Have you ever been on a hike and thought to yourself “yea this is nice and all, but you know what would really turn up this hike is a ghost.” Then have I got a place for you, Red Mountain. It’s in Manitou Springs just west of Colorado Springs, and lovely to visit in spring. It’s known to be haunted by the late Emma Crawford.
Emma Crawford was born March 24th, 1863 in South Royalston, Massachusetts. She moved to Manitou Springs with her mother in 1889 after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, as contracting TB was in vogue at the time. While living there she fell in love with Red Mountain and ascended to the peak often. She decided that on that mountain is where she wished her final resting place to be. And in 1891 that dream came true, twice. The first time she was buried where she had explicitly asked. But when construction started for the Red Mountain Incline, a trolley that would take tourists to the top of Red Mountain, Emma’s grave was moved to another part of the mountain. Sorry Emma, but that’s progress.
Emma Crawford Loved Red Mountain
After she was moved, a rainstorm unearthed her from her new spot. Her coffin raced down the mountain. I would assume with ragtime music playing in the background. Her remains were found scattered at the base of the mountain. Her final resting place is in Crystal Valley Cemetery. Now, her spirit is said to still be wandering Red Mountain.
So, to start off, Red Mountain is, from my experience, not very easy to access. It seems to be a locals only kind of thing. When I went it was later in the day when the tourist crowd had dispersed. I went up some residential drive and found (legal?) street parking. From there I walked up an uncomfortably steep street only used by like 10 different houses. At the top I found a small dirt path heading to Red Mountain. I literally walked across someone’s driveway to get to this path. That’s the directions my all knowing iPhone gave me, I don’t question our Silicon Valley overlords.
Worth The Hike Just For The View
The path then takes you across the base of the mountain. If you want you can continue to take that trail around the base. The trailhead to the peak of Red Mountain splits off and is very obviously marked by a nice big sign. This trail is pretty advanced, it is very steep and at some parts has some very loose gravel. Walking up these inclines with an EMF in one hand and an SBox in the other was no easy task. However, I’m a professional damn it!
The most commonly reported haunting on Red Mountain is that of an apparition of a woman in Victorian-era clothes. That’s Emma wandering around where she was buried the first time. For me and my experience, it was mostly my EMF detector doing the usual weird stuff. It would randomly peak for a few seconds at red and orange. Then come back down to a not so spooky green. This happened several times during my hike. I don’t know, maybe there were several microwaves buried throughout the mountain, and also all running.
Ghost Hunting On Red Mountain
Honestly the most terrifying part of this paranormal hike was the fact that I was alone on a mountain in the dark. After all, night is the best time for a ghost hunt. I wasn’t scared of a ghost though, I was however horrified that a mountain lion might be stalking me, and what an easy target I was. Not only was I using my EVP, randomly saying things like “are you here Emma Crawford?” and “If you are here with me Emma, let me know.” I also had a spirit box on making the really soothing sound of radio static randomly jumping around.
Like I said earlier I’m a professional damn it. And I’m going to do the work to find out for you, dear reader. To find if some TB victim is still checking in to make sure her family buried her where she asked. Not moved to make way for a railway tourists could use to access the peak of Red Mountain via cart as opposed to just walking up the mountain like Emma Crawford did, and she even did it with tuberculosis.
Remembering Emma Crawford
The town of Manitou Springs is very fond of Emma Crawford. So much so that every year they have the Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival. A festival for remembering the day her coffin comically raced down the mountain from that heavy rain. See I’m not the only one making fun of what happened.
Every fall since 1995 locals and those from all over the world come to spectate and participate in a hearse themed parade. The peak of the festival is the coffin race consisting of teams of five. Traditionally they feature one “Emma” and four pallbearers. The racers show off their creativity by coming up with a theme and race down Manitou Avenue. Teams are judged by not only time it takes to complete the track but their creative flair. I can only hope that one day I gain enough internet clout that my loyal followers will satirize my death. I have not been to this festival but it is definitely on the bucket list.
Spend A Day With Ghosts
I would say Red Mountain ghost hunting is pretty decent. It’s a short drive away from The Cave of the Winds, another haunted place in town. Check out the blog about that one, baby. So if you are in the area you might as well check it out. It’s a free experience but like I said kind of hard to find, and you might get a parking ticket. Again I really have no idea if I was parked legally.
Happy Hunting.
Thanks for reading and check out The Witches Wardrobe to spookify your style. Your support goes to fund the adventures of The Forgotten Grimoire.
