Red Onion Saloon – Haunted Brothel in Skagway, Alaska
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Full Address: 205 Broadway Street, Skagway, AK 99840
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The Red Onion Saloon stands as a weathered testament to Alaska’s wild Gold Rush days. This historic building served dual purposes during Skagway’s lawless boom years as both saloon and brothel.
Visitors today report unexplained footsteps echoing through empty hallways at night. Cold spots materialize without warning in rooms where working girls once entertained prospectors.
The building’s bright red exterior masks the darker stories contained within its walls. Desperate men seeking fortune and fleeting comfort created an atmosphere thick with unfulfilled dreams.
Staff members and tourists alike describe encounters with spirits who refuse to leave. The ghostly presence of former madams and working girls remains impossibly strong.
Skagway locals treat the Red Onion’s paranormal activity as accepted fact rather than legend. This brothel museum draws ghost hunters and history enthusiasts from around the world.
Historical Background
The Red Onion Saloon opened its doors in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. Construction workers built the establishment specifically to serve the thousands of prospectors flooding into Skagway.
The ground floor operated as a traditional saloon serving whiskey and beer. Upstairs, ten small cribs housed the working girls who serviced lonely miners.
Lydia De Puy became one of the most famous madams to operate the establishment. She maintained strict rules and ran a surprisingly organized business during chaotic times.
The building functioned as an active brothel until 1914 when prostitution restrictions tightened. Several women reportedly died within the Red Onion’s walls from disease and violence.
One particularly tragic incident involved a young prostitute named Lydia in the early 1900s. She allegedly died under mysterious circumstances in Room 8 after a violent encounter.
Another woman named Diamond Lil worked at the Red Onion during its peak years. She became known for her generous spirit and distinctive perfume scent.
The saloon closed completely during Prohibition but reopened in later decades as a restaurant. Modern renovations preserved the original structure and much of the period furnishings.
Today the building operates as both working saloon and brothel museum on the second floor. Authentic cribs remain furnished exactly as they appeared over a century ago.
Paranormal Activity Summary
The scent of antique perfume frequently manifests without any physical source present. Multiple witnesses describe the same sweet floral fragrance associated with Diamond Lil.
Disembodied footsteps pace the upstairs hallways when no living person occupies the second floor. These phantom sounds follow the same path the working girls walked nightly.
Mannequins dressed in period costumes reportedly move positions between closing and opening times. Staff members have photographed these displays to document the inexplicable repositioning.
Cold spots appear suddenly in specific cribs despite functional heating systems throughout the building. Room 8 experiences the most dramatic temperature drops without explanation.
Glasses and bottles move across bar surfaces when staff members turn their backs. The objects slide slowly rather than falling or tipping over suddenly.
Male visitors report feeling unwelcome touches and feminine whispers in darkened corners. These encounters mirror the historical interactions between prostitutes and prospective clients.
Electronic devices malfunction regularly on the second floor museum area without technical explanation. Cameras drain completely within minutes despite fresh batteries.
Shadow figures appear in peripheral vision throughout the building during evening hours. These dark silhouettes wear Victorian-era clothing clearly visible before vanishing completely.
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Ghost Stories & Reports
Diamond Lil remains the most frequently encountered spirit at the Red Onion Saloon. Her distinctive perfume announces her presence before any visual manifestation occurs.
Witnesses describe seeing a full-bodied apparition wearing an elaborate purple dress with feathers. She appears most often near the bar area where she entertained customers.
One bartender named Mike reported serving a woman matching Lil’s description late one evening. She vanished completely when he turned to retrieve her whiskey order.
The ghost in Room 8 exhibits more aggressive tendencies than other spirits. Female visitors report feeling pushed or shoved when entering this particular crib.
A local paranormal investigator named Sarah Thompson documented scratching sounds coming from inside Room 8. Her audio recordings captured a female voice saying “get out” distinctly.
Tour guides consistently report their hair being pulled during evening museum tours upstairs. The sensation feels deliberate rather than accidental according to multiple accounts.
Lydia the madam allegedly appears as a stern figure in black Victorian mourning clothes. She manifests near the staircase separating the saloon from the working cribs.
Witnesses describe her carrying a leather-bound ledger she used to track business transactions. Her apparition appears translucent but clearly visible for several seconds before fading.
A prospector’s ghost reportedly haunts the men’s restroom in the basement level. Male patrons describe feeling watched and hearing heavy breathing in empty stalls.
This spirit allegedly died of a heart attack in the original outhouse location. His presence feels oppressive and uncomfortable according to consistent visitor reports.
Children’s laughter sometimes echoes through the building despite no minors being present inside. This phenomenon puzzles researchers since the Red Onion never housed children.
One theory suggests the sounds represent residual energy from street-level activities outside. Another explanation proposes the laughter belongs to spirits passing through the location.
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Most Haunted Spot
Room 8 on the second floor generates the most intense paranormal activity. This small crib reportedly witnessed the violent death of a young prostitute.
Visitors standing inside Room 8 experience overwhelming sadness and occasional physical touches. Several people have fled the room crying without understanding why.
The mannequin positioned on the bed in Room 8 frequently changes positions overnight. Security footage shows no human interference with the display.
EMF meters spike dramatically when paranormal investigators enter this particular space. The readings suggest significant electromagnetic disturbances without identifiable sources.
Temperature drops of fifteen to twenty degrees occur suddenly within Room 8. These cold spots concentrate near the small bed and washstand.
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Can You Visit?
The Red Onion Saloon welcomes visitors year-round as an operating restaurant and bar. The ground floor remains open to anyone wanting to grab food or drinks.
Upstairs brothel museum tours run regularly during peak tourist season from May through September. Tour tickets cost fifteen dollars per person and last approximately thirty minutes.
Photography is permitted and actually encouraged throughout the museum portion of the building. Many visitors capture unexplained anomalies in their photos and video recordings.
The saloon operates from eleven in the morning until late evening most days. Museum tours typically run every hour starting at noon until early evening.
Private paranormal investigations can be arranged during off-season months for groups. These special access events allow overnight stays and extensive equipment use.
Best Time to Visit
Paranormal activity intensifies dramatically during late night and early morning hours between midnight and four. The spirits seem most active when the building empties of living visitors.
Winter months from November through March produce the strongest supernatural manifestations according to staff. Fewer tourists mean quieter conditions that allow subtle phenomena to become noticeable.
Tour guides report increased activity on foggy or overcast days regardless of season. The atmospheric conditions seem to energize the resident spirits somehow.
Anniversary dates connected to historical events sometimes trigger unusual activity spikes throughout the building. Staff members mark their calendars when particularly active nights occur.
First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports
Restaurant manager Jennifer Collins documented her encounter with Diamond Lil in 2019. She smelled the distinctive perfume then saw a purple-dressed woman disappear near table seven.
Jennifer submitted a formal report describing the woman’s elaborate upswept hairstyle and feathered accessories. She recognized the figure from historical photographs displayed throughout the saloon.
Tour guide Robert Hansen experienced physical contact while leading a group through the cribs. An invisible force grabbed his shoulder forcefully enough to leave finger-shaped bruises.
Robert photographed the marks immediately after the tour concluded to document the incident. He continues working at the Red Onion despite the unsettling encounter.
Tourist Amanda Peterson from Seattle captured a shadow figure on video in 2021. Her footage shows a dark human-shaped mass moving across the upstairs hallway.
Analysis of Amanda’s video reveals no natural explanation for the shadowy movement. The figure appears solid rather than translucent and moves with purposeful direction.
Bartender Carlos Martinez reported hearing his name called repeatedly while closing alone one night. No other staff members remained in the building at that late hour.
Carlos described the voice as feminine and insistent rather than threatening or angry. He completed his closing duties quickly and avoided being alone afterward.
Paranormal investigator team “Alaska Ghost Hunters” spent three nights investigating the Red Onion. They documented multiple EVP recordings containing female voices responding to their questions.
Their most compelling evidence captured a voice saying “I’m still here” near Room 8. The team also photographed numerous unexplained light anomalies throughout their investigation.
Paranormal Investigations & Findings
The television show “Ghost Adventures” filmed an episode at the Red Onion in 2015. Zak Bagans and his crew documented significant electromagnetic field fluctuations upstairs.
Their investigation captured apparent intelligent responses during EVP sessions with the spirits. The crew reported feeling physically drained after spending time in Room 8.
Local paranormal group “Skagway Spirit Seekers” conducts regular investigations at the historic building. They maintain extensive documentation of recurring phenomena patterns and active locations.
Their research suggests at least seven distinct spirits regularly manifest throughout the property. Each entity exhibits unique characteristics and preferred manifestation locations.
Thermal imaging cameras frequently detect human-shaped cold spots moving through empty rooms. These temperature anomalies maintain consistent form rather than dissipating like natural drafts.
Motion sensors installed for security purposes trigger regularly without any physical cause present. Security footage shows no explanation for these frequent false alarms.
Audio recorders capture phantom footsteps, whispers, and occasional full sentences during overnight investigations. The voice patterns match Victorian-era speech patterns and colloquialisms.
Investigators consistently report equipment malfunctions that resolve immediately upon leaving the building. Fresh batteries drain completely while cameras shut down without operator input.
Local Legends & Myths
Local legend claims Diamond Lil buried her substantial gold earnings somewhere within the building. Treasure hunters occasionally request permission to search walls and floors without success.
Some believe her spirit remains attached to the location guarding her hidden fortune. This theory explains why her manifestations seem protective rather than threatening.
Another persistent legend involves a secret tunnel connecting the Red Onion to nearby buildings. Supposedly prostitutes used this passage to avoid harsh weather and prying eyes.
No physical evidence of such a tunnel has ever been discovered despite renovations. The story persists among tour guides as colorful historical embellishment.
Old-timers claim the Red Onion sits atop an ancient Tlingit burial ground. This explanation attempts to account for the building’s intense paranormal activity.
Historians dispute this claim finding no archaeological evidence supporting indigenous burials at this location. The legend likely emerged to sensationalize the documented ghostly encounters.
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