| | Over $600 million in gold was discovered here - more than any other geologic deposit on the planet. Cripple Creek has a lot to offer: two history museums, including an old brothel and a collection of mining memorabilia; the Molly Kathleen Mine, the first woman-registered gold mine; Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, which offers a four-mile tour to ghost towns and abandoned mines; and the entire downtown historic district.Former brothels and saloons have turned into 17 casinos. Limited-stakes game halls took over this tiny town in 1990 and remain Cripple Creeks leading moneymaker. Town tours will give you the rundown of historical tidbits like the fact that Groucho Marx and boxer Jack Dempsey once both worked in the area.To the west is Mueller State Park, for extensive hiking and wildlife viewing, and Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument, where 35-million-year-old petrified redwoods and fossils are yours to discover. |  | | | |
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