Creede, Colorado | |
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Location of the City of Creede in the United States | |
Coordinates: 37°50′55″N106°55′31″W / 37.84861°N 106.92528°W [2] | |
Country | United States |
State | Colorado |
County | Mineral County seat [1] |
Incorporated | May 19, 1892 [3] |
Government | |
• Type | Statutory Town [1] |
Area | |
• Total | 0.950 sq mi (2.460 km2) |
• Land | 0.950 sq mi (2.460 km2) |
• Water | 0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2) |
Elevation | 8,813 ft (2,686 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 257 |
• Density | 377/sq mi (146/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
ZIP Code [5] | 81130 |
Area code | 719 |
FIPS code | 08-14765 |
GNIS feature ID | 2412384 [2] |
Website | City website |
Creede is a statutory town and the county seat of Mineral County, Colorado, United States. It is the most populous community and the only incorporated municipality within the county. [1] The town population was 257 at the 2020 United States census. [4]
Travelers to this area appeared in the early 19th century. Tom Boggs, a brother-in-law of Kit Carson, farmed at Wagon Wheel Gap in the summer of 1840. The first silver discovery was made at the Alpha mine in 1869, but the silver could not be extracted at a profit from the complex ores. Ranchers and homesteaders moved in when stagecoach stations (linking the mining operations over the Divide with the east) were built in the 1870s, but the great "Boom Days" started with the discovery of rich minerals in Willow Creek Canyon in 1889. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
In the 19th century, Creede was the last silver boom town in Colorado. It leapt from a population of 600 in 1889 to more than 10,000 in December 1891. The Creede mines operated continuously from 1890 until 1985, and were served by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. [13]
The original townsite of Creede was located on East Willow Creek just above its junction with West Willow Creek. Below Creede were Stringtown, Jimtown, and Amethyst. The Willow Creek site was soon renamed Creede after Nicholas C. Creede who discovered the Holy Moses Mine. Soon the entire town area from East Willow to Amethyst was called Creede. [14] [15]
While Creede was booming, the capital city of Denver, Colorado was experiencing a reform movement against gambling clubs and saloons. Numerous owners of gambling houses in Denver relocated to Creede's business district. One of these was confidence man Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith. Soapy became the uncrowned king of Creede's criminal underworld, and opened the Orleans Club. Other famous people in Creede were Robert Ford (the man who killed outlaw Jesse James), Bat Masterson, and William Sidney "Cap" Light (the first deputy sheriff in Creede, and brother-in-law of Soapy Smith). On June 5, 1892, a fire destroyed most of the business district. Three days later, on June 8, Ed O'Kelley walked into Robert Ford's makeshift tent-saloon and shot him dead. [16] [17] The town of Creede was incorporated on June 13, 1892. The anti-gambling movement in Denver had ceased, and the Denver businessmen moved back to their former areas of operation. [18]
Creede's boom lasted until 1893, when the Silver Panic hit the silver mining towns in Colorado. The price of silver plummeted, and most of the silver mines were closed. [19] [20] Creede never became a ghost town, although the boom was over and its population declined. After 1900, Creede stayed alive by relying increasingly on lead and zinc in the ores. [21] [22] [23] Total production through 1966 was 58 million ozt (1,800 t) of silver, 150 thousand ozt (4.7 t) of gold, 112 thousand metric tons of lead, 34 thousand metric tons of zinc, and 2 million metric tons of copper. [24]
Creede is located near the headwaters of the Rio Grande, which flows through the San Juan Mountains and the San Luis Valley on its way to New Mexico, Texas, and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.
The river has played a critical role in the development of farming and ranching in the Valley. The Rio Grande and its tributary trout streams provide excellent opportunities for fly fishermen and its unspoiled headwaters in the Weminuche Wilderness are a favorite for hikers.[ citation needed ]
At the 2020 United States Census, the town had a total area of 608 acres (2.460 km2) , all of it land. [4]
Climate data for Creede, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2007–present | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 58 (14) | 56 (13) | 66 (19) | 73 (23) | 79 (26) | 89 (32) | 91 (33) | 88 (31) | 86 (30) | 80 (27) | 77 (25) | 58 (14) | 91 (33) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.9 (0.5) | 37.6 (3.1) | 45.9 (7.7) | 54.1 (12.3) | 63.2 (17.3) | 74.8 (23.8) | 78.9 (26.1) | 75.0 (23.9) | 70.1 (21.2) | 60.7 (15.9) | 45.6 (7.6) | 32.6 (0.3) | 56.0 (13.3) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.6 (−11.3) | 16.6 (−8.6) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 37.3 (2.9) | 45.0 (7.2) | 53.6 (12.0) | 59.7 (15.4) | 57.5 (14.2) | 51.0 (10.6) | 40.4 (4.7) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 12.5 (−10.8) | 36.7 (2.6) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −9.8 (−23.2) | −4.3 (−20.2) | 10.5 (−11.9) | 20.6 (−6.3) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 32.5 (0.3) | 40.4 (4.7) | 40.1 (4.5) | 32.0 (0.0) | 20.2 (−6.6) | 8.0 (−13.3) | −7.6 (−22.0) | 17.5 (−8.1) |
Record low °F (°C) | −40 (−40) | −31 (−35) | −18 (−28) | −10 (−23) | 8 (−13) | 16 (−9) | 16 (−9) | 23 (−5) | 12 (−11) | −8 (−22) | −18 (−28) | −42 (−41) | −42 (−41) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.84 (21) | 0.76 (19) | 0.97 (25) | 1.05 (27) | 1.02 (26) | 0.82 (21) | 2.03 (52) | 2.73 (69) | 1.74 (44) | 1.29 (33) | 1.22 (31) | 0.66 (17) | 15.13 (385) |
Source 1: NOAA [25] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service [26] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 938 | — | |
1910 | 741 | −21.0% | |
1920 | 500 | −32.5% | |
1930 | 384 | −23.2% | |
1940 | 670 | 74.5% | |
1950 | 503 | −24.9% | |
1960 | 350 | −30.4% | |
1970 | 653 | 86.6% | |
1980 | 610 | −6.6% | |
1990 | 362 | −40.7% | |
2000 | 377 | 4.1% | |
2010 | 290 | −23.1% | |
2020 | 257 | −11.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census |
As of the census [27] of 2000, there were 377 people, 181 households, and 106 families residing in the town. The population density was 622.4 inhabitants per square mile (240.3/km2). There were 275 housing units at an average density of 454.0 units per square mile (175.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.82% White, 1.33% Native American, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.
There were 181 households, out of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $34,125. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $17,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,801. About 12.2% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
The Creede Fork, also known as the World's Largest Fork, is a 40-foot aluminum sculpture and roadside attraction in Creede built in 2012. [28] It is the largest fork in the United States, beating out the 35-foot-long (11 m) fork in Missouri that previously held the record. [29] Created by artists Chev and Ted Yund, the fork is made of aluminum and weighs over 600 pounds (270 kg). [30] In January 2018, it was named by The Daily Meal as the weirdest tourist attraction in Colorado. [31]
The fork was commissioned by Keith Siddel as a birthday present for his wife, Denise Dutwiler. Siddel hired two local artists, Chev and Ted Yund, to create the structure. The fork was designed specifically to out-measure the Giant Fork in Springfield, Missouri, which previously held the record of being the longest fork in the United States at a length of 35 feet. [32]
The Creede Repertory Theatre was founded in 1966 by twelve University of Kansas students who answered the call from the Creede Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). It has since grown to a fully professional theatre company with an operating budget of over $1.5 million. Its annual production schedule includes a variety of plays, musicals, and new work, as well as musical events and concerts. Creede Rep is a true rotating repertory company which means that a visitor to the area can see up to five different shows in one weekend. In addition to these performances, the theatre offers a program for the development of new works, as well as nationally recognized and robust educational programming. [33] Creede Repertory Theatre has received many nominations fort its work by the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Awards including Best New Play, Best Scenic Design, and numerous nominations for individual performances. [34] Creede Repertory Theatre performs in two spaces, its historic Mainstage Theatre (originally a movie house in the 1930s) and the a more modern, flexible space that opened in 2011, the Ruth Humphreys Brown Theatre (The Ruth). Audiences can see shows and events in both spaces during the summer season and in The Ruth in October-April.
Poet and journalist Cy Warman wrote two poems about Creede, Creede [35] and The Rise and Fall of Creede. [36]
Cripple Creek is a statutory city that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,155 at the 2020 United States Census. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic Landmark status in 1961, includes part or all of the city and the surrounding area. The city is now a part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains' Sawatch Range and Elk Mountains, along the Roaring Fork River at an elevation just below 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level on the Western Slope, 11 miles (18 km) west of the Continental Divide. Aspen is now a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. It is situated at an elevation of 10,119 feet (3,084 m). Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States and is surrounded by two of the tallest peaks in the state.
Georgetown is the territorial charter municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,118 at the 2020 United States Census. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. The federally designated Georgetown-Silver Plume Historic District comprises Georgetown, the neighboring town of Silver Plume, and the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park between the two towns. The Georgetown Post Office has the ZIP code 80444.
Lake City is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. The population was 432 at the 2020 census. It is located in the San Juan Mountains in a valley formed by the convergence of Henson Creek and the headwaters of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River about seven miles (11 km) east of Uncompahgre Peak, a Colorado fourteener. Lake City is named after nearby Lake San Cristobal. This area lies at the southern end of the Colorado Mineral Belt and when rich mineral deposits were discovered the native population was pushed from their tribal lands and the town of Lake City was incorporated in 1873.
South Fork is a statutory town in Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. It lies at the confluence of the South Fork and Rio Grande rivers. The population was 510 at the 2020 census.
Silverton is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The town is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains. The first mining claims were made in mountains above the Silverton in 1860, near the end of the Colorado Gold Rush and when the land was still controlled by the Utes. Silverton was established shortly after the Utes ceded the region in the 1873 Brunot Agreement, and the town boomed from silver mining until the Panic of 1893 led to a collapse of the silver market, and boomed again from gold mining until the recession caused by the Panic of 1907. The entire town is included as a federally designated National Historic Landmark District, the Silverton Historic District.
The region that is today the U.S. state of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major migration route that was important to the spread of early peoples throughout the Americas. The Lindenmeier site in Larimer County contains artifacts dating from approximately 8720 BCE.
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state of Colorado in the late 19th century. The boom started in 1879 with the discovery of silver at Leadville. Over 82 million dollars worth of silver was mined during the period, making it the second great mineral boom in the state, and coming 20 years after the earlier and shorter Colorado Gold Rush of 1859. The boom was largely the consequence of large-scale purchases of silver by the United States Government authorized by Congress in 1878. The boom endured throughout the 1880s, resulting in an intense increase in both the population and wealth of Colorado, especially in the mountains. It came to an end in 1893 in the wake of the collapse of silver prices caused by the repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act.
James Joseph "J.J." Brown, was an American mining engineer, inventor, and self-made member of fashionable society. His wife was RMS Titanic survivor Margaret Brown.
David Halliday Moffat was an American financier and industrialist, who was one of the original pioneers of Denver, Colorado.
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II was an American con artist and gangster in the American frontier and the Klondike.
William Sidney "Cap" Light was a Texas lawman from 1884 until his death in 1893, when he accidentally shot himself. He had a shining reputation, except for the period (1891–1892) when he worked for his brother-in-law, the infamous badman, Soapy Smith in Denver and Creede, Colorado.
Silver mining in Colorado has taken place since the 1860s. In the past, Colorado called itself the Silver State.
Creede Repertory Theatre is a summer theatre that operates from early May through mid-September. Founded in 1966, CRT is a professional theatre company located at nearly 9,000 feet of elevation in the historic town of Creede, Colorado. In addition to live theatre, it offers a variety of educational programs including summer and Friday day camps, the KID's Show program, and the Young Audience Outreach Tour [YAOT].
The Leadville mining district, located in the Colorado Mineral Belt, was the most productive silver-mining district in the state of Colorado and hosts one of the largest lead-zinc-silver deposits in the world. Oro City, an early Colorado gold placer mining town located about a mile east of Leadville in California Gulch, was the location to one of the richest placer gold strikes in Colorado, with estimated gold production of 120,000–150,000 ozt, worth $2.5 to $3 million at the then-price of $20.67 per troy ounce.
Monte Cristo is a ghost town northwest of Monte Cristo Peak, in eastern Snohomish County in western Washington. The town was active as a mining area for gold and silver from 1889 to 1907, and later became a resort town that operated until 1983.
Cyrus Warman was an American journalist and author known during his life by the appellation "The Poet Laureate of the Rockies".
Nicholas C. Creede was an American prospector famous for discovering the Holy Moses Amethyst vein and other mining properties near Creede, Colorado in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
Guston is a silver mining ghost town in Ouray County, Colorado, United States, 11 miles (18 km) south of Ouray following the "Million Dollar Highway". Nestled in Champion Gulch, it is located near Red Mountain and the remnants of Red Mountain Town and Ironton. The Silverton Railroad ran from Guston in the Red Mountain Pass to Silverton in San Juan County. The silver mining camp was established in 1883. The Guston post office operated from January 26, 1892, until November 16, 1898.