Ogden is a city located north of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is famous for many tourist spots like the Snowbasin Resort, the Nordic Valley Ski Resort, Hill Aerospace Museum, Ogden’s George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park, Ogden Union Station, Ogden Nature Centre, and many more. It is also home to a shopping and dining hub.

Downtown Ogden, Utah. (Link: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/255227503860448720/)

Another tourist spot that people love to visit is the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel. However, people are not going here for a home away from home, because this hotel is said to be haunted.

The Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel. (Link: https://www.nowplayingutah.com/venue/ben-lomond-hotel/)

The History Of Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel

The Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel was opened to the public in the year 1927. From the time the hotel was constructed and to date, it is the largest hotel in the city of Ogden. It is also dubbed as one of the three grand hotels in the whole of Utah.

The land where Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel stands today is the same land where a five-story hotel was erected in 1891. The hotel is called Reed Hotel and it was owned by A.Peery, a local businessman. He was also the one who decided to change the Reed Hotel into a modern one. He and 300 more shareholders of a corporation worked together to organize the construction of the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel.

An old photo of the Reed Hotel. (Link: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=449057)

The architectural firm called Hodgson & McClenahan were tapped to draw the plans for the hotel. After the plans were made, the construction began and it cost $1, 250, 000 to build the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel. The hotel was patterned after Italian Renaissance Revival style, which was common during the same time the modern hotel was built. The exterior was highly ornamented while the interior was a mix of many things. The hotel had an Arabic-style coffee ship, a Florentine Palace ballroom, a meeting room that had Spanish touches, and many more.

Later, the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel was purchased by Marriner S. Eccles. The hotel was then renamed Ben Lomond Hotel and it remained as a functional hotel for over 40 years. Owners changed hands many times, too.

After 80 years since Eccles acquired the hotel, the former name was restored. In the year 2019, the hotel was converted into an apartment complex and was called The Bigelow Apartments.

The Deaths At The Reed Hotel

As earlier stated, the first hotel built in the same area where Bigelow-Ben Lemond Hotel stands now is the Reed Hotel. Accordingly, there were many deaths that occurred at the hotel. The first death was that of Mr. William B. Steele. He died on June 28, 1891 and was found dead in his bead at around 10 P.M. It was determined that he succumbed to his disease, which was tuberculosis.

After Steele’s death, eight more deaths took place at the Reed Hotel. Most of the deaths were due to natural causes but the other deaths were more notable. This includes the September 16, 1921 death of a cook of the Reed Hotel. The cook, named Asugi Nakani, fell three stories down the elevator shaft. He suffered serious injuries and died from them. No one saw what happened but they believe it was a freak accident.

Another death was that of Mrs. Alen, the wife of Mr. Van Alen. They lived at the Reed Hotel recently when Mrs. Alen committed suicide. Allegedly, she suffered from many diseases and one morning, when her husband went to work, she shot herself in the head. When her husband came home from work during lunch time to check up on her, he and a bell boy found her lying dead in their bed.

The Deaths At The Bigelow-Ben Lemond Hotel

There were deaths that occurred at the Bigelow-Ben Lemond Hotel, too. One of those deaths was on March 9, 1929. Accordingly, the death took place during the time the Utah Canners Association had their annual convention at the hotel. One of the members, Dan Rowland, invited a few of his friends to his room on the 12^th floor to drink before they join the others at the ballroom for some dancing. One of those people invited was Edward Spelman. Another person invited was the wife of one of the friends of Rowland and she had too much to drink so she decided to lie down for a bit. Later, Rowland and his friends, together with Spelman, went back to the ballroom, but at some point, Spelman went back to the room of Rowland. Rowland then caught him attacking the woman who was lying down in the bed. They then had a scuffle. Rowland hit Spelman on the chin and the latter fell down and hit his head on the wall. Spelman died as a result because of a ruptured artery.

A photo of Spelman. (Link: https://www.thedeadhistory.com/ben-lomond-hotel-ogden-utah/)

Two more deaths occurred at the Bigelow-Ben Lemond Hotel. Accordingly two men who just lost their jobs decided to jump off from the top of the hotel. They were identified as Glen Jackson and Elmo G. Chapman. They fell 65 feet to their death.

A photo of the newspaper article about the two men who lost their jobs and jumped from the hotel. (Link: https://www.thedeadhistory.com/ben-lomond-hotel-ogden-utah/)

The last recorded suicide was on July 16, 1951. A local teacher named Donna Anderson reportedly jumped from a window on the ninth floor of the Bigelow-Ben Lemond Hotel. It is unclear why she jumped.

The last murder, on the other hand, happened on October 24, 1976. The man murdered was hotel clerk Henry Topping, Jr. Accordingly, he was stabbed to death 44 times. A 15-year-old boy is said to be responsible for his murder.

A photo of Johnny Angelo Perez, the then-teenager who killed the hotel clerk. (Link: https://www.deseret.com/2006/2/8/19937171/family-offers-inmate-forgiveness)

The Ghosts At The Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel

The rumours about paranormal activities and ghost sightings at the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel have been around for years now. This includes the ghost of a mother and her son.

Accordingly, the mother was spending her honeymoon at the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel. On the night of her wedding, however, she drowned in the tub. This incident took place in room 1102. Guests who have checked in the same room claimed that they felt unusual events like the water in the tub running by itself and being pushed by an unseen hand. It is believed to be the ghost of the lady who died responsible for these paranormal activities.

As for the son’s ghost, he reportedly went to the hotel to collect his mother’s belongings. He stayed in the same room where his mother died. He then became depressed and took his own life. Guests believe he is the one they hear talking in the same room or the apparition they have seen.

Another popular paranormal activity that happens at the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel is that the elevators move on their own regularly. It is believed that the spirits are the ones using the elevators at night. Many elevator engineers were already called to see what’s been causing this unusual event but no one could see anything faulty or wrong.

The wife of Eccles, the former owner of the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel, is said to be one of the spirits still living in the building. Other paranormal activities include the scent of an old-fashioned perfume, many cold spots, hearing disembodied voices, full-bodied apparitions, and door slamming for no reason.

It is believed that some of the people who died at the Reed Hotel and at the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel continue to haunt the building today.