaks" where "Well Digger" O'Reilly built one of his four stage stations. Cochise County is one giant playground and I've left a lot of footprints and tire tracks there. Every adventure starts with breakfast at Reb's but I just found out they are closing shop. I like the little museum in Benson, they have an advertisement on the counter of the recreated general store that advertises my grandfathers dairy out in the Divide, west of Bisbee, as I'm sure you know where the "divide" is. Grand father built the Pintek Ranch in early 1900's. I've been to lots of the old abandoned ranches in that county and have conducted a great deal of research there. I found an important Apache site up in the Peloncillos and an arch wrote quite a paper on it. Her findings show the Chiricahua were there as early as the 1300's, which is much earlier than previously thought. I found Apache sites in the Whitlocks and the Chiricahuas as well. Have you seen the charming Rucker Schoolhouse on the way to Rucker? The outhouse recently blew over, shame. A lot of these places are falling apart just in my lifetime. The Chandler Milkranch is down to one wall. brunckow's Cabin will be gone in the next few years. Have you visited Old Fort Rucker? A real gem of a place. I know a lot of secret places in Rucker. In that area one can find the tunnel the Hermit Monroe built to escape the Apaches. It had two ninety degree turns in it so he couldn't be shot from either end. I've located Noonan's cabin site along the est side of the Dragoons. He was killed, out of revenge, by the Apaches in 1885, when the Apaches broke the Rez and gave so much trouble to the ranchers in Sulpher Springs Valley. I've had three encounters with smugglers with their contraband, heading north, but it was no problem for me, I just shrug my shoulders at them and go about my business while they go about their's. Well now, I guess you opened up a gate and I've rambled a bit. Love Cochise County!
We don't serve Beer to bears in bars in Bisbee
 

Upvote 0
Sure I know that place! I've been to a lot of historic sites in Cochise County. Bisbee is my home town. I'm heading out tomorrow to find a way into the Winchesters and hopefully get to "Three Oaks" where "Well Digger" O'Reilly built one of his four stage stations. Cochise County is one giant playground and I've left a lot of footprints and tire tracks there. Every adventure starts with breakfast at Reb's but I just found out they are closing shop. I like the little museum in Benson, they have an advertisement on the counter of the recreated general store that advertises my grandfathers dairy out in the Divide, west of Bisbee, as I'm sure you know where the "divide" is. Grand father built the Pintek Ranch in early 1900's. I've been to lots of the old abandoned ranches in that county and have conducted a great deal of research there. I found an important Apache site up in the Peloncillos and an arch wrote quite a paper on it. Her findings show the Chiricahua were there as early as the 1300's, which is much earlier than previously thought. I found Apache sites in the Whitlocks and the Chiricahuas as well. Have you seen the charming Rucker Schoolhouse on the way to Rucker? The outhouse recently blew over, shame. A lot of these places are falling apart just in my lifetime. The Chandler Milkranch is down to one wall. brunckow's Cabin will be gone in the next few years. Have you visited Old Fort Rucker? A real gem of a place. I know a lot of secret places in Rucker. In that area one can find the tunnel the Hermit Monroe built to escape the Apaches. It had two ninety degree turns in it so he couldn't be shot from either end. I've located Noonan's cabin site along the est side of the Dragoons. He was killed, out of revenge, by the Apaches in 1885, when the Apaches broke the Rez and gave so much trouble to the ranchers in Sulpher Springs Valley. I've had three encounters with smugglers with their contraband, heading north, but it was no problem for me, I just shrug my shoulders at them and go about my business while they go about their's. Well now, I guess you opened up a gate and I've rambled a bit. Love Cochise County!

Sounds like youve really done your homework. I love Cochise County, and know a lot of it pretty well, but im actually in southeast Pima County, closer to Tucson. I cant say I remember what the Divide is, it sounds familiar, as Ive read a lot about Cochise County history, but right now Im drawing blanks. Ive been to Rucker Canyon a few times, the old outhouse was already blown over when I took a photo of it, a year or two ago. And it is a shame so many places are being lost or destroyed through other means. Ive spent a lot of time tracking down old standing buildings from back then, and have found many old one room schools and one room jails and other historical buildings that most people wouldnt think twice about, driving by. And for a state with such an amazing frontier history, its really a tragedy how so much of our history has been destroyed over time, so Im always glad to see when work is being done to save an old building. We used to stop at Rebs all the time, my parents loved it. Driving by the other day, it did look all closed up to me. Sad to see, Ive been there many times, but not since I was a kid. And the Apache site sounds pretty amazing. From what I understand it is difficult to find any trace left behind by the Apaches from back then, so congratulations, that must have been a real adventure.
 

Upvote 0
Here's a screen shot of my pinned sites in Cochise County.

View attachment 1474872

Nice map. I have one just like that of a lot of the places Ive vistied in the general area around of Tucson and going east into the Cochise County area. Its an actual map though, with real thumb tacks. Its not complete, though. I never finished adding all the locations and a lot of them I cant fit on there because there is not enough room.
 

Upvote 0
I visited the old schoolhouse in Kansas settlement about a year ago, and some lowlifes had broken in and left grafittii in white paint all over the old chalk boards. They were just in the process of fixing the place up too, when the vandals ruined it. I was there again a week or so again and, fortunately, the place is all locked up now.
 

Upvote 0
And I just looked up the divide. Bisbee is probably the second town in Cochise County I have not spent much time in, the first being Douglas. Ive been wanting to get down there and get some photos of the old historic buildings for years now, but there is so much!!!! Ive been wanting to go down and stay for the weekend or something, but never have since I dont live that far away. And when I go on vacation I go far away, or go to the mountains and or creek spot I like, right nearby. Its funny Bisbee comes up, mmy sister just left here for Bisbee today, to go and stay down there for the weekend and see Tombstone and the Huachucas.
 

Last edited:
Upvote 0
This is my trophy photo of the Apache site. This cache is hard to find. I told the arch about it but it never showed up in her paper! I guess she couldn't find it, too bad for her. Inside the cache is a torch stuck into the wall. Very curious. I have not seen anything written about a torch in any cache or granary. So I'm left with my own theory on its use. I think they lit it just before sealing it up to deplete the oxygen and so as to preserve the contents. Not that I think it's a sound theory, it's just all I've got.

Snapseed.jpg
 

Upvote 1
Awesome stuff. You can definitely tell there is a man made structure, there, and the Apaches were all over the Peloncillos, even until the very end. I guess even after Geronimo's final surrender in 1886, Apache "renegades" were still living in the Peloncillos for at least 10 years after. It must have had some importance to them. And they were living "wild" just to the south in Mexico into the early 1900s. Its a very remote place out there, and this desert preserves things well. That torch could easily be hundreds of years old. Ive always wanted to find something from the mighty Apache tribe. Ive found a few arrowheads over the years, but if any are Apache or not, I have no idea. I know the Apaches did use metal arrowheads in more recent times (1800s), from scrap metal left over from pioneers and so forth, but Ive never found one. If you ever find a metal arrowhead out there, its got to be Apache. I have found a few old rifle casing from the Indian wars, but nothing too exciting.
 

Upvote 0
Since you mentioned it. They started using metal around the 1850's. I've found three.

IMG_4692.JPG
 

Upvote 0
Sounds like youve really done your homework. I love Cochise County, and know a lot of it pretty well, but im actually in southeast Pima County, closer to Tucson. I cant say I remember what the Divide is, it sounds familiar, as Ive read a lot about Cochise County history, but right now Im drawing blanks. Ive been to Rucker Canyon a few times, the old outhouse was already blown over when I took a photo of it, a year or two ago. And it is a shame so many places are being lost or destroyed through other means. Ive spent a lot of time tracking down old standing buildings from back then, and have found many old one room schools and one room jails and other historical buildings that most people wouldnt think twice about, driving by. And for a state with such an amazing frontier history, its really a tragedy how so much of our history has been destroyed over time, so Im always glad to see when work is being done to save an old building. We used to stop at Rebs all the time, my parents loved it. Driving by the other day, it did look all closed up to me. Sad to see, Ive been there many times, but not since I was a kid. And the Apache site sounds pretty amazing. From what I understand it is difficult to find any trace left behind by the Apaches from back then, so congratulations, that must have been a real adventure.

Is there anything left of the old family ranch? Ive visited many abandoned ranched as well, mostly in the south and southwest of Tucson area. That pretty cool your family goes all the way back to the old days out here. I love it here. The cactus country is my home, and there is no other place quite like it, in the world. My mother's family has been here since the late 1940s, and my family since the 1970s. Part of the whole post war development of the state. One thing I really enjoy about the history out here is how it was all so very recent. The wild western frontier was only 100 years ago down here. Even into the early 1900s, shootouts with renegade Indians or Mexican banditos was still a pretty common thing.
 

Upvote 0
The Peloncillos are an odd place. Not many go there. They seem mysterious to me, like I might find a moccasin print there.
 

Upvote 0
The Peloncillos are an odd place. Not many go there. They seem mysterious to me, like I might find a moccasin print there.

Id say its definitely a possibility for you, considering all of your other amazing finds.
 

Upvote 0
The ranch is still there. Grandfather was also an engineer at the Copper Queen. In 1917, one hundred years ago i might add, he held the gun on the miners that went on strike. Naty bit of business with the ensuing deportation. He was arrested along with about two hundred others. Only one went to trial, in Douglas. He was exonerated and charges were dropped for everyone else including my Grandfather.
 

Upvote 0
The ranch is still there. Grandfather was also an engineer at the Copper Queen. In 1917, one hundred years ago i might add, he held the gun on the miners that went on strike. Naty bit of business with the ensuing deportation. He was arrested along with about two hundred others. Only one went to trial, in Douglas. He was exonerated and charges were dropped for everyone else including my Grandfather.

Well its an honor, I always enjoy talking to real Arizonans, whose families go way back to these early times. Thats pretty incredible, about your grandpa. Gotta love that frontier justice. My maternal grandparents settled in Tucson back about 1950, due to tuberculosis, but were coming here long before then. My paternal grandfather was an officer in the Air Force and was stationed at Davis-Monthan for years, beginning in the 1970s. Not exactly pioneers, but they did their part in the post war years.
 

Upvote 0

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Discussions

Back
Top