Follow the booook

WALLACE –– A new book from local author Deborah Cuyle has given prospective ghost hunters and history buffs alike a road map to some potentially thrilling adventures.

Cuyle’s newest book, "Ghosts of Coeur d’Alene and the Silver Valley," heavily features some of Shoshone County’s most notable spots — many of them being of historical significance and all of them coming with some chilling realizations.

Cuyle, a historical author, is also something of a medium and her adventures with paranormal activity throughout the area lend themselves in her writing.

The book does a terrific job of demonstrating how supernatural experiences can come in all sorts of forms, be it the overwhelming feeling of joy that people have reported feeling at the Cataldo Mission, ghostly drinkers opening doors in Murray, helpful maids pointing at forgotten items in Wallace, or even some unhappy miners up Burke Canyon.

While Cuyle touches on many places, the city of Wallace really takes the crown as the Silver Valley’s top haunt.

“You can’t throw a stick in any direction here in Wallace without hitting a ghost,” Cuyle said.

“This city is a perfect blend of history and tragedy, much of it going hand in hand with one another. I have had a lot of ghostly encounters at the Jameson (Hotel). I have experienced some EVPs at the Ryan (Hotel), and in Coeur d'Alene the Roosevelt Inn is very active with mischievous spirits.”

Some of these encounters and guidances are discussed in the book.

One of the more undiscussed haunted locations in the Silver Valley was also discussed and was the subject of a walkthrough by myself (Josh McDonald), and News-Press Editor Chanse Watson — The Brooks Hotel.

Built in 1905 and located at 500 Cedar St. in Wallace, the Brooks Hotel – the current home to a hotel, bar, and restaurant – was once home to a hospital, complete with a morgue in the basement and specialty operating rooms on the top floor with designed skylights to aid in operations.

Part of the building burned down, but was later rebuilt. From that point on, the building housed a department store, a dry-goods store, as well as mining offices.

"Looking at all the signs of multiple refurbishments, it was clear that the building has served several roles over the years,” Watson said.

The top floor has been stripped down to the studs in many places and much of the former hospital/office aesthetic of that part of the building is long gone – save for some very noticeable attributes.

Current co-owner Emily Nelson has a deep familial connection to the Brooks and has taken on the responsibility of reviving the dilapidated top floor of the building.

As a live-in owner and operator, Nelson has been in her room and heard footsteps coming from the floor only to go up and find that there’s no one there and no sign of anyone having been there.

“It’s not the same steps either,” Nelson said. “Sometimes it’s really slow heavy steps, but then other times the footsteps are much faster.”

In Cuyle’s book, Nelson’s mother, Rachel Stanley, discusses hearing the footsteps as well.

“We hear footsteps a lot when we are cleaning the rooms – sometimes when I know for a fact that we are the only people there. Many of us have heard the phantom footsteps, but we never feel anything scary or creepy. We would like to think it is just one of the former guests from years gone by who love The Brooks and just doesn't want to leave.”

Guests have also reported seeing a woman in a white gown, which would make sense given the nature of the building’s history.

It is unknown as to the origin of this spectre. Was this hospital where she met her demise? Was she an important part of the medical staff?

Nothing of her reported presence has ever been malevolent, but the idea of a spirit left over from an old hospital’s operating room doesn’t bring much comfort.

The skylight is spectacular, but a haunting reminder of how the advances in science have changed the medical landscape.

"The high and large hospital windows really set an uneasy mood when you get up there," Watson said after our tour of the upstairs.

To him, the most eerie part of the top floor was a lone fireplace that sits in the southeastern most room. Nelson explained that the space used to be a family room, where loved ones of patients and doctors would wait. She added that many over the years have seen ghostly figures huddled around the unlit fire, looking for warmth.

Strangely, the basement, which had housed the hospital’s morgue, wasn’t even remotely as creepy as one would imagine. Instead the expansive layout of the basement was terrifying because it seemed like it would be incredibly easy to get lost.

"The basement is where the real spooky vibes come from,” Watson said. “Old cement and brick walls, a seemingly endless number of dark rooms, and a strong 'basement' smell creates a perfect environment that ghosts probably want to hang out in."

Cuyle herself has had experiences at the Brooks, including a disconnected phone ringing, but she still adores the building and will occasionally jump behind the bar to help Nelson in a pinch.

“I love the history of this place,” Cuyle said of Wallace. “There is just so much and like I said, there are ghosts everywhere here, it would almost be impossible to identify all of them.”

Cuyle’s steady prose makes the book an exciting read, one that’s almost over too quickly if you sit down and devour it in one afternoon (like I just did).

But through reading it, you can tell Cuyle’s appreciation for history and for the responsibility she carries as a person who is sensitive to things unseen.

“I’m fascinated by the supernatural, absolutely fascinated by it,” Cuyle said. “But it can also be exhausting.”

"Ghosts of Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley," published by Haunted America, a division of Arcadia Publishing and the History Press, was released in August and can be found online and through retailers such as Target and Barnes and Noble.

It is also available for sale at Johnson's Gems and Gifts in Wallace at 524 Bank St. and most book stores in Coeur d'Alene.

For more information, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com and www.historypress.net