The Town of Victor

Victor is a tiny, beautiful town nestled in the mountains of Colorado. At about a 15 minute drive from the lake houses, it’s the nearest town and is worth several hours of exploration.

Its past is a glorious one—one that you would never anticipate by the size of it today. In 1891, a prospector, Winfield Scott Stratton, discovered gold in the area, prompting a gold rush to the area. Very soon after that, the town of Victor was founded, drawing in tons of people, a majority of whom worked for the mines in Victor and in the nearby town of Cripple Creek.

A fire in 1899 destroyed the town of Victor, but was quickly rebuilt with many of the beautiful old brick buildings you see lining the streets today. It was an incredibly busy hub, home to around 18,000 people around the time of the fire, but still persevered, because in 1900, it was the second largest gold district in the United States. To put it in today’s terms, the mines had produced 21 million ounces of gold… or $10 billion in today’s dollars.

Due to the mines beginning to be worked out, and then World War I along with WWII not long after, the towns of Victor and Cripple Creek began to decline rapidly in population, resulting with the mines shutting down during WWII.

Not much else was done about the mines until 1976, when the Cripple Creek & Victor Mining Company formed in an attempt to restart the mines in the area. Having some success with this, they began to do open pit mining in the area in 1994. Today, the mines are still open, although some have changed ownership.

Some of the mines in the area, including the famous Mollie Kathleen Mine in Cripple Creek, provide tours of their mining operations and teaching visitors about their history and the process of mining for gold.

There are a few museums as well, including the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, which show off artifacts from that era, as well as provide information about the rich history of the area. Short of that, there are many old head frames dotting the mountainside, some of which you are able to hike up to.

We love our small town of Victor, and the beautiful people that reside there. It’s a special place, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

If you’re there for the afternoon, parking off the main street and walking around is always recommended, as there are a few shops to explore, and small places to eat or grab drinks.

And if you’re extra lucky to be there around Labor Day, the Victor Arts Festival is happening, which brings in artists from all around the country to paint or draw the stunning landscapes or beautiful old buildings.