If you enjoy wandering around an old museum packed full of quirky artifacts, love good food, antiques and beautiful old architecture, and you don’t mind ghosts coming along for the ride, then you will definitely find it to be a pleasurable experience to stay at the Enders Hotel & Museum in Soda Springs, Idaho. Most people are looking for rest and relaxation on their vacation along with a few hidden treasures; and so what if the travel plans includes a bit of ghost hunting and sleeping amongst the spirits that actively haunt the very establishment that you have chosen to lay your weary head. Despite a recent remodel, the Enders Hotel & Museum, built in 1917, is like walking back in time, including the people that once thrived there during their life, but are now mere restless spirits caught in a modern day western clip of bygone days that for them may possibly never come to an end.
Experienced ghost hunters including the Southeast Idaho Paranormal Organization have checked into the hotel in an effort to establish if there is in fact any truth behind the almost 100 year old legend that the hotel is haunted by several entities that simply refuse to leave, and have maintained their stance by calling the Enders Hotel & Museum their home. The results were so eerie and far fetched that it caught the attention of anyone and everyone looking to debunk the remote possibility that the historic hotel is in fact packed full with ghosts from the roof top to the threshold of the grand entrance. The mysterious proof was captured on video and proved that hosts and social scientists Scott V. Brian and John D. Brian understand the chemistry involved in paranormal activity that goes into locating spirits, communicating with them and the ghost’s reason for remaining at a particular destination.
One of the most profound hauntings of the hotel are rumored to be that of the ghost of Mr. Pape who was staying on the third floor of the hotel in early 1920, and somewhere along the way went crazy during the night and attempted suicide by slitting his wrists, and then proceeded to roam the hallways of the hotel in an effort to bring harm to anyone that crossed his path. Luckily for the horrified guests, a deputy sheriff was staying overnight and promptly quieted the crazy man by shooting and instantly killing him. Investigations into the possibility that Mr. Pape is still residing at the hotel were brought forth with electronic voice phenomenon which was later discovered after the paranormal investigators reviewed the recorded footage, and clearly heard the voice of a male in what appears to be Mr. Pape answering their questions with one syllable words.
The apparition that instantly causes shivery apprehension has been caught on camera and he has been seen by several workers and guests of the hotel still roaming the halls in a somewhat erratic fashion that scares people half to death, and then he simply vanishes into thin air. Other male ghosts have been caught walking on the second and third floors and voices are often heard throughout the rooms when the hotel is empty. The constant feeling of being watched never completely goes away and female employees have complained about being touched on their hair and face by spirit fingers. Ghost hunters absolutely love this hotel as it is almost guaranteed that an apparition will present itself at almost every location of the historic building, almost as if they want to mingle with the live guests.
Everyone can pretty much agree that basements are presumably creepy in most cases, but the Enders Hotel’s basement takes eerie to a whole new level with their buildings underground hellhole. Everything from faces being seen to unexplained noises is just a normal part of the journey into this darkened, damp and cold area. As for other rooms in the hotel, staff members have complained about a dominant force in the kitchen that likes to throw loaves of bread at them while they are busy at work, and heavy feelings of being watched followed by the intense presence of dread surround the bar and the banquet room area. If you have no fear of seeing images in the mirror besides your own when alone, then you will have no problem looking into one of the many looking glasses hanging throughout the hotel. Beware though, as you are apt to see a female apparition staring straight back at you, penetrating deep into your very soul until you feel nauseated from the depth of her haunting gaze.
The second floor of the Enders Hotel is quite interesting at best as this is where the museum is housed along with several full-bodied apparitions that show themselves to guests day and night, and for no particular reason other than that they want their presence to be known, and the military room is a hot bed of emotional charges coming from spirits that have the need to touch those that walk through the door. The formal investigation of the hotel documented by the Southeast Idaho Paranormal Organization concluded that the basement was quite comfortable despite the fact that it has been reported as being extremely cold, filled with ghosts and one of the scariest places to walk through alone.
However after viewing the footage the group discovered several strange anomalies that were not present to them as they were attempting to uncover the spirits that dwell in the lowest part of the old hotel. However the second floor of the hotel was quite a different story as the group had a few personal experiences that included dark shadows attempting to block all light sources without any reasonable explanation as to where the shadows had originated from. They also later discovered faint voices coming from their electronic equipment that completely centered on the entire upstairs where the museum and military room are located.
The Enders Hotel & Museum has been described by the United States Hotel Reviews and Yahoo! Travel as being a historic hotel that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 30 room hotel is packed full of historical artifacts and antiques that visitors enjoy spending hours examining. A hot breakfast is available to guests of the hotel, and a gift shop and a small café are located on site. The eruption controlled man-made geyser located at the rear of the hotel is a definite conversation piece as it reaches heights between 100 and 150 feet. The surrounding rural boomtown of Soda Springs which is located in Caribou County Idaho is located on the historical Oregon Trail. The Enders Hotel & Museum is within walking distance of a popular fishing lake that is home to several white pelicans and many other beautiful feathered friends.
http://www.ushotelreviews.com/hotel/Enders_Hotel_Museum~29260
Location: Enders Hotel & Museum, 76 S Main St, Soda Springs, Idaho 83276. Phone: 208-547-4980
Soda Springs, Idaho Annual Halloween Events: This October event at Kelly Park features ghosts and ghouls in a haunted forest where a fun-filled Halloween Soda Screamer Thirteener invites you to come in costume ready to have a spooky night filled with good food and thrills. For more information, go to: http://www.americantowns.com/id/sodasprings/venues/kelly-park
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_Springs,_Idaho
http://sodasprings.govoffice.com/
http://www.idahohauntings.com/Stories/enders_hotel/Enders_Hotel_Story.htm
http://www.hauntedhovel.com/hauntedplacesinidaho.html
http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/enders-hotel-and-museum.html
http://travel.consummatecompendium.com/haunted-places/haunted-hotels-in-idaho/
http://blip.tv/mysterious-destinations/mysterious-destinations-ep1-the-enders-hotel-3235358
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8509