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Ghosts of the Old West: Desert Spirits, Haunted Cabins, Lost Trails, and Other Strange Encounters
Even today the American West remains a frontier of mystery and intrigue, filled with the spirits of trappers and traders, Native Americans and settlers. These spirits have been sighted while haunting the West's beautiful and rugged land. In Ghosts of the Old West , acclaimed Western author Earl Murray conveys these stories in a narration so eerie and so chilling we advise reading this with all the lights on in the safety of your home.
Saddle up, my friend, and take a ride into the unknown. Traveling through Murray's West, you'll a soldier at Fort Laramie, dead for almost two centuries, who still insists on silence during war-strategy meetings, and La Llarona, also known as the weeping woman, who roams the hills and valleys of the Spanish Southwest. You'll hear stories of the Little People with their hidden powers and the Snake People, who are feared by the Native Americans to this day. And many, many more. Come along my friend, but be wary--the night comes early out here, early and dark.
Saddle up, my friend, and take a ride into the unknown. Traveling through Murray's West, you'll a soldier at Fort Laramie, dead for almost two centuries, who still insists on silence during war-strategy meetings, and La Llarona, also known as the weeping woman, who roams the hills and valleys of the Spanish Southwest. You'll hear stories of the Little People with their hidden powers and the Snake People, who are feared by the Native Americans to this day. And many, many more. Come along my friend, but be wary--the night comes early out here, early and dark.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 19, 2014
Interesting but but the writing is a bit unengaging.
July 9, 2025
Fascinating. Somewhat enjoyable but it tried to walk a line between scholarly work and ghost story collection and I wish it leaned more into one side or the other. A citation list would have been nice too.
June 5, 2020
Good book. Good stories. Got some new haunts to go exploring. Goes to show there’s a whole lot more blowing in the wind than the old dust from a long forgotten trail.
January 14, 2025
Really good book. Makes me really want to visit out west and see some of the places myself.
February 13, 2025
An interesting look and history about some of the haunted locales and legends of the Old West.
February 22, 2013
Do you believe in ghosts?
I do, especially after waking one night to a sense of presence in my bedroom. Scooting around, I looked and I saw a man standing at the foot of the bed. A pale green aura surrounded his entire being clothed in a Levi jacket & jeans, a dusty red bandana in his hand.
Did I know him?
Oh, I knew him for he was the one who was there for me through my divorce. As I edged closer, he vanished! Not having seen him in a while, weeks later a neighbor told me he had been found in a gutter, dead.
A collection of ethereal stories, Earl Murray’s saga on Reno Crossing in ‘Ghosts of the Old West’ enabled the underlying theme of my contemporary romance novel to gain entry in Chapter Three of ‘The Backside of the Page’ with the leading lady riding shotgun while her passenger drives the Ohio Turnpike.
Oblivious to his presence, she’s engrossed in a story about the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Specifically, a location known as Reno Crossing where, in 1983, an onsite tour guide awoke in her apartment one night to the presence of a man sitting in her living room chair. A photograph identified not Major Marcus Reno in command of the 7th Calvary after General George Armstrong Custer perished, but his adjutant & friend, Second Lieutenant Benjamin Hodgson. Said she repeatedly of the apparition, “It was the terror in his eyes.”
As the third chapter of my book continues, a ride is offered to a stranded motorist. Settled in the backseat, the English gentleman peruses the book and dismisses as nonsense not only Murray’s account in ‘Visions of Reno Crossing,’ but vehemently denounces the leading lady’s definition of simultaneous existence.
Do you?
I do, especially after waking one night to a sense of presence in my bedroom. Scooting around, I looked and I saw a man standing at the foot of the bed. A pale green aura surrounded his entire being clothed in a Levi jacket & jeans, a dusty red bandana in his hand.
Did I know him?
Oh, I knew him for he was the one who was there for me through my divorce. As I edged closer, he vanished! Not having seen him in a while, weeks later a neighbor told me he had been found in a gutter, dead.
A collection of ethereal stories, Earl Murray’s saga on Reno Crossing in ‘Ghosts of the Old West’ enabled the underlying theme of my contemporary romance novel to gain entry in Chapter Three of ‘The Backside of the Page’ with the leading lady riding shotgun while her passenger drives the Ohio Turnpike.
Oblivious to his presence, she’s engrossed in a story about the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Specifically, a location known as Reno Crossing where, in 1983, an onsite tour guide awoke in her apartment one night to the presence of a man sitting in her living room chair. A photograph identified not Major Marcus Reno in command of the 7th Calvary after General George Armstrong Custer perished, but his adjutant & friend, Second Lieutenant Benjamin Hodgson. Said she repeatedly of the apparition, “It was the terror in his eyes.”
As the third chapter of my book continues, a ride is offered to a stranded motorist. Settled in the backseat, the English gentleman peruses the book and dismisses as nonsense not only Murray’s account in ‘Visions of Reno Crossing,’ but vehemently denounces the leading lady’s definition of simultaneous existence.
Do you?
December 21, 2024
I have long believed in ghosts as did my mother. There were a couple times as a teenager when I felt odd sensations in our family home. However, after my father died, each member of my family had strong sensations of his presence. Some of the sensations were unsettling. We felt he was angry that he died so young and that he was seeking peace.
September 16, 2012
Love it! Living in Montana and having had the pleasure of growing up in a home that was over 100 years old and had ghosts, this book is a favorite. I am on my third copy, my second is signed by Mr. Murray and is safe on my shelf! Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews