Entry No. 168 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
Rock Rest Lodge
“William Randolph Hearst's pet… a taste for ale thanks to a tipsy Charlie Chaplin”
Built in 1885 as a stagecoach stop and trading post, Rock Rest Lodge spent its early 20th century as a brothel, speakeasy, and gambling den — and it has never really shed the vibe. The back-room dance floor ceiling is festooned with hundreds of bras left by visitors as offerings to Molly Barton, a working girl who died in 1923 when she climbed the rafters to retrieve her stolen clothes, dislodged a taxidermied moose head, and was fatally struck as it fell — her ghost, known as the Lady in Red, is said to still roam the building looking for what she lost. Presiding over the whole scene is Murray, a real rhinoceros head with a genuinely unhinged provenance: he was William Randolph Hearst's pet, developed a taste for ale thanks to a tipsy Charlie Chaplin, and arrived at Rock Rest after a boxcar mishap. Golden is a town that most visitors blow through on the way to Red Rocks or the Coors Brewery, which means this former brothel-turned-biker-bar, sitting right on old Mt. Vernon Road, goes almost entirely unnoticed by the day-trip crowd.
The story
Most tourists blowing down I-70 toward Red Rocks or downtown Golden pass right by old Mt. Vernon Road without realizing they're missing an 1885 stagecoach stop that evolved into a roaring 1920s brothel, speakeasy, and gambling den. The building never bothered to shed its chaotic history, and neither did its main spectator: a mounted rhinoceros head named Murray hanging behind the bar. Murray started life in the Belgian Congo before landing at William Randolph Hearst’s California estate, where Charlie Chaplin reportedly pacified the beast with a cask of ale after stumbling into his enclosure. Following a fatal boxcar accident, Hearst had Murray mounted, and by 1951 the beer-drinking rhino was permanently installed on the wall here, where he still stares down over the tap handles.
Head into the back room and look up at the rafters if you want the real reason locals treat this place like a shrine. In the summer of 1923, a red-headed flapper named Molly Barton had her clothes stolen during a drunken prank, scrambled into the ceiling beams to retrieve them, dislodged a heavy taxidermied moose head, and was killed when it fell on her. Legend holds that her ghost—known as the Lady in Red—still wanders the floor searching for what she lost. Female patrons now string hundreds of bras across the dance floor ceiling as offerings to quiet her spirit, turning the rafters into a dense canopy of color.
What it's like
Pull into the lot on a weekend night and you'll contend with rows of motorcycles, pounding live music, and a crowd that skews local, loud, and completely unconcerned with polished decor. Order a peanut butter bacon burger or a plate of full-sized chicken wings at the bar, take a drink under Murray's glassy stare, and push back into the dance room to check out the ceiling offerings. If you prefer to wander the creaky floorboards and examine the taxidermy without fighting a weekend crowd, come early on a weeknight. Trust your GPS on the approach along Mt. Vernon Road, watch for shoulder parking when the main lot overflows, and confirm current operating hours before heading into the foothills.
The move: Drive up on a Friday or Saturday night when there's live music, grab a peanut butter bacon burger at the bar under Murray's gaze, then dare your date to add a bra to the rafters in Molly's honor before touring the haunted back room.
📍 Before you go Despite the Golden address, this isn't downtown — it sits in the foothills along old Mt. Vernon Road below Genesee, near the I-70/Mt. Vernon Canyon corridor that most travelers blow past, so trust the GPS and watch for the low-slung lodge on the road's edge. It's a working biker bar at heart: weekend nights, especially in warm-weather riding season, bring live music, a crowd, and a full lot, so come early or expect to park along the shoulder. The back-room dance floor with the bra-festooned ceiling is the thing to seek out. Easy to fold into a foothills run — pair it with Red Rocks, the Coors tour and downtown Golden, or the drive up Lookout Mountain. Hours shift seasonally; check ahead.
- 📍 Golden
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 16005 Mt Vernon Rd, Golden, CO 80401
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Triceratops Trail — Balance out a night of taxidermy and cheap beer with a daytime hike through vertical clay walls stamped with 68-million-year-old dinosaur footprints.
- Buffalo Rose — Compare Rock Rest's former brothel speakeasy history with Colorado's oldest continuously operating bar just under three miles away in downtown Golden.
- Mother Cabrini Shrine — Wash down the sins of a former gambling den by trekking up 373 mountain steps to a 22-foot Sacred Heart statue just up Mt. Vernon Canyon.
- NSF Ice Core Facility — Swap the grease and brassy noise of a foothills biker bar for a silent -36°C federal freezer storing ten miles of ancient Antarctic ice.
Good to know
Where is Rock Rest Lodge located?
It sits at 16005 Mt. Vernon Road in Golden, Colorado, tucked along the foothills corridor near I-70 below Genesee rather than in downtown Golden.
What is the story behind the rhino head behind the bar?
Named Murray, the rhino head belonged to media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Charlie Chaplin allegedly introduced Murray to ale at Hearst's California estate, and after Murray died in a boxcar mishap, his taxidermied head was acquired by Rock Rest in 1951.
Why are there hundreds of bras hanging from the ceiling?
They are left as offerings to Molly Barton, a 1920s working girl who died when a falling moose head struck her while she was retrieving stolen clothes from the rafters. Her ghost is said to roam the back room looking for her garments.
What kind of food is Rock Rest known for?
The kitchen is known for its peanut butter bacon burger and massive whole chicken wings.
When is the best time to visit?
Visit on a weeknight if you want a quieter drink and time to look around, or arrive on a Friday or Saturday night for live music, full crowds, and a lively dance floor.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: 95rockfm.com · denvercenter.org · Tripadvisor · Official site · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-09