Up On Cripple Creek

It was a cold day in January the first time that we traveled the Gold Belt Tour National Back Country Byway to Cripple Creek. We were on vacation and the scenery was beautiful, so we were not in a hurry.

Drivers in the cars behind us would ride my bumper and pass as soon as it was possible to do so and have only favorable odds that they would survive. I caught one driver in my rear-view mirror with a “why me?” look on his face; he would attempt to pass and then drop back when it looked too scary to attempt it. Each time that he chickened out, he would pound his steering wheel with his hands and shake his head. Finally, we found a pull-off, and I know he was glad our car was in his rear-view mirror.

We would have stopped anyway. It was a beautiful spot to take a walk and snap some photos.

Almost as soon as we got back on the road, we were again leading a parade of cars that were in a hurry. Soon after we pulled into Cripple Creek, we found out what the rush was all about. Cripple Creek is a gambling town! We had no idea. We just wanted to see more of Colorado, and "Cripple Creek" sounded like a pleasant place to spend an afternoon and we like that song by the Band:

Up On Cripple Creek She Sends Me , If I Spring A Leak She Mends Me.

Those people riding our bumper were locals that had money burning a hole in their pockets.

In 1890, Bob Womack, a small-time rancher and part-time prospector, found gold near Cripple Creek. By 1893, the population of the town had grown from 500 to 10,000. By 1900, more than 55,000 people lived in the Cripple Creek area. The town became prosperous from mining and many of the townspeople became wealthy and not just from mining. There was enough money circulating in Cripple Creek to keep restaurants, hotels, shops, theaters and just any other business in the black. In fact, the town was wealthy enough to support 14 newspapers.

The gold eventually became harder to find, and by 1900 the town’s size began to shrink as people left for greener pastures. If you are wondering what happened to Bob Womack, he died penniless even though his claim produced over 5 million dollars.

In 1962, the last mine closed. By the early 1990s, the population had dwindled to 600 people who lived off the land, commuted to more prosperous areas, or catered to the few tourists who found Cripple Creek an inexpensive, off the beaten track, weekend getaway.

In 1990, the State of Colorado approved low stakes gambling, and old mining towns like Cripple Creek enjoyed a new dose of prosperity, albeit on a much smaller scale than during its glory days. By law, the maximum wager at Cripple Creek casinos could not exceed $5 and only poker, blackjack and slot machines were permitted. Casinos had to close between 2 A.M. and 8 P.M.

Sixteen casinos, some quite elaborate, soon dotted the town, along with numerous new restaurants, motels, boutiques, banks, antique and other commercial establishments. The town’s population grew to 2,000.

The world recession hit the gaming industry very hard and Cripple Creek Colorado was no exception. A possible solution for Cripple Creek came in July 2009, when the State of Colorado gave Cripple Creek a “raise” by increasing the maximum gambling wager to $100. Craps and roulette are now allowed, along with unlimited hours. The casinos now never close.

Gambling is the main draw, but there are many other things for a tourist to do in Cripple Creek Colorado. The Pikes Peak Heritage Center which overlooks the town is an 11,600 square feet facility featuring interactive exhibits recreating the town during its heyday as a big-time mining camp. The museum also houses historic photographs, dinosaur exhibits, and Pike’s Peak memorabilia.

The Mollie Kathleen Mine Tour will take you on a four-mile ride on the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.

If you are in Cripple Creek during the summer, catch the melodrama at the Butte Opera House. Boo the villains and cheer the heroes. It’s fun!

If you like history, beautiful mountain scenery and want to toss a little gambling into the mix, Cripple Creek Colorado should be on your list of places to visit. The city is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Canon City and about 1/2 hour from Florissant. If you have never traveled this part of Colorado it will probably take you a lot longer because the scenery is so beautiful, you will want to drive slow and pull off the road several times to enjoy the view.

Be cautious about driving in this area after dark. It is easy to miss a road and end up miles from where you should be. In this part of Colorado, there are not many short-cuts back to where you started from.