Cripple Creek and Victor, sister cities in the Colorado mountains, were jointly home to the state's last great gold rush near the end of the 19th century. During their boom days, the combined population of the two towns exceeded 28,000 people, but now have around 1600 between them. Cripple Creek has become known primarily for gambling, with at least nine casinos in town. Mining has resumed in Victor, but not the deep shaft type of mining. Today it's all pit mining, where they basically tear the mountain down, remove all the gold ore, then rebuild the mountain from tailings. Not a pretty sight, but undoubtedly profitable.
On the way to Cripple Creek we had good views of Pike's Peak, one of Colorado's "fourteeners".
The century old downtown is quite charming and well maintained, possibly re-constructed to support the new gambling economy.
Remnants of the original gold rush are still available to inform and instruct modern visitors as to the "old ways".
The new pit mining technique, while highly efficient, is very destructive. Hopefully, once the mining plays out, they will be required to restore the landscape.
Leaving this area, one has the option of taking the modern highway or a back road that goes through Phantom Canyon. Guess which route we chose.
No comments:
Post a Comment