Victor: the gold district's quieter, lived-in twin

Most people pointed toward the Cripple Creek gold district stop at the casinos and turn around. Drive five more miles and you reach Victor, the quieter half of the same boom. Incorporated in 1894, it grew fast on the gold strikes around Battle Mountain. The Colorado Encyclopedia puts its peak around 12,000 people near the turn of the century, when it ranked among Colorado’s larger cities. Today it’s home to roughly 400.

What’s left is unusually intact. Victor is a National Historic District, and you can walk turn-of-the-century brick buildings without stoplights or chain stores. One of them is the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, in an original 1899 structure that once held a hardware store, hotel, and furniture store. Its rooms honor Lowell Thomas, the famous broadcaster and traveler who grew up here. The museum runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, with other times by appointment, so call ahead in the off-season.

From the south side of town, the American Eagles Overlook (relocated in 2017, reached by the Little Grouse Mountain trail) looks out over both the old district and today’s working mine. At nearly 9,700 feet, Victor keeps short winter hours and some seasonal shops, so plan around that.

Check days and hours first at the City of Victor site, victorcolorado.com.