🏚️ Victor, Colorado: Ghost Town Grit 💪, Gold Rush Glory 🪙, and a Troll Named Rita 🧌

August 18, 2024

In the shadow of Cripple Creek lies a town forgotten by time—but not by history.

Welcome to Victor, Colorado: the “City of Mines,” where wild west legends, golden fortunes, and a recycled wood troll converge in one of Colorado’s most captivating corners.

Just a few miles from the bustling tourist town of Cripple Creek sits a quieter, grittier sibling: Victor, Colorado. With a population of just 359 residents in 2024, it’s technically classified as a ghost town—but Victor’s streets are alive with stories, its hills still echo with the clang of pickaxes, and its spirit endures in both history and art.

This week, we traded the crowds of Cripple Creek for Victor’s timeless charm, and uncovered a tale that blends art, industry, and old-world wonder.

🧝‍♀️ Meet Rita the Rock Planter: Victor’s Troll on the Hill

Our first stop wasn’t historic—it was whimsical. Just outside of town, high in the hills above CO-67, lives Rita the Rock Planter, a 15-foot wooden troll created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

Dambo, known globally for his recycled wood trolls, designed Rita to appear as though she’s gently filling holes left by miners—a symbolic gesture of healing and restoration. She’s Colorado’s second troll, the first residing in Breckenridge, and she fits perfectly into Victor’s tale of resilience.

🔍 How to Find Rita the Rock Planter

• Location: Off County Road 87, just outside Victor

• Lower Trail: Park at the base and follow birdhouses along the Little Grouse Mountain Trail — 2 miles uphill

• Upper Access: Drive to the upper parking lot, located near the restored American Eagles Mine — only 1/4 mile hike from there

We took the upper route, and we weren’t disappointed. Along the way, you’ll pass mine structures relocated in 2017 by Newmont Goldcorp—a powerful blend of preservation and progress. It’s here that past and present collide, quite literally, across the road from a 7-square-mile active gold mine.

🏙️ Victor: Colorado’s City of Mines

Victor may not look like much today—but 130 years ago, it was one of the richest towns in the American West.

The story began in 1891, when prospector Winfield Stratton struck gold nearby. The town that sprang up was named after Victor Adams, an early settler, and quickly evolved from a dusty mining camp into a boomtown brimming with opportunity, grit, and gold.

🚂 A Wild West With Real Characters

Victor’s residents read like a who’s who of rugged Colorado history:

• Jack Dempsey, future heavyweight boxing champion, mucked in the Portland Mine

• Lowell Thomas, famed radio personality, once worked for a Victor newspaper

• Ralph Carr, future Colorado governor, also passed through the pressroom

In the early days, miners packed the town, sleeping in rotating 8-hour shifts on the same cot in canvas tents, paying $1 a night. Murder and suicide were so common, they were often treated as filler news stories.

🔥 The Great Fire of 1899: A Town Rebuilt With Gold

In 1899, just eight years after its founding, Victor went up in flames. The fire raged for four hours, destroying 14 city blocks and over 800 buildings. Smoke was reportedly visible from Colorado Springs, 45 miles away.

But Victor wasn’t about to give up.

Within three days, banks and saloons were back in business. The town rebuilt with brick, iron, and stone—a sophistication brought on by necessity. Streets were even paved with low-grade ore, giving new meaning to the phrase “streets paved with gold.”

⛏️ Underground Fortunes: Gold Beneath Every Step

Victor’s most famous mine may be Stratton’s Independence Mine, visible from town thanks to its iconic headframe—a towering structure built to hoist miners and materials deep underground. But the Portland Mine, perched above it, was by far the wealthiest, yielding over $60 million in gold.

There’s even gold beneath the city itself.

While digging the foundation for a hotel, builders unearthed ore so rich that they abandoned the hotel and founded the Gold Coin Mine instead. Today, over two miles of tunnels crisscross beneath Victor’s streets—silent arteries from a time when this town pumped wealth into the veins of the nation.

⚰️ Sunnyside Cemetery: Quiet Stones, Loud Stories

On our way out of town, we spotted a modest sign pointing toward Sunnyside Cemetery—and you know we couldn’t resist.

Set against a backdrop of rugged hills and an active mine, the cemetery is a time capsule in stone. Here lie the men, women, and children who lived, loved, worked, and died during Victor’s chaotic rise and inevitable fall.

One marker revealed a mother who lived over 100 years—but lost four children at a young age. The earliest grave dated back to 1891, the year Victor was born.

Cemeteries like this don't just remember the past—they whisper it.

⚒️ Labor Strikes, Bombings, and the Collapse of a Kingdom

Victor’s golden age didn’t last forever. In the early 1900s, rising labor tensions brought the town to its knees.

Miners demanded higher pay and safer conditions. In response, the state declared martial law, and hundreds of strikers were forcibly removed. Violence erupted—including the bombing of a train depot in nearby Independence.

By World War I, the mines were empty, and many of Victor’s workers had gone off to serve. The boom was over.

Of the many towns in the Cripple Creek Mining District, only Victor, Goldfield, and Cripple Creek survived the collapse of the Midland Terminal Railroad in 1949.

🏞️ Then and Now: Mining Past Meets Present

Victor’s past might be buried in the hills—but its present is still actively shaped by mining.

We made our final stop at the Grassy Valley Mining Overlook, a panoramic vantage point of a massive, modern-day mining operation owned by Newmont Corporation. Just across the road sit relocated mining structures from Victor’s early days—rusted reminders of the town’s formative years.

This blend of historic preservation and active industry makes Victor unique. It’s not a relic trapped in amber—it’s a living, breathing monument to the labor, legacy, and landscape that built Colorado.

🛣️ What’s Next: The Gold Belt Tour

Our journey through Victor is just the beginning. Next, we’ll travel a portion of the Gold Belt Scenic Byway—a spectacular route that connects Victor, Cripple Creek, and Florence, showcasing both the natural beauty and industrial grit of Colorado’s gold mining past.

Want to learn more? Visit the official Gold Belt Tour website.

✨ Final Thoughts: Why You Should Visit Victor, Colorado

Victor may not have Cripple Creek’s casinos or foot traffic, but that’s exactly why it’s worth your time.

Come here for the:

• Whimsical art (like Rita the Rock Planter)

• Epic mining history

• Authentic ghost town vibes

• Uncrowded trails and scenic overlooks

• Quiet, soul-stirring moments in places like Sunnyside Cemetery

Whether you’re a history buff, a road tripper, or someone who loves discovering hidden gems, Victor invites you to slow down, listen closely, and walk through a town where every brick, tunnel, and tombstone tells a story.

Planning a visit or already been to Victor? Drop a comment and let us know what you loved most—or what hidden history we should explore next!