| The Hotel Monte Vista Full Investigation Report |
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| The Arizona Paranormal Research Society |
| Monte Vista Hallway |
| Monte Vista Lobby |
| Monte Vista Room 306 |
| Monte Vista Bar/Lounge |
| Name: The Hotel Monte Vista Location: 100 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, AZ. 86001 Manager: Withheld Night Auditor: Withheld Investigators: Frank Madrid, Lori Marshall, Gino Madrid, Jim Koch, Casey Hall, Bill Allen, Cindy Lee. Case #: B-202 Date: March 25, 2007 Time of arrival: 4:00pm Rooms Reserved: #305 and #306 Reason for investigation: To shoot footage for Channel 3 News on haunted locations in Arizona. Fund raising was begun in April of 1926. Ground breaking took place June 8th, 1926. The Hotel Monte Vista opened January 1, 1927. Originally named “The Community Hotel”, it is the tallest building in Flagstaff and has 73 rooms, a lounge, a clothing shop and a coffee shop. Mary Costigan was the second woman in the world to be granted a radio broadcasting license in 1927. She had a three hour radio show that aired daily from her studio in room 105. During prohibition, the main “speakeasy” was the Monte Vista lounge. The only slot machines ever operated in Flagstaff were in the Hotel Monte Vista during 1935-1940. |
| haunted history: The Bank Robber In 1970, three men robbed a nearby bank & during the robbery, a bank guard shot one of the men. Despite their injured comrade they decided to stop by the hotel lounge and have a drink to celebrate. The wounded man bled to death while enjoying his last drink. Since then both patrons and staff have reported being greeted by a an anonymous voice saying "Good Morning!" There have also been reports of barstools and drinks that seem to move on their own. The Women of the Night Years ago Flagstaff's Red Light District could be found just south of the railroad tracks, only 2 blocks away from the Monte Vista. In the early 1940's two prostitutes were brought to the hotel to room 306. During their "visit" they were killed and thrown from their third floor window to the cold street below. Over the years, numerous guests have reported being awakened in the middle of the night and unable to return to sleep due to a feeling that they are being watched. In most instances, it is our male guests that report the feeling of having a hand placed over their mouth and throat, and awakening unable to breathe. After they awake, these guests say they found it very difficult to return to sleep due to an overwhelming feeling of anxiousness and a sense that someone is "keeping an eye" on them. The Rocking Chair Once featured on the television show "Unsolved Mysteries" room #305 is by far the "most active" room in the Hotel. There are numerous reports of seeing a woman in the rocking chair near the window. Also guests and housekeeping alike report seeing the chair "move by itself"! History tells us that years ago an elderly woman who was a long term renter would sit by the window for hours on end. No one knows what she was looking at or looking for. Could it be she was waiting for someone? Someone she waits for even in death For more Haunted History, please visit: http://www.hotelmontevista.com/hauntedhotel.php |
| general impressions: We were very impressed with the architecture of the hotel. Upon entering the Hotel Monte Vista, the lobby had us feeling different in a way that was not normal. As a big room has echoes, this room didn't seem to have echoes. The original paint and furniture in the lobby, added to the decor of the 1920’s era from the chairs all the way to the original front desk bell. Entering the old extremely small elevator reminded me of my claustrophobia. The halls were narrow and long but very well kept. Bottom line, the Hotel Monte Vista is a very nice, modernized historic hotel. |
| investigation: Upon entering room #306, the overall feeling was uneasy and anxious at the same time. There was a corner of the room that had a bed in it that Lori or I could not go over to very well. The negativity that we felt from that corner was overwhelming. We both felt that we could not sit or lay on it. The reported activity in this room stems from a report dating back to the 1940’s, where two prostitutes were murdered and thrown out of that window from the third floor. Upon entering room #305, we noticed that this room was a little bit colder than room #306. After a briefing with all T.Az.P.S. members, a plan of action was determined and we split into 3 groups. Group #1 was in Rm #305, group #2 was in rm #306 and group #3 went downstairs into the basement. Every group had radio contact with each other throughout the investigation. EMF and temperature readings from both rooms were taken and logged. No readings seemed out of the ordinary. Readings were taken from the basement as well. |
| Monte Vista Basement |
| The basement is very big, has a lot of maintenance equipment and is used for storage. It is creepy and has a few tunnels down there too. There is a huge furnace and a laundry room as well. There were some high EMF readings but these were due to the amount of electrical conduits running along the ceiling. Locations of these conduits were noted for future reference. Equipment was set up in both rooms and IR cameras and monitors were set up in the basement. We regrouped in rm #305 to analyze the rocking chair that had been reported to move by itself. It was reported that the cleaning crew would go in to clean and would move the rocking chair away from the window to vacuum. They would leave the room for a moment and go back in only to find the rocking chair back by the window. We moved the chair away from the window and applied tape where the rocker contacted the carpeted floor. We placed a digital video recorder with audio in the room pointed at the rocker to see if we could capture any movement. We split up into our groups again and each group went into the two rooms and the basement to do some EVP work. After the EVP sessions, we regrouped in the basement and focused on more EVP work with a full crew there. Pictures, video monitoring and audio work were performed and noises that was heard were debunked as noises from the huge furnace. Dust orbs were in the digital pictures inconsistently and bar room noises coming from the lounge on the floor above us hindered our audio. Our video captured a few dust orbs but that was about it. One group stayed in the basement while the other two groups went back to the rooms to check on the equipment. While our group in rm #306 was checking on the equipment, the group in rm #305 came in and mentioned that the rocking chair may have moved a bit. We left the room and went into the other room to see what was going on in there. The chair looked like it may have moved about 3/4 on an inch so we placed it back on its tape marks and looked at the video from the last hour and didn't see any movement from the chair so we reset the equipment and went to the other room. Upon entering the room, it was apparent that someone or something had turned off the light. It was on when we left and the door was locked so it is still a mystery. The rocking chair movement we attribute to the nap in the carpet, and the weight of the chair. We feel that a future investigation is warranted. |
| conclusion of evidence: Inconclusive. Although there were many unexplained sounds and pictures that happened on a previous non T.Az.P.R.S. Investigation, we didn't find anything that would be classified as paranormal on this investigation. The experience itself was just that...experience. I am proud of each and every member of T.Az.P.R.S.. Their performance on every investigation is exquisite and I rely on their scientific capabilities and dedication in this fascinating field. I highly recommend T.Az.P.R.S. for all of your paranormal investigative work. Saffron, we thank you for your kindness and generosity. Frank Madrid President and Founder The Arizona Paranormal Research Society (T.Az.P.R.S.) |
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