The Staircase Shooter Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
In 2024 owner Collete Longin told KRTV about the "Staircase Shooter," a drunken cowboy said to have been shot by a guard while riding his horse up the hotel stairs. Guests report hearing hooves on the stairs and old saloon music. Source: KRTV, 2024.
Facts below are drawn from the linked sources.
Real history
Construction began in 1881 and the hotel was completed in 1882, before railroads reached Helena and Great Falls. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976 (Wikipedia).
The hotel's own site calls it Montana's oldest operating hotel (Grand Union Hotel).
Ghost stories
These are reported legends, not verified events. The creepiness score (1–5) is Spook Atlas's own editorial rating, not a measurement.
Then and now
Public access
Open to the public The hotel's own site offers rooms and dining (Grand Union Hotel). Last checked: Oct 31, 2026.
Explore more
- More places in Fort Benton and Montana
- More haunted & abandoned hotels
- Nearby: Fort Assinniboine (Havre, MT), Copperopolis (Copperopolis, MT), Diamond City (Confederate Gulch, MT), Rocky Point (Rocky Point, MT)
⚠️ Please read: This information may be outdated and conditions change. Verify access with the owner or operator before you go. Spook Atlas does not encourage trespassing. Entering private, closed or condemned property can be illegal and dangerous. Report a correction.
Reader experiences
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