The Espinosa Brothers' Heads at the Colorado State Capitol
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 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.
- 📍 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.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3
Verified 2026-06-07.