Tucson Ghost Company & Society

06/20/2025

In Oracle, Arizona off of Old Highway 77 is Acadia Ranch- home of the Oracle Historical Society. This building has been many things over the years including a sheep ranch, boarding house, tuberculosis (TB) sanitarium, beauty salon, post office, and even a morgue!

The building was constructed in the 1880s by the Dodge family and opened as the Dodge Lodging House. Originally it was used as a boarding house and sheep ranch; however, the rise of consumption left many people moving to the Southwest for its warm dry climate to help ease symptoms. In turn, Acadia Ranch became a popular sanitarium for those suffering from TB. Fun fact: the Oracle Post Office was located in one of the rooms of Acadia Ranch with Edwin Dodge being the postmaster from 1885-1901!

Like many TB sanitariums and treatment centers, Acadia Ranch is no stranger to paranormal activities. It is said that a nurse, who supposedly contracted TB while working there and died, is still trying to take care of people. Also, another spirit dislikes things being hung on the north wall of the main room. Oftentimes, artwork that would be hung on the wall in the evening, would be found set down on the floor by the caretaker in the morning! There are also reports of doors being slammed shut and opening on their own, knocks and bangs coming from nowhere, apparitions of a head and shoulders of a person walking, children laughing and singing lullabies, and coughing despite no one else being there.

Sources:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/93a39071-072b-4d96-928d-a998cd09d9a3
https://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/chi_spotlight/oracle-historical-society-inc-oracle/
https://www.oraclehistoricalsociety.org/area-history/
https://www.theshadowlands.net/places/arizona.htm

06/19/2025

Did you know that not only are we Tucson’s only locally owned ghost tour; but we really are a “family” buisness.
Becky has had the tour since 2013 and we have gone through different logos but it’s been family members that have designed all but 1 logo! (The only one we didn’t design was the Tucson ghost tour logo when we first started).
Becky’s husband has created some of the past logos (which may come into play again soon with the rebranding) and Becky’s daughters designed the society and company one we use now.
The society “I’m Paranormal” was done by Savannah. The UFO company one was done by Bailey. With help from others we were able to clean them up and use them for our logos.
It goes beyond logos though—Becky’s other daughter, Aubrey, is an investigator on the team. So this company/team is not only a small locally woman owned business; but also very family oriented.

If we were to have merch in the future what logo would you like to see and what kind of merch?

06/19/2025

Don’t forget to sign up for the only locally owned ghost tour in Tucson!
Tucsonghostcompany.com

Our Ghost tours for
June:
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21st
Friday, June 27
Saturday, June 28th

July:
Thursday, July 3rd
Saturday, July 5
Friday, July 11
Sat, July 12th
Friday, July 18th
Saturday, July 19
Friday, July 25
Sat, July 26th

We will be taking August off then reopening our ghost tours along with ghost hunts!

06/17/2025

Join us for a fascinating interview with Becky McKiddy-Gydesen, founder of the Tucson Ghost Company, as we dive into her experiences investigating paranormal...

06/17/2025

06/16/2025

Big Nose Kate’s Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona is located on the site of one of the most luxurious hotels in Tombstone (and Southern Arizona history). The Grand Hotel opened with an invitation-only ball on September 9th, 1880! This 16-bedroom hotel was declared to be “one of the finest hotels in the state” with luxury furniture and carpeting, numerous oil paintings decorating the walls, and a kitchen boasting both hot and cold running water! The Grand Hotel was short-lived though as the 1882 Tombstone Fire on May 25th destroyed most of the building. Famous guests in the Grant Hotel include Wyatt and Virgil Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton gang. Supposedly Ike Clanton and the two McLaury brothers were registered as guests in the hotel the day before the OK Corral gunfight.

After the fire, a new building was erected. Three businesses were located in this building- two on the first floor and one in the basement. According to the 1883-1884 Tombstone Directory, some of the businesses were the Senate Saloon and the Union News Depot and Stationery Store. In May 1924, another fire wiped out most of the structure. It was rebuilt and in the 1970’s it became Big Nose Kate’s Saloon! Fun fact: the bar in the saloon is the original bar from the Grand Hotel that managed to survive the fire!

There have been numerous accounts of paranormal activity happening at Big Nose Kate’s including apparitions of cowboys and an old miner who worked and lived in the basement (named “Swamper”), hearing singing, talking, footsteps, and disembodied voices, objects moving on their own, cold spots, and seeing strange hazy forms in pictures and experiencing regular camera malfunctions.

Sources:
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=48515
https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/161336
https://web.archive.org/web/20110430205513/http://www.bignosekates.info/history1.html
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-tombstoneghosts/ -kate%E2%80%99

06/15/2025

Do you love to talk to people? Do you love history and ghost stories? If so, we have the job for you! Tucson Ghost Company is now hiring a ghost host!

This is an extra income type job because tours cannot be guaranteed.
When you host a tour of up to 20 people, you will be paid $40 plus tips for working roughly 2 hours.
We are looking for people who are available 7 days a week for our rebrand starting in September.

You must have a smart phone, be able to memorize a script (notes are allowed), be able to walk the downtown area, have people sign a release form, and be able to talk easily with people. (So not shy and can talk loudly).

Pay will be done via Zelle within 72 business hours of receiving release forms. (You may send release forms via email).

If interested, please send your resume and why you feel this job is for you to Becky at [email protected]

06/14/2025

We have been saying for months now to please do research and find local tours in towns. So many local ghost tours are going unseen due to the nation wide tours.
Here’s what one local tour had to say:

“They copied all of our stops — but the stories? Completely made up. Not folklore. Not misremembered tales. Just pure fiction, passed off as truth. Some of it was so outrageous I literally had to turn away.
Oh — and their tickets are $10 cheaper than mine. Clearly trying to undercut us while repackaging our work.
For anyone else dealing with this: you’re not alone. And if they haven’t reached your town yet — please be aware of how aggressively they move in, misrepresent history, and use underpricing to try and steal business built with real research and heart.”

We have heard this over and over from local ghost tour owners about these national tours, and yes they are in Tucson too! They use our names, research, locations, etc. They are all over google and try to disguise themselves as the locals.
We couldn’t agree more with the other tour with them saying:
“Let’s keep supporting one another and calling this out. Our stories, our towns, and our reputations deserve better.”
Tucson Ghost Company is going through a rebrand to better our company; to show how much involved we are with our community. Our research came from our historian on the Tucson Ghost Society team, our stories are stories that we’re personally told to us or that we have experienced ourselves! We are not national owned; we are from right here in AZ! We care about the haunted history of Tucson and AZ!
Please be patient with us as we make changes to stand out from the national tours and be sure to do your research and shop local! Our tickets are available online only at tucsonghostcompany.com

06/13/2025

Gila County Jail located in Globe, Arizona was open from 1910-1981. During its time hundreds of prisoners and inmates walked through the halls, are any still there?

The 3-story Gila County Jail was built in 1909, on top of the location of the 2nd of 4 jails Globe has had over its history. The first floor held prisoner tanks and offices for the Sheriff and other staff; the second floor held 28 cells, including cells for children, women, and the elderly. The third floor had a catwalk (also known as the Bridge of Sighs) that adjoined the Gila County Courthouse. It is on the second floor that there is a cell that is the site of an unsolved murder, a prisoner who was accused of killing two young girls. One morning, this prisoner was shot and killed through the prison bars while he was sleeping on his cot. When it was built, Gila County Jail was considered to be “state of the art” and “first rate”; however, it was often filled to capacity and overcrowded, leading to poor conditions for inmates. Supposedly, the doors and levers for the jail came from the old Territorial Jail in Yuma, which closed one year prior to Gila County opening.

There have been numerous paranormal accounts reported in the jail. People describe hearing lots of movement and footsteps when no one else is there as well as hearing male and female voices. Others have seen shadows and apparitions of previous inmates, including two inmates who jumped from the catwalk.

Sources
https://www.azpm.org/s/51306-gila-county-jail-house-haunting-the-town/
http://www.globedowntown.org/index.php/1910-jail/
https://www.12news.com/article/opinion/go-ask-ozzy/my-unplanned-ghost-experience-at-a-historic-jail-in-globe-is-something-i-could-never-forget/75-479706624
https://www.globemiamitimes.com/prison-life-view-old-jail/
https://amyscrypt.com/arizona-haunted-gila-county-jail-globe/

06/12/2025

Have you heard??? We are going through a rebrand! We are improving our ghost tours and ghost hunts. Due to this we will be taking the month of August off and reopening in September with new experiences.
Don’t worry you can still sign up for our tours till the end of July.

Friday, June 13th
Sunday, June 15
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21st
Friday, June 27
Saturday, June 28th

July:
Thursday, July 3rd
Saturday, July 5
Friday, July 11
Sat, July 12th
Friday, July 18th
Saturday, July 19
Friday, July 25
Sat, July 26th

Be sure to sign up by 2pm the day off at tucsonghostcompany.com

We are working hard on our rebrand and hope you will continue to support locally owned businesses.

06/11/2025

Looking for something spooky to do on Friday the 13th?? Sign up for a ghost tour!! That’s right we have one of our ghost tours in Downtown Tucson running this Friday night!! Be sure to sign up at tucsonghostcompany.com for Tucson’s Original and only Locally owned ghost tour!

Can’t make it on Friday? Don’t worry we also have
Sunday, June 15
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21st
Friday, June 27
Saturday, June 28th available.

We hope to spook you soon!!

06/09/2025

Between Tucson and Nogales lies Mission San José de Tumacácori, the first Spanish mission established in present-day Arizona. In January 1691, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived at the village of San Cayetano de Tumacácori and established the mission, originally named Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori, on the east side of the Santa Cruz River. Services were held in a small adobe structure until the O’odham Uprising in 1751. As a result of this rebellion, the mission was renamed Mission San José de Tumacácori and relocated to a more defensible position to its current location on the western side of the Santa Cruz River.

In 1800, the church was built by Native and Spanish laborers. Construction continued until the early 1820s. The Tumacácori mission was eventually abandoned in 1848 after continued raids and a harsh winter, with inhabitants moving to the San Xavier del Bac mission in Tucson.

People have reported hearing and seeing strange events at the Mission San José de Tumacácori. Unexplained fast-moving lights as well as apparitions of Spanish, indigenous, and early American people have been spotted. The most popular apparitions are of a soldier in uniform from the early 1800s and a priest pulling the bell rope and holding a rosary. Others have heard disembodied voices- including singing, chanting, and the sounds of digging late at night.

Sources:
https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/the-ghosts-of-tumacandaacutecori/Content?oid=3461936
https://www.nps.gov/tuma/learn/historyculture/tumacacori.htm
vnews.com/news/have-you-seen-one-local-ghost-hunters-say-theyre-easy-to-find/article_0a81cada-7a72-11e5-b972-537e82a215b6.html