More Than Meets the Eye

Like the veins of gold that once lay undiscovered beneath its craggy surface, Cripple Creek, Colorado has a cultural wealth that is largely unknown by the masses. While it is most recently known for casinos and gaming, this sleepy town has a natural scenic beauty, an abundance of family activities and a fascinating historical past that has left an indelible mark on modern society.

Located about a 2-hour drive south of Denver near the Continental Divide, Cripple Creek is a popular spot for gamblers trying their luck at casinos like the Double Eagle. Such was my only knowledge of this city before my first visit. However, after spending just a few hours talking to the locals and exploring, I began to feel that there is much more here than meets the eye.

Poverty Gulch

Curious to dig into the past, I was told that the place to begin was in 1890 when a rancher named Bob Womack discovered gold in an area called Poverty Gulch near to where Cripple Creek now sits. That first strike started an influx of miners and opportunity seekers, and in 1892, the town name was officially changed from Fremont to Cripple Creek. It is thought that the unusual name was bestowed after a cow fell while crossing a stream that ran through the area.

Womack, for all his initial good fortune, drank away his claim for a mere $500 and died penniless. But, that didn’t stop many others from profiting from the town’s explosive growth. Prospectors and speculators came in droves looking for new stakes to claim.

Since most of the buildings were constructed from wood, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck. On April 25, 1896, a fight at the Central Dance Hall in the red light district knocked over a kerosene lamp and started a fire that burned down a good part of Cripple Creek. Four days later, another fire took care of most of the remaining structures.

But miners and townspeople turned out to be quite resilient and within days, businesses were up and running. New buildings began to appear, only this time, made of fire-resistant brick.

A Veritable Boomtown

At the height of its prosperity, the Cripple Creek district had a population that some say reached as high as 55,000. Commerce flourished with 49 grocery stores, 20 meat markets, 14 bakeries, an opera house, a 5 story hotel called The National, and, to the dismay of many, over 150 saloons with many located along Meyers Avenue. Just a block away, Bennett Avenue became Cripple Creek’s main business district housing grocery stores, bookshops and even a May Company.

As the town’s infrastructure developed, it was the yellow ore that fueled its overall economy. Cripple Creek and its neighboring towns were, at the time, producing more gold than almost anywhere else in the world. In fact, this was the richest 24 square miles on Earth according to the National Geologic Survey, giving rise to its moniker, The World’s Greatest Gold Camp.

Modern Day Mining

Today, the old mines are silent but have given way to new, more modern operations. Cripple Creek’s surface mining operation is the second largest in the world, producing more than $400 worth of gold per year.

The remnants of miners’ cabins dot the landscape along with wooden headframes used to transport men and rock out of the mines. Separation houses where gold ore was divided from waste tailings now stand as lonely skeletons against a blue sky, reminders of the men who worked tirelessly in the dangerous mines.

One mine that hasn’t shut down is the Mollie Kathleen, the country’s longest operating gold mine, which now conducts regular public tours. The story of the founding of this mine is an intriguing one.

In 1891 Mollie Kathleen Gortner and her husband Henry decided to visit their son Perry who was a surveyor in Cripple Creek. Perry had told his mother to watch out for any unusual outcroppings of rock that she might happen upon as they may contain gold. As Mollie was on a walk one day, she spotted just such an outcropping about 300 yards from the spot where Bob Womack had earlier struck pay dirt.

Her heart started to pound as she saw ribbons of wire gold mixed in with quartz, and, with nearby prospectors suspiciously watching her every move, she casually placed some pieces in her pocket and brought them to her son who confirmed her find.

Not being one to let others take the credit, Mollie headed to town to register her claim only to be told by a clerk that he couldn’t register her find since she was a woman. She is reported to have said that her husband was a lawyer and that the clerk could take it up with him. With that, she signed the document and together with her husband and son, hand dug the first 200 feet of what is now the world’s only 1000-foot vertical shaft. The Mollie Kathleen produced millions of dollars in gold over the years with 90% of the gold still lingering in the rocks.

Railroads

Railroads brought men and materials to Cripple Creek with the first one, the narrow gauge Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad, arriving on July 1, 1894. Other trains followed with as many as 58 of them arriving daily at depots in the town.

Today, the Victor Narrow Gage Railroad coal-fired steam locomotive carries passengers south past the old Midland Terminal and past many of the old mines through some spectacular scenery.

Carr Manor

There are many types of affordable accommodations in Cripple Creek, and during my visit, I stayed at the Carr Manor. Formerly, this building was Cripple Creek High School and was renamed after Governor Ralph Carr and George and Emma Carr who were pioneers in the gold industry. Having undergone extensive renovations, the property is both elegant and inviting. Several of the rooms have themes such as the Roy Rogers Suite, the Jack Dempsey Room and my room for the night, the Governor Ralph Carr Suite.

Each of the rooms is exquisitely decorated and includes many extras such as upscale bath amenities, plush towels and chocolates. Some, like the Carr Suite, also have a whirlpool tub and a big screen TV.

The innkeepers, Gary and Winfred Ledford, are gracious hosts and attend to your every need, including arranging a relaxing massage in a special room dedicated for this purpose. Each morning you can look forward to a full homemade breakfast. I started my day with a freshly baked cinnamon roll, a fruit cup drizzled with chocolate and an artichoke-egg frittata. Everything was delicious.

Black Cow Café

Stop by the Black Cow Café for an old-fashioned Black Cow, also known as a root beer float. This popular fountain drink was invented right here by Frank J. Weisner, a Chicago entrepreneur.

After starting a brewery to help finance his mining operations, Weisner found out that many of the townspeople didn’t care much for beer. So, he decided to mix together some sarsaparilla, molasses and cinnamon and came up with root beer, a big hit with the ladies on infamous Meyer Street.

The story gets even better when, late one night, Weisner had a flash of inspiration looking at the moonlight reflecting off the snow on Cow Mountain. He came up with the idea of adding a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream to his concoction and the Black Cow was born.

Activities Abound

With so much culture and heritage to explore in Cripple Creek, you certainly don’t want to neglect the other activities such as hiking, nature walks, cycling, and day trips to neighboring towns. Bring your camera as there are many photo opportunities such as Phantom Canyon with its breathtaking vistas. If you visit in mid-September through early October, you will experience a blanket of fall colors as the leaves begin to change.

While gaming is still a large part of why tourists come to Cripple Creek, it is certainly only a small part of this town’s heritage. As Mayor Libby remarks, “Gaming has provided us with the revenue to save and restore 23 historic structures. But, it is not our focus. We are very unique in our history and we want to engage people in that story….”

Indeed, there are so many things to do and see in and around Cripple Creek it was hard to fit everything in on my short trip so I promised myself I would return to where much of the early wealth of Colorado was extracted. Perhaps an old Cornish miners’ toast summarizes the sentiment of that time the best: May you stand in ore and your labors be in vein.