26: Ep. 26 When Gold Rush Dreams Turn To Nightmares: Goldfield Hotel NV

The Goldfield Hotel stands as Nevada’s most haunted building - but the real story is far stranger than any ghost tale.

Deep in the Nevada desert sits a four-story monument to greed that’s been abandoned for 80 years, yet refuses to stay quiet. The Goldfield Hotel was built during the last great gold rush of the American West, when mining magnate George Wingfield ruled an entire state and 20,000 fortune-seekers flocked to a town that shouldn’t exist.

But when the gold ran out, something else moved in.

From the infamous Room 109 where chains drag across floors in empty rooms, to “The Stabber” who lunges at visitors with phantom knives, to voices of children echoing from abandoned mine shafts beneath the basement - the Goldfield Hotel has earned its reputation as one of America’s most actively haunted locations.

We separate the documented history from the manufactured folklore, exploring how a cattle driver turned gambler became Nevada’s most powerful man, why this opulent hotel was built on top of mining graves, and what happens when paranormal investigators capture footage that defies explanation.

*Content Warning: Discussions of suicide, violence, and disturbing paranormal phenomena*

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Resources & References

Historical Sources

- "Nevada Historical Society Archives" - George Wingfield papers and Goldfield documentation

- **Esmeralda County Records** - Hotel construction and ownership documents

- **Goldfield Historical Society** - Local history and firsthand accounts

- **University of Nevada Special Collections** - Mining era newspapers and photographs

Paranormal Investigation Reports

- **Ghost Adventures (2008)** - Original documentation and video evidence

- **Ghost Hunters Investigation Files** - Audio recordings and temperature readings

- **Nevada Paranormal Research Society** - Ongoing investigation reports

- **Independent researcher documentation** - Multiple EVP recordings and witness testimonies

Key Publications

- *“George Wingfield: Owner and Operator of Nevada”* by Elizabeth Raymond

- *“Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps”* by Stanley Paher

- *“Goldfield: The Last Gold Rush on the Western Frontier”* by Sally Zanjani

- *“Haunted Nevada”* by Janice Oberding

Documentary Sources

- **Travel Nevada Tourism Board** - Official historical documentation

- **National Register of Historic Places** - Architectural and historical records

- **Nevada State Historic Preservation Office** - Building preservation reports

- **Local newspaper archives** - Tonopah Times-Bonanza, Goldfield Chronicle (1900s-1940s)

Verification Notes

All paranormal claims presented are based on documented witness testimonies, published investigation reports, and recorded evidence from credible paranormal research organizations. Historical facts verified through multiple primary sources and academic publications.