About Victor Colorado

Victor, Colorado

2009 Historic Mining Headframe LIghting

The giant headframes that remain as ghosts of 1890's gold mining days will again light up the night sky around Victor and Cripple Creek this holiday season. These unique mining artifacts, also called gallus frames by local miners, are one-of-a-kind remnants of the gold rush era.

Holiday ornaments, some as large as 20 feet tall, will be lit against the starry night skies of the Victor and Cripple Creek starting Friday, Nov. 27. The mines that will be lighted on the Victor side include the Vindicator, Portland I, Theresa, Ajax, American Eagles, and Wedge. Santa will light up Highway 67 into Victor from Cripple Creek and the Cresson in Victor will be in style with running lights on the sheave wheel.

Gold Camp Christmas signs on the Valley Fill Facility at CC&V Mine operations and on Battle Mountain above Victor will be lit as well. On the Cripple Creek side of the mountain, look for decorations on the Anchoria Leland, Vulcano, Hoosier, Gold Sovereign, and a star on Globe Hill. The best views are from Highway 67, Teller County Road 81 and 83, weather permitting.

A self-guided driving tour map will be available at the Victor Hotel at 4th & Victor Avenue as well as the Cripple Creek Welcome Center and online at victorcolorado.com. The lights will be best viewed after dark and will be in place Nov. 27 and then Friday-Sunday nights in December as well as Dec. 24 through New Year’s Day, weather/safety and volunteers permitting.

Friday, Dec. 11 the City of Cripple Creek and Aspen Mine Center sponsor a guided van tour of the lights, starting in Cripple Creek at 5:30 p.m. at the Aspen Mine Center. The tour is free and is part of the 2009 Sugar Plum/Gold Camp Christmas held that weekend. See visitcripplecreek.com for more information.

This holiday lighting tradition is 12 years old and is sponsored by the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company, on whose property most of the headframes are located. Volunteers staff the generators and line power connections each weekend. Other sponsors include an anonymous donor, Southern Teller County Focus Group and Cripple Creek Parks & Recreation. Support also comes from Black Hills Energy crews who help refurbish the lamps on the ornaments.

Make the trip an overnight get-away by booking a room at The Victor Hotel or your favorite lodging in Cripple Creek and take in the traditional holiday Butte Theater that show that features gold mining legends, A Cripple Creek Christmas Carol. The holiday show opens Nov. 27 at the Butte Theater in Cripple Creek.

For the outdoors minded, the Vindicator Valley, Little Grouse, Independence Millsite, Golden Circle, Gold Camp and Battle Mountain Trails are open to the public during days in the winter. Come prepared to hike, bike, horseback ride in mountain weather. If there is enough snow, the trails are open to cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

The Southern Teller County Focus Group and the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company invite you to visit the historic City of Mines for a day, evening drive or weekend stay this holiday season to experience part of our good old-fashioned holiday spirit.