How The Miners Were Entertained

In the 1890's self proclaimed prospector Bob Womack found a sample of ore that contained the earth's most precious metal in a small gulch near Cripple Creek. The discovery of gold in Colorado brought forth great change to the area and changed the world in many ways. Thousands upon thousands came rushing into the great mountainous regions of Colorado in order to get their hands on a chunk of the highly sought after sparkling stone. When the Cripple Creek District was at it peak the total estimated population of the district neared 60,000 people. The district not only offered a chance to get rich quick, the area also boomed into an area that offered a unique social scene.

         The town of Cripple Creek escalated into a prosperous town that had much to offer in the shopping and entertainment realm. At one time Cripple Creek was the “happening” spot for the entire state of Colorado. If you lived in other parts of the state and were interested in shopping or a night out on the town your best bet would be to book a trip on the train to Cripple Creek. The main shopping area of Cripple Creek was the home of many things that you could not purchase in other parts of the state. In the market square of the town one could purchase anything from fresh fish to a brand new grand piano. The district also offered the best lines of new fashion clothes and had famous department stores that couldn't be found within hundreds of miles. The town also offered an exciting night life with a wide variety of entertainment. The well known Myers Avenue was host to one of the most famous “red light districts” of the world. Aside from the infamous high dollar brothels there was every other kind of entertainment available as well.

         The district was the home of a total of three opera houses two in Cripple Creek and one in Victor. All three of these opera houses were built to entertain up to 1,200 people. These opera houses provided many options of entertainment. Among the opera houses the district provided a wide array of other venues from smaller stage and theater venues to a variety of outdoor entertainment venues. These out door settings ranged from outdoor amphitheaters to baseball parks to horse racing arenas. In one small town of the mining district called Cameron, the Woods brothers who were the major investors that developed the booming town of Victor, CO, decided to build a place that offered a cleaner and more family oriented type of entertainment for the miners.

         In the small town to be, first called “Grassy”, the Wood Brothers decided to build a huge      acre amusement park and zoo while the town was first being plotted and settled. The idea was to get the miners of the district out of the saloons, gambling halls and brothels of Cripple Creek's infamous “red light district” and into an area where they could have fun on their days off and be entertained in a more family oriented environment. “Pinnacle Park” perhaps named from the infamous gold producing Pinnacle Mine, featured a large variety of entertainment geared towards the whole family. Inside the huge park a 1900's miner could could bring his family or come alone to enjoy the many things Pinnacle Park had to offer. The park featured a large amusement park with a carousel and many other rides for the younger crowds. The gigantic property also featured a large outdoor dance pavilion that was big enough to allow over 1,000 couples to “bust a move” in the Colorado sunlight while enjoying the sounds of a local or traveling live band. The park also featured a large zoo that housed a healthy collection of local wildlife and more exotic animals alike. The zoo inside Pinnacle Park housed the normal zoo collection of animals in cages but also offered a unique setting where the local wildlife could be seen inside replicas of their natural habitat. The one of a kind zoo offered large fenced in areas where miners and their families could view native deer grazing the land or mountain lions playfully fighting each other. Included in their “natural habitat” exhibits, was a unique replica “bear cave” built with shovels and rocks in order to reproduce the natural caves bears would live in. Since the time of the gold boom era, the chunk of land the town of Cameron thrived on at one time, is now the property of the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company. The respectful people of the CC&V Mine and the City of Cripple Creek have joined forces and provided a smaller version of these well known bear caves for the viewing of the public at the Cripple Creek District Museum.

         Since the District was such a hot spot during its peak, the area was the host of many other forms of popular entertainment. The old times newspapers contain many advertisements and bulletins in the “Events” section that depict the many different types of entertainment that was available in the Cripple Creek District. Being a hot spot in the whole region during that era, just about every type of show available during that time made its way through the Cripple Creek District. Everything imaginable that was popular during that era could be seen somewhere inside the Cripple Creek mining district. All potential spectators being miners, businessmen and travelers could enjoy various shows including popular Broadway plays, grand operas, live bands, dance performers, live “glove” (and “bare knuckle”) fights, and performers of the paranormal ranging from “palmists” (palm readers) to the sometimes comic hypnotists and mind readers.