Known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon, Williams was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40 — that didn’t happen until 1984, making it a holdout of the Mother Road long after the rest of the highway faded. The Red Garter Inn held on even longer. The building began life in 1897 as a saloon and brothel, and since its renovation into a “Bed and Bakery” in 1994, it has become infamous as one of Route 66’s most haunted buildings.
The Ghosts
Eva is the primary spirit — a young Hispanic woman in a white dressing gown who locals believe was murdered in the building, though the circumstances have been lost to history. Guests and staff report unexplained footsteps in the hallways, doors opening and closing on their own, beds shaking in the middle of the night, and the sensation of someone touching their arm while they sleep.
Some guests claim to have made direct contact with Eva’s restless spirit. She doesn’t seem malicious — more restless, as if she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her.
The Staircase Man — A man who was knifed on the staircase leading up to the brothel’s working quarters still haunts those steps. People report a chill and an uneasy feeling at a specific point on the stairs, as if walking through the moment of his death.
The Old Man — An elderly man who committed suicide in the building also lingers. His presence is felt most in the quieter corners of the inn.
The Campy Detail
The inn’s bordello past adds genuine mystique. Period furnishings and the building’s original “ladies of the night” quarters create an authentic Old West atmosphere that doesn’t need ghosts to be compelling. But they help.
Historical Context
Williams served as a major stopping point for Route 66 travelers heading to the Grand Canyon — a journey that had to go through town, since there was no bypass. The town’s resistance to the interstate (it was the very last Route 66 town bypassed) reflects a community that knew the highway was its lifeblood. Today it thrives on that same Route 66 identity, and the Red Garter Inn is one of its most compelling examples.