cont’d >>> growing. The business district in Jimtown had two main streets – Creede Avenue to the west and Cliff Street to the east. Wooden buildings were built on both sides of each street for several blocks down stream and most shared walls. The business district had many saloons, gambling houses and dance halls along with “legitimate” businesses, like grocery, meat and mercantile stores, offices, theaters, sign painters, newspapers, banks, photographers, and others. More ore discoveries were being found in East Willow Canyon and along West Willow Creek. New claims included the King Solomon, the Ridge and the Kentucky Belle on East Willow, the Commodore (which would become the longest producing mine in the district), the Last Chance and the Amethyst (discovered by Nicholas Creede) on Bachelor Mountain. By January of 1892, Jimtown was being called “Creede,” but all three areas were considered part of the same town. The BIG BOOM to Creede started in January of 1892. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad HAD extended its rails to Creede by that time. Now ore could be sent out more quickly and in larger amounts. Mines which had been stockpiling ore were shipping ore out, 10 to 12 cars a day. People and supplies could get to Creede more easily and faster. Newspapers around the state estimated 150 to 200 people arriving daily. Small mining camps were set up to accommodate the mines – Bachelor City, Weaver and Stumptown. The year of 1892 was the biggest boom time in Creede’s history. That year brought many good and many bad things and people to town. By late spring, the boom brought miners, business people and ordinary people. But it also brought in scoundrels – con men, gamblers, ladies of the night, gunslingers and others who wanted to mine the miners rather than the hills. Bob Ford, infamous killer of Jesse James, found his way here and he soon became the “camp boss” of all the shady businesses in town. A month later, Jefferson Randolf (Soapy)
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Smith arrived with his soap game. Smith challenged Ford to be the “camp boss” and Soapy won out. In June of 1892, Bob Ford was shot to death in his tent saloon by Ed O’Kelley, who served a prison sentence for the killing. Probably because of Bob Ford, Soapy Smith and all the saloons, gambling halls, gunfights and undesirable people and incidents, Creede got the reputation as one of the wildest boom towns in Colorado. The Creede Mining District was made up of land from Hinsdale County (West Willow and Bachelor), Saguache County (East Willow, Stringtown and the upper part of Jimtown), and Rio Grande County (the lower part of Jimtown). Miners and mining companies often weren’t sure which county their claim was in, so they would sometimes file in all three counties. One of the worst disasters in the history of the town happened on June 5. 1892. Around 6 o’clock in the morning a fire started in a saloon located at the north end of Jimtown. In two and a half hours most of the wooden district had burned down. It devastated the town, but had little effect on the mining. Although many of the business people (and undesirables) left town, many stayed and rebuilt (starting the next day). This time, most of the businesses were built with brick which was made locally. The main block of the business district today still looks very much like the rebuilt district looked after the fire. People were still coming to the boom town. On June 13, 1892, Creede was incorporated as a “city.” The city limits included the first Creede Camp (now called Upper Creede or North Creede) on East Willow, Stringtown and lower Creede (Jimtown). Now Creede would have local people making rules and regulations for the city and local law enforcement to keep the peace. The 1892 Colorado Business Directory stated the population of Creede as around 6,000 and close to 10,000 in the mining district. The Creede Candle newspaper reported