Cripple Creek

After our visit to the Cheyenne mountain zoo, we drove to Cripple creek, a small mining town that is now famous for its casinos. Well, do not expect a Las Vegas here. I had visited this town once, a long time ago, in 2005. But, we had then driven here during night. 

The drive was excellent. We stopped at the visitor centre uphill and took some time to go through their interesting exhibits. It was informative as I learnt about the painful story of the brave Native American groups who fought the Europeans to save their land but eventually lost. In the 1800’s Gold mining followed and towns were built. The town architecture is very impressive though.

It was also interesting to know that the native Americans called the pikes peak as the Sun mountain. In New Zealand, we are often presented the point of view of the natives and how they called and looked at the country before the Britishers arrived. But, it occurs to me now that the Native American history has been relatively less prominent in the US. Even in these experts found in museum every explanation points out towards how the native tribes were fighting with one another all the time. That probably was the case but that surely does not justify the invasion by the Europeans. 

The casinos were rather dull and filled with old people. We walked into one to observe for a while.  Finding nothing else to do, we had tea at a local café before heading back.