By Pacey, Ridgeline Staff Reporter

Did you know that Cripple Creek had one of the biggest gold strikes in history? $500,000,000 worth of gold was found at Cripple Creek in 1890. The population of the town went from 500 people to 10,000 people in just 3 years.
After the Gold Rush, many people left the town. It almost became a ghost town. However, in 1991, the town legalized gambling. Now, it is more of a tourist and gambling town than a ghost town.

Cripple Creek has many fun events during the year like an Ice Festival, Donkey Derby Days, 4th of July celebrations, and Gold Camp Christmas.

Cripple Creek is located in central Colorado, by Colorado Springs. The elevation is 9375 feet. If you are too young to gamble or don’t like to gamble then you can also go on a mine tour, visit the cultural center, or ride the Cripple Creek train. If you visit Cripple Creek I’m sure you will have a great time there.

Ridgeline is Buffalo Ridge Elementary’s online newspaper. Each month, a student piece will be printed in The Castle Pines Connection. Pacey is a fourth-grader in Mrs. Jaramillo’s class and gathered his research at Wikkipedia.com. To view the online newspaper, visit http://schools.dcsdk12.org/bre, click on “Classroom/School Websites” and then on “Ridgeline”.