2024 - Historic Victor Bowl

Picture this: it’s August 1899 in the booming mining town of Victor, Colorado. A woman, smoking a cigarette, walks outside to wash laundry. At that time, kerosene was a popular ingredient in laundry detergent. The woman's cigarette found its way into the washtub, and the ensuing fire quickly became out of control. In a matter of a few hours, twelve blocks of Victor’s business district were left in shambles.

By April of 1900, however, most of the businesses and buildings had been rebuilt, and Victor’s population had swelled to over 12,000. Included in the rebuild was Ketelsen Grocery, a small store serving the local residents. By the late 1930s, new owners had transformed the interior into a four-lane bowling alley. The venue held and hosted many bowling tournaments throughout the years and was popular with the Cripple Creek Junior League during the 1960s.

Today, the Historic Victor Bowling Alley is still operational with its manual pinsetters, a rare feature. Although the building is believed to be in decent condition, supporting beams hold the roof on three of the four lanes. The previous owner opened the venue for special events like Victor’s annual Gold Rush Days.

In 2020, the building was sold to Steve and Bee Morgan, who, after filming a feature film in Cripple Creek-Victor, fell in love with the area and its history. They hope to restore the Historic Victor Bowl to full-time use and serve as a catalyst for other historic building owners in downtown Victor to provide spaces for families and children away from the local gambling districts.

CPI is excited to partner with the Morgans to help bring back family-friendly spaces using historic buildings that were once the center of cultural and social life in Victor.

Colorado Preservation, Inc: https://coloradopreservation.org/

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