Entry No. 80 — the Denver file — filed under: dark history
The Espinosa Brothers' Heads at the Colorado State Capitol
“the headless brothers, riding, looking for what they lost”
Everyone sees the gold-domed Capitol; almost no one knows it once warehoused two severed human heads. In 1863 the 'Bloody Espinosas' murdered up to ~32 people across the territory until tracker Tom Tobin hunted them down, cut off their heads, and brought them in to collect a bounty the governor stiffed him on. The heads ended up at the Capitol — sitting in the treasurer's office, then moved down into the basement tunnels for years, and finally fed into the building's furnace. Staff still claim that when it's quiet you can hear horse hooves on the staircase: the headless brothers, riding, looking for what they lost.
The story
Everyone gazes up at the gold leaf on the Capitol dome, completely blind to the fact that the state government spent years warehousing two pickled human heads in the basement. In 1863, brothers Felipe and Vivian Espinosa launched a brutal killing spree across the Colorado Territory, leaving up to 32 people dead. Territorial governor John Evans put a price on their heads, and legendary tracker Tom Tobin took the order literally. Tobin tracked the outlaws, shot them, sliced off their heads with a knife, and hauled the bloody trophies to Fort Garland in a burlap sack, rolling them across the floor to claim his reward.
Tobin never got his full payout; the governor stiffed him, handing over a rifle and a coat instead of the full bounty. The severed heads migrated north to Denver and ended up sitting in glass jars inside the state treasurer's office at the Capitol. When state officials grew tired of holding onto pickled outlaws, they banished the heads down into the Capitol’s sub-basement tunnels. Decades later, building caretakers quietly fed both severed heads into the Capitol furnace to burn away the territorial secret.
The furnace is long gone, but you didn't hear it from us: Capitol staff and late-night security guards swear the place is still occupied. When the building clears out and the marble corridors go quiet, staff claim you can hear the iron-clank of horse hooves echoing up the grand staircase—the headless Espinosas still riding through the halls, looking for what the state burned.
What it's like
Step through security at the north entrance on Colfax and Sherman, bypass the souvenir crowd under the rotunda, and head straight for the public grand staircase. While self-guided visitors can walk the first-floor corridors freely from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, you won't get access to the sub-basement tunnels where the heads were stashed—those stay locked away from public view. Instead, walk the marble floors near the old treasurer's office footprint, take in the heavy Victorian brass work, and keep an ear out when the halls go dead quiet. Street parking on Capitol Hill is metered and tight, so arrive early on a weekday morning or park further out.
The move: Take the free year-round Capitol tour (or self-guide the first floor), then go find the staircase and the basement-tunnel area and quietly tell each other the heads-in-the-furnace story where it actually happened.
📍 Before you go The Capitol sits at Colfax and Lincoln in Capitol Hill; enter on the north side (Colfax and Sherman) up the front stairs, or via the accessible ground-level door at 14th and Sherman. Expect security screening, so travel light. Guided tours and self-guiding both start at the north-side Visitor Information Desk, but the dome is only reachable with a guide, so plan a weekday visit; the grand staircase sits on the public floors. Ghost-themed tours are seasonal (around Halloween), so check ahead. Street parking in Capitol Hill is metered and tight, with weekend mornings easiest. Civic Center Park, the Denver Art Museum, and the Molly Brown House are a short walk.
- 📍 Capitol Hill
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Colorado State Capitol, 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203; the legend centers on the former treasurer's office, the sub-basement tunnels, and the main staircase
Hours: Capitol open Mon-Fri 7:30am-5:00pm; free guided tours hourly 9am-3pm (check-in at the north-side Visitor Information Desk), self-guided allowed during business hours. The themed 'scary history'/ghost tours referenced by Denverite are seasonal (around Halloween) — the standard building visit is year-round.
Pair it with
- 12 Spirits Tavern — Keep the dark local history going with a cocktail inside the carriage house basement of a haunted 1891 mansion just four blocks away.
- Kilgore Books & Comics — Walk four blocks south to this narrow used bookstore on 13th to dig through out-of-print paperbacks and local history.
- The 1Up Arcade Bar - Colfax — Shake off the grim Capitol basement tales four blocks east on Colfax with craft beer and over 90 vintage arcade cabinets.
Good to know
Where inside the Capitol were the Espinosa heads actually kept?
They were originally displayed in glass jars inside the state treasurer's office before being moved into the sub-basement tunnels and eventually destroyed in the building furnace.
Can you see the sub-basement tunnels or the old furnace today?
No, the sub-basement tunnels and utility spaces are strictly off-limits to the public, though you can freely explore the grand staircase and first-floor public corridors.
Is visiting the State Capitol free?
Yes, building entry is completely free. Self-guided visits are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and free guided tours run hourly between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
When are the ghost-themed tours offered at the Capitol?
Special scary history and ghost tours are seasonal and typically run only around Halloween, while standard historical tours take place year-round on weekdays.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: cpr.org · denverite.com · legisource.net
last checked: 2026-06-07