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D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E
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I asked him if he knew the Metlen was haunted when his
family bought the hotel. He says yes, of course he did.
"It didn't disturb us at all. But our Hawaiian friends refuse to
visit."
As for their roles at the Metlen, Lee Bryant says, "We don't con-
sider ourselves the owners. We consider ourselves the caretakers."
He pauses a moment. "Like in The Shining," he adds with a grin.
GUNSLINGER GULCH
OUTSIDE ANACONDA, MT
OPEN TO GUESTS
Gunslinger Gulch, located just outside of Anaconda, is a
one-of-a-kind experience. Each themed cabin also serves as a
functional piece of the larger "ghost town." There's a jail, a post
office, a brothel above a saloon, even a pair of cute little fam-
ily houses that are, more often than not, rented together. And
while that is certainly enough to entice most fans of the Western
experience, these unique rentals come with a twist: they're very
haunted, according to owner Karen Broussard and her family.
If you're a fan of shows where people yell at ghosts while
filmed in night vision, then you may already have seen the
television show that aired for two seasons on the Travel Chan-
nel. Karen's son Colby says they're not altogether happy with
the show, which took what might be charitably called poetic
license when it posited there was a demon at the site.
There are no demons at Gunslinger Gulch, Colby says. Only
ghosts.
That said, not all of the ghost activity witnessed or felt at the
Gulch has been entirely friendly. Some have reported spectral
hands grabbing at them, or feeling as if they were bitten. Some
have discovered unexplained scratch marks on their skin.
Even without the TV show, the place is at least a little creepy.
The ramshackle dwellings (ramshackle on the outside at
GUNSLINGER GULCH
