Oregon Caves Chateau

A historic hotel built in 1934 within Oregon Caves National Monument. Currently closed for multi-year rehabilitation. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Oregon Caves Chateau was built in 1934 deep within the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, a rustic lodge constructed of local wood and stone to serve visitors to the Oregon Caves National Monument. Recognized as one of the most architecturally intriguing lodges in the National Park system, the Chateau sits at the end of a winding mountain road near Cave Junction, surrounded by old-growth forest and perched above the entrance to the marble caves that draw visitors from around the world.

The Chateau's resident ghost is known as Elizabeth, described by witnesses as a pretty, mournful young blonde woman in period clothing. According to the most common version of her story, Elizabeth arrived at the Chateau on her honeymoon and discovered her new husband in the arms of a chambermaid. Devastated, she took her own life. The details of her death vary between tellings: some accounts say she hanged herself from a pipe in her room, others that she leapt from an upper-floor window, and still others that she slit her wrists in the bathtub. The room associated with her death is identified as either Room 309 or Room 310, depending on the source. It is important to note that there are no official records of any deaths at the Chateau, and the story of Elizabeth cannot be verified through historical documentation. The legend may be entirely apocryphal, but the paranormal activity attributed to her is extensive and consistent across decades of reports.

The kitchen staff have seen Elizabeth more than anyone else. She is reportedly quite active in the kitchen during the small hours of the night, banging pots and pans, rattling doors, and causing souffles to fall inexplicably. Her disruptions are specific and recurring enough that kitchen workers have come to expect them. Beyond the kitchen, Elizabeth moves through guest rooms with apparent ease. She bangs closet doors, unmakes beds that have just been prepared, and scatters freshly folded towels across floors, often in rooms that were locked from the outside. She is known for pinching the feet of sleeping guests, a startling and intimate form of contact that has been reported by multiple visitors over the years.

Room 215 has emerged as a particular hotspot for paranormal activity, and the Chateau maintains a log book at the front desk where guests can record their supernatural experiences during their stay. This collection of firsthand accounts, sometimes called the big book of hauntings, has grown substantially over the decades and serves as an informal record of Elizabeth's ongoing presence. The desk clerk has reported seeing her on multiple occasions. Maids have witnessed her activities during their rounds. Kitchen staff allegedly captured her image in a photograph that showed her sad, innocent face, blonde curls, and period clothing reflected in a surface where no such reflection should have been possible.

One of the more memorable accounts involves a young child staying at the Chateau who sketched Elizabeth in detail after seeing her, then left the drawing at the front desk for others to see. The drawing matched descriptions given by adult witnesses who had no contact with the child. This drawing, along with the kitchen photograph, is kept in the log book at the front desk.

The Chateau also harbors what some guests describe as a third-floor linen closet where moaning and crying can be heard, as though someone is hiding inside in great distress. When the closet is opened, no one is there. An uneasy feeling pervades certain areas of the building, and some guests have reported hearing residual screaming that seems to come from within the walls themselves. The Oregon Caves Chateau operates seasonally, and during the long winter months when the lodge stands empty in its mountain setting, whatever occupies the building has the place entirely to itself.