Hotel Alex Johnson, Rapid City, SD, March 20-22, 2008
I stayed in two hotels last weekend that are supposed to be haunted. The first is the Hotel Alex Johnson in downtown Rapid City.
This hotel was built in 1927. Read about its history here.
There have always been rumors of activity on the 8th floor, but I specifically requested room 812, the “most haunted.” The front desk worker, Tyler, told me that they do not typically book people in that room unless all of the other rooms are full or someone specifically requests it.
This is going to sound odd, but I’m not sure the room wanted me there. When I checked in, Tyler handed me the keys to room 912. “But I specifically requested 812,” I said, producing the faxed confirmation of my request from several weeks earlier.
Tyler said the room did not appear to be available. He checked with housekeeping, who replied via walkie-talkie, “Why do you need it?” Tyler went to the telephone and when he came back, told me that it was indeed available but I would have to wait 30 minutes or so for it to be cleaned. I obliged. Whatever necessary, as long as I got that room!
812 is supposed to be haunted because a woman jumped/was pushed from that window in the 1970s, at least according the most reliable version of the story I could find.
It’s a long way down….view from the window of room 812:
In that room, bureau drawers have been removed and inserted upside down. In the next room, a couple reported being unable to sleep due to the noise in their neighboring room 812…while that room was empty!
Nothing odd happened to me while I stayed there, although I was so nervous that I slept with the lights and television on both nights! I left the digital recorder on in the room with a preface asking for communication, but the voice-activated recorder did not pick up anything other than the sound of the door as I left and re-entered the room later.
However, when I first walked into the room after Jeff dropped off my suitcase, I gave it a good walk-through, and noticed a cold spot in one corner. It was in fairly close proximity to a window, so I wrote it off. Just to be sure, I took a couple of photos, and sure enough, got orbs in them:
I read the history and several newspaper clippings at the front desk about the hauntings. Another couple, this time staying in room 804, reported waking up to piano music being played in their room in the middle of the night! Puzzled, they went back to sleep. I think I would have left!
Jeff, the security guard, was kind enough to take me up to the 10th floor and the condemned roof (I had to sign a release form first). It’s certainly spooky, but despite on or two distant orbs, I really didn’t find much. No EMF detector readings, either. However, I did get this stunning view of Rapid City (and of Jeff!):
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