RECREATIONAL INFORMATION GILPIN COUNTY

Golden Gate Canyon State Park: Gilpin County Administration GILPIN COUNTY parks.state.co.us/Parks/goldengatecanyon 203 Eureka Street 303-582-3707 Post Office Box 366 a rural mountain community Central City, Colorado, 80427

303-582-5214 phone USDA Forest Service 303-582-5440 fax Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest: www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/ Gilpincounty.org 970-295-6600

Photographs courtesy of the Forest Service, (local) Clear Creek District: Gilpin Historical Society, J. Simpson, 303-567-2901 J. Sturenberg, C. Takahashi, N. West, J. West.

Cover Photographs: Gilpin Historical Society Museum: Gilpin County view of www.gilpinhistory.org Winter scene 303-582-5283 Autumn aspen Local Indian paintbrush

Central City Opera: www.centralcityopera.org 303-292-6500

Gilpin County Community Recreation Center and pools: Gilpincounty.org / 303-582-1453

Gilpin County Administration: Gilpincounty.org / 303-582-5214 co.gilpin.co.us 303-582-5214

10/2018 Life in the High Country

Gilpin County is a rural Residents community in Colorado’s high country, Gilpin residents enjoy a quality of life Events neighboring the continental divide, yet enhanced by rural neighborhoods nestled Our recreation center and fairgrounds are host less than an hour west of downtown amongst scenic natural beauty, low taxes, and to many fun and educational programs for Denver. Gilpin County is host to vast a financially secure local government. The children, adults and families. Annual events, recreational opportunities offered by county’s close proximity to the Denver metro such as the Golden Gate State Park, the Arapaho and area adds relative convenience to a rural county fair, flea Roosevelt National Forests, the limited mountain life, and the variety of community market, fall and stakes gaming in the cities events and winter festivals of Black Hawk and Central, programs, the new not only add to and a recreation center, the the excitement, state-of-the-art local school systems, but are free to recreation public library and the public. center free local public Westernaires at the Gilpin County Fair and fairgrounds. transportation system Gilpin County moose add to the strong sense of community. Visitors GILPIN FAST FACTS Hiking, camping, fishing, biking, Recreation Center activity pool snowshoeing, cross country and backcountry History Founded: 1861

skiing are among the many activities Gilpin County is one of the original 17 counties Location: North Central Colorado enjoyed by Gilpin County visitors. Our in Colorado, formed with the institution of Colorado Territory in 1861, and named for its Distance to Denver: 37 miles spectacular outdoor playground includes Golden Gate Canyon State Park, the first territorial governor, Colonel William Elevation: Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, the Gilpin. Central City, near where John Gregory 6,960 to 13,294 feet above sea level

James Peak Wilderness area, the struck gold on May 6, 1859, became the county Square Miles: 150 Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and seat, and remains so to this day. Gilpin County, and its two cities, Black Hawk and Central, are Population: 5,042 the Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway. steeped in rich mining Cities: Black Hawk, Central City history. Walking tours, historical home tours, County Seat: Central City Limited-stakes gaming, historical tours, an opera house, Historic District: museums, an art gallery, the Central City museums, a visitors’ Central City/ Black Hawk National opera, shops, and community events such as center and even an Historic District a spring flea market, the summer county annual “cemetery Adjacent Counties: fair, and fall and winter festivals also offer crawl” offer a genuine Boulder County, north visitors a taste of excitement, history, culture local history Jefferson County, east and community. Clear Creek County, south experience. Gilpin County Courthouse Grand County, west