All Up In Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek, Colorado is about a 40 Minute drive west of Colorado Springs, which makes it a little over two hours from my house (depending entirely on who is doing the driving of course).

PC picked me up at my house early in the morning as we had to also stop and pick up the cabinets & counters he bought from a kitchen & bath place that was clearing out a kitchen floor display that nearly spot-on matched the dimensions of the kitchen that PC needed cabinets & counters for. 

The kitchen in question was in a home he was working on that was located near Cripple Creek.

We had the cabinets & counters (and trim) loaded up by 8:30am and were soon headed south.

Cripple Creek was founded as a gold mining camp and at one time boasted it was the world's greatest gold camp. The gold rush of 1890 brought thousands of prospectors to the area and soon the population topped 10,000. The population dwindled to less than 500 people by 1970, even though gold was still being found. 

The town was almost a ghost town by the time Colorado voters legalized gambling there in 1991. Casinos big and small opened up and the population has since soared to over 1,100 full-time residents.

We didn't have to do more than unload the cabinets, counters and trim off the truck and into the garage (putting the kitchen together is for another day). It went smooth and quick, so we found ourselves with a little time to drive through (and around) Cripple Creek.

There are quite a few buildings from the early days of the town that have been restored, and quite a few buildings from the past thirty years of development that were built to look old - which is cool as they blend in well.

Of course, the town being situated at an altitude of over 9,000 feet results in some great views. While not in a box canyon, the town is surrounded by mountains.

Cripple Creek was an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon, so two thumbs way up to a visit, especially if you can manage to work it into a day you're getting paid to go there.