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Victor Hotel has a rich history

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Contributed by: Sandy Murphy on 4/6/2007

The original Hotel Victor was located across the street to the west of the current structure.

The Woods family, founders of Victor, struck a rich vein of gold while excavating for the foundation of a hotel at 4th & Victor Avenue in 1894. That gold vein lead them to one of the richest mines in the Cripple Creek District - the Gold Coin Mine. Remnants of the mine, as well as the Gold Coin Club built for the mine's workers, have been preserved and can viewed north and west of the current hotel building. The old hotel burned in the big fire of 1899, when all of Victor's business district was leveled in one August afternoon.

By the time it was platted in 1893, it was already known as the City of Mines because the largest & richest gold mines of the Cripple Creek Mining District were located just above Victor on Battle Mountain.

The Woods family's First National Bank of Victor, the tallest building in the city, was completed on Christmas Eve of 1899 after the great fire destroyed their banking business at this location as well as the original Victor Hotel located on the corner across 4th Street.

Numerous retailing and consulting businesses were located in the building, and of course there were rooms that could be rented for the night.

Victor was the working man's town of the mining district, supplying homes for much of the labor force that brought the wealth of gold to the surface in the 500-plus gold mines that once operated in the mining district. It was also a rail and shipping center and later a milling center.

This bank was forced to close its doors permanently on November 4, 1903 as the Woods' financial empire crumbled and bank examiners declared it insolvent.

Several successor banks, including A.E. Carlton's City Bank, occupied the building and it eventually became the new Victor Hotel.

The old wall safe still exists.

After remaining vacant for many years, the restored hotel building reopened for business in 1992. The bank vault and original birdcage elevator, still operational, can be seen by stepping into the hotel lobby.

Nationally historic-registered, the Victor Hotel is the tallest, most striking building in Victor. The lobby and restaurant are styled in the comfortable grandeur of the Victorian times. Each of the rooms has a private bath, cable TV and telephone.

With a panoramic view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and an easy 10-minute drive to Cripple Creek thru scenic mining district, Victor is a quiet respite for those who want get off the beaten path.

Complete with original 1890's buildings, remnants of historic gold mines, nearby hiking and biking trails and unique shops, Victor is at the heart of the Gold Belt National Scenic Byway, which winds over former railroad and stage coach routes from Canon City, the Royal Gorge, antique-lover's heaven Florence, Colorado and the casinos of Cripple Creek.

Other points of interest include fishing at Skaguay Reservoir; hiking and picnicking at Mueller State Park; the Florissant Fossil Beds, Arkansas river rafting, hunting and rock climbing on Shelf Road.

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