The Ghost Bride of Banff Springs
In a castle-like hotel in the Canadian Rockies, a bride is said to dance on the stairs where she once fell.
What was reported
The Banff Springs Hotel, a grand stone building in the Canadian Rockies, opened in 1888. Its best-known legend is the Ghost Bride: a bride who, the story goes, was walking down a marble staircase when her dress caught fire from a candle, and she fell and died.
Guests and staff report seeing her dancing in the ballroom or on the stairs. Another tale tells of Sam, a bellman who loved the hotel so much that he still helps guests long after his death.
Explanations offered
There's no record of the bride's death, and the staircase was built later than some versions suggest. The stories are part of the hotel's lore, told to visitors and on tours.
- When
- Hotel opened in 1888
- Where
- Banff, Alberta, Canada
- Witnesses
- Guests and staff
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.