Category: Places

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Turtle Mountain

The mountain that moves once moved so much that seventy to ninety people were buried underneath it. On 29 April 1903 Turtle Mountain in Alberta had a rockslide that sent 90 million tons of limestone rolling down the side. It became one of Canada’s most deadly and largest slides in history. Now, as the eastern part of Frank, Alberta remains covered in limestone, it is an eerie and desolate place to visit. With the amount of bodies never recovered and the tragedy that occurred, reports of hauntings in the area are considerable.

Turtle Mountain, Alberta, 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

Native Nations of the Blackfoot and K’Tunaxa called Turtle Mountain, “the mountain that moves.” It was said that they would not even camp near this mountain because of how unstable it was. Yet, when colonization began, settlers saw that Turtle Mountain was also rich in coal, a resource that was integral to the development of Alberta. The town of Frank was then built right beside the mountain and a mine was placed inside.

The structure of Turtle Mountain is incredibly unsafe. Limestone and coal are weak in structure and movement of the mountain caused an inverted V shape where water ran through. This opened up more fissures and gaps where water would freeze and unfreeze, causing more internal pressure. Added to the weak structure, the mining activity did not help the integrity. The winter of 1903 had significantly high amounts of snow and in April 1903 it was unseasonably warm, causing the huge amounts of snow to melt. On 28 April 1903 all the water refroze and the pressure inside the mountain was too much. The mountain broke and a rockslide occurred.

Seventy to ninety people were buried and most remain buried to this day. Twenty-three people survived, many of them children. The eastern part of Frank was buried, two kilometres of track of the Canadian Pacific Railway was covered and the coal mine completely caved in. The Frank Slide, as it is known, remains as one of the most devastating avalanches in Canadian history. People, such as Lillian Clark, had her entire family buried. Adults threw their babies to the surface while they were being buried. Gladys Ennis, who was twenty-seven months old, was one of these babies. Her mother had cleaned out the mud from her mouth and nose before passing away. Gladys Ennis was the last known survivor of the Frank Slide, having passed away in 1995.

Aerial View of Slide at Frank, Alberta, 1922 – Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-052095

As with any tragedy, spiritual activity in the area is high. There can be a very eerie feeling when driving passed a landslide where people remain buried. People have reported seeing strange grey mist over the debris. Others have talked about ghostly figures who wander the rocks. It is said that they are apparitions of people who had survived the slide and are still trying to find their buried loved ones. Whatever the case, Turtle Mountain is a place that is both beautiful and creepy.

The slide that buried up to ninety people was one of the deadliest in Canada. While the primary reasoning for the avalanche points to the geological structure of the mountain, weather and human activity within it also are high secondary factors. Ghost inhabit the area as tragedy makes it difficult to move on. Now, Alberta has a monitoring program to record the mountain that moves to ensure that something like this does not happen again.

Bibliography

Bonikowsky, Laura Neilson. “Frank Slide: Canada’s Deadliest Rockslide.” The Canadian Encyclopedia (April 28, 2013). Edited March 4, 2015. Accessed April 15, 2019. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/frank-slide-feature

“Frank Slide.” Wikipedia. Accessed April 15, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Slide

Martin, Russ. “Canada’s Top Five Haunted Travel Hot Spots.” In Postmedia News (October 6, 2011). Accessed April 22, 2019. www.canada.com/Canada+five+haunted+travel+spots/5603662/story/html

RETROactive. “Haunted Heritage.” Retroactive: Exploring Alberta’s Past (October 28, 2015). Accessed April 28, 2019. albertashistoricplaces.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/haunted-heritage/

Sutherland, Joel A. “Spirits of the Slide.” In Haunted Canada 6: More Terrifying True Stories, 1091-1117. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada Ltd, 2016. Amazon Kindle Ebook Edition.

“Turtle Mountain (Alberta).” Wikipedia. Accessed April 15, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Mountain_(Alberta)

Ung, Karen. “The Day Turtle Mountain Moved.” Explore Southwest Alberta (2014). Accessed April 24, 2019. http://www.exploresouthwestalberta.ca/the-day-turtle-mountain-moved

Turtle Mountain, Alberta, 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations
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The Galt Museum

The Galt, 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

            The Province of Alberta has a less established written history and because of this, it can be difficult to find any tales of hauntings and ghosts. From the Maritimes to Ontario and in British Columbia there are massive amounts of history, written history that is, that was recorded. Especially when colonization began, there tends to be a lot more stories of hauntings. The colonization of Alberta began a bit later than the East Coast and British Columbia and so we see that ghost stories don’t pop up until a bit later.

            This isn’t to say that Alberta lacks in any way. The culture and landscape of this prairie province is phenomenal. It is a beautiful place to visit. It is, however, just a bit more difficult to find well established and told ghost stories. There is one in particular that catches the eye and that is the story of the Galt Museum in Lethbridge.

            Lethbridge was a city built on the coal industry. Most people who live there worked for the Alberta Railway and the Coal Company. The Coal Company was founded and owned by the Galt family, who were also considered one of the founding members of the city itself. The Galts had an enormous role to play in the development of Lethbridge.

Galt Museum, June 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

            Due to the coal industry and the influx of settlers on the land, there was a need for a hospital or a health centre of some kind. People, mainly workers, were being treated privately, which was costly on the individual’s part. So, Sir Alexander Galt invested in making the first public hospital in his city to treat his workers and others. In the 1890s a hospital was built and it was named the Sir Alexander Galt Hospital.

            The hospital had around sixty-five beds and it was quite small. In 1908-10 there became a greater need to expand as more and more regular citizens began seeking health care. An addition of a new wing was initiated by Sir Alexander Galt’s son, Elliot Torrance Galt, and it was opened by Sir Wilfrid Laurier on 1 September 1910. At this time the Galt School of Nursing was also opened to educate and supply more nurses. By 1930, another thirty-five beds were added to accommodate the growing population.

            However, in 1955 a brand new municipal hospital was opened in Lethbridge. The Galt Hospital became a long-term rehabilitation centre for the next ten years. Afterwards, a part of the building became known as the Galt Museum while the other part became the Lethbridge Health Unit. Now, the building is mostly the Galt Museum.

            The Galt Museum was established before it was moved to the old Galt Hospital. It was created in 1964 as the first civic museum of the area. It was curated by George McKillop and held in the former Bowmen Elementary School. Up until 1971 it was run by The Lethbridge and District Historical Society. It grew until it could no longer fit its space and the old hospital needed a new use. So, the museum was moved into the old Galt Hospital and was called the Galt Museum.

A Part of the Old Galt Hospital, 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

            But, as with many old hospitals, the buildings of the Galt Hospital are considered haunted. As a place where lives often end and sorrow lingers, hospitals are considered hotspots for ghosts and hauntings. The old Galt Hospital is no exception.

            The first possible haunting is a ghost named George. It is believed that George was a sixty-year-old farmer from outside of Lethbridge in a town called Magrath. His full name was George Benjamin Bailey. He had come to the hospital to get his appendix removed in the 1930s and when he was wheeled into the elevator he had only gotten in halfway when the doors closed on the bed and the elevator began to rise. The wheels were caught on the outside and the nurse was not able to pull the bed fully into the elevator. George slid headfirst off the bed to the bottom of the elevator shaft. Surprisingly, he didn’t actually die immediately. He was up walking and laughing about what had happened that day. He did, however, die a few days later from head injuries.

            The second possible haunting is in the old children’s ward. There are two possible ghosts: Sarah and Alexander, who are also thought to be of native heritage. It is unsure who they are or why they are there but they like to wave at people walking outside from the upstairs window when the museum has long since closed. There are times when people hear the laughter and chatter of children while they are in the building.

            People have also reported lights turning off and on, footsteps in the hallways and hearing conversations coming from empty rooms. The most off putting is the reports of shadow people watching workers do their job.

            Is the Galt Museum haunted by old patients of the hospital? People are positive that George at least haunts it. Old hospitals can hold a lot of heavy energy and tragedy within it, so hospitals are known as prime locations for hauntings. The Galt Museum may hold more than artifacts from the past, it may also contain the people from the past too.

The Front of the Galt Museum June 8, 2016 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

Bibliography

 “Galt Hospital Hauntings.” Galt Museum and Archives (October 31, 2009). Accessed April 12, 2019. www.galtmuseum.com/articles/2009/10/galt-hospital-hauntings.html

“Galt Hospital – 100 Years.” Galt Museum and Archives (September 11, 2010). www.galtmuseum.com/exhibit/galt-hospital-100-years

“Galt Museum and Archives.” Wikipedia. Accessed April 12, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galt_Museum_%26_Archives

Parks Canada. “Sir Alexander Galt Hospital.” Canada’s Historic Places. Accessed April 12, 2019. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11623

Richardson, Harriet. “Galt Hospital, Lethbridge, Alberta.” Historic Hospitals (March 3, 2018). Accessed April 12, 2019. historic-hospitals.com/2018/03/03/galt-hospital-lethbridge-alberta/

Sutherland, Joel A. “Ghosts on Display.” In Haunted Canada 7: Chilling True Tales, 600-642. Toronto, Ontario: Scholastic Canada Ltd., 2017. Amazon Kindle ebook version.

Vonkeman, Anine and Growson, Belinda. “The Galt Museum & Archives in Lethbridge – Engaging Events, Archives, Artifacts, and… Ghosts?” Suncruiser Media (April 15, 2014). Accessed April 12, 2019. suncruisermedia.com/Home/rv-travel/the-galt-museum-/

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Place Royale

Québec City is known for its beautiful old buildings and a feel of old European style buildings in North America. The buildings have been restored and maintained for several hundreds of years and it is impossible to tell what is actually older than the 1900s or what has been restored. Québec City, and Québec itself, has a strict cultural policy and maintaining its heritage buildings is incredibly important. Old Québec has been through a lot: fires, the English siege and the occupation of the English. The landscape and buildings have changed, but even if they are new buildings, the ghosts that are said to haunt the area have not. There is one place in particular that is considered very haunted: Place Royale and the surrounding area of Lower Québec.

In the early 1600s Samuel de Champlain began construction of the first habitation of Québec. It was built near the Saint Lawrence River to become an important trading post for the Kingdom of France. The habitation had buildings surrounded by a moat to keep it safe. It was during the building of this first habitation that an assassination attempt on Champlain was made and an act of treason against the French monarchy was planned.

Plan for The Settlement of Québec, 1613 – illustration found on Library and Archives Canada

The secondary locksmith of Québec, Jean Duval, along with four other men from the settlement, planned to kill Champlain and offer the Québec post to the Basques and Spaniards. Champlain was warned by a sailor and he invited the five men to his ship. They were all arrested and thrown in jail. Duval, being the leader, was punished immediately. He was hung and then beheaded. His head was put on a spike in the middle of the habitation so everyone around it, or living above, would see it. It was left as a warning to not go against Champlain and the King of France.

In the 1630s to the 1640s the site around the habitation grew and the moat was filled in. The growth included a town square called Place du Marché, later to be known as Place Royale. In 1682 a major fire destroyed most of what is considered Old, Lower Québec. It was after that time that new fire regulations were implemented in hopes to sedate any future fires. Buildings were rebuilt, but this time with stone rather than wood.

A Painting of Place Royale – Crédit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1983-33-650

In 1686 Intendent Jean Bochart de Champigny thought that Place du Marché was the perfect place for a royal square. A place dedicated to King Louis XIV, the Sun King, like one that would be found in France during the time. Champigny had a bust of the King erected in the middle of Place du Marché, hoping it would become the Place Royale of New France. In the end it did, but just not at that time. The bust of King Louis XIV was removed as it was causing a disruption in the traffic. It was erected once more in the 1930s when France gifted a new bust of King Louis XIV to Québec City.

Place du Marché was still considered a prime spot for a Place Royale. It was the square where everything and everyone was. Merchants were there, booths set up, decrees were posted by the King’s Storehouse and even executions were held in this little square. For Monseignor François de Laval thought it was perfect and wanted to build a church. In 1688 the church was finally built under the eye of Monseignor de Saint Vallier, it is called Notre Dame des Victoires. After this it was finally considered a Place Royale.

Notre Dame Des Victoires Cathedral, 2019 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations

Many buildings were destroyed during the English siege of Québec City in 1759 and many buildings have a noticeably British influence in architecture. Some of the buildings still hold a French taste to them. Even if the architecture is newer, the haunted feeling still surrounds the area of Lower Québec. It is in Place Royale and around Notre Dame des Victoires where people feel the most haunted. They feel as if the people who were executed there still watch them during the night. Even if the architecture has been renovated and restored, or is completely different from the 1600s, the ghosts who wander the square have not changed. Many believe Duval is one of these spirits lingering in Old Québec. With a city as old as Québec it’s not a wonder that something from the past has held on.

Bibliography

Cadeau, Carman. “How to Not Kill Samuel de Champlain.” All About Canadian History (May 23, 2017). Accessed April 9, 2019. cdnhistorybits.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/failed-assassination-of-samuel-de-champlain/

CBC “The Plot Against Champlain.” Le Canada: A People’s History/Une Histoire Populaire (2001). Accessed April 9, 2019. www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP2CH4PA5LE.html

Couvrette, Sébastien. “Place-Royale: Where Quebec City Began.” Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America: Québec from Past to Present (2007). Accessed April 9, 2019. www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-653/Place-Royale:_Where_Quebec_City_Began.html

Grignon, Marc. “Place Royale.” The Canadian Encyclopedia (February 7, 2006). Edited March 4, 2015. Accessed April 9, 2019. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/place-royale

“Habitation de Québec.” Wikipedia. Accessed April 9, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitation_de_Québec

Heritage Québec. “Place-Royale: Birthplace of French America.” Ville de Québec: l’accent d’Amérique (2019). Accessed April 9, 2019. www.ville.quebec.qu.ca/en/citoyens/patrimoine/quartiers/vieux_quebec/interet/place_royale.aspx

Marsh, James H. “Samuel de Champlain and the Founding of Quebec.” The Canadian Encyclopedia (July 2, 2013). Edited March 4, 2015. Accessed April 9, 2019. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/champlain-and-the-founding-of-quebec-feature

Sutherland, Joel A. “The Hangman’s Knot.” In Haunted Canada 4: More True Tales of Terror, 101-104. Toronto, Ontario: Scholastic Canada Ltd, 2014. Amazon Kindle ebook version.

Trudel, Marcel. “Duval, Jean.” In Dictionary of Canadian Biography Volume 1, 1966. Revised in 1979. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Accessed April 9, 2019. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/duval_jean_1E.html

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The Five Fishermen Restaurant

What is now a popular seafood restaurant on Canada’s East Coast used to be a school, a warehouse and even a funeral home. The popular restaurant in Halifax, Nova Scotia is called: The Five Fishermen Restaurant. This restaurant is said to have a lot of paranormal activity and there are a ton of restless spirits lingering in it. For a building that is approximately 200 years old and has played a role in some of the greatest human tragedies of the twentieth century, it is not a wonder why people believe this restaurant to be haunted.

Citadel and Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1914 – photo by Library and Archives Canada

            The building that now holds The Five Fishermen Restaurant is located on Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was first used as a school – The National School. The school opened its doors in 1818 by parishioners of Saint Paul’s Anglican Church. The most interesting aspect of this school was that it was the first school in Canada to offer free accessible education. The parishioners put an emphasis on teaching religion and giving education to poor children in the area. It was not long before the school could not keep up with the growing population and the number of children being enrolled. The school moved into Dalhousie College and the building is said to have been bought by Anna Leonowens.

            This is where the history of this building begins to get a bit hazy. It is said that Anna Leonowens bought the building in 1903 for her school of arts and stayed there for 54 years. However, this would contradict the story that it was a funeral parlour in the early 1900s. All the sources point to Leonowens’ having purchased the building but there are no concrete dates, so it will be included in this, although highlighted that there are some issues with this part of the story.

            Anna Leonowens was the former tutor to the King of Siam. She is widely known, not just in Canada, for her ability in the arts. She bought the old National School and turned it into The Halifax Victorian School of Art. It was incredibly popular and had to move when it became a part of The Nova Scotia College of Art. Or possibly before that. The history of this art school is particularly unclear during this time.

            It is known that after The Halifax Victorian School of Art moved, John Snow and his family purchased the building a turned it into a funeral home – The John Snow and Company Funeral Home. This parlor had a significant role in two great human travesties of the time: the sinking of the Titanic and the Halifax Explosion. It was April 1912 when the Titanic hit an iceberg and went down. While many ships had tried to save the bodies of those who perished, many third class passengers and crew members were not brought back to shore, they were put back into the sea because of the lack of embalming materials. It was only really the rich who made it to John Snow’s Funeral Home to be prepared for funeral services and only about fifty-nine actually made it back to their families to be buried. Those who were brought to Halifax and could not be identified, approximately 129, were buried in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.

            It was 1917 and the First World War was raging in Europe. Halifax, being a port city, was a major port for the war. Troops, supplies and munitions would be shipped from Halifax over to Europe. It was a busy time in the ports of Halifax. In the morning of 6 December 1917 two ships, the Norwegian Imo and the French Mont Blanc collided. The Mont Blanc was filled with highly explosive munitions: pitric acid, TNT, high octane gasoline and gun cotton. The pitric acid set ablaze instantly and the crew abandoned ship. They tried to warn people but onlookers just began to crowd. The Halifax Fire Department was quick to respond but it was too late. The Mont Blanc exploded.

Damage caused by the Halifax Explosion at the north end of Campbell Road in 1917 – photo by Library and Archives Canada / C-003625B

            1, 800 people were killed. 9, 000 people were injured, 200 of them blinded. Almost all of the northern part of Halifax was destroyed. The sound blast could be heard miles away. John Snow’s funeral parlour’s windows shattered, but the company stayed opened. They conducted the funeral services for those who had died in the explosion. They did approximately thirty to forty funeral services a day and coffins were piled high outside their parlor. It is said that after this disaster, the ghost stories really began.

Coffins Outside John Snow & Co. after Halifax Explosion – photo by Nova Scotia Archives and Records

            In 1975, The Five Fishermen Restaurant opened and there have been no shortages of hauntings in the restaurant. In fact, it is said to have a high amount of activity. Glasses will fly off shelves, cutlery will fall off tables, sinks will turn on by themselves and the swinging doors to the kitchen open and close by themselves. There are cold pockets in the air and people feel ghosts moving through them. Some employees or late night guests hear voices and their names being called.

            There have been sightings of apparitions. Once an employee saw just a grey mist in the form of a person floating towards her, she did not stay long to find out what it was. The second was a full body apparition of a man. The employees thought he was a customer and went to help but he vanished before their eyes.

            In the restaurant there is always tapping and crashing noises that the employees have mostly gotten used to. Sometimes there are things you just cannot get used to and that is physically being touched by a ghost. An employed had reported being touched on the shoulder by a ghost but when they looked around no one was there. Another reported being brushed on the cheek by something. When she went to serve a table they asked who had slapped her as she had a red handprint on her face where something had brushed her cheek. Confused, she said no one had slapped her, no one had actually even touched her. These are just a few tales from The Five Fishermen Restaurant.

            What had begun as a school is now considered one of the most haunted restaurants in all of Canada. Considering it had been a funeral home to two devastating events, especially the Halifax Explosion where almost all of the victims were dealt with by The John Snow and Co. Funeral Home alone. The sudden accidents and deaths linger on in the area, and inside the restaurant. While it is said that the most activity happened before and after during the open hours, there are times when both customers and employees witness the hauntings of The Five Fishermen Restaurant.

View of Halifax Harbour and Dartmouth in 1914 – photo by John Woodruff/Library and Archives Canada/PA-

Bibliography

Bundale, Brett. “Ghost Stories from Halifax Restaurant That Once Served as The Titanic’s Morgue.” Global News (May 8, 2017). Accessed March 29, 2019. globalnews.ca/news/3434202/eerie-encounters-at-the-five-fishermen-a-historic-halifax-eatery/

Halifax History. “Five Haunted Places in Halifax That You Have to Experience.” Discover Halifax (October 11, 2016). Accessed March 29, 2019. discoverhalifaxns.com/haunted-halifax-spookiest-things-to-do/

History.com Editors. “The Great Halifax Explosion.” HISTORY (July 20, 2010). Updated August 21, 2018). Accessed March 29, 2019. www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-great-halifax-explosion

“History of Five Fishermen.” The Five Fishermen Restaurant. Accessed March 29, 2019. www.fivefishermen.com/history/

Horodyski, Kate. “The Story Behind Canada’s ‘Ghost Restaurant’ The Five Fishermen.” Culture Trip (September 26, 2017). Accessed March 29, 2019. theculturetrip.com/north-america/articles/the-story-behind-canadas-ghost-restaurant-the-five-fishermen/

Kernaghan, Lois and Smulders, Marilyn. “Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University.” The Canadian Encyclopedia (October 31, 2012). Updated by Daniel Baird, December 9, 2016. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nova-scotia-college-of-art-and-design

Matthews, Diana L. “The Recovery Effort.” A Look Thru Time: Looking Through the Cracks of Time (April 24, 2012). Accessed March 29, 2019. alookthrutime.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/the-recovery-effort/

SamR and artsytari. “Five Fishermen Restaurant.” Atlas Obscura (2019). Accessed March 29, 2019. www.atlasobscura.com/places/five-fishermen-restaurant

“Sinking of the RMS Titanic.” Wikipedia. Accessed March 29, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic

Sutherland, Joel A. “Dining with the Dead.” In Haunted Canada 4: More True Tales of Terror, 80-84. Toronto, Ontario: Scholastic Canada Ltd, 2014. Amazon Kindle ebook version.

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The Royal York Hotel

            When one thinks of a haunted hotel in Canada the first name on their tongue is usually the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, or just The Royal York. Whether this hotel is actually haunted is quite contested but the hotel is one of the oldest and grandest in Canada. It is a beautiful and breathtaking site, inside and out. It is an icon and it is a large part of the history of Toronto.

            The Royal York was originally a small, brick hotel called Ontario Terrace. It was made by Thomas Dick, a lake-boat captain, in 1843. After which, ownership, name and shape changed several times until Captain Dick repurchased it in 1862 and named it Queen’s Hotel. Sometime after, it was bought again by Thomas McGraw and Henry Winett, who were both well-established hoteliers. For sixty-seven years it was a major part of the now booming city. It was so much a part of Toronto that when it was set to be demolished by the Canadian Pacific Railroad there was a massive protest. No one wanted to see it go.

Royal York Hotel 1957 – picture by Canada. Dept. of Interior / Library and Archives Canada / PA-049725

            McGraw had passed away in 1901 and Winett in 1925. Winett’s state sold Queen’s Hotel to the Canadian Pacific Railroad who had seen the opportunity of constructing a magnificent hotel across from Toronto’s Union Station. It was a perfect idea for a railway company, so they demolished Queen’s Hotel and created The Royal York with construction beginning in 1927. Construction finished in 1929 and it stood as the largest hotel in the British Commonwealth at the time. Even now it is a breathtaking sight. At the time of its opening it boasted twenty-eight floors, 1,000 guestrooms with radios and private baths (a real luxury at this time), a 12, 000 book library, ten elevators, one and a half acres of public rooms, thirty-five telephone operators for a sixty-six-foot switchboard, a golf course, a twelve bed hospital, its own bank and the largest kitchen in all of Toronto. It was fabulous and grand and the first person to ever be registered as a guest was Lord Willington, the Governor General of Canada at that time.

            Over the years many renovations have been made. New wings have been added, increasing the ability to hold more guests. A health centre and a pool have also been added. It has held a great deal of famous people such as Tina Turner, Eartha Kitt, Ray Charles, Liberace and so many more. And of course Queen Elizabeth II and others from the Royal Family have stayed at the Royal York.

            So, what is it that makes people believe this hotel is haunted?

            Well, anything with a significant amount of history will find things attracted to it. Rumours, gossip, legends, stories and sometimes even spirits.

            One of the most common spirits seen are a man and his wife. On their wedding night, after the festivities, the two of them went to their room on the eighth floor where the man proceeded to bloodily murder his wife while she slept. After, he killed himself. He is said to be seen wandering the halls of the eighth floor and some staircases, while she is stuck, tragically, haunting the room she was murdered in.

            Another spirit that is commonly seen is a former employee of the Royal York who hung himself in a stairway connecting to electrical and maintenance. Sometimes when he is seen, he does not appear to have any legs and people are left wondering – what exactly happened to his legs?

            There are times when the ballroom is a flurry of activity, even with no one inside it. Spirits are said to be dancing, twirling around their partners and having a lovely evening. Sometimes guests, whose rooms are close to the ballroom, will complain of the festivities. They hear loud music and partying, but, there was no event happening at the time.

            When the SS Noronic went up in flames in 1949 The Royal York’s hospital was utilized as so many people were injured and there was not enough room in the nearby hospital. Taxis from the hotel became makeshift ambulances, hurrying victims to the hotel’s hospital and the regular hospital to be treated. It is said that about 139-160 people died in this devastating fire and many who did not die were left injured. It is also assumed that after this time more spirits had begun to be reported. Children are heard running up and down the halls, laughing and playing. Author, Christopher Heard, noted this during his time living at the hotel. Although no one has seen a full body apparition of a child, they just tend to be quite noisy.

Fairmont Royal York 2018 – original picture by Piercing Moon Creations

The Royal York Hotel has had its fair share of tragedy. It has held death as accidents, murder and suicide. It is said that when a life is taken suddenly and in such a devastating way, their spirits linger with so much unfinished business. Since they are no longer living, they cannot finish their business and are stuck to haunt or relive the same moment over and over. While it remains an icon and a beautiful landmark in Toronto, it is also considered one of the most haunted places in the city.

Bibliography

Fairmont Royal York. “Hotel History.” 2019. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.fairmont.com/royal-york-toronto/hotelhistory/

Historic Hotels Worldwide. “Fairmont Royal York: History.” 2019. Accessed March 24, 2019. www.historichotelsworldwide.com/hotels-resorts/fairmont-royal-york/history.php

Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “160 Die in Ship Fire in Toronto Harbour.” In The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto, Ontario, September 17, 1949. image.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/7542/data?n=1

McLennan, Susan. “The Noronic Fire – Toronto’s Greatest Disaster with the Greatest Loss of Life.” In reimaginepr. Accessed March 24, 2019. www.reimaginepr.com/the-noronic-fire-torontos-disaster-with-the-greatest-loss-of-life/

Sutherland, Joel A. “Hotel Hell.” In Haunted Canada 5: Terrifying True Stories, 1095-1139. Toronto, Ontario: Scholastic Canada Ltd., 2015. Amazon Kindle ebook edition.

Toronto & Ontario Ghosts and Hauntins Research Societ. “The Royal York Hotel.” 2015. Accessed March 24, 2019. www.torotoghosts.org/index.php/the-city-of-toronto/public-building/111-the-royal-york-hotel-

Wikipedia. “Fairmont Royal York.” Accessed March 24, 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairmont_Royal_York

Toronto Skyline 2018 – original photo by Piercing Moon Creations