10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Creede Colorado

Creede sits at an elevation of 8,799 feet and is located in Mineral County, which is northeast of Durango and has a population of 712, making it the second least populated county in the state, Creede itself has 299 full-time residents, as of the 2010 Census.

Creede was the last silver boom town in Colorado in the 19th century and went from a population of 600 in 1889 to more than 10,000 in 1891.

The original settlers in this area were several tribes of Native Americans, most notably the Utes, who would move back and forth between elevations, as weather dictated, but the area's winters were not conducive to permanent native settlers.

The 2013 film, The Lone Ranger was filmed in Creede, as well as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Famous residents of Creede included Robert Ford, who was the man who killed Jesse James, Bat Masterson, and Poker Alice, who worked in the saloon owned by Robert Ford.

Creede was briefly the capitol for gambling in the state, as legal reform pushed the larger gambling establishments out of Denver.

Barely. By 1893 the silver panic hit and the price of silver plummeted. Creede's population declined rapidly and, while never becoming a ghost town, would never again approach the boom numbers.

From 1895 until they closed in 1985, nearly 100 years, the mines remained open and working.

Creede was once known as Willow Creek but was renamed Creede after the man who discovered the Holy Moses Mine, Nicholas C Creede.

While a small town, the town council and the residents are proud of the heritage of the area and always welcome visitors. Museums in Creede include the Underground Mine Museum and The Creede Historic Museum.