Cripple Creek (Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, Victor: appliances, home, elementary school)

[jenjimc]

What is Cripple Creek like? Is it in the mountains? How far from CS?

[otowi]

Yes, in the mountains. It is a small old mining town that now has gambling and tourism as its main industries. About 1.5 hours drive from CS, but shorter as the crow flies.

[PokerMunkee]

CC sits at 9,500' elevation. There is a little over 1000 residents. The casinos are the main source of revenue and employment, hiring near a couple thousand people. There is a large gold mine a few miles away, between CC and Victor, that employs over 400 people.

There is a small grocery store called Venture Foods, that has the town's only gas pumps, automatic car wash, and a small Ace Hardware in the rear. There is also a small medical building that has a family doctor and eye doc (they visit several times a week).

City has a nice post office and food outlets at all of the casinos. There is a fairly new Ruby Tuesday at Wildwood, which will be interesting if it makes it through the winter.

The town is full of gamblers on the weekends but that's about all going for it. I wouldn't want to live there, personally. Just too boring and a 40 minute drive to any shopping or emergecny medical facilities (Woodland Park).

[Marcy1210]

Poker's right. Cripple Creek is also on a two lane road with no guard rails once you turn left at Divide and take 67. In the winter, the driving can be extremely challenging at best. To give you an idea--if you leave Colorado Springs, you'll drive a well maintained, 4 lane Highway (24) up Ute Pass, through Woodland Park which is basically the epicenter of Teller County, to Divide. Then, you turn left (south) and head to Cripple Creek, which is a booming gambling town on weekends, but, really, a rural, mountain town most other times. There is an elementary school and high school, and what Poker mentioned, some nice-ish subdivisions outside of town, but still it's very rural. There's satellite TV, internet, library, school, but mostly, it's a tourist town with gambling as it's main attraction.

There's a Venture Foods in Divide, too, and it's fine, but very small and selection is limited. I've shopped at the one in Divide, but honestly, I'd make the drive to Woodland Park to City Market, Safeway or Wal-Mart first. There is no shopping in Cripple Creek for clothes (Wal-Mart is in Woodland Park), appliances, housewares, or many other sundries. For that, you'll need to go to Woodland Park which is a good 45 minutes or more away. I'm not trying to put the kibosh on Cripple Creek, but it takes someone who really wants a rural lifestyle in a transient gambling tourist town to live there.

[mtngigi]

However, for one of the best and most expansive views around, do take the drive some day. There are a few pull-off spots above Cripple Creek on 67 town that offer amazing views. Agree with what everyone says. To me, there really is no "town" any more ... being lost in all the casinos, as it were.

Back before the gambling, I used to love driving up there on a Sunday afternoon, poking around the few shops that were open (and a neat old hardware store), and eating at the Home Cafe (which still exists inside of Bronco Billy's Casino).

If nothing else, it's a nice drive, especially if you do a loop through the interesting, historic town of Victor.

[PokerMunkee]

Heh, funny how people complain how the casinos have ruined the small town feel.

People need to realize that Cripple Creek and Victor used to have over 50,000 people in it during the gold days in the earlly 1900's.

The rush of people going to the casinos every weekend is great in my eyes, as it's bringing back to what Cripple Creek used to be; A bustling town with people seeking to get rich!

Just too bad it's far away from a large city to becoming anything great. Not many people want to live there.

[mtngigi]

If you're referring to my comments, I wasn't complaining, just stating what I see as facts ... the town, as it was before gambling, isn't there anymore. I think if someone is looking to move to a small town in the mountains, this isn't what they're looking for. Of course the OP might just be asking what it's like.

I still enjoy the drive, and I still enjoy the town itself, just in a different way (not when I lose money, though!). It is bustling on the weekends ... but to my way of thinking, to live up there is not to live in a small town and all that living in a small town implies. But again, who knows why the OP was asking.

[lalahartma]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwVavtDBZ9E

[otowi]

imho, here's the REAL Cripple Creek song that everybody around here learned as kids, I think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTbPVlz57YA

I got a gal at the head of the creek
Goin up t' see her 'bout the middle of the week
Kiss her on the mouth, just as sweet as any wine
Wraps herself around me like a sweet potatoe vine

Goin' up t' Cripple Creek, goin' on the run
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek t' have a little fun
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek, goin in a whirl
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek t' see my girl

Girls up on Cripple Creek about half grown
Jump on a man like a dog on a bone
I'll roll my britches up to my knees

[ From: BILL MONROE - CRIPPLE CREEK LYRICS ]

An' wade in ol' Cripple Creek when I please

Goin' up t' Cripple Creek, goin' on the run
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek t' have a little fun
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek, goin in a whirl
Goin' up t' Cripple Creek t' see my girl

[Carrera32]

Everybody's right, or everybody's wrong, or everybody's partly right or everybody's partly wrong. As noted in the posts above, there are two songs: "Up on Cripple Creek," recorded by The Band (may have been written by Bob Dylan; remember, the Band played with Dylan, and there's some conjecture out there that he wrote it) and covered by other rock bands, and "Cripple Creek," a traditional bluegrass tune, possibly originating in Kentucky, and definitely predating the rock tune. There's another town of Cripple Creek in western Virginia, which may be the inspiration for the bluegrass tune, or not. There's an assumption that Cripple Creek, CO, was the inspiration for The Band's tune, as Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko apparently spent some time in Colorado Springs in the 60's, but no confirmation from Robertson or anyone else from The Band.

There's a great instrumental version of the bluegrass tune by Flatt and Scruggs on UTube (don't have the link, but it's easy to find).

Bottom line: Cripple Creek, the CO town MAY be the inspiration for The Band's tune, but nothing definite. But, it appears there's probably no connection to the Bluegrass version, but, who knows for sure?

There's also a very good article on the whole issue. Check it out at Peter Viney: Up On Cripple Creek.