Like an ancient gargoyle, Annabelle Stark watches over St. Elmo. Dead for nearly 50 years, she stares out of windows and wanders the empty streets. More than 2,000 residents abandoned this silver- and gold-mining town in the 1920s, but not Annabelle.

Her father was a cattleman, a mining boss and a member of the town's elite. Attractive but lonely, Annabelle hung out at her pa's hotel, the Stark Home Comfort Inn, even when tumbleweeds and jackrabbits outnumbered visitors. After a stint in a mental institution, Annabelle returned and died in 1960, but skiers and snowmobile riders who venture into the old settlement each winter insist they still see her patrolling and haunting her beloved town in a flowing white dress, scaring off vandals and trespassers.

From Colorado Springs, take U.S. 24 west to U.S. 285 south. Take U.S. 285 for 21 miles then turn right on County Road 280, right on CR 270, then left on CR 162 for 12 miles.