West Creek - The Gold Boom that Never Was

As you drive north out of Woodland Park on Highway 67, not long after you cross into Douglas County you’ll see a road sign that says “West Creek” with an arrow pointing to the left. Now a bedroom community, in the 1890s it was the site where hopefuls that had missed out on the Cripple Creek gold boom came to discover gold deposits of their own. This episode is the story of that endeavor.

The following images were found on the Pikes Peak Library District digital collection - http://digitalcollections.ppld.org

References:

Douglas County Government. (2010). Landmark Series - All That Glitters, West Creek Colorado. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/10067706

The Aspen Daily Times (1896, January 29). West Creek Camp - Activity in the New Camp North of Cripple. 5.

Finch, C. O. (1897, March 21). The Journal. The Castle Rock Journal. 3.

Symes, P. O. (1898, March 19). Mountain Echoes - West Creek. The Mountain Echo. 1.

The West Creek Mining News and The Nighthawk Mountain Echo (1899, February 25). Announcement. 1.

The West Creek Mining News and The Nighthawk Mountain Echo (1899, March 11). MILLIONS IN IT! 4.