HISTORY
The Story of Black Hawk
Black Hawk’s story began with gold. In May 1859, prospector John H. Gregory discovered lode gold in the narrow mountain ravine that became known as Gregory Gulch. The discovery sparked the Gregory Diggings and drew thousands of fortune seekers to the region, establishing the mining camp that would eventually become the City of Black Hawk.
Black Hawk Point
As mining flourished, Black Hawk emerged as an important milling and transportation center, processing ore from mines throughout the region. In June 1860, William L. Lee, Dr. Frederick H. Judd and Mylo Lee founded the town of Black Hawk Point. Just a few years later, on March 11, 1864, Black Hawk was officially incorporated, becoming the second incorporated city in the Colorado Territory.
Railroad Arrival
The arrival of the railroad in 1872 further connected Black Hawk to Denver and helped move people, supplies and refined gold between the mountains and the growing communities below.
Reinvention
Like many mining towns, Black Hawk experienced periods of prosperity and decline as Colorado’s mining industry changed, but reinvention has been part of the City’s story from the beginning. A new chapter began after Colorado voters approved limited-stakes gaming in 1990. The first casinos opened in historic Black Hawk buildings in 1991, helping launch an era of revitalization, investment and historic preservation.
In the decades since, more than $1 billion has been invested in land, casinos and related development, transforming Black Hawk while preserving the historic character that connects the City to its mining roots.
Today
Today, visitors can still see that history throughout Black Hawk — from historic buildings and Gregory Street to the landscape where Colorado’s gold rush took hold. More than 165 years after the first lode gold discovery, Black Hawk remains a mountain city shaped by its past while continually finding new ways to reinvent its future.
This October!
Gregory Street transforms into Halloween Street with larger-than-life spooky statues, selfie stations, a pumpkin giveaway, three Saturday Fall Festivals, and a Halloween Celebration!