did lizzie borden live in durango?
No. But Ralph Ray did.
If you've been searching for a connection between Lizzie Borden and Durango, Colorado, you won't find one. Lizzie Borden never set foot in this town. But Durango doesn't need to borrow its dark history from Fall River, Massachusetts. It has plenty of its own.
In 1891, just a year before the Lizzie Borden murders, a young man named Ralph Ray murdered his elderly mother with a hatchet at their homestead in the Animas Valley, just outside Durango. After having breakfast together, Ralph snuck up behind her, bludgeoned her to death, dragged her body into his bedroom, rolled her up in his rug, and fled on horseback toward the New Mexico border.
His motive? He wanted to go to the fair in Farmington. She begged him to stay. She didn't want to be alone while her husband Edwin was prospecting in Hermosa.
Join us on the Haunted Tunnel Tour to find out how the story ends.
You know the rhyme. Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.
Ralph Ray was Durango's very own Lizzie Borden. And his story is just as heartbreaking.
We’ve been telling Ralph Ray’s story on our ghost tours since 2017. It’s one of many accounts researched by Horsefly founder Laine using historical newspapers, out of print books, and stories shared by local descendants. Ghost tours are everywhere now, so we always recommend choosing a company that’s transparent about its sources and committed to Durango’s real history.
Why Choose a Locally Owned Durango Ghost Tour?
Durango’s past isn’t something you can copy and paste from the internet.
The stories told on Horsefly tours come from historic newspapers, out-of-print books, and years of local research by founder Laine Johnson. Many stories have also been shared by descendants of the people who lived them.
Ghost tours are everywhere today, but we believe they should be rooted in real Durango history.
faq
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Not all ghost tours are created equal. Here's what to look for when booking a ghost tour in Durango.
Local roots matter.
Our guides live here. They teach in local schools. They wrangle horses in the valley. They know the streets, the buildings, and the families connected to these stories. That knowledge doesn't come from a corporate content library. It comes from years of living in and loving this town.
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Research should be original. The stories on our tour were built over years by Horsefly founder Laine Johnson through historical newspapers, out-of-print books, and firsthand accounts from local descendants. Every story has been vetted and sourced. This isn't recycled content pulled from the internet. This is original research rooted in Durango.
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Yes. We’re the only ghost tour in Durango that takes guests inside a haunted location. At the end of the Haunted Tunnel Tour, you’ll go underground into a 19th-century tunnel beneath a downtown establishment. We treat it as an active paranormal site, and over the years we’ve captured photographic evidence there that we share exclusively on the tour.
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Yes. Horsefly History & Ghost Tours has been locally owned and operated since 2017. When you book with us, your money stays in Durango, supporting local guides, local businesses, and a community that has trusted us with its stories.
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No. EMF detectors are available upon request at no charge. We also lend photo books to each party with historic images and documented paranormal evidence, and every participant gets a glow necklace to keep. We believe the experience should feel complete, without surprise fees.