Haunted hotel guide · Red Lodge, Montana
The Haunted Pollard Hotel, Red Lodge: The Lady in Yellow and a Prankster Called George
Red Lodge’s first brick building opened on the Fourth of July, 1893, hosted Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane, and is said to have a lady in yellow and a prankster in golf knickers.
The Pollard stands on the corner of Broadway in Red Lodge, the old coal mining town at the foot of the Beartooth Highway, about 60 miles from Billings. It opened in 1893 as the Spofford, built by the Rocky Fork Coal Company, and it has been the town’s landmark hotel ever since. It is still locally owned, with Marli’s Restaurant downstairs and rooms that range from historic queens to suites, and it is one of the best-known haunted hotels in Montana.
Montana’s tourism office says the Pollard embraces the spirits said to live in it, and the hotel itself lists ghostly tales among the things guests come for. Here are the stories, the history behind them and how to plan a stay.
The Pollard at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 2 North Broadway Avenue, Red Lodge, MT 59068
- Opened July 4, 1893, as the Spofford; bought by Thomas F. Pollard in 1902; a 25-room annex was added in 1903
- Most haunted spots The third-floor hallways, the bar and the basement
- Best-known ghosts A woman in a yellow gown who leaves French perfume behind; George, a prankster in 1930s golf knickers; small handprints on mirrors
- Booking the haunted room The hotel does not sell a named haunted room. Ask for a third-floor room when you book.
- Good to know Red Lodge is the gateway to the Beartooth Highway, which is usually open only from late spring to fall.
The ghosts of the Pollard Hotel
Figures on the third floor
Visit Montana, the state tourism office, says it is rumored that at night the third floor is home to mysterious figures that move in and out of the hallways. Our original guide described male and female figures seen by guests and staff all over the hotel, and the third floor is where most of the stories now cluster.
The woman in the yellow gown
The Pollard’s best-known ghost is a woman in a yellow gown. Visit Yellowstone Country, the regional tourism office, says she leaves the faint smell of French perfume behind her. Guests usually notice the perfume first, in a hallway or a room, with nobody wearing it nearby.
Nobody has put a name to her, and there is no published record of who she might have been.
George, the prankster in golf knickers
George is described by the regional tourism office as a pot-bellied, middle-aged man in baggy tweed knickers of the kind golfers wore in the 1930s, who likes to play pranks. Other write-ups simply mention someone on the third floor who plays practical jokes. Our original guide placed him in the bar and dressed him in 1920s clothes. Nobody has tied him to a real person.
Handprints and a monkey
People say they have found tiny handprints on mirrors when no children were staying in the hotel. The regional tourism office also mentions a monkey, said to have been a pet during one of the renovations. It is one of the odder ghost stories in Montana, and nobody seems sure where it started.
The basement
Our original guide reported lights switching on and off in the basement and strange noises there. These are older reports without a named witness, but the basement is one of the oldest parts of the building.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- The third floor: Figures moving in and out of the hallways at night.
- The lounge and bar: The old gathering space where Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane are said to have held court, and where our original guide placed George.
- The basement: Lights and noises in the oldest part of the building.
History of The Pollard Hotel
Red Lodge grew up around coal. The Rocky Fork Coal Company opened mines on the east side of town, and in 1893 it built the town’s first brick building, a hotel called the Spofford, which opened on July 4 that year. It was built before the commercial district was platted, and its main entrance originally faced 11th Street, the busy route out to the eastside mines.
Thomas F. Pollard bought the hotel in 1902 and gave it his name. In 1903 an annex added 25 guest rooms and the Golden Rule Store, and by 1907 the entrance had moved round to Broadway. The commercial space held the post office, a bank and other businesses, so the Pollard became the center of the town’s business and social life.
According to the historical marker outside, early guests included Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane and William Jennings Bryan. The marker also notes that the brick walls show a century of remodeling and change.
The Pollard family later sold up, and after 1946 the hotel went through several owners and names, including The Chief, The Tyler and The Cielo Grande. In September 1991 the Hotel Company of Red Lodge bought it and restored it fully, adding the Gallery and the History Room as gathering spaces and turning old office space and a barber shop into a kitchen and dining room.
The mines are long closed and Red Lodge now lives on skiing, the Beartooth Highway and visitors heading to Yellowstone. The Pollard is still its historic hotel, locally owned and operated, with Marli’s Restaurant serving breakfast and lunch and a full bar in the evenings.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Ask for a third-floor room when you book.
- Spend an evening in the bar, open Tuesday to Saturday from late afternoon, and ask the staff for their own stories.
- Read the historical marker outside before you go in: it tells the hotel’s story in a few lines.
- Drive the Beartooth Highway if you are visiting in summer; it starts on the edge of town.
- Red Lodge is about 60 miles from Billings, so plan to arrive before dark in winter.
Want to investigate, not just sleep?
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- Fairweather Inn Ghost Hunt & Sleepover, Virginia City: investigate an 1860s gold rush inn, then sleep in it
- Old St. James Hospital Ghost Hunt, Butte: an old Sisters of Charity hospital in Butte
More haunted hotels nearby
- Chico Hot Springs, Pray: Percie Knowles and the rocking chair, near Yellowstone
- Sacajawea Hotel, Three Forks: a 1910 railroad hotel with its builder still on duty
- Grand Union Hotel, Fort Benton: hoofbeats on the stairs and the Lady of Room 202
- Haunted hotels in Montana
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Pollard Hotel in Red Lodge haunted?
It has a long-standing reputation. Visit Montana says mysterious figures are rumored to move through the third-floor hallways at night, and guests describe a woman in yellow, a prankster called George and tiny handprints on mirrors.
Who is the ghost in the yellow dress at the Pollard?
An unnamed woman in a yellow gown who is said to leave the faint smell of French perfume behind. There is no record of who she was.
Who is George at the Pollard Hotel?
A pot-bellied ghost in 1930s golf knickers, described by the regional tourism office as a prankster. Nobody knows who he was.
When was the Pollard Hotel built?
It opened on July 4, 1893, as the Spofford, Red Lodge’s first brick building. Thomas F. Pollard bought it in 1902.
Did Buffalo Bill stay at the Pollard?
The historical marker outside lists Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane and William Jennings Bryan among its early guests.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- HMdb: Pollard Hotel historical marker
- Visit Montana: Haunted hotels come alive
- Visit Yellowstone Country: Spooky tales from Montana's Yellowstone Country
- Waymarking: Pollard Hotel, Red Lodge
- Only In Your State: Tour the haunted Pollard Hotel
- The Pollard Hotel
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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