Stephen Montoya
It’s a little past 8 p.m. when we think we may have made contact with the ghost of famous lawman, gambler, and journalist Bat Masterson in front of the historic White Elephant Saloon.
The Electromagnetic Field — EMF — detector in the hands of US Ghost Adventures tour guide Elizabeth Moler is indicating a red light, which means we are in the presence of some unexplained energy. As Moler moves the EMF detector around a window frame outside this saloon, she looks back at me with a surprised look.
“I think we’ve made contact with something,” she says while trying to keep up with whatever is causing the meter to react. “This spot usually isn’t this active, so I’m surprised we are getting this strong of a reading tonight.”
Moler just mentioned Masterson’s name when the EMF detector lit up. This is somewhat what I had expected to see, but since this tour is in real life and not being watched from the safety of my living room, it’s a bit more surreal and downright eerie. I had a notion we were going to run into something otherworldly given Fort Worth’s place in the annals of Wild West gunfights and outlaw activity.
Stephen Montoya
But Masterson is just one of many Old West celebrities and spirits said to haunt the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” prequel “1883” has generated a surge of interest in this historic district. So much so that national travel company US Ghost Adventures just added Cowtown to its list of 12 new tour locations this year. This tour, titled “Cowtown Ghosts: Hauntings of the Wild West,” is the latest in a series of Texas locals this national travel company organizes. The company also has tours in Austin, Dallas, Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio.
“It’s not like Fort Worth just popped up one day randomly. It’s been on the forefront of most people’s minds when it comes to the subject of the Old West,” says Andrew Luciano, US Ghost Adventures director of expansion. “It’s the picturesque Texas city, and it’s extremely old, which is a prerequisite for the places we usually go for.”
Besides its age, the Fort Worth Stockyards are full of legends, which are the basis for any good ghost hunt, Molar says as she moves from one legendary spot to another. “Whether it’s some unfinished business or just a place they frequented, the history of these tours is really the backbone to what makes them interesting,” she says.
One of the many stories Moler presented was about famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid. The Stockyards were host to a slew of former brothels, one of which has a tie to the duo through businesswoman Eunice Gray.
History shows that Gray was the owner of a brothel in what is now the Cowtown Winery on 128 E. Exchange Ave. Moler adds that Sundance left Eunice with a large sum of money, most likely stolen, that she used to the buy the establishment.
“Butch and Sundance would come by this brothel on occasion and it’s said that Sundance had a romantic link to Eunice,” she explains. “People say they have seen the figure of a woman standing in what is now the storefront of this winery, and since Gray used to own a brothel here, we believe it’s her spirit.”
After Moler finishes her historical oratory, she pulls out the EMF detector, waving it around to see if she is close to any readings. Moler waves the EMF tractor around the perimeter of the storefront window looking for any indication of a spirit.
But, alas, nothing.
It’s not until we are in front of the White Elephant Saloon that everything changes. As soon as Moler mentions Masterson’s name, the EMF detector begins to flash from green, all the way to red. But this wasn’t the only unexplained occurrence of the evening.
Stephen Montoya
About 20 minutes later, when we were taking a tour of the lobby of the Stockyards Hotel, the EMF detector again went off while it was laying on a coffee table. We were talking about the infamous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, who both stayed at this hotel during their notorious heyday. Moler explains that the crime couple robbed the bank that was once located across the street after staking it out through their hotel window. It was just then that the EMF detector lit up, catching both of us off-guard. After a few shared glances of disbelief, we headed out to the street to shake off the weird feeling that we had in fact been in the presence of the unexplained.
So, whether you are a fan or a skeptic, this tour has the capability to make a believer out of anyone interested in the paranormal.
Tickets can be purchased online at $25 a piece. Additional items are available, such as a 30-minute tour extender for $6 and a $7 EMF (electromagnetic field) detector to alert to any potential spirits nearby. The “Cowtown Ghosts: Hauntings of the Wild West” is held nightly at 8 p.m. in front of the Livestock Exchange at 131 E. Exchange Ave.
