A gun shop, general store, and a Chinese chop house were all situated in spaces now occupied by the motel. Relics such as Chinese artifacts, bullet casings, bottles and old horseshoes have been dug up and uncovered around the motel grounds over the years. Paranormal investigators have learned that sometimes it’s not the current building that enhances a haunting. Occasionally, there is spirit residue lingering on to what was built on the property beforehand.

 

Larian Motel owner and proprietor, Gordon Anderson, has operated the establishment since 1980. He has a vast knowledge of the history and ghost stories of Tombstone. Some of these stories originate at the Larian.

 

Most of the activity occurs in the older, original section of the motel. The most haunted rooms are noted to be Rooms 1 through 4. Gordon told MVD Ghostchaser Mark Christoph and me that he has heard faint sounds of old fashion music in the vicinity of the motel. He has search for the source to no avail as the musical concert never lasts very long.

 

After a full day of exploring Tombstone, a set of twin sisters booked Room 3—the Doc Holiday room. The exhausted ladies were ready to go to sleep by 10PM. Unbeknown to each other, they both awakened at 12:30am with an odd feeling a ghost was in their room.   The sisters had a hard time falling back to sleep. They didn’t discuss their unearthly visit until they sat down together for breakfast the next morning. It was then they learned they both experienced the same phenomena.

 

Sometimes items in Room 3 turn up missing and amazingly return later in the day. A gentleman could not find the eyeglasses he had just placed on the night stand. Motel staff members joined the guest in the search for the missing item, but the glasses could not be found. He left for the Allen Street shops without his spectacles and still managed to enjoy his day in Tombstone. When he returned to his motel room at dinner time, the glasses were back on the nightstand exactly where he had left them.

 

As Mark and I popped our heads into Room 4—the Wyatt Earp room—he suddenly felt the presence of a large, white haired man. In his minds eye, Mark said the man was wearing a white shirt, and from the style of his shirts and pants, he looked like a tourist from the 50’s or 60’s. Perhaps this time traveler had stayed at the motel in an earlier time. The man watched us for a few minutes, and then faded away.

 

The Larian has been a very popular stop for modern day tourists too. Many travelers make return visits to the 14 room motel. They look forward to the courteous service and Western hospitality. It is only a block away from the OK Corral and other Tombstone attractions, so therefore guests find it’s the ideal spot to stay after a long day in the West. Keep an ear open for possible ghostly visitors of Tombstone’s past. You just might meet up with a gunslinger, Chinese chop cook, or retro tourists arriving in their DeSoto.     

 

For Information and Reservations:

Larian Motel

Hwy 80  PO Box 224

Tombstone, AZ  85638

520-457-2272 

 

        Debe Branning     nazanaza@aol.com