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Creede, Colorado

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Amethyst, Colorado)
Creede, Colorado
Statutory town[1]
Downtown Creede in 2005
Downtown Creede in 2005
Official seal of Creede, Colorado
Seal
Location of the City of Creede in Mineral County, Colorado
Location of the City of Creede in Mineral County, Colorado
Coordinates: 37°50′44″N 106°55′31″W / 37.84556°N 106.92528°W / 37.84556; -106.92528[2]
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyMineral[3]
IncorporatedMay 19, 1892[4]
Government
 • TypeStatutory town[1]
Area
[5]
 • Total
0.950 sq mi (2.460 km2)
 • Land0.950 sq mi (2.460 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.000 km2)
Elevation
[2]
8,800 ft (2,700 m)
Population
 (2020)[5]
 • Total
257
 • Density377/sq mi (146/km2)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP Code[6]
81130
Area code719
GNIS ID2412384[2]
FIPS code14765
Websitecityofcreede.gov

The City of Creede is the statutory town that is the county seat of Mineral County, Colorado, United States.[a] It is the most populous community and the sole surviving incorporated municipality in the county.[1] The town population was 257 at the 2020 United States census.[5]

History

[edit]

Before the Territory of Colorado was created in 1861,[7] all of what is now western Colorado was occupied by the Nuche, commonly known as the Ute people.[8] In 1866, Kit Carson, Ouray, and Nicaagat negotiated a treaty that in 1868 created the Ute Indian Reservation comprising all land in the Colorado Territory west of the 107th meridian west and south of the 40th parallel north: 25,780 square miles (66,800 km2) or about 25% of Colorado.[9] In 1869, White prospectors, illegally trespassing on the reservation, discovered silver in the San Juan Mountains. Seeking to open the San Juan Mountains to mining, the Brunot Agreement, ratified by Congress on April 24, 1874, forced the Ute people to cede 5,780 square miles (15,000 km2) in the San Juan Mountains.[10][11] Buoyed by renewed mining, Colorado was admitted to the Union as the 38th State on August 1, 1876.[12]

In the summer of 1889, prospector Nicholas C. Creede (nee William Harvey) discovered indications of silver along Willow Creek in Saguache County, and on June 26, 1890, Creede and G.L. Smith staked the Holy Moses mining claim.[13] Several silver mining camps soon sprang up in the gulch, and the Creede Mining District was created in 1891. On May 12, 1891, the Willow, Colorado, post office opened, but on July 1, 1891, the name was changed to Creede, Colorado.[14] On January 25, 1892, the Amethyst, Colorado, post office opened near the Amethyst Mine at Jimtown just 1.1 miles (1.8 km) south of the Creede post office.[14] The population of the area soon exceeded 7,000.[15][16][17][18][19][20]

The two Creedes

[edit]

In 1892, two rival municipalities named Creede were incorporated adjacent to one another in the Creede Mining District. On March 19, 1892, the Town of Creede was incorporated in the area around the Creede post office.[4] On June 13, 1892, the rival City of Creede was incorporated in the area around the Amethyst post office.[4]

On March 27, 1893, Mineral County was created with the Wason camp as the county seat. On November 7, 1893, county voters selected the City of Creede as the new county seat.[21] However, the City of Creede continued to use its Amethyst postal address.[14]

In an attempt to avoid further confusion, the United States Post Office Department changed the name of the Creede post office to North Creede, Colorado, on November 28 1908,[14] and changed the name of the Amethyst post office to Creede, Colorado, on February 9, 1909.[14]

As silver mining declined, both municipalities lost population, and in 1916, the City of Creede became a statutory town, but continued to use the appellation City of Creede to distinguish itself from its northern rival.[4] On April 15, 1919, the North Creede post office closed,[14] and the Town of Creede soon ceased operation. It was not until July 23, 2026, that the Colorado Secretary of State declared the Town of Creede abandoned.[22]

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) uses the name "Town of the City of Creede" to identify the county seat and sole surviving municipality of Mineral County.[23]

There is no night in Creede

[edit]

In the 19th century, Creede was the last silver boom town in Colorado. It leapt from a population of 600 in 1889 to more than 10,000 in December 1891. The Creede mines operated continuously from 1890 until 1985, and were served by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.[24]

While Creede was booming, the capital city of Denver, Colorado was experiencing a reform movement against gambling clubs and saloons. Numerous owners of gambling houses in Denver relocated to Creede's business district. One of these was confidence man Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith. Soapy became the uncrowned king of Creede's criminal underworld, and opened the Orleans Club. Other famous people in Creede were Robert Ford (the man who killed outlaw Jesse James), Bat Masterson, and William Sidney "Cap" Light (the first deputy sheriff in Creede, and brother-in-law of Soapy Smith). On June 5, 1892, a fire destroyed most of the business district. Three days later, on June 8, Ed O'Kelley walked into Robert Ford's makeshift tent-saloon and shot him dead.[25][26] The town of Creede was incorporated on June 13, 1892. The anti-gambling movement in Denver had ceased, and the Denver businessmen moved back to their former areas of operation.[27]

Creede's boom lasted until 1893, when the Silver Panic hit the silver mining towns in Colorado. The price of silver plummeted, and most of the silver mines were closed.[28][29] Creede never became a ghost town, although the boom was over and its population declined. After 1900, Creede stayed alive by relying increasingly on lead and zinc in the ores.[30][31][32] Total production through 1966 was 58 million ozt (1,800 t) of silver, 150 thousand ozt (4.7 t) of gold, 112 thousand metric tons of lead, 34 thousand metric tons of zinc, and 2 million metric tons of copper.[33]

Geography

[edit]
Shallow Creek, west of Creede, CO

Creede is located along Willow Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande flows through the San Juan Mountains and San Luis Valley of Colorado before entering New Mexico. The Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

The river has played a critical role in the development of farming and ranching in the Valley. The Rio Grande and its tributary trout streams provide excellent opportunities for fly fishermen and its unspoiled headwaters in the Weminuche Wilderness are a favorite for hikers.

At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of 608 acres (2.460 km2), all of it land.[5]

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Creede, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2007–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58
(14)		 56
(13)		 66
(19)		 73
(23)		 79
(26)		 89
(32)		 91
(33)		 88
(31)		 86
(30)		 80
(27)		 77
(25)		 58
(14)		 91
(33)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 32.9
(0.5)		 37.6
(3.1)		 45.9
(7.7)		 54.1
(12.3)		 63.2
(17.3)		 74.8
(23.8)		 78.9
(26.1)		 75.0
(23.9)		 70.1
(21.2)		 60.7
(15.9)		 45.6
(7.6)		 32.6
(0.3)		 56.0
(13.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 11.6
(−11.3)		 16.6
(−8.6)		 28.2
(−2.1)		 37.3
(2.9)		 45.0
(7.2)		 53.6
(12.0)		 59.7
(15.4)		 57.5
(14.2)		 51.0
(10.6)		 40.4
(4.7)		 26.8
(−2.9)		 12.5
(−10.8)		 36.7
(2.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) −9.8
(−23.2)		 −4.3
(−20.2)		 10.5
(−11.9)		 20.6
(−6.3)		 26.8
(−2.9)		 32.5
(0.3)		 40.4
(4.7)		 40.1
(4.5)		 32.0
(0.0)		 20.2
(−6.6)		 8.0
(−13.3)		 −7.6
(−22.0)		 17.5
(−8.1)
Record low °F (°C) −40
(−40)		 −31
(−35)		 −18
(−28)		 1
(−17)		 8
(−13)		 16
(−9)		 23
(−5)		 23
(−5)		 19
(−7)		 −8
(−22)		 −13
(−25)		 −42
(−41)		 −42
(−41)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.84
(21)		 0.76
(19)		 0.97
(25)		 1.05
(27)		 1.02
(26)		 0.82
(21)		 2.03
(52)		 2.73
(69)		 1.74
(44)		 1.29
(33)		 1.22
(31)		 0.66
(17)		 15.13
(385)
Source 1: NOAA[34]
Source 2: National Weather Service[35]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1900938—
1910741−21.0%
1920500−32.5%
1930384−23.2%
194067074.5%
1950503−24.9%
1960350−30.4%
197065386.6%
1980610−6.6%
1990362−40.7%
20003774.1%
2010290−23.1%
2020257−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[36] of 2000, there were 377 people, 181 households, and 106 families residing in the town. The population density was 622.4 inhabitants per square mile (240.3/km2). There were 275 housing units at an average density of 454.0 units per square mile (175.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.82% White, 1.33% Native American, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 181 households, out of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $34,125. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $17,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,801. About 12.2% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

[edit]
Creede Fork, said to be the World's Largest

The Creede Fork, also known as the World's Largest Fork, is a 40-foot aluminum sculpture and roadside attraction in Creede built in 2012.[37] It is the largest fork in the United States, beating out the 35-foot-long (11 m) fork in Missouri that previously held the record.[38] Created by artists Chev and Ted Yund, the fork is made of aluminum and weighs over 600 pounds (270 kg).[39] In January 2018, it was named by The Daily Meal as the weirdest tourist attraction in Colorado.[40]

The fork was commissioned by Keith Siddel as a birthday present for his wife, Denise Dutwiler. Siddel hired two local artists, Chev and Ted Yund, to create the structure. The fork was designed specifically to out-measure the Giant Fork in Springfield, Missouri, which previously held the record of being the longest fork in the United States at a length of 35 feet.[41]

The Mainstage Theatre in 2023 with Creede's famous cliffs in the background.

The Creede Repertory Theatre was founded in 1966 by twelve University of Kansas students who answered the call from the Creede Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). It has since grown to a fully professional theatre company with an operating budget of over $1.5 million. Its annual production schedule includes a variety of plays, musicals, and new work, as well as musical events and concerts. Creede Rep is a true rotating repertory company which means that a visitor to the area can see up to five different shows in one weekend. In addition to these performances, the theatre offers a program for the development of new works, as well as nationally recognized and robust educational programming.[42] Creede Repertory Theatre has received many nominations fort its work by the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Awards including Best New Play, Best Scenic Design, and numerous nominations for individual performances.[43] Creede Repertory Theatre performs in two spaces, its historic Mainstage Theatre (originally a movie house in the 1930s) and the a more modern, flexible space that opened in 2011, the Ruth Humphreys Brown Theatre (The Ruth). Audiences can see shows and events in both spaces during the summer season and in The Ruth in October–April. [citation needed]

[edit]

Poet and journalist Cy Warman wrote two poems about Creede, Creede[44] and The Rise and Fall of Creede.[45]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ The statutory town of Creede, Colorado, uses the title City of Creede to distinguish itself from its former rival the Town of Creede.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Creede, Colorado
  3. ↑ "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  6. ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
  7. ↑ Thirty-sixth United States Congress (February 28, 1861). "An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado" (PDF). p. 172. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  8. ↑ Marsh, Charles S. (1982). People of the shining mountains: The Utes of Colorado. Pruett Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87108-620-4. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  9. ↑ Gulliford, Andrew. "The Last Trail War by Robert Emmitt: Introduction" (PDF). University Press of Colorado. pp. 3, 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ Horn, Jonathon C. "Brunot Agreement". Colorado Encyclopedia. History Colorado. Archived from the original on March 27, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Brunot Agreement With Ute Nation - 1874" (PDF). United States Congress. April 29, 1874. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ Ulysses S. Grant (August 1, 1876). "Proclamation 230—Admission of Colorado into the Union". The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ Williams Jr., Albert (June 1892). "Creede, A New Mining Camp". The Engineering Magazine. III (3). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Publishing Co.: 324–339. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
  15. ↑ "Congress and Silver". The Illustrated American. X (108): 158. March 12, 1893. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Creede, the New Mining Town of Colorado". Scientific American. LXVI (13). New York, NY: Munn & Co.: 196–197 March 26, 1892. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  17. ↑ Hall, Frank (1895). History of the State of Colorado. Vol. IV. Chicago, IL: The Blakely Printing Company. pp. 223–225. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Creede Is A Lively Town: Thousands Rush In For Sale Of Lands" (PDF), New York Times, February 27, 1892, archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2023, retrieved May 16, 2012
  19. ↑ "Creede, the New Mining Town of Colorado". Scientific American. LXVI (13). New York, NY: Munn & Company: 196–197. March 26, 1892. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Creede". The Colorado Magazine. 1 (2). Denver, CO: The Colorado Publishing Co.: 163–172 May 1893. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Colorado Counties (64 counties)". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. 2026. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Department of State Issues Determination in Town Abandonment Application for Town of Creede". Colorado Secretary of State. July 23, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  23. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Creede, Colorado
  24. ↑ "History". www.creede.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  25. ↑ Warman, Cy (1898). Frontier Stories, "A Quiet Day In Creed". New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 93–101. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  26. ↑ The Wild Bandits of the Border. Chicago, IL: Laird & Lee. 1893. pp. 355–363. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  27. ↑ Davis, Richard Harding (1892). The West From A Car-Window (Chapter III, At A New Mining Camp) (1 ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Brothers. pp. 59–90. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  28. ↑ "The Silver Situation in Colorado". The Review of Reviews. VIII (3). New York, NY: 277–280. September 1893. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  29. ↑ "There May Be Trouble At Creede: Land Seized on the Old Site of Jimtown" (PDF), New York Times, May 26, 1895, retrieved May 16, 2012
  30. ↑ Lakes, Arthur (May 1903). "Creede Mining Camp: Valuable Mines Operated Through the Nelson and Humphreys Tunnels". Mines and Minerals. XXIII (10). Scranton, PA: International Textbook Co.: 433–435. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  31. ↑ Parmelee, H.C. (December 1910). "Zinc Ore Dressing in Colorado - III". Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering. VIII (12). New York, NY: Electrochemical Publishing Co.: 677–680. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  32. ↑ "The Western Metallurgical Field: New Source of Sulphur in Colorado". Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering. XVII (9). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill: 523. November 1, 1917. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  33. ↑ Henry C. Meeves and Richard P. Darnell (1968) Study of the Silver Potential, Creede District, Mineral County, Colorado, US Bureau of Mines, Information Circular 8370.
  34. ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Creede WTP, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  35. ↑ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pueblo". National Weather Service. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  36. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  37. ↑ "Creede Fork - Creede, CO". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  38. ↑ "12 Quirky Roadside Attractions in Colorado". colorado.com. Colorado Tourism Office. August 7, 2017. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Creede, Colorado: Largest Fork in the U.S." RoadsideAmerica.com. Roadside America. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  40. ↑ Rose, Lily (January 20, 2018). "The Weirdest Tourist Attraction in Every State". thedailymeal.com. The Daily Meal. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  41. ↑ Cook, Terry (May 31, 2016). "Only in Colorado: The World's Largest Fork". 5280.com. 5280 Publishing. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  42. ↑ "About Our Award-Winning Colorado Repertory Theatre". Creede Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Read the History of Our Theatre". Creede Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Poem: Creede by Cy Warman". Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  45. ↑ "Poem: The Rise and Fall of Creede by Cy Warman". Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2022-03-16.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Creede,_Colorado&oldid=1377465458#History"