MT. MADONNA INN
High above the winding curves of Hecker Pass Road, between Watsonville and Gilroy, stands a landmark surrounded by history, family stories, and legends of unexplained activity.
The Mt. Madonna Inn, once a popular destination for dining, dancing, drinking, and entertainment, sits along Highway 152 in the winding mountain hills of Mt. Madonna. The sprawling establishment covers more than 14,000 square feet and was once filled with music, laughter, food, and travelers passing through the mountains. Today, the Inn is closed, its doors locked and chained. But the history of the property reaches back long before the building that stands there today.
BEFORE THE INN
The mountains surrounding Mt. Madonna have a history extending back thousands of years. The area was part of the homeland of the Ohlone people, who lived throughout the surrounding mountains and valleys for generations.
In the nineteenth century, the area became associated with cattle rancher Henry Miller, who established a summer estate on the mountain. The ruins of Miller's former home remain within what is now Mt. Madonna County Park. It was during this period that one of the mountain's most enduring legends began.
LITTLE SARAH MILLER
According to historical accounts and local tradition, Sarah Alice Miller, the eight-year-old daughter of Henry Miller, died following a tragic horseback-riding accident on June 14, 1879. Over the years, Sarah's story became part of the folklore of Mt. Madonna.
People have reported seeing a young girl in white wandering the mountain roads and surrounding woods. Some versions of the story describe a girl on horseback, while others tell of a young girl or woman appearing along the road or attempting to get the attention of passing motorists. Whether these sightings have any connection to Sarah Miller cannot be established. But the legend has endured. And as the years passed, the story of Sarah became intertwined with other unexplained reports from the mountain.
High above the winding curves of Hecker Pass Road, between Watsonville and Gilroy, stands a landmark surrounded by history, family stories, and legends of unexplained activity.
The Mt. Madonna Inn, once a popular destination for dining, dancing, drinking, and entertainment, sits along Highway 152 in the winding mountain hills of Mt. Madonna. The sprawling establishment covers more than 14,000 square feet and was once filled with music, laughter, food, and travelers passing through the mountains. Today, the Inn is closed, its doors locked and chained. But the history of the property reaches back long before the building that stands there today.
BEFORE THE INN
The mountains surrounding Mt. Madonna have a history extending back thousands of years. The area was part of the homeland of the Ohlone people, who lived throughout the surrounding mountains and valleys for generations.
In the nineteenth century, the area became associated with cattle rancher Henry Miller, who established a summer estate on the mountain. The ruins of Miller's former home remain within what is now Mt. Madonna County Park. It was during this period that one of the mountain's most enduring legends began.
LITTLE SARAH MILLER
According to historical accounts and local tradition, Sarah Alice Miller, the eight-year-old daughter of Henry Miller, died following a tragic horseback-riding accident on June 14, 1879. Over the years, Sarah's story became part of the folklore of Mt. Madonna.
People have reported seeing a young girl in white wandering the mountain roads and surrounding woods. Some versions of the story describe a girl on horseback, while others tell of a young girl or woman appearing along the road or attempting to get the attention of passing motorists. Whether these sightings have any connection to Sarah Miller cannot be established. But the legend has endured. And as the years passed, the story of Sarah became intertwined with other unexplained reports from the mountain.
THE FIRST BUSINESSES
In 1929, Amilla Rienero opened a small mom-and-pop grocery store on the property, which also served as her home. According to the history preserved by Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters, the little store eventually burned to the ground. In the 1930s, the property was sold to the Garbini family, a well-known Italian restaurant family from Santa Cruz. The Garbinis built the original “Mt. Madonna Inn – Italian Dinners,” a restaurant that also included its own gas station. That building eventually burned to the ground as well. Once again, the property changed hands. In 1943, a new structure was erected for James and Theresa Beadnell, beginning a new chapter in the property's history.
THE BEADNELL YEARS
Much of the history surrounding the Beadnell family's years at the Mt. Madonna Inn comes from a personal interview conducted by Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters founder Maryanne Porter with Gene Beadnell several years ago. Gene's firsthand recollections provided valuable insight into the family's ownership, operation, and expansion of the Inn. By the 1970s, James and Theresa Beadnell had retired and left the Mt. Madonna Inn to their sons, Gene and James Beadnell.
James resided in the caretaker's house below the Inn for many years. Together, the brothers worked to expand the establishment, adding a dance floor, full bar, and live music. Their expansion resulted in much of the Inn's current size and transformed the property into a popular mountain destination.
For years, the brothers operated a successful business where patrons came to eat, drink, dance, listen to live music, and enjoy an evening along Hecker Pass. The Beadnell family's connection to the property lasted for decades. Eventually, however, the Inn's long history as a family business came to an end.
The property was sold in 2004. The sprawling restaurant and banquet hall would remain vacant, its doors eventually locked and chained shut. But the stories surrounding the property did not disappear.
EL CORRAL CAFÉ
According to the Beadnell family history shared with Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters, during the 1940s, the Inn was leased to Red and Bessy Barker, who renamed the establishment the “El Corral Café.”
El Corral was more than a café. It was also a working horse ranch, complete with two stables and a roping arena. Horses were rented by the hour, allowing visitors to ride through the surrounding mountain country. A horse stable still remains on the Mt. Madonna Inn property today. That history may provide an interesting connection to another recurring story associated with the Inn.
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THE PHANTOM HOOFBEATS
Over the years, people have reported hearing what sounds like horses running across the property, even when no horses were visible. The story has an obvious connection to the property's history. For decades, horses were kept at the Inn through the El Corral Café era.
Riders came and went, and the sound of hooves would once have been an ordinary part of life on the mountain. But some people believe the sounds may have another explanation.
Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters founder Maryanne Porter has described hearing what sounded like the pounding of horse hooves rushing toward her while she was photographing behind the Mt. Madonna Inn. When she turned toward the sound, there was nothing there.
Could the reported sounds simply be echoes of the property's former horse-ranch days? Could they be animals somewhere nearby? Or, as some believe, could they be connected to the legend of little Sarah Miller and the horse associated with her tragic death? There is no way to know. But the phantom hoofbeats have become another piece of the Mt. Madonna mystery.
THE RANGER'S STORY
Perhaps one of the most intriguing accounts associated with the Inn comes from someone whose job required him to know the mountain well. Eric Goodrich, a Santa Clara County park ranger stationed at Mount Madonna, described several unusual experiences while working the night shift.
His account was published in the Gilroy Dispatch on October 28, 2005, in an article titled “Fact or Fright Fiction.” According to the newspaper account, Goodrich was called to the Mt. Madonna Inn on several occasions because lights inside the closed restaurant were reportedly on. The building was locked. Yet lights would apparently be burning inside. Goodrich and others would make their way to the Inn and turn the lights off. Then, according to his recollection, the lights would sometimes be on again hours later. But another experience was even more unsettling.
One night, during foggy weather, Goodrich said he heard a young woman calling out:
“Help.” He searched for the source of the voice, first on foot and then by vehicle. But he found no one. No woman. No person calling for assistance. Nothing that could explain the voice he had heard. The experience eventually prompted Goodrich to research the history of the mountain. According to the newspaper, he went to the Gilroy Museum, where he learned about Sarah Miller and her death in 1879.
The story was especially interesting because Goodrich had actually heard stories about Sarah as a child. Now, years later, while working as a park ranger on the mountain, he had experienced something that seemed to echo one of the oldest legends associated with the area.
Whether the voice was a person, an unusual sound carried through the fog, or something that remains unexplained is impossible to determine. But Goodrich's account stands apart from many of the stories surrounding Mt. Madonna because it was recorded in a contemporary newspaper and came from a park ranger who personally investigated what he heard.
Over the years, people have reported hearing what sounds like horses running across the property, even when no horses were visible. The story has an obvious connection to the property's history. For decades, horses were kept at the Inn through the El Corral Café era.
Riders came and went, and the sound of hooves would once have been an ordinary part of life on the mountain. But some people believe the sounds may have another explanation.
Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters founder Maryanne Porter has described hearing what sounded like the pounding of horse hooves rushing toward her while she was photographing behind the Mt. Madonna Inn. When she turned toward the sound, there was nothing there.
Could the reported sounds simply be echoes of the property's former horse-ranch days? Could they be animals somewhere nearby? Or, as some believe, could they be connected to the legend of little Sarah Miller and the horse associated with her tragic death? There is no way to know. But the phantom hoofbeats have become another piece of the Mt. Madonna mystery.
THE RANGER'S STORY
Perhaps one of the most intriguing accounts associated with the Inn comes from someone whose job required him to know the mountain well. Eric Goodrich, a Santa Clara County park ranger stationed at Mount Madonna, described several unusual experiences while working the night shift.
His account was published in the Gilroy Dispatch on October 28, 2005, in an article titled “Fact or Fright Fiction.” According to the newspaper account, Goodrich was called to the Mt. Madonna Inn on several occasions because lights inside the closed restaurant were reportedly on. The building was locked. Yet lights would apparently be burning inside. Goodrich and others would make their way to the Inn and turn the lights off. Then, according to his recollection, the lights would sometimes be on again hours later. But another experience was even more unsettling.
One night, during foggy weather, Goodrich said he heard a young woman calling out:
“Help.” He searched for the source of the voice, first on foot and then by vehicle. But he found no one. No woman. No person calling for assistance. Nothing that could explain the voice he had heard. The experience eventually prompted Goodrich to research the history of the mountain. According to the newspaper, he went to the Gilroy Museum, where he learned about Sarah Miller and her death in 1879.
The story was especially interesting because Goodrich had actually heard stories about Sarah as a child. Now, years later, while working as a park ranger on the mountain, he had experienced something that seemed to echo one of the oldest legends associated with the area.
Whether the voice was a person, an unusual sound carried through the fog, or something that remains unexplained is impossible to determine. But Goodrich's account stands apart from many of the stories surrounding Mt. Madonna because it was recorded in a contemporary newspaper and came from a park ranger who personally investigated what he heard.
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OTHER REPORTED ENCOUNTERS
The ranger's experience is not the only reported encounter associated with Mount Madonna. Later accounts have continued to describe sightings of a girl or woman dressed in white, sometimes associated with Sarah Miller.
A senior park ranger interviewed by SFGATE described hearing stories from visitors who claimed to have seen Sarah near the ruins of the Miller estate, including reports of a girl in white and a girl on horseback. Other visitors have described hearing footsteps when no person was visible. In one published eyewitness account, hikers reported hearing footsteps seemingly moving alongside them through an overgrown section of the park. According to their account, the footsteps stopped when they stopped and resumed when they continued walking.
Such accounts are individual reports and cannot independently establish that anything paranormal occurred. But taken together, they demonstrate how deeply the legends of Mount Madonna have become embedded in the experience of people who visit or work in the area. There are stories of a girl in white. Stories of a girl on horseback. Stories of unexplained voices. Stories of footsteps. And stories of horses running where no horses can be seen. The question remained: What, if anything, would Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters find inside the old Inn?
The ranger's experience is not the only reported encounter associated with Mount Madonna. Later accounts have continued to describe sightings of a girl or woman dressed in white, sometimes associated with Sarah Miller.
A senior park ranger interviewed by SFGATE described hearing stories from visitors who claimed to have seen Sarah near the ruins of the Miller estate, including reports of a girl in white and a girl on horseback. Other visitors have described hearing footsteps when no person was visible. In one published eyewitness account, hikers reported hearing footsteps seemingly moving alongside them through an overgrown section of the park. According to their account, the footsteps stopped when they stopped and resumed when they continued walking.
Such accounts are individual reports and cannot independently establish that anything paranormal occurred. But taken together, they demonstrate how deeply the legends of Mount Madonna have become embedded in the experience of people who visit or work in the area. There are stories of a girl in white. Stories of a girl on horseback. Stories of unexplained voices. Stories of footsteps. And stories of horses running where no horses can be seen. The question remained: What, if anything, would Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters find inside the old Inn?
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THE 2011 SANTA CRUZ GHOST HUNTERS INVESTIGATION
For years, the Inn had remained closed to the public, its doors locked and chained shut. Then, on November 18, 2011, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters was invited to conduct a paranormal investigation of the Mt. Madonna Inn.
Founder and paranormal investigator Maryanne Porter was joined by S.C.G.H. investigators; researcher Rhiannon Mai, retired sheriff Tim Loe, videographer Bryan Coleman, crime journalist/editor Susie Dryden Fowkes, published author and musician Jonathan Dryden, as well as Arrianna Mercado and Sarah Porter.
THE NIGHT OF THE INVESTIGATION
As rain poured heavily over the mountain, S.C.G.H. members gathered outside the darkened Inn and waited for our host, Joshua Fisher of Sterling Financial, to arrive. Standing before the chained doors, it was difficult not to imagine the life that had once filled the building—the restaurant and café, the horse ranch and stables, the dance floor, the bar, and the generations of families and patrons who had passed through its doors.
Now, all of that was gone. The once-bustling Inn stood silent and dark against the mountain, its doors locked and chained.
Rain fell steadily as traffic moved slowly through the winding curves of Hecker Pass Road. Occasionally, a vehicle pulled into the large parking lot to escape the downpour. As the investigators waited, conversation naturally turned toward the history of the mountain, the legends passed down through generations, and the reports of unexplained activity. When Joshua Fisher arrived, he escorted the investigators inside and gave them a tour of the sprawling establishment. Although Fisher's skepticism regarding paranormal activity was apparent, the history of the mountain and the stories surrounding the Inn provided the team with plenty of questions to explore.
For years, the Inn had remained closed to the public, its doors locked and chained shut. Then, on November 18, 2011, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters was invited to conduct a paranormal investigation of the Mt. Madonna Inn.
Founder and paranormal investigator Maryanne Porter was joined by S.C.G.H. investigators; researcher Rhiannon Mai, retired sheriff Tim Loe, videographer Bryan Coleman, crime journalist/editor Susie Dryden Fowkes, published author and musician Jonathan Dryden, as well as Arrianna Mercado and Sarah Porter.
THE NIGHT OF THE INVESTIGATION
As rain poured heavily over the mountain, S.C.G.H. members gathered outside the darkened Inn and waited for our host, Joshua Fisher of Sterling Financial, to arrive. Standing before the chained doors, it was difficult not to imagine the life that had once filled the building—the restaurant and café, the horse ranch and stables, the dance floor, the bar, and the generations of families and patrons who had passed through its doors.
Now, all of that was gone. The once-bustling Inn stood silent and dark against the mountain, its doors locked and chained.
Rain fell steadily as traffic moved slowly through the winding curves of Hecker Pass Road. Occasionally, a vehicle pulled into the large parking lot to escape the downpour. As the investigators waited, conversation naturally turned toward the history of the mountain, the legends passed down through generations, and the reports of unexplained activity. When Joshua Fisher arrived, he escorted the investigators inside and gave them a tour of the sprawling establishment. Although Fisher's skepticism regarding paranormal activity was apparent, the history of the mountain and the stories surrounding the Inn provided the team with plenty of questions to explore.
INSIDE THE INN
S.C.G.H. INVESTIGATES
Team used a variety of equipment during the investigation. A digital Ovilus-style device; basically, a database filled with words that a conscious energy can utilize to try and communicate. K-2 meters were used to monitor changes in electromagnetic fields; a spirit box, sometimes referred to as a Frank's Box, was used to scan radio frequencies in an attempt to capture possible responses and small flashlights were also incorporated in an attempt to establish simple yes-or-no communication.
Questions were asked and investigators waited as they watched their equipment; and they carefully observed the environment around them. The purpose was not simply to enter an abandoned building looking for something frightening.
The team wanted to document what happened and determine whether anything unusual could be observed or recorded inside the old Inn. Could the voices and unexplained activity reported over the years be traced to the Inn itself?
Could the building hold some connection to the legends that had surrounded Mount Madonna for generations? There was only one way to find out. On a rainy night in November 2011, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters stepped through the doors of the Inn, with cameras and equipment in hand, ready to discover whether the stories of the mountain had left something behind.
S.C.G.H. INVESTIGATES
Team used a variety of equipment during the investigation. A digital Ovilus-style device; basically, a database filled with words that a conscious energy can utilize to try and communicate. K-2 meters were used to monitor changes in electromagnetic fields; a spirit box, sometimes referred to as a Frank's Box, was used to scan radio frequencies in an attempt to capture possible responses and small flashlights were also incorporated in an attempt to establish simple yes-or-no communication.
Questions were asked and investigators waited as they watched their equipment; and they carefully observed the environment around them. The purpose was not simply to enter an abandoned building looking for something frightening.
The team wanted to document what happened and determine whether anything unusual could be observed or recorded inside the old Inn. Could the voices and unexplained activity reported over the years be traced to the Inn itself?
Could the building hold some connection to the legends that had surrounded Mount Madonna for generations? There was only one way to find out. On a rainy night in November 2011, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters stepped through the doors of the Inn, with cameras and equipment in hand, ready to discover whether the stories of the mountain had left something behind.
2026
Today, the Mt. Madonna Inn remains shuttered, a weathered reminder of the generations who once passed through its doors. But its story may not be over.
In 2025, Santa Cruz County considered an application to renovate and reopen the historic property. County records identified Joshua Fisher and Yosemite Management Group in connection with the project, which included extensive interior and exterior renovations, a new rear deck, improved access and parking, and plans to bring activity back to the long-quiet Inn. The application was approved, offering the possibility of a new chapter for the old mountain landmark.
As of 2026, however, no further public developments regarding the renovation or reopening have been reported. For now, the Inn remains quiet beneath Mount Madonna, its doors closed and its stories waiting—perhaps for the day they can be told again.
Today, the Mt. Madonna Inn remains shuttered, a weathered reminder of the generations who once passed through its doors. But its story may not be over.
In 2025, Santa Cruz County considered an application to renovate and reopen the historic property. County records identified Joshua Fisher and Yosemite Management Group in connection with the project, which included extensive interior and exterior renovations, a new rear deck, improved access and parking, and plans to bring activity back to the long-quiet Inn. The application was approved, offering the possibility of a new chapter for the old mountain landmark.
As of 2026, however, no further public developments regarding the renovation or reopening have been reported. For now, the Inn remains quiet beneath Mount Madonna, its doors closed and its stories waiting—perhaps for the day they can be told again.
Sources: Gilroy Dispatch — Fact or Fright Fiction, Watsonville Patch — Spooky Stories: A Q&A With a Ghost Hunter, HauntBound — Mt. Madonna County Park, Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters — Mt. Madonna Inn Investigation. © 2010–2026 Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters™ • A Bewitching Tales Production™ • All Rights Reserved.