Haunted Carcross, Yukon, hotel featured on new Canada Post stamp

A new stamp from Canada Post recognizes a long-standing ghost story about theCaribou Hotel in Carcross,Yukon.

The stamp ispart of a series of fivecalled"Haunted Canada." It's one of the more ghoulish of the stamps, showinga ghost with the face of a skull looming over the hotel.

The hotel's co-owner Anne Morgansays the stamp'sversion of the ghost is pretty frightening compared to local stories.

"That's Mrs.Gideon," she says.

"Her name wasBessieGideon. She wasmarried to EdwardGideon, the couple that owned the hotel on its present site."

She's never heard peoplemention a skull face. Howevershe says with a mischievous twinkle in her eye that people claim to have seen something.

Call it the hotel's unexpected guest.

"I think what happens the most is her visiting people in the night. Especially on the second floor, which is the only room with a balcony," she says.

"When people stay in the owners' suite, people will often wake up in the night and she'll be standing at the foot of the bed looking at them."

Morgan adds that a guest reportedly once "took [Mrs. Gideon]downstairs and let her out because they thought it was a guest who got locked in the building at night. She's quite realistic when she does come to visit."

Renovations to historic building

Morgan and her partner JaimeToolehave been working for years on the renovation.They hope the Caribou Hotel will be open next summer.

Asked about the ghost,Toolesays he's more"skeptical about that."

Toolesays his plan is to restore the Gold Rush-era building to its historic splendour. Much of his focus has been on woodwork and finding old-style chandeliers and other details.

"We want this building to be finished off beautifully. When people and customers walk in here, (they'll be) stepping back 100 years in time," Toole says.

BruceBarrett,ahistoric sites project officer with the Governmentof Yukon, saysthe hotel will likely be a grand attraction when it's renovated. It has plenty of history and character, and a ghost or two may only add to the allure.

"You can't go wrong with a good story, let's face it," he says.