A high‑country ranching valley until 1890, Cripple Creek changed overnight when prospector Bob Womack struck gold in Poverty Gulch, launching the Cripple Creek Gold Rush. The district swelled to tens of thousands by the mid‑1890s.
Two devastating fires in April 1896 leveled downtown; it was rebuilt quickly in brick and stone. Railroads soon linked the camps — the Florence & Cripple Creek (1894), the Midland Terminal via Divide (1895), and the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District “Short Line” (1901).
Labor conflict marked the era, from the 1894 miners’ strike to the Colorado Labor Wars of 1903-04. Mining waned in the 20th century; limited‑stakes gaming returned in 1991 and helped restore the historic core. Cripple Creek remains the seat of Teller County.
Victor rose on Battle Mountain during the 1890s rush, incorporated in 1894 and known as the “City of Mines.” Nearby discoveries — including W. S. Stratton’s Independence (1891) — made it one of the district’s busiest camps.
A major fire in 1899 (unrelated to the Cripple Creek Fires of 1896) destroyed much of downtown; the city rebuilt in brick and stone. Rail links and mills kept ore moving — the Midland Terminal via Divide, the Florence & Cripple Creek, and later the “Short Line” connection to Colorado Springs.
Labor conflict during the 1903-04 Colorado Labor Wars left a lasting mark. Today Victor preserves headframes and early commercial blocks, with modern surface mining continuing in the wider district.
Platted in 1895 between Cripple Creek and Victor, Goldfield served miners working Battle Mountain and nearby properties. The camp grew quickly with boarding houses, halls, and small businesses supporting the district.
Goldfield became a stronghold of the Western Federation of Miners during the 1903-04 Colorado Labor Wars; troops and deputies were stationed in and around town during the conflict. Like the rest of the district, Goldfield quieted as production waned.
Today it’s a small residential community within the historic gold district, with relics of rail grades, mine sites, and early streets still visible on the hillsides.
The Midland area takes its name from the Colorado Midland Railway, the standard‑gauge line that climbed Ute Pass in the late 1880s, linking Colorado Springs to Leadville and beyond. Camps and sidings dotted the corridor between Woodland Park and Divide.
In 1895 the Midland Terminal branched from Divide to the Cripple Creek gold district, making the corridor a key freight and passenger route for ore, timber, and supplies. When the Colorado Midland ceased operations in 1918, rail traffic dwindled; the Midland Terminal ran until 1949.
Today “Midland” refers to the wooded, residential stretch along US‑24 and the old grades — a rail heritage landscape now traveled mostly by road.
Born of timber camps and homesteads along Ute Pass, Woodland Park incorporated in 1891. The Colorado Midland Railroad made it a convenient mountain stop with grand views of Pikes Peak — “The City Above the Clouds.”
Resorts, cabins, and summer homes followed the rails and road, while nearby mills and ranches supplied the booming Cripple Creek district. After the railroad era ended, highway travel sustained the town’s growth.
Today Woodland Park is the largest community in Teller County — a year‑round base for forest recreation, commuting, and mountain living.
Divide takes its name from the watershed divide between the South Platte and Arkansas basins. A stage and rail stop at the crest of Ute Pass, it served nearby ranches, timber outfits, and travelers.
In 1895 the Midland Terminal launched from Divide to the Cripple Creek & Victor mines, turning the junction into a shipping point for ore and supplies. The line operated until 1949; the town remained a crossroads after rail service ended.
Today Divide marks the meeting of US‑24 and CO‑67 — a gateway to Mueller State Park, the gold district, and high‑country trails.
Florissant began as a stage stop and ranching community in the 1870s, named for Florissant, Missouri. The settlement served travelers moving between the plains and the high country long before paved highways.
Just south of town lies Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (est. 1969), renowned for its petrified redwood stumps and finely preserved insects and plants from the Eocene epoch.
Modern Florissant anchors the upper South Platte valley with small‑town services, historic remnants, and quick access to the monument and surrounding forests.
Lake George grew as a Colorado Midland Railway stop on the South Platte in the 1890s, named for early resident George Frost. A post office has served the community since the late nineteenth century.
The nearby impounded lake and cool winters supported ice harvesting and supplied water for local needs; ranching, timber, and railroad work rounded out early livelihoods.
Today Lake George is a quiet base for anglers and hikers bound for Eleven Mile Canyon, the Tarryall and South Platte drainages, and surrounding high country.