History
Colorado’s first gaming-centric resort destination
Gaming in Black Hawk, Colorado started in 1991. Voters approved limited stakes gaming in 3 towns: Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek.
Since then, the town has grown along with the gaming selection and betting limits. With numerous casinos and thousands of slot machines and table games, Black Hawk is a gamer’s paradise just a few minutes west of Denver.
Black Hawk, “The City of Mills”
The City of Black Hawk, was established in May of 1859 as part of the Gregory Diggings. The Gregory Diggings was the location of the first lode gold discovery in the Territory of Kansas, which on February 28, 1861, became part of the Territory of Colorado. In June of 1860, William L. Lee, Dr. Frederick H. Judd, and Mylo Lee founded the town of Black Hawk Point. In the Third Session of the Colorado Territorial Legislature, Black Hawk Point was incorporated on March 11, 1864, as the City of Black Hawk, establishing Black Hawk as the second incorporated city in the Territory of Colorado.
Since its history-making lode gold strike of 1859, Black Hawk has built a legacy of progressive growth and economic opportunity, enduring beyond the boom-bust cycles of gold strikes, coal mining, and stamp mills. With the first gold rush, and again with the passing of the Colorado limited stakes gambling initiative in 1990, Black Hawk has shown a can-do Western attitude that has allowed the City to seize opportunities to drive economic growth, time after time.
Lucille Malone’s Ghost
Wonder why you’re seeing ghosts throughout our website? It’s to pay tribute to our resident spirit, Lucille Malone. In 1905 Lucille Malone was a Black Hawk schoolmarm who lived in room #105. She fell deeply in love with a man named Jonathan, who was stricken with tuberculosis and needed to move to New Mexico for his health. Lucy was desperate to go with him and went to the school board meeting to ask for a leave of absence. At that very moment Jonathan was run down in the streets by a wagon load of drunkards. He died shortly after.
Lucille Malone’s life was shattered after Jonathan died. In her words,”…my heart was torn from my soul at the loss”. Depressed, branded “scarlet” and out of a job when the school board dismissed her, Lucille jumped off the 2nd floor balcony of the Gilpin Hotel and was critically injured. She died from her injuries, along with a broken heart a few days later.
Legend says that Lucille Malone still lives in the casino, where the hotel once was. During renovation, construction workers say they heard her voice and saw her image, as have previous owners and guests. Watch and listen for her and it could be your lucky day…
Past, Present
and future
The main part of The Gilpin building has been standing since at least 1859 and has at various times in its history been a school and a hotel.
Since then, it has gone through many changes before opening as a casino on October 1, 1992. The Picadilly casino next to the Gilpin was purchased a few years later and the two building were connected. Following that, a parking lot next door was developed into more gaming space to produce the building as it exists today.
The Gilpin blends a long history with modern-day gaming and fun, with all the latest slot machines in addition to your old favorites. We have a history of winners and are sure to produce many more in the future!
