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"Cripple Creek played an integral role in the rich heritage of Colorado. The first homesteaders arrived here in the mid-1800s. In 1890, a ranch hand named Bob Womack discovered gold and Cripple Creek changed forever. By 1900, more than 50,000 people called the gold camp home. When the gold era ended in 1918, more than $300 million in gold had been mined in what would be the last great gold rush in North America. By the 1920s, only about 40 mines remained, but two decades later in the 1940s, the town began to promote itself as a tourist destination, offering visitors a glimpse into the past."
--- reference: www.cripplecreekgov.com