McGraw said she’s a paranormal enthusiast and just likes to have fun with it.
“I enjoy interacting with the people. I enjoy educating them about some of the history that goes on in Deadwood that went on a long time ago,” she said. “I enjoy talking about Seth Bullock and his relationship with Teddy Roosevelt.”
McGraw incorporates history into her tours. The history of the Bullock Hotel, started by Seth Bullock who served as Deadwood’s first appointed sheriff.
The Fairmont Hotel also uses history in its ghost tours, but focuses on the brothels and previous owners. The hotel started out as a Victorian brothel, bar and gambling hall in 1898.
Ron Russo, outgoing owner of the Fairmont, said he had a ghostly experience in 1995 after buying the building in 1989. After that, the story got picked up by magazines, newspapers and TV shows.
He said there was enough interest he was able to start doing tours, which began around 2011 or 2012. He said because he’s into history, he incorporated it while finalizing the tours.
“I thought that a ghost tour could be empty, if they don’t see a ghost, what the hell are they doing there, so to speak,” Russo said. “I made sure that everything was combined with historical accuracy and history about the building, the brothels, the murders, the suicides, all of that culminates into what makes it a ghostly place.”
