What is the history of the Cripple Creek Gold Mining District?

In 1890, cowboy and prospector Bob Womack discovered rich gold ore that touched off the legendary Cripple Creek Gold Rush, transforming the ranching country on Pikes Peak's western slopes as prospectors flocked to the area. Over 500 mines in the Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District produced over 21 million ounces of gold, exceeding the combined production of the California and Alaska Gold Rushes. Towns sprang up on the mountainsides and in the gulches of the district, with Cripple Creek becoming the financial heart featuring stockbrokers, stock exchanges, newspapers, engineering firms, boarding houses, restaurants, general stores, and saloons exemplifying the thriving business sector by 1900.

Victor, located a stone's throw from the richest mines, housed many of the district's miners, and the Wood brothers discovered the prosperous Gold Coin Mine in the heart of Victor while digging a foundation for a hotel. The district's success created an urgent need for transportation links to the Front Range and Arkansas Valley, leading to the construction of Shelf Road in 1892 and the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad in 1894. Today, the story continues to unfold with limited stakes gaming and heap leach gold mining renewing interest in what became known as America's Greatest Gold Camp.