An 1887 Victorian railroad hotel in Durango where Louis L'Amour wrote Westerns and guests report a legless brakeman in the alley
699 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel room rates vary by season; Diamond Belle Saloon open to the public
Access
Wheelchair OK
Four-story Victorian building with elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1887 · NRHP Listed · National Literary Historical Landmark · Louis L'Amour writing residence · Denver and Rio Grande Railway era
Henry Strater, a Cleveland pharmacist, relocated to Durango and rallied his father and brothers to build a four-story Victorian hotel at the corner of Main Avenue and 7th Street in 1887. The construction cost $70,000. The hotel was positioned directly on the Denver and Rio Grande Railway line, which made it a natural hub for travelers moving through southwestern Colorado.
H. L. Rice managed the property in its early years and elevated its social standing, but the 1893 silver panic devastated Durango's economy and drove the Strater to bankruptcy in 1895. The Bank of Cleveland repossessed the property; it passed to Hattie Mashburn and Charles E. Stilwell before a consortium of Durango businessmen led by Earl A. Barker Sr. purchased the aging building in 1926 and began the restoration work that continues to define it.
The hotel hosted President Gerald Ford, Will Rogers, and the Grateful Dead among its documented notable guests. Western novelist Louis L'Amour favored Room 222, directly above the Diamond Belle Saloon, while writing his Sackett series through the 1970s; the room is now designated a literary landmark. The property was named a National Registry charter member in 1989 and received designation as a national literary historical landmark in 2012.
The Durango Herald has reported on staff accounts of paranormal activity at the property, contributing to the hotel's reputation as one of the more thoroughly documented haunted hotels in southern Colorado.
Sources
The Strater's paranormal accounts are tied directly to its railroad setting. Multiple witnesses have described seeing the figure of a man in a white shirt standing in the alley adjacent to the hotel's rail-side wall; the figure stands motionless on what was railroad trackage before disappearing. The most detailed version of the story involves a brakeman who fell beneath train cars and died after having both legs amputated—the white shirt matching the working dress of rail crew in the late 19th century.
A second railroad figure, described as a railway engineer in period clothing, is reported walking through the hotel lobby before passing out of sight. Employees who work the upper floors alone describe a sense of being watched and occasionally followed; some staff members have refused assignments on the upper levels after encounters. A translucent woman in white appears in reports from both guests and employees, usually on the upper floors or near the windows overlooking Main Avenue.
The hotel maintains a Ghost Diary in its rooms, allowing guests to document encounters. One guest in 2011 reported that after verbally acknowledging a hostile presence upon entering a third-floor room, the sensation passed and the night was undisturbed. Other accounts describe bathroom lights switching on repeatedly and dresser drawers opening and closing independently. The Durango Herald has covered the hotel's paranormal reputation in multiple articles, including staff accounts from employees who had not previously encountered such experiences at other properties.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
88 guest rooms decorated with Victorian walnut furnishings and period wallpaper. Upper floors have the strongest concentration of reported paranormal activity. Rooms include a Ghost Diary for recording encounters.
The ground-floor Diamond Belle Saloon is open to the public and has operated continuously since the hotel's earliest years. Western author Louis L'Amour favored Room 222 above the saloon while writing his Sackett series through the 1970s.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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