Historical Overview

The Gooding Tuberculosis Hospital was originally built in 1917, serving as a sanitarium to treat patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB). This respiratory disease was a major public health crisis in the early 1900s, and remote facilities like the one in Gooding were designed to keep patients isolated from the general population while providing care in fresh air and dry conditions. Idaho's climate was seen as beneficial for recovery, though many patients tragically passed away within its walls.

Over time, as antibiotics like streptomycin became available in the 1940s, TB treatment improved significantly. With fewer cases requiring long-term isolation, the need for facilities like the Gooding sanitarium declined. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, but parts of the complex found new purposes.

Evolution of the Site - From Dormitory to Resort

Built in 1920. One of the surviving structures was the boys' dormitory, which initially served as a residential space for the Gooding College students. After being part of the hospital for a short time, they decided to shift it to something different as the main hospital was being built. Later, it was converted into apartments for doctors and nurses, supporting medical staff who lived and worked in the area.

In its latest transformation, this building is now the University Inn and Resort. Despite its new identity as an inn, the property retains much of the history-and, some say, the lingering energy-of its past.

Paranormal Activity

The Gooding University Inn has garnered a reputation as one of Idaho's most haunted locations. Guests and investigators have reported various unexplained phenomena, including:

• Apparitions: Sightings of an old man in a white coat and a woman accompanied by a young girl have been reported.

• Auditory Phenomena: Disembodied voices, whispers, footsteps, and knocking sounds have been heard throughout the building, particularly in the basement and attic areas.

• Physical Sensations: Some visitors have experienced feelings of being touched or poked by unseen entities.

The inn's haunted reputation has attracted paranormal investigators and was featured on the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures," where the crew explored reports of an angry male spirit and other supernatural occurrences.