Central City, population 663 in 2010
old, original buildings
narrow winding streets
It was near lunch time when we got to the mountain towns. We decided to grab some ice cream and get the rest of the geocaches and "get out of Dodge" so to speak, because people were starting to gather for the fireworks show later in the day. We found a large free public parking lot for the truck near the downtown area. As we parked, a golf cart and driver appeared, offering us a free ride and a history lesson. What a deal! He gave us an abbreviated history of Central City, shared jokes and town politics (regarding law enforcement) and a tip for a good, inexpensive lunch.
John H. Gregory from Georgia made the first gold discovery on May 6, 1859. This brought thousands of gold miners, prospectors, and residents by the late 1800s. Doc Holiday, Soapy Smith, Poker Alice and others were among the Central City residents, taking advantage of the gambling opportunities. Today, the six casinos are all in historical buildings in Central City.
As was quite typical of the times, buildings were quickly erected in wood. Groups of Chinese came to the mountain town to make money. Cornish and Welsh miners were another ethnic group to leave their mark. A major fire in 1874 burned through Central City leading to a decision to build businesses in brick and stone. According to our tour guide, the Cornish and Welsh were responsible for some of the stone work buildings still standing.
Our golf cart guide recommended we stop at the Easy Street Casinso for lunch (good & inexpensive). The dining room was on the second floor. We were to be certain to look at the ceiling in the bar.
casino on first floor
dining room, Madame Millie, on second floor
historic building tucked between other historic buildings
dollar bills on the ceiling
tradition leading back to the gold mining days
The lunch was good and inexpensive. We enjoyed the atmosphere so much, we decided to spend a little money in Central City. We wanted to support the economy. We set a dollar limit, and each went to different machines. (The place is NOT that big.) I found a nickel machine that gave free spins. (I am slowly learning!) Hubby chose a poker machine. I made two bets before I won 9 free spins. At the end of the free spins, I was up over $13. I cashed out and went looking for Hubby. When I found him, his machine was spitting out quarters. LOTS of quarters. We laughed as we collected the quarters and headed to the teller. He made over $11. We found the golf cart driver and thanked him for the tip! Central City paid for our lunch and our gas on the 4th of July.
the modern day St. James Church
red building with cross on the side
original St. James Church built in 1868-1871
Interesting story about the original St. James Methodist Church..."An 1864 article by the Miner's Register complained that a Madam Wright was operating a crib below the Methodist Church. The paper thought the City should require her to locate to a more remote area in the City."
"The Census of 1880 listed four women of the same residence on Pine Street as "house keepers". In 1900 Central City's most celebrated madam appeared on the census as a widow, occupation: boarding house. She apparently had two girls working for her and one said she was married. Lou Bunch again appeared on the 1910 census with two new girls with listed occupation as "prostitutes". Lou Bunch was the last operating madam in town. During an epidemic, Madam Lou Bunch and her girls provided generous nursing care to many sick and dying miners. Every year we honor Madam Lou Bunch, and Central City's heritage, with a celebration on the third Saturday in June." The celebration consists of iron bed races, two men and one woman teams, that change clothes at the bottom of the hill before pushing the bed back up the hill. Sorry we missed it!
stone work done by the Welsh and/or Cornish miners
close-up
mural showing the history of Central City
remains of the original Masonic Temple
may also have been erected by the out-of-work miners
location of a geocache
Grocery, Liquor & Dispensary
we were in Colorado!
Belvidere Theatre
Central City also has the oldest operating Opera House in the US
opened in 1878
Buffalo Bill, P.T. Barnum's Circus were just two of the
many famous performers to make an appearance
still operates today, in the summer only
We drove from one end of Central City to the other, several times. We saw Black Hawk. So where do all the people live who work in those large modern-day, Vegas-like casinos???
modern condos & apartments built on-the-edge-of-town
on a hillside near the cemeteries
We took the 'other' road back to Denver when we left Central City. No tall, steep canyon walls.
nice 4 lane highway with interesting story
When legalized gambling was allowed in Black Hawk and Central City, Black Hawk got the big casinos to invest in their little piece of real estate, trying to revitalize their economy. It has more casinos, bigger casinos, lodging accommodations, all making it more appealing to many folks who come to gamble. Black Hawk generates 7 times the revenue of Central City. So to try and get a leg up, in 2004 Central City built a four-lane 8.5 mile parkway connecting I 70 to Central City withOUT going through Black Hawk. It was a beautiful, easy drive back to Denver. Although we tried to leave some money in Central City, Central City paid us for the visit.
It was the cemeteries we planned to visit, not the casinos. The historic, interesting resting places for many of those folks who once resided in the mining towns will get its own post, next time.
Very interesting. We haven't been to CC or Black Hawk in many years. Maybe we'll have to plan another visit!
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