St. Elmo Hotel

Catherine "Kittie" Heit built, owned and operated this Queen Anne hotel. She also was the owner ofthe Bon Ton Restaurant, a Western Vernacular frame building that was located on the site adjacent to, and north of the hotel. The Bon Ton was in existence in 1886. Kittie bought it in 1890. It was torn down in 1924. The present day Bon Ton opened in 1977 and is located in the hotel's lower level. The hotel lobby and most of its rooms are furnished today much as they were in the early days. A wide staircase leads to the second floor. There is a skylight in the roof, the light falling upon this beautiful stairway. This building is one of several in Ouray that is thought to be haunted.