7 Historic and Haunted Places in Alaska

From my visit in September 2021

The Red Onion Saloon - Skagway

Established in 1897 by Jan Wrentmore, the Red Onion Saloon was known as a very popular brothel, saloon, and dance hall in Skagway. Upstairs you will no longer find a working brothel but you will find the brothel museum with the 10 “cribs” used by the working ladies so many years ago. When a customer wanted to choose a lady for his “service,” the customer would make a selection from 10 dolls that represented each of the ladies. If the doll was standing up, she was available. If the doll was lying down, she was with a customer and unavailable.

The Red Onion Saloon is allegedly haunted by a few spirits, one of them being an angry male entity and the two former employees of the brothel. The female entities are believed to be Lydia, a former prostitute, and Diamond Lil, a madam.

Paranormal activity includes phantom smells of perfume and tobacco, cold spots, items being moved, apparitions, footsteps, and disembodied voices.

The Golden North Hotel - Skagway

Built in 1898, this beautiful onion-domed building was originally home to a trading post known as the Klondike Trading Company. It later became the Golden North Hotel in 1908. It is believed to be haunted by a couple of spirits from the gold rush days. First is Mary, a woman who lived there with her fiance, Ike. She lived in room 23 which is said to be the most haunted room in the old hotel. It is believed Mary died from an illness while Ike was away prospecting. She is seen wandering the halls and looking out of the window of room 23.

Room 14 is known for light anomalies and phantom sounds. Is that also Mary? Some people believe that is another entity but no one knows for sure.

Overnight guests are no longer welcome in the old hotel since it closed in 2002. Now the building is home to Frontier Excursions & Adventures.

The Historic Anchorage Hotel - Anchorage

Built in 1916, the hotel served a growing and bustling community. It was expanded in 1936 with the Anchorage Hotel Annex across the street with a skybridge built to link the buildings. Eventually the original building was torn down leaving only the Annex. The Annex fell into disrepair but was rescued in 1989. It was renovated and now continues to serve the community.

Hauntings are believed to be Jack Sturgus, Chief of Police who died from a gunshot to the back. He died just outside the hotel. Another is a girl who roams the 2nd floor. Paranormal activity in the hotel has been reported as apparitions, hearing footsteps, water faucets turning on and off, items moving or being moved, and the sound of voices and laughter.

The Jesse Lee Home for Children - Seward

Built as an orphanage in 1890, this was the 2nd of three facilities with the same name. The first one was in Unalaska but was moved to Seward in 1926. Illness would sweep through leaving many children orphaned after their parents died.

A notable resident of the Jesse Lee Home is Benny Benson. Benny became an orphan at the tender age of 3 years after his mother died of pneumonia. He participated in a contest for kids in grades 7 - 12 to design Alaska’s flag and WON.

In 1964 the home suffered an earthquake and sustained heavy damage. It was reported that several children died in the earthquake. Alleged hauntings are believed to be children from that earthquake. Paranormal activity includes the sounds of children’s voices and laughter, footsteps, and shadow figures.

The home is now gone but the property is in the process of becoming a memorial park. You will still be able to visit the grounds and maybe pick up on some paranormal activity.

My daughter enjoyed our trip in 2021.

The Russian Bishop's House - Sitka

Built 1842 as the center of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was home to Ivan Veniaminov, a Russian Orthodox bishop, and was an important education and cultural center in the region until it closed in 1969.

Over its lifetime, it also served as print shop, a hotel, and as housing for priests. Paranormal reports include apparitions of a woman in blue, shadow figures, hearing footsteps and voices, and light anomalies. The woman’s identity is unknown but it is believed some of the shadows are a priest or two.

Juneau at night

The Alaskan Hotel and Bar - Juneau

The oldest operating hotel in Alaska, this historic hotel opened in September 1913. The Alaskan Hotel was a bar, cafe, speakeasy, and a brothel during its lifetime. The Alaskan Hotel was placed on the national register of historic places October 1978.

There is paranormal activity reported all over the hotel but, if you want to stay in a haunted room, rooms 218, 219, 315, and 321 are the ones you want to ask for.

It is believed that the hotel is haunted by a few spirits that include a miner, a bride who was a prostitute and murdered by her husband, and a child. There have been a couple of deaths that occurred in the hotel with the most recent one being in 2017 when a man was found dead in room 219.

Paranormal activity you may experience: apparitions and shadows, objects being moved, hearing disembodied voices and footsteps, the feeling of being watched, and cold spots.

The Captain Cook Hotel - Anchorage

Captain James Cook was a British explorer and cartographer who was the first to map the coastline of Alaska. Walter J. Hickel set out to build the largest hotel in Alaska and the Captain Cook Hotel opened in 1965. Over the years the hotel has hosted a variety of celebrities, dignitaries, and other notables. It has three towers and over 540 rooms.

In 1964 a 9.2 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of Anchorage. It is believed by some that the paranormal activity occurring on the property might be attributed to the devastation of that earthquake. It is also believed that the hotel is haunted by a young woman who committed suicide in one of the restrooms in 1972. She is described as a young woman wearing white and her apparition has been reported by many guests.

Paranormal activity reported: stall doors opening and closing on their own, the faucets turning on and off, toilets flushing on their own, the feeling of being watched, the lights flickering often and for no apparent reason, and apparitions and shadows.

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I hope this list helps you find your next haunted adventure. I feel the Northern Lights calling out to me so you might just find me in Alaska during the next Northern Lights season. Now go out and make this beautiful day count!

Annette