Writer reflects on her dream of ‘Rush to the Rockies’ come true
By Margaret Malsam
The year was 1990. Voters had approved legalized limited stakes gambling in Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek. My photographer husband and I were doing an article on gambling in Colorado for Touring America magazine to go with their cover story on gambling hotspots in the USA.
Crook’s Palace in Black Hawk
Our article was slated to come out AFTER gambling had started in Colorado. It was a real challenge to take pictures and write about gambling BEFORE casinos were yet open here. We decided to photograph the bars and old buildings in these historic mining towns.
Buildings that caught our eyes in Black Hawk were Crook’s Palace (which claims to be the oldest continually operating saloon in Colorado), the crumbling old Gilpin Hotel (now beautifully restored and expanded), a Victorian house (which later was a liquor store) and the doorway of the Black Forest Inn (which closed and moved to Nederland).
Gilded Garter in Central City
In Central City, George photographed the Toll Gate Saloon (which is now part of the Century Casino) and nearby Rock Shop (which now houses Dostal Alley Casino), the Gilded Garter (which turned into the Glory Hole Casino and now is the Doc Holliday Casino). My thanks for the picture identification to Dolores Spellman, a greeter at the Lodge Casino, who was born and raised in Black Hawk. My husband also got a picture of the old Palace Hotel in Cripple Creek.
I had a hunch then that someday these pictures might be considered “historic” as I dreamed that gambling would start another “Rush to the Rockies.” Consequently, I wrote the article as if gambling was already creating a boom for these Colorado mountain towns.
Black Forest Inn. Photos by Margaret Malsam.
My first paragraph said, “Where determined prospectors once chipped away at the rocks in their quest for gold, you can now hear the rattle/clank of slot machines. The boisterous miners used to drink their whiskey straight and wage reckless “all or nothing” bets in dark honky-tonk saloons. Now well-dressed theater fans leisurely sip margaritas while playing limited stakes blackjack and poker in sleek, glimmering casinos.”
I also wrote, “Colorado was not tamed by the fainthearted. Back in the 1800s, the stouthearted made their way through steep rugged mountains by foot or on horseback in search of fortunes. They struggled to keep from freezing in their crude cabins during turbulent winter snowstorms. Once the spring sun melted the snow drifts, they emerged from their shacks to search once again for that elusive gold. Some struck it lucky—some didn’t.”
In closing my article 20 years ago, I said: “The lure of gambling is starting another ‘Rush to the Rockies.’ Thousands will visit these adventurous mountain towns. Some will strike it lucky; others won’t. If you visit, good luck.”
