Haunted Hotel La Fonda in Santa Fe, NM

La Fonda Hotel, in charming Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a history of nearly 400 years of hospitality. There have been several buildings on the same site, situated on the historic Plaza. The historic inn is reported to be haunted by more than one ghost.

Ghost Stories

The current building at this location was built in the 1920's. In a previous building, in the 1850's, a business man lost his fortune in the gambling hall in the hotel. The man committed suicide by jumping down a deep well hole. The area that this hole was located in is currently covered by the hotel's Las Pazuela Restaurant.

The ghost of this man has been seen in the hotel dining room. Sometimes he is seen in the center of the dining room. The ghost leaps and disappears into thin air.

Another apparition has been reported in the Santa Fe Room. There is also a spirit that walks in the hallways near the La Terraza, which is a restaurant located on the third floor.

History of Hotel La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a long history. The city was founded in 1607. Official records show that an inn, or la fonda, was among the first businesses established. La Fonda was destroyed and rebuilt several times in its 400 year history. In the 1800's the inn was a popular destination for trappers, traders, mountain men, soldiers, politicians and other travelers.

In 1821, over two centuries later, Captain William Beckness and his retinue forged a commercial route across the plains. When they arrived in Sante Fe, they were happy to find comfortable lodging at la fonda on the Plaza. The inn is literally "the inn at the end of the Santa Fe Trail."

New Mexico became a U.S. Territory in 1848. La Fonda was purchased by Anglo-American owners, who changed the name of the inn to U.S. Hotel. The gambling hall was a major feature of the inn. Military officers and some professional gamblers made and lost fortunes at the inn.

In 1867, The Honorable John P. Slough, Chief Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court, was shot to death in the hotel lobby during the course of a dispute. The shooter was tried and acquitted.