Spectral Ladies of Cripple Creek: Part Three
- Gail Conners
- Sep 20, 2025
- 2 min read
If the Jailhouse Walls Could Talk: Olga Knutsen
Step inside the old brick jail of Cripple Creek and you may feel it—that sudden shift in the air. The weight of authority. The eyes of someone who still keeps watch.
That someone is Olga.
Unlike the playful Maggie of the Colorado Grande Hotel, Olga carries a sterner presence. She is a keeper of order, a spirit who demands respect from those who cross her path. Many visitors to the Jail Museum have reported hearing firm footsteps echoing down the halls, the slam of heavy cell doors, and—most striking of all—the low murmur of a woman’s voice when no one else is near.
Her story is captivating and sad. She was married to a miner and had a son. It's said that she screamed throughout the night and they found her dead in the morning. It was the year 1907. She was cited for mental decline and underwent a "sudden, dramatic personality change before her death."
Some investigators say Olga tests those who enter. If she doesn’t “approve,” you may feel a sudden chill creep up your spine, or the sense of being stared down by unseen eyes. Others claim she responds to direct questions with unmistakable energy, as if reminding us that though the jail may be a museum today, it was once her domain.
Olga is not a spirit to fear, but she is one to respect.
Whispers from the Veil — In The Shadows Paranormal
Upcoming Event: Join us on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum in Cripple Creek, as we step into the haunted past of Cripple Creek. Whether you walk away with chills, curiosity, or comfort, you'll walk away with something.
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