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==History== Black Hawk was established in 1859 as the mining camp of Black Hawk Point in the [[Territory of Kansas]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.cityofblackhawk.org/|title= City of Black Hawk Colorado |publisher= City of Black Hawk Colorado |access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref> ===Mining boom=== [[File:Black Hawk, Colorado (1864).jpg|thumb|left|Black Hawk, 1864]] In May 1859 the discovery of gold in Gregory Gulch by its namesake, John H. Gregory, brought thousands of prospectors and miners into the area, combing the hills for more gold veins. The Bobtail [[lode]] was discovered the following month.<ref name = "Sims"/> The [[Slave states and free states|free]] [[Territory of Colorado]] was organized on February 28, 1861.<ref name="Colorado Origin Act">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/36th-congress/session-2/c36s2ch59.pdf|title=An Act To provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado|author=Thirty-sixth United States Congress|website=[[Library of Congress]]|author-link=36th United States Congress|date=February 28, 1861|access-date=December 24, 2024}}</ref> The Black Hawk Point, Colorado Territory, post office opened on December 6, 1862.<ref name=CPO>{{cite book|title=Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989|first1=William H.|last1=Bauer|first2=James L.|last2=Ozment|first3=John H.|last3=Willard|date=1990|publisher=[[Colorado Railroad Museum|Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation]]|location=[[Golden, Colorado]]|isbn=0-918654-42-4}}</ref> Hardrock mining boomed for a few years, but then declined in the mid-1860s as the miners exhausted the shallow parts of the veins that contained free gold and found that their [[Amalgam (chemistry)#Gold amalgam|amalgamation]] mills could not recover gold from the deeper sulfide ores.<ref>A. H. Koschman and M. H. Bergendahl (1968) ''Principal Gold-Producing Districts of the United States'', US Geological Survey, Professional Paper 610, p.86.</ref> [[Nathaniel P. Hill]] built Colorado's first successful ore [[smelter]] in Black Hawk in 1868. Hill's smelter could recover gold from the sulfide ores, an achievement that saved hardrock mining in Black Hawk, Central City, and [[Idaho Springs, Colorado|Idaho Springs]] from ruin. Other smelters were built nearby. Black Hawk's advantageous location on North Clear Creek made it the center of ore processing for the area, and it became known as the "City of Mills".<ref>James E. Fell, Jr. (1979) ''Ores to Metals'', Lincoln: Univ. Nebraska Press, pp. 27-54.</ref> The name of the Black Hawk Point post office was shortened to Black Hawk on February 8, 1871. The [[Colorado Central Railroad]] extended its line to the town in 1872.<ref name="Sims">Paul K. Sims and others (1963), ''Economic Geology of the Central City District, Gilpin County, Colorado'', US Geological Survey, Professional Paper 359, p.7-8.</ref> Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876,<ref name=Colorado_Statehood_Proclamation>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-230-admission-colorado-into-the-union|title=Proclamation 230—Admission of Colorado into the Union|author=[[Ulysses S. Grant]] |date=August 1, 1876|publisher=The American Presidency Project|access-date=December 24, 2024}}</ref> and the City of Black Hawk was incorporated on June 12, 1886.<ref name=MuniIncCO/> The spelling of the Black Hawk post office was changed to Blackhawk on January 30, 1895, but was then changed back to Black Hawk on July 1, 1950. Black Hawk is currently the least populous city in the State of Colorado.<ref name=Census>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/dashboard/CO/|title=QuickFacts for Colorado|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 24, 2024}}</ref> A restored narrow-gauge railroad depot and locomotive are on display on the east side of downtown. Black Hawk was also served by the two-foot-gauge [[Gilpin Tramway]] which climbed from Black Hawk to the mines above Central City. ===Gambling boom=== [[File:Ameristar Casino, Black Hawk.JPG|thumb|left|Ameristar Casino]] Many historic buildings in the town have been restored following the opening of the casinos in 1991. The town has been in heated competition for gambling revenue with its neighbor Central City since casinos opened in both towns in 1991. Development of the area down Clear Creek from the historic Black Hawk townsite lining [[Colorado State Highway 119|State Highway 119]] has flourished. Gamblers from Denver pass the Blackhawk casinos before they arrive at Central City, and, as a result, Black Hawk has realized much more revenue from gambling than Central City. Gambling in Black Hawk also benefits from less restrictive [[zoning]] codes; while Central City until recently limited building heights to {{convert|53|ft}} to preserve the historic character of the town, Black Hawk has no such limits. In an attempt to close the competitive gap, Central City built the [[Central City Parkway]] from [[Interstate 70 in Colorado|Interstate 70]] near [[Idaho Springs, Colorado|Idaho Springs]] as an alternative route, leading guests first to Central City, and then to Black Hawk. The Central City Parkway opened November 19, 2004. However, Black Hawk continues to have three times the number of casinos and generates more than seven times the gambling revenue that Central City does.<ref>Andy Vuong, "Eased gambling, building rules give Central City second chance," ''Denver Post'', July 1, 2009, p.1A.</ref> Although the 1990 statewide referendum allowing casino gambling in Black Hawk was promoted as a way to promote historic preservation in Black Hawk, critics have charged that it has had the opposite effect, and that the historic appearance of Black Hawk has been sacrificed to allow construction of the large casinos.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://achp.gov/casearchive/cases4-99CO.html| title=Colorado: Construction of KMM Parking Structure (Black Hawk)| work=Archive of Prominent Section 106 Cases: April 1999| publisher=Advisory Council on Historic Preservation| access-date=November 17, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229232552/http://www.achp.gov/casearchive/cases4-99CO.html| archive-date=December 29, 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9F00EED61130F934A3575AC0A961958260| last1=Brooke| first1=James| title=Colorado Rethinks Bet on Historic Preservation| work=The New York Times| date=September 7, 1997| access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.westword.com/2006-04-13/news/a-house-divided/| last1=Calhoun| first1=Patricia| title=A House Divided| work=Westword| date=April 13, 2006| access-date=November 17, 2016| archive-date=February 3, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203041822/http://www.westword.com/2006-04-13/news/a-house-divided/| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.nationaltrust.org/11Most/list.asp?i=11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070215190859/http://www.nationaltrust.org/11Most/list.asp?i=11| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 15, 2007| title=11 Most Endangered Places (2006): Black Hawk & Central City| publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation| access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> Tax from the gambling revenue provides funding for the State Historical Fund, administered by the [[Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010505225832/http://coloradohistory-oahp.org/programareas/shf/shfindex.htm State Historical Fund], [[Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation|Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation]], [[Colorado Historical Society]], USA.</ref> ===Bicycling ban controversy=== In February 2013, the [[Colorado Supreme Court]] overturned a citywide ban on [[bicycle]] traffic through Black Hawk, ruling that the city had failed to comply with state traffic law.<ref name="SupremeCourt"/> In 2010, the Black Hawk banned bicycle use on most of the streets in the city. The ban was prompted by a surge in traffic following the change in maximum casino betting limits from $5 to $100. Black Hawk City Manager Michael Copp said that the city council, which passed the new law, believed it was best for the casinos and their patrons. The penalty for riding a bicycle through Black Hawk was a $68 fine.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/18/black-hawk-colorado-bans-cyclists| title=That's all, spokes: Colorado town of Black Hawk bans cyclists| last=Pidd| first=Helen| date=June 18, 2010| work=The Guardian| publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited| access-date=June 20, 2010| location=London}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23825796/detail.html Bicycles Banned in Black Hawk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209133206/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23825796/detail.html |date=December 9, 2011 }} [http://www.thedenverchannel.com KMGH Denver] June 7, 2010 Retrieved 2010-06-08.</ref> Bicycle advocacy groups challenged the bike ban, with the case ultimately going to the Colorado Supreme Court.<ref name="AP">{{cite news| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37768244| title=Casino city bans riding bikes through town| last=Banda| first=P. Solomon| date=June 17, 2010| work=NBC News| access-date=June 20, 2010}}</ref><ref name="An Illegal Bike Ban">{{cite web |url=http://bicycling.com/blogs/roadrights/2010/06/24/an-illegal-bike-ban-%E2%80%94-and-the-fight-against-it/ |title=An Illegal Bike Ban – Road Rights |access-date=June 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416063204/http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/roadrights/2010/06/24/an-illegal-bike-ban-%E2%80%94-and-the-fight-against-it |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> State Highway 119 and County Road 279 in Black Hawk are part of the Great Parks Bicycle Route and the [[Peak to Peak Highway|Peak to Peak Scenic Byway]] touring route.
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