Opened New Year’s Day, 1900
Weatherford Hotel
A figure crosses the Zane Grey Ballroom floor and does not stop at the wall.
The history and the hauntingThe Book by Susan Johnson · The History Press, 2022
The town keeps its ghosts well fed.
The Weatherford Hotel. The Hotel Monte Vista. The old train depot. Haunted Flagstaff is the documented ghost history of a mountain town that never quite buried its past, told by the historian who spent decades in its archives.
Finalist, 2023 Viola Awards · Written StorytellingThe History Press · Haunted America seriesTravel Channel’s The Dead Files · 2022Arizona Daily Sun · Flagstaff History columnist
About the Book
A historian’s ghost story
Every mountain town collects legends. Flagstaff collected receipts. Susan Johnson spent years in courthouse records, newspaper archives, and hotel registers before she wrote a word about what walks the hallways, and it shows on every page.
From the publisher: The spirits of the Old West are alive and kicking in Flagstaff. Read about the ghosts of the Weatherford Hotel, where strange sightings and disturbing events aren’t just confined to the Zane Grey Ballroom. Step inside the Hotel Monte Vista, where locals swear that the Grizzly Meat Man still roams the hallways. Discover the historic train depot, including a ghostly former train conductor. Join author Susan Johnson as she uncovers the supernatural side of Flagstaff’s fascinating history.
With an afterword by Dr. Karen J. Renner, Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University and a scholar of horror and the gothic.
| Title | Haunted Flagstaff |
|---|---|
| Author | Susan Johnson |
| Afterword | Dr. Karen J. Renner |
| Publisher | The History Press |
| Series | Haunted America |
| Published | June 6, 2022 |
| Pages | 112 |
| Paperback ISBN | 978-1467150699 |
| Paperback price | $21.99 |
| Also available | Hardcover, Kindle, Google Play |
In the Book
Three addresses no one checks out of
Opened 1927, on what became Route 66
Hotel Monte Vista
The Grizzly Meat Man of Room 220, the rocking chair of 305, and the bellboy who knocks for no one.
The history and the haunting
Built 1926, now the Flagstaff Visitor Center
The Historic Train Depot
A conductor still works a platform where no train has boarded passengers in decades.
The history and the hauntingGet the Book
Take the town’s dark history home
Hardcover
In Flagstaff
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For readers 8 to 12
The Ghostly Tales of Flagstaff
The stories from Haunted Flagstaff, adapted for young readers by Julie Rathsack. Publishes August 18, 2026. Preorders are open.
The kids’ editionTravel Channel, 2022
When The Dead Files Came to Town
A two-hour special investigated downtown Flagstaff and called the whole town engulfed. Susan Johnson supplied the history behind the hauntings.
The episode and the authorWalk the pages
Stand Where the Stories Happened
Freaky Foot Tours walks the streets in this book, built on the same research. 1,000+ five-star reviews. Best of Flagstaff three years running.
Flagstaff Ghost Tour
About the Author
Susan Johnson is a Flagstaff, Arizona author, historian, and paranormal researcher: author of Haunted Flagstaff, Wicked Flagstaff, and Flagstaff’s Walkup Family Murders from The History Press, curator of the weekly Flagstaff History column in the Arizona Daily Sun, and co-founder of Freaky Foot Tours.
Visit susanjohnson.org