Clifton, Arizona, is a small town, about 3400 people. And Morenci, the mining town just up the highway, is even smaller at under 1500. I hoped that, between the two towns, I’d find a decent hotel.
I looked online and found four but checked the Clifton Hotel first. I looked at the website and found it was recently restored, and, in fact, still under renovation. It was a former “cowboy hotel” built in 1890 and at the time was called the Central Hotel. Happily, it was said to be haunted.
How could I not go? I’ve encountered spirits in the past but never when I’ve stayed in a hotel that was haunted. But I could hope.
I called the hotel and spoke to one of the owners, Karen, who bought the hotel with her husband Matt in 2017.
The couple lived in Tucson, she an engineer and he busy restoring and renovating buildings. They saw an article about Clifton that had a photo of the arch ruins downtown and decided to drive the two-and-a-half hours for a visit.
But Clifton held a surprise for them. The same day they arrived, they saw a rundown old hotel.
They called the realtor, visited the building, and bought it. That fast.
The realtor who sold it to them had once owned the hotel but sold it because shortly after purchasing it, he injured his back quite badly and wasn’t able to rehab it.
He sold it to the the current owner who just a few weeks after the purchase was hit by a car while walking in a crosswalk. His injuries left him unable to do the renovation, so he hired a crew to begin work.
The first day the crew showed up, they felt extremely uncomfortable there. They walked off the job and refused to go back.
But with all of that, Karen and Matt decided to buy the place.
Matt, however, became the third owner in a row to be derailed from his restoration project.
A few days before closing on the hotel, Matt became desperately ill. He couldn’t get out of bed for a week. In fact, he had to lie down in the back seat of a car to make it to the closing at all.
But he made it through closing and when he was better, he moved into the hotel to begin renovation.
Karen wrote this to me:
“Matt’s first few nights here were terrifying (I was living in Tucson at the time). He saw shadows and felt very unwelcome. But he persevered, and we feel that, because our intention was to restore the hotel rather than just modernize it, his work was accepted.
We’ve just put the finishing touches on our fourth room. This one is upstairs. While I don’t usually notice anything other-worldly, when I was in that room, putting up curtains, I was overcome by strong, long-lasting deja vu. I brought my bartender in there and she was immediately covered in goosebumps. She left the room and said she would never go in it again. Interestingly, the dogs do not like the room either. Katie will go in, but will slouch the entire time, while Pops will not enter at all.”
When I saw some of the before photos, I was shocked. If I hadn’t already stayed in one of their lovely rooms, I almost wouldn’t have believed it was possible.
From the outside it looked pretty hopeful.
All the “before” photos were provided by Karen and Matt, owners of the Clifton Hotel. Remaining photos of the interior today are mine unless otherwise noted.
The lobby needed a bit of work. Much of the damage was due to the 1983 flood which left 6-1/2 feet of water in the hotel! The building was abandoned then because it seemed impossible to clean up.
The walls held up well, though, since they’re constructed of slag block, a mining byproduct. Each block weighs about fifty pounds. Exterior blocks are stacked three thick making the walls 18” wide.
Matt and Karen had the blocks tested to be sure there were no traces of uranium or anything else dangerous. They’re perfectly safe.
Here’s a shot of the lobby when they bought the hotel followed by two photos of it today.
Karen shared all three of the above pictures. What an astounding difference!
Here’s the stairway as they found it.
Here are a few more shots that show the state of the hotel when Karen and Matt purchased it.
I simply can’t believe they bought it!
Here’s a before shot of Suite 2, where I stayed. Cement blocks fill in most of the space of the original window. A few photos down you’ll see today’s lovely curtained window.
And after.
Matt removed some walls to double the size of the rooms. Suite 2 was lovely, but it wasn’t large.
Back when it was a cowboy hotel, rooms must have been about 8’x10’. Today they’re twice the size, but once the bath and kitchenette are carved out of the space, the room is comfortable. But “cozy” might be a better description of its size.
The microwave and mini fridge were handy, and there was even a small sink for washing my utensils. Rooms are decorated in period furniture, but I’m sure it’s much nicer than what the guests of the late 1800s once had!
A few sweet touches.
A big plus: My bed was one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept in. And there was lightning-fast internet, too, something those cowboys of a hundred years ago could never have imagined.
At the back of the hotel is a common area with a large table, a coffeemaker, and space to relax.
I sat in this area for breakfast and dinner each day. I mostly had the space to myself but ran into another guest one time.
Well, I didn’t quite have the space to myself since the two hotel doggies often showed up to keep me company.
If you’re headed to Clifton, I truly recommend this hotel. I did have one disappointment with my stay, however. I never saw a ghost. Perhaps next time.
Beware when searching for the Clifton Hotel on the web, though! There’s one with the same name in Tucson that may come up first when you look.
To avoid the confusion, here’s a link to the hotel. Its website has additional information on the hotels history and on the town.
Emilie Vardaman 