Victor, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids City of Victor, Colorado
Statutory City
The Victor Hotel.
Nickname(s):  "City of Gold Mines"
Location of the City of Victor in Teller County, Colorado
Victor, Colorado Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Teller County
City	Victor
Founded	1891
Incorporated	July 16, 1894
Government
• Type	Statutory city
Area
• Total	0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi)
• Land	0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi)
• Water	0.00 km2 (0.00 sq mi)
Elevation	2,959 m (9,708 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	379
• Density	512/km2 (1,307/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	80860
Area code(s)	719
FIPS code	08-80865
GNIS feature ID	204771

The City of Victor is a small city in Teller County, Colorado, United States. It's known as the "City of Gold Mines." Gold was found here in the late 1800s.

Together with nearby Cripple Creek, this area became the second largest gold mining district in the country. By 1900, Victor had about 18,000 residents. Over time, the gold mines ran out, and many miners left during World War I. This caused the city to shrink. In 2020, only 379 people lived in Victor. Today, some mining has started again on Battle Mountain.

History of Victor

Finding Gold

Victor was started in 1891. This was soon after Winfield Scott Stratton found gold nearby. The town got its name from the Victor Mine. Some say it was named after an early settler, Victor Adams.

In 1892, the Woods brothers started a mining company. Battle Mountain, right above Victor, had the richest mines. Because of this, Victor became known as the "City of Mines." Victor officially became a city on July 16, 1894. The Woods brothers found more gold in 1894 while digging for a building. This led to the famous Gold Coin Mine. At that time, about 8,000 people lived in Victor.

The town grew quickly. The Cripple Creek mining district, including Victor, became Colorado's best gold-producing area. Mines in Victor and Cripple Creek produced 21 million ounces of gold. In 2010, this gold would have been worth over $10 billion. This mining district was the second largest in U.S. history.

Even though Cripple Creek was more famous, many of the best gold mines were in Victor. These included the Stratton's Independence Mine and the Portland Mine. The Portland Mine, called the "Queen of the District," dug up half of Battle Mountain's gold. Famous boxer William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey even worked there as a miner.

Mine owners and investors usually lived in Cripple Creek. Most of the miners, who worked in the district's 500 mines, lived in Victor.

The Great Fire of 1899

In August 1899, a big fire destroyed the business part of Victor. The fire lasted five hours. About 18,000 people lived in the town then. Because of the fire, many historic buildings in Victor were rebuilt after 1899. These include the St. Victor Roman Catholic church, the First Baptist Church, and the Victor Hotel.

Miners Form Unions

Miners in Victor joined groups called unions, like the Western Federation of Miners (WFM). They wanted shorter workdays and fair pay. Many workers joined the union after a big strike in 1894. Another strike in 1903 was so important it was called the Colorado Labor Wars. At this time, there was less gold to mine. The strikes also slowed down gold production.

The old WFM union hall in Victor is still standing. You can even see bullet holes on it. The building needs repairs to be saved.

Gold Mining Slows Down

Victor's population steadily dropped in the 1900s. The gold mines started to run out of gold. Also, it became more expensive to dig for gold. Many miners joined the army during World War I. This loss of workers made mining activity drop sharply. The area has not fully recovered since then.

Gold mining picked up in 1934 when the government raised the price of gold. But gold mining stopped again during World War II. It was not seen as important for the war effort. Some mines reopened after the war, but all mines in the district closed by 1962.

Mining Starts Again

In 1976, the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company was formed. They wanted to start mining in the area again. From 1976 to 1989, they dug up 150,000 troy ounces of gold. They did this by re-processing old mining waste and digging in two small areas.

In 1994, the company began large-scale open pit mining. This means they dig a huge hole from the surface. In 1995, this open pit mining started on Battle Mountain. This new mining reaches into some of the "legendary" old mines. The Cresson mine open pits are a few miles north of Victor.

Mining continues today at the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine. It is now owned by AngloGold Ashanti. In 2012, they produced about 250,000 troy ounces of gold. There are also smaller, local mines. All these mines provide jobs and money for the community. Recently, Newmont Mining took over ownership from AngloGold.

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  The Victor City Hall is one of several historic buildings that have been restored in downtown Victor.

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  Gold mine in Victor, Colorado, around 1900

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  Western Federation of Miners union hall

Geography

Victor is a small city, covering about 0.27 square miles (0.70 square kilometers) of land.

Climate

Victor has a climate with mild summers and cold winters. It can get very cold in winter, with temperatures sometimes dropping far below zero. Summers are usually pleasant.

Population Changes

Victor's population has changed a lot over the years. In 1900, nearly 5,000 people lived here. By 2020, the population was 379.

Arts and Culture

Places to Visit

Victor is in the middle of Colorado's gold country. It has many attractions related to its mining history:

• The Gold Coin Mine
• The Lowell Thomas Museum
• The Victor Hotel
• The Victor Downtown Historic District, which includes the First Baptist Church

Victor is also part of the Gold Belt Tour National Scenic and Historic Byway. This is a special road that takes you through historic areas.

Arts Festival

"Victor Celebrates the Arts" is an art contest held every year on Labor Day weekend. It started in 2000.

Photography Book

A book called City of Mines was published in 2015. It shows the buildings and scenery around Victor.

World Record Home Run Attempt

In 2022, some YouTubers tried to break the Guinness World Record for the longest home run hit. They chose Victor because its high elevation means the air is thinner. Thinner air helps a baseball fly farther. The attempt was made at The Gold Bowl baseball field. Many players tried, but none broke the record. The longest hit that day was about 534 feet.

Education

Students in Victor go to the Cripple Creek-Victor Junior/Senior High School.

See also

In Spanish: Víctor (Colorado) para niños