The Pollard Hotel

Located in the former Montana mining town of Red Lodge, the Pollard Hotel once attracted many of the well known including Buffalo Bill Cody, General Miles, Frederic Remington and Calamity Jane. Built in 1893, this building was the first to be made of brick in the town. Dubbed the Spofford Hotel, it sat between the train depot and the residential portion of Red Lodge. In 1897, a hotel full of guests witnessed the Sundance Kid, Harry Longbaugh, rob the bank on the corner of the building with gun in hand. He was caught but later escaped. Ever since then, guns have been banned from the property.

The Pollard family bought the 35-room hotel in 1902 renaming it the Pollard Hotel and built an additional 25 rooms. There was a spacious lobby, dining room, bar room with card and billiard tables, well-equipped kitchen and a laundry room, with bowling alley and barbershop in the basement. A year after Thomas Pollard purchased the building, the hotel acquired a telephone. Their number was "1" given to them after someone high up was arrested and bailed out discreetly. In 1946, the Pollard was sold. Like so many other hotels, the business went through several name changes until 1991 when the Hotel Company of Red Lodge purchased it. The building went through extensive renovations, transforming it in to the warm beauty it is today.

Many guests visit for the ambiance, history and perhaps to witness resident ghosts. A woman in a yellow dress is often seen on the third floor. Some believe this part of the building contains the bulk of the activity. Witnesses have reported smelling French perfume on the second floor. Those who enter Room 310 often find the light turned on. You can turn it off and leave for a number of minutes but will often return to it being on again. Staff members have reported feeling dizzy and uneasy in Room 312. Some have heard unexplained noises in the basement (there are stories of the Pollard children having a monkey as a pet which allegedly found itself entombed somewhere in this room).

Comments

Matthew MacNish said…
Wow, this is so awesome. I used to do a lot of camping and hiking in western Montana and I have heard of Red Lodge but don't think I've ever been there. I'll have to look it up now, thanks Andrea.

Today's guest blogger is Rose Cooper!
Anonymous said…
I visited the hotel this weekend and there were strange "ping" noises coming from the basement racquet ball courts. and the 2nd floor had the perfume smell and once you made the corner it was gone. Very eerie.
Anonymous said…
My father and I stayed at the Pollard Hotel one week ago for one night. We stayed in room 303. My father called out my name in the middle of the night and said someone was at the door. I listened and heard a floor creak, light taps on the door and the door knob turn a few times. I got up and looked through the peep hole and saw nothing. I went back to bed. A few moments later it happened again, a floor creak, light tapping on our door and a turn of the door knob. My father immediately got up and opened the door, nobody was there. It again happened a few minutes later - neither of us got up. I don't know if this was a ghost but I admit, as a skeptic, this was my closest experience to the unexplained. If it was a ghost I hope it was Seth Bullock. We visited his grave site the next morning.
Anonymous said…
Correction to the previous post - it was room 203.
Anonymous said…
I've been to red lodge for skiing every year and i didn't know there was a hotel that was haunted but i love red lodge
Anonymous said…
Me and my friend were in the racquet ball courts in the basement and kept hearing footsteps and gallons of water running through the walls when nobody was there. We got scared but we kept doing what we were doing soon after we heard an obnoxious bang. We got so scared that we left immediately. It reminded us of our past experience there’s this random old man I got scared because I get scared easily but my friend took me to see him. She said hi and I went to look at him but he was gone I looked everywhere around that area to see him but he was not there. I thought nothing of it until I heard the Pollard Hotel was haunted. I told my friend that it was haunted before the second time that we went. I’ve never believed in paranormal activity until these two experiences in the Pollard.

Popular posts from this blog

Lorelei Inn

Black Aggie

Reminder Sunday