I have made enough references to Central City in my previous blogs that I thought a bit of history on this pivotal town was in order. A miner by the name of John Gregory discovered gold in 1859, 35 miles west of Denver. Known as "The Gregory Lode", word spread fast that gold had been found, and, within 2 months, over 10,000 people arrived in Central City looking to strike it rich in Colorado's gold rush. Many gold discovery's were made near Central City. Becoming so "central" to the gold rush, Central City became known as "The Richest Square Mile On Earth".
By the fall of 1859, almost $2 million in gold had been found. One gold nugget reportedly weighed over 6 lbs. Nearly 30,000 people lived in houses, tents, wagons, log cabins, dugouts... anything that gave them shelter, just to be close to Central City. By the summer of 1860, over 60,000 people were in Central City all seeking their fortune. This population rivaled Denver's size.
Mining wasn't the only way to make money in Central City. Mattie Silks soon opened a brothel where her "soiled doves" would entertain miners...for a price. Aunt Clara Brown opened a laundry for miners, charging 50 cents per shirt. When you've struck gold, that was probably a fair price to pay in order to not be turned away when you went to visit one of Mattie Silks' girls!
Things were cooking in Central City in the late 1850's and early 1860's. In 1861 records reported 217 fist fights, 97 gun fights and 11 knife fights. By 1870, Central City was more important to commerce than Denver. (Only with the coming of the railroad did Denver re-immerge as a business center). The Republican Convention was held in Central City in 1871, and the Historic Teller House Hotel was built in 1872. In 1873 President Ulysses S. Grant came to visit US Senator Henry Teller in Central City. Baby Doe Tabor lived and worked in Central City. Baby Doe Tabor's husband Horace Tabor also spent time in Central City with his 1st wife Augusta Tabor. Other famous Central City visitors over the years were: Doc Holiday, Oscar Wilde, Harry Houdini and various international presidents, kings, queens and royalty.
But, in 1873 and 1874 Central City was ravaged by horrendous fires that distroyed most of the town. Buildings were re-built in stone and brick and most of those buildings remain today with over 30 of them Registered as Historic Places. Over the years over 17,000 mining claims were filed in Central City. After the gold rush ended and the Silver Crash of 1893 occurred, Central City dwindled in size. By 1950, fewer than 500 people called Central City home.
Central City has gone through it's ups and downs over the years, hosting the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and P. T. Barnum's circus. Many movies have been filmed in Central City including several Tom Mix films, "The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox", portions of the TV mini-series "Centennial" and "Dream West". But that is not a steady source of money.
In 1990, limited stakes gambling was voted into Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek Colorado. Central City and neighboring Black Hawk once again experienced an economic boom. In 2004. a 4 lane highway linking Central City to I-70 was completed making access much easier.
Today, Central City has beautiful Victorian Homes, restaurants, art galleries, museums, B & B's, casinos and...mining tours. Just 35 miles west of Denver, Historic Central City is certainly worth the trip!
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