Traditionally, October’s edition of Bozeman Magazine revolves around all things haunted and supernatural. It’s been a while since we have published an interview with the Bozeman Paranormal Society, so let’s reconnect with the BPS Founder and President, Elies, and catch up on the SPOOKY! Elies is joined by BPS member John, BPS Vice President Josh and BPS Tech Director James.

Kathleen Johns (Bozeman Magazine): Hi everyone! It is great to see you all.  What’s been going on with the Bozeman Paranormal Society?

Elies: Well, you know, we’ve been really busy. We just had our 4th annual Big Sky Paranormal Conference at the Clark Chateau in Butte featuring twenty plus speakers, classes, raffles, ghost hunting and other activities, like a costume contest. We’ve been doing cemetery walks and ghost tours, UFO sightings and group ghost hunting. I began this group 13 years ago, after it came to me in a dream. I felt it was my calling to start the investigation group, and it really was. This group has helped me immensely mentally, exploring the paranormal. We decided to contact the Copper King Hotel and Convention Center in Butte, and after that, it’s all history!

We started out as a very newbie group; now, we are considered a very professional group in the state of Montana. We are noted for our Ghost Tours and other public events, as well as our private investigative work. We have about seven thousand followers across our social media platforms –Tik Tok, YouTube and Facebook. We have been mentioned in many online and print articles, and even in two books. We have become very popular, and there is always something going on! Our group not only investigates spirits, we also research UFOs… anything that involves the unknown. We are always searching for answers. We are also kind of a historical group in that we try to connect the spirits we find with the history of the building or location. We like to find out why they are there, whether they are happy where they are, and get the message out there that a building is or isn’t scary, or if it’s haunted. If it is a place that is haunted, we teach people how to deal with that. We are also a nonprofit.

A Downtown Bozeman Ghost Tour

KJ: Wow, your group has grown a lot! Between the four members here tonight, do you have a consensus on the scariest place you have ever investigated in the Bozeman area?

Elies: Sunset Hills Cemetery for me.

James: Well, I would say one of the most thrilling places to investigate in Bozeman is its classic and historical theatres. As a theatre buff, I am always thrilled with them. I know that Elies had some experiences with the ghost of Pablo Elvira (famous opera singer and Bozeman resident who died in 2000) at The Rialto theatre downtown a few years ago.

KJ: Yes! Pablo! I was at The Rialto on that investigation with Elies! Pablo’s voice was caught on the recording equipment during that investigation, right?

Elies: Yep. And we are still, to this point, the only group to investigate that location.

KJ:  Elies, you mentioned Sunset Hills Cemetery. What made Sunset Hills so spooky to investigate?

Elies:  Well, sometimes we will hear (paranormal) gunshots in the area, which I assume is tied to something historically prior to what that area was used for. Sometimes you will see a shadow figure in the area that will show itself. I’ve heard a woman talking. While just walking through there, you know, taking a nice hike, I’ve heard voices, seen shadow figures. I even saw a shadow figure walk out of a line of trees, and that freaked out most of the people I was with who saw it, too. To reassure them, I said; ‘Oh, it’s just trying to scare you, just keep walking. DON’T RUN! It’s not a horror movie!’  This was during a cemetery tour. I was sending enough protection to everybody that they were all OK. Insane! And then we watched the shadow figure go through the tree line.

Josh:  Sunset Hills Cemetery is pretty spooky. I caught a shadow walking under a tree, and I saw somebody walk through a bush and disappear. I also have some fantastic orb photos from the cemetery.

KJ: Yikes! Would you say that you catch things on paranormal investigations as well as on cemetery tours?

Elies: It depends. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. I know John would probably like to tell you about his favorite place.

John: The investigation I got the most interesting photo from was at Chico.

Elies: He caught in that photo what looks like the ghost of a little girl.

KJ: That is spooky! I have also had paranormal experiences at Chico, in particular with a ghost known as Percy–an older woman who is said to have been an owner there. In fact, I was soaking in the pool once years ago, drinking a margarita, and it got kicked into the pool and dumped over. It didn’t fall; it got kicked by an unseen foot.

Elies: Oh! I have to tell you a story about Percy. I was presenting to Chico on the paranormal evidence we captured—we caught some good evidence of Percy talking, and some other evidence. There is research that Percy may have had some mental illness, perhaps alcoholism, and if guests leave a drink out at night, it will get knocked over.

KJ: OH! I bet that was Percy who dumped my drink!

Elies: We were allowed access into some of the other areas at Chico, like the outbuildings, and caught the energy of a man who would walk right through pieces of equipment and then disappear. We think that there is a ley line (invisible line of energy connecting natural formations or ancient sites around the world) in there that allows spirits to come and go. We will have to investigate further and use my dowsing rods.

KJ: Can you talk about some of the other paranormal hot spots in our area? 

Josh: Bear Canyon.

Elies: Bear Canyon. There is a little girl there. We have been up there as a group quite a bit and have had experiences with the energy of a little girl. The legend is that the little girl is supposed to lure female hikers into the deep woods, where they become lost. Our experience with the little girl is different–she is playful and nice. She likes to talk. We have recorded conversations of her talking to a man. Legend has it that she drowned in the river in that area that was at one time used for logging purposes. I’ve heard my name being called by this little girl. I’m not afraid of little children’s spirits; they mostly make me sad. We have also had encounters with a man who smokes cigarettes. We would smell cigarettes and then the odor went away only to come back again, like he is following us. Sometimes we see a mist up there, so we follow the mist. I have heard my name being called. Once, we were walking up the trail two or three hours into our investigation and we realized we had lost cell service. When we were coming back out of the canyon, someone in the group had gotten a phone call and it was just static, white noise on the other end (also known as a “dead call”). It was very strange. 

KJ: Any other haunted locations you would like to mention?

Elies: Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks is pretty active. 

James: The Sacajawea Hotel is incredibly haunted and active! It is haunted by a bellhop, and by a small child who roams the halls. There is a lady who wears a dress that strolls around outside at midnight near the pavilion.

Elies: There is the maid who walks in and out through the walls. I was upstairs and I heard the sound of someone walking quickly towards me but there was no one around. We also had a member up on the third floor getting choked by unseen hands and we had our camera shaken by something we could not explain. I have encountered the ghost of Mr. Adams, the original owner of the hotel. My last name is the same as his and he does not like that; he told me so. He is not very nice to me. We caught the words “eff off” on the EMF meter. So, I put the EMF meter out again and asked him, “Do you really want us to leave?” The EMF meter would spike so hard, I knew it was Mr. Adams. There is also a woman on the third floor with a mysterious background, and we have seen shadow figures. It is very active. We have even had members see a grey woman walking up the stairs.

A Downtown Bozeman Ghost Tour with Elies (center)

KJ: That is a chilling experience. You mentioned EMF meters. Do you use any other investigative equipment?

Elies: Of course, dowsing rods; they are my favorite. John just got a dead bell. It is a trigger item that helps ghosts communicate through the sound of a bell. Ghost boxes, which we use all the time. We just got an Ovilus, a ghost box that uses EMF and brings forth words. Cameras. That is most of the basic equipment we use.

Josh: I like the flash ball and the music light.

James: I have done extensive work with the Wonder Box, SLS camera units, infrared, and ghost boxes. Currently, I am experimenting with cameras with night vision capabilities, and also with laser point projection and sensors.

KJ: It sounds to me like your group is made up of some core members that each bring in unique abilities. Care to expand on that?

Josh: I am deaf and I have some gifts as an accidental medium or clairvoyant.

John: I am pretty much a skeptic. I don’t feel a lot like the others do, but there have been a few things I can’t debunk or prove. It’s weird. I don’t know what category to put some of our findings in.

James: As a technician, I always go in with the thought; ‘Can I debunk this?’ I use science. I try to debunk the activity in the hopes that we find something—find the truth.

Throughout the year, Bozeman Paranormal hosts events that are open to the public. In October 2025, events include Sunset Hills Cemetery Tours, Road Agents Roost Ghost Investigation in Virginia City, Zombie Walk in Belgrade, and a Halloween Themed Party in Butte. To learn more about Bozeman Paranormal Society and upcoming events, check out their social media & GYEC events calendar.