2 4 14 gambler

GamblerCelebrating 23 Years Serving Colorado’s Gaming Communitywww.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler

yr

Volume 21 • Number 47

C O U P O N S • C O L O R A D O H I S T O R Y • C A S I N O G U I D E • G A M I N G • M A P • E N T E R T A I N M E N T

February 4 - 17, 2014

PROMOTIONSBlack Hawk, Central City

February promosPages 4-5, 10-11

ENTERTAINMENTChuck Pyle,

A Colorado TreasurePage 7

COLORADO HISTORYThe avalanche that wouldn’t stop running & running &…

Page 16

TRAIL’S ENDColorado’s Gold King builds an

agricultural communityPage 17

Check Out Valuable Coupons On

Page 15

See CoverStory on page 8

PAGE 2 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years February 4 - 17, 2014

www.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler

GamblerThe Last Hand

Must be at least 21. Must be an A-Play Club® Member. Management reserves all rights. See A-Play Club for rules. Gambling problem? Call 800-522-4700.

300 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422303-582-5600 • GoldenMardiGras.com

An arrow from this bow means bucks!More than 80 participants will win cash and prizes!

Drawings are every Friday, starting at 5pm and Saturday, starting at 3pm.

Every 10 base points on slots or 30 minutes of tracked table game play earns one entry. Free entries may be awarded based on play level or through kiosk promotions.

The final drawing will be held Saturday, February 22.

Where gals gather for a night of drinks, food and winning!

LadiesNightT u e s d a y s • 5 p m T o 9 p m

Mardi Gras, Golden Gates & Golden Gulch

Tony ThorpeMaverick Sharp

I’ve given up on social issues, let people do what they want to do, put a tax on it, and let people enjoy doing their thing. It is not up to me to become judge and jury, so each to his own.

I would like to bring the troops home, and reduce the national debt. Also get savings accounts back up to at to least an 8 percent return. For years, savings ac-counts paid anywhere from 4 percent to a whopping 15 per-cent in the early 1980s. It would seem that somewhere around 8 percent would be wonder-ful and once again folks would have some incentive to put money away for a rainy day.

It should be illegal that credit cards can charge huge interest rates on accounts while banks and treasury notes pay

less than 1 per-cent. Something is wrong with this picture.

So seniors like to gamble, why not – there is cer-tainly no incen-tive to save up a bunch of money that pays almost no interest, and then pass on leav-ing the money to the kids.

Look around the casino and you’ll see plenty of gray hair, maybe no hair at all, but generally people having fun, standing in line to get a new customer card, cash in chips or ask where the restroom might be, which is usually located by the slot machines. I haven’t spotted any in the actual bath-rooms yet.

Gambling is really about money, how to win some, lose as little as possible, and still have a good time.

The bus companies are certainly heroes to face the elements and rising traffic to bring customers back and forth to casino towns. We hope you enjoy reading this newspaper while you ride along and find some good deals and promo-tions. Make sure you use the coupons.

Any entertainment costs a certain amount of money; go to a Broncos game and it’s several hundred dollars for two tickets, have a beer and dog and add an-other fifty bucks.

At a movie, the popcorn and coke are more than the ticket to the show.

Just go slow when you ap-proach a gaming machine or table game. Don’t pounce on it too quickly; take your time like you’re sipping scotch or drink-ing a fine glass of wine.

Enjoy the experience and don’t take it too seriously or drink too much.

The key to being a good gam-bler is lots of discipline and be-ing able to set some winning and losing philosophies.

Know how much to want to win or how much you’re willing to lose and stick to your rules.

Remember, “He who runs away will live to fight another day.”

Just some simple economic advice

By Bob Sweeney

1-800-THE-ISLE • www.theisleblackhawk.com © 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Otis and Henry’s, Farraddays, Calypso’s Buffet, Isle Lady Luck

®

and Get Winning are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 or older. Promotions subject to change or cancellation without notice. Suites available with a $50 upgrade fee. *Reservations are required for hotel packages and are based on availability. Call 1-800-THE-ISLE for reservations. Please request the Isle or Lady Luck Tower at time of booking. A credit card is required to make a reservation and upon check-in. Must call to cancel your reservation 24 hours prior to arrival to avoid a $40.00 cancellation fee. Arrival time is 4:00pm. **Please visit players club or cashier services for details. Management reserves all rights. Gambling a problem? There is help. And hope. Call 1-800-522-4700.

Exclusive hotel and dining packages available Valentine’s Day only!

February 14Cupid paCkage, $199

• One-night stay in a standard room • Special Valentine’s Day menu for two at Otis and Henry’s®

Sweetheart paCkage, $209 • One-night stay in a standard room

• Two free meals at Calypso’s® Buffet

romanCe paCkage, $279 • One-night stay in a standard room

• Dinner for two from our special Valentine’s Day menu at Farraddays®

Limited space is available so reserve your romantic getaway today!

For more information, please call 1-800-THE-ISLE and mention the Preferred Valentine’s Day hotel package*.

eSCape to romanCe!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 10:00am – 8:00pm

Surprise that special someone with a sparkling gift and get a chance at cash too!

Earn 20 unadjusted points to receive your gift. One in five gifts will have a cash surprise of up to $100 inside**.

Valid only at Isle Black Hawk. While supplies last.

black-hawk-ladyluck.isleofcapricasinos.com

Breakfast is BackStop into Otis and Henry’s for breakfast

specials now served all day long. Whet your appetite with our house specialty spinach and artichoke dip or appetizer sampler platter. Try a delicious milkshake. Otis & Henry’s offers great food at great prices, Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday, 7 a.m. – midnight and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.

Moolah Monday Sign up for Lady Luck’s FREE slot

tournament Monday mornings from 9 – 10:45 a.m. Starting at 11 a.m., play for the Moolah. After the conclusion of the first round, players who earn 5 points on their players club account can play in the newly added redemption round for a second chance at the top score. The top five high scorers will be awarded a cash prize. Top prize $250! Two bonus drawings for $100 will be held at 2 p.m. for all tournament players. Guests must be present to win cash drawing. See guest services for rules and additional details on all promotions.

Mystery Point Multiplier Thursdays

Every Thursday in February, starting at noon until 8 p.m., guests will swipe their player’s card at the SCA Kiosks and choose one symbol to reveal their point multiplier for the promotional day. Point multipliers can be 2X, 3X, 5X, 7X, 10X or 20X. Guests must redeem voucher at the promotions area with a marketing representative prior to playing to receive points. Point multiplier is valid from time of registration until midnight on Thursdays in February.

Medal MoneyBring home the gold, silver or bronze.

Come in for Medal Money every Tuesday in February. One winner will be selected every half hour from noon to 8 p.m. to play for their chance to earn some Medal Money. Top prize $250! Guests will receive one free entry and will earn additional entries for every 50 unadjusted points. Guests can swipe their

Lady Luck Player’s card starting at 10 a.m.

Flag of Nations ScratcherEvery Saturday in February, earn a

Flag of Nations scratch play for every 200 unadjusted points. Scratch plays can be redeemed between 2 – 10 p.m. at SCA kiosks. Guests must swipe their player’s card and scratch their champion’s flag to reveal a prize. Guests can then redeem prize vouchers at the promotions area with a marketing representative. Cash prizes will range from $5 all the way up to $500. Otis & Henry food voucher prizes will range from $10 to $30. Limit 10 scratch plays per player each promotional day.

Club 40 Club 40 is now twice as nice. Join us twice

a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, for Club 40. All guests age 40 or better will receive 4X points on slots and 2X points on video poker. Guests will also receive a free entrée at Otis & Henry’s once they earn 50 unadjusted points on their Lady Luck Player’s Card. Make sure to check out Otis & Henry’s brand new menu. You can eat the most important meal of the day, breakfast, all day long!

Receive $5Did you know your email is worth $5?

Guests who provide a new email address will receive $5 cash. Stay up to date with Lady Luck promotions and receive special offers via email.

Play and StaySundays through Thursdays in February

earn a free room in the Lady Luck Hotel Tower. To Earn play 500 unadjusted points on Lady Luck Player’s Card. Poker and table games guests can earn too. Play 4 hours at table games or play 6 hours in a live poker game. Offer subject to availability. Excludes holidays and blackout dates.

Table GamesWe always have multiple $5 games. Play

$2 craps Monday through Thursday with 10 X’s odds daily. We Offer Craps, Roulette, Buffalo Blackjack Bonus, and 21 + 3 Xtreme. Club 40 – Play 2 hours and receive a $10 Meal at Otis & Henry’s every Friday. Play 4 hours Sunday’s – Thursday’s and earn a free night Stay (Excludes Holidays and Blackout Dates). Play 3 hours and have your bus ticket reimbursed up to $18. Earn Cash Offers, Match Play Coupons, Food Comps and other Great Offers based on play.

PokerBad Beat Top Award is currently $36,820

(as of Jan. 28) with qualifiers of Aces Full of Jack’s beaten. Be in a game Sunday – Friday by 10 a.m. and receive 2 - $10 Bounce Back Coupons after 4 hours of play. Be in a game Sunday – Friday by 11 a.m. and receive a $10 Bounce Back Coupon after 3 hours of play. Earn $2 in comp for every hour of live play. Play 3 hours and have your bus ticket reimbursed up to $18. Play 6 hours of live action Sunday’s – Wednesday’s and earn a Free Night Stay (Excludes Holidays and Blackout Dates). Earn an entry to Blizzard of Cash Poker promotion for every hour of Live Play.

www.theisleblackhawk.com

Play 30 – Play 60Mondays in February, receive a free

buffet or $50 to Farraddays’. Play 30 minutes on your Players Card and receive a free Calypsos’ Buffet. Play 60 minutes and receive $50 at Farraddays’. Must visit the Players Club or Cashier Services prior to playing to register.

Sizzlin’ Progressive Hot Seats

Guests can earn $100 or more instantly simply by playing their favorite machine or table game. Random hot seat drawings will take place Tuesday, Feb. 4, 18 and 25 from 3 – 7 p.m. If a winner is not present, the cash will roll to the next drawing

Sparkling Surprise Giveaway

On Tuesday Feb. 11, earn 20 unadjusted points between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. and receive a necklace in celebration of Valentine’s Day. One in five gifts will contain a BONUS cash prize up to $100! Necklaces available while supplies last.

Heartbreak Giveaway

Win your share of $20,000. Drawings will take place every Friday in February from 5:30 – 10 p.m. Winners will break a heart to win $200, $400 or $600. Guests will receive one free entry on promotion days and additional entries with each set of 20 unadjusted points earned.

Earn 5X Points on PenniesEach Thursdays, 8 a.m. – midnight in

February, earn 5X Points on all Penny slot machines. Point multiplier is not valid on video poker and you must register at the players club or cashier services prior to playing.

Paradise 50 Plus Each Sunday, all guests age 50 or better

can join the Paradise 50 Plus club. You will receive 3X points on all slots, 2X points on video poker, a free ice cream and a Free Calypso’s Buffet after earning five unadjusted points. For complete details, visit the player’s club.

Bus Fare RefundDo you ride the bus to Black Hawk? The

Isle will refund your bus fare up to $20. Simply earn 35 unadjusted points on your player’s card and present your return bus ticket to the player’s club or cashier services. Table Games and Poker players will receive their bus fare back with four hours of consecutive play.

Sign Up to Win up to $500All new members of the IsleOne player’s

club will receive a scratch ticket after playing 30 minutes on their new Players card.

Play And StayPlay 30 unadjusted points on your

IsleOne club card Sundays through Thursdays between 8 a.m. and midnight and stay the night on us! Check with the Player’s Club or Cashier Services once you have earned your points to receive your hotel offer. This offer is valid only on the day the points are earned and is based on availability, blackout days may apply.

Table GamesThe Isle has all your favorite table games

including blackjack, craps with 10 times odds and roulette! Also available at the Isle, Three Card Poker, Bonus 6, Buffalo blackjack, Double Deck blackjack, and 21+3. Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em and Let-It-Ride are all linked to one progressive jackpot that as of Jan. 28 is $95,575. Three Card Poker has its own progressive jackpot and is at $1,013. And now exclusively at the Isle you can play “Craps-Free Craps” with 10 times odds.

Poker RoomBad Beat – The Isle has the easiest

bad beat to win in Black Hawk. The Bad Beat Jackpot Pool as of Jan. 28 is $115,450. That means Aces full of 10’s through Kings beaten would pay over $11,545 or 10% of the total jackpot pool. With 3 Aces on the board still qualifying, this is the easiest way to win a bad beat around. Quad 2’s through 7’s beaten

would pay more than $57,725 or 50% and Quad 8’s or better beaten would pay over $86,587 or 75%! For complete rules, please contact the Poker Room at 303-998-7905.

Free Food – The Isle provides free food for poker players seated in a live cash game or tournament including: Hot & Fresh Pizza, hot dogs, brats, 2 varieties of soup, nacho’s & cheese, chili, as well as vanilla, strawberry or chocolate milkshakes made to order!

Tournaments – Monday through Friday, there will be two tournaments each day at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Every Thursday is Omaha Day at the Isle with 2 weekly Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournaments to choose from. For complete information, please contact the Poker room at 303-998-7905.

TradewindsTradewinds at the Isle has a new menu

that features what we believe to be the best hamburgers in Black Hawk. Whether you try the classics, a green chili and chipotle, the black & blue or mushroom and Swiss burger you will not be disappointed. Tradewinds® even offers a mouthwatering cheeseburger burrito.

www.goldenmardigras.com

$100,000 Cupid’s Arrow Giveaway

An arrow from this bow means bucks. Every 10 base points on slots or 30 minutes of tracked table game play earns one entry. More than 80 participants will win cash and prizes. Drawings are every Friday, starting at 5 p.m. and Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. The final drawing will be held Saturday, Feb. 22.

Sweetheart Swipe Kiosk Giveaway

Sweetheart Swipe, the first swipe is on us. Swipe your A-Play Club Card at any promotion kiosk. Win free slot QuickPlay or other prizes every Wednesday in February. Earn an additional swipe after earning 200 base points on slots.

$16,000 Sweet Sunday Giveaway

Win your share of more than $16,000 in cash and prizes with our Sweet Sunday Giveaway. You have a chance to win whether you have an A-Play Card or not with this


Continued on page 5

Valentine’s Day promotion

February 4 - 17, 2014 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years PAGE 5

sweet drawing. Drawings are every Sun-day in February from 1-4 p.m.

Valentine’s Day Multiplier

We are making Feb. 14 extra sweet with our Valentine’s Day multiplier. Get 5X points on slots and 2X points on video poker, all day Friday, Feb. 14.

Date Night Enjoy a romantic dinner for two with

entrees like prime rib or the catch of the day and a bottle of house red or white wine for only $29.99 at the Bourbon Street Café & Buffet.

Fat Tuesday

Every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday at Mardi Gras Casino. Earn and purchase festive gifts for mega Mardi Gras Fun. And, don’t forget to stop by Bourbon Street Café & Buffet for delicious Louisiana-style dishes, every Tuesday.

www.bullwhackerscasino.com

$40,000 CruZin’ to CashWin up to $250 in Free Slot Play during

our February daily drawings.

10X & 4X Points

Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 and Presidents Day, Feb. 17, earn 10X points on slots and 4X points on video poker.

6X PointsBullwhackers is the place for the most

points. 6X points on slots every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lucky Bull ClubNew Members can get up to $15 in Free

Slot Play when signing up for a Bullwhackers Lucky Bull Club card. Membership is free. $10 for signing up, an additional $5 for your email address and receive 4X Points all day.

Take a ride on usBullwhackers offers free shuttle service

directly to Johnny Z’s Casino. Shuttle runs

Thursdays noon – 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, noon – midnight, and Sundays 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

www.saratogacasinoBH.com

$100,000 Cupid’s Pick

Fridays, Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28 and Saturdays, Feb. 8 and 15, play with your Club card from 5 – 10 p.m. for your chance to play our new digital scratch and win. The Cupid Prize Patrol will locate five winners a day right at their slot machine or table game for a chance to win up to $100,000 in cash!

$15,000 Share the LoveFrom noon – 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.

22, 10 guests will each win $500 Promo Play, plus an extra $250 Promo Play to give to someone special. At 10 p.m., Cupid will

award one winner $5,000 cash, plus an ad-ditional $2,500 to share with a loved one! Earn entries all month.

$5 Promo Play for emailProvide a new email address in February

to Guest Services and receive $5 Promo Play.

Saratoga 50+: Bigger and Better

Mondays and Tuesdays guests 50 and over reap the rewards! 5X points on slots and 2X points on video poker. Earn 50 base points for a free meal in the Garden Buffet or pay only $4.99. Discount in The Café during select hours. $20 bus refund with 200 base points.

10X Penny PointsReceive 10X points on penny slot ma-

chines every Thursday in February.

Park, Play, Free BuffetEvery Wednesday-Sunday earn 20

base points on the day you valet park at Saratoga Casino and receive a free meal at the Garden buffet. Not valid on holidays. Offers must be redeemed during buffet

hours on the day you park. Must present current day valet parking stub and earn 20 base points on the day you park.

Gift GiveawayPlay on Feb. 23 to receive your Sara-

toga Casino Black Hawk long sleeve shirt. Please see Guest Services for point earning qualifications.

Valentine’s Day Prime Rib and Shrimp Special

Friday, Feb. 14, noon – 9 p.m. Enjoy a Prime Rib and Shrimp buffet featuring delicious desserts. Only $10.99 for Club members.

Valentine’s Day prizes and giveaways

Be sure to bring your Sweetheart in all Valentine’s weekend for your chance to win beautiful jewelry and cash prizes.

Continued from Page 4

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BH_feb4_GamberAd_halfpg.pdf 1 1/28/2014 9:53:23 AM


Gaming

With the only e x c e p t i o n to surren-der, all pair

splitting options take precedence over any other Basic Strategy play. Many unknowl-edgeable players grossly abuse this option because they do not fully understand the objectives in the splitting of pairs. Again, this is no different than any other play that we make in Black-jack, which ultimately becomes a function of our overall expected value. There are primarily only two distinct purposes for splitting any hand that is composed with the same point values.

1. Offensive-Splitting: This takes place when you receive a pair that would result in an overall higher expected value by splitting them, than what could have been achieved by utilizing any other op-tion.

2. Defensive-Splitting: This takes place when you re-ceive a pair that would produce a negative expected value regard-less how you play the hand, but by splitting it would ultimately re-

duce your losses.A good example of an offensive

split scenario is 9, 9 vs. Dealer’s 6. In blackjack it’s all about maxi-mizing your EV. In this particular situation you basically have two options. One is to “Stand” and the second option is to “Split.” According to Basic Strategy the proper play is to split the 9, 9 vs dealer’s 6. Here is why. If you stand then your EV is approxi-mately 22.0 percent of your ini-tial bet. If you were betting $25 units then standing is worth about $5.50. However, if you were to split the nines against the dealer’s 6 then your EV would be roughly

45.3 percent of your initial $25 bet for an average result of $11.33. Bottom line, in this particular situation you are $5.83 better off splitting over standing.

The best example I like to give some of my private students for the defensive split is the 8, 8 vs. dealer’s 10 up card. Here you are faced with three options. Hit, stand or split. If you were to “hit” then on average you can expect to lose 53.5 percent of your ini-tial bet. If you were to “stand” then on average you can expect to lose 53.7 percent of your ini-tial bet. However, if you were to split your pair of 8’s vs. dealer’s 10 then you can expect to lose, on average, 47.5 percent of your initial bet. Can you see what is go-ing on here? No matter what you do here any play you make will yield a negative expectation. The best option in this case would be to perform a “defensive” split to minimize your losses. Again, if

you were betting $25 units then you would be about $0.04 better off hitting over standing, $1.49 better off splitting over hitting and $1.53 better off splitting over standing. I know… it seems like splitting hairs and quite frankly it is. All your plays are cumulative and playing hands at a rate of 100 per hour these miniscule figures can add up quickly.

In a lot of my commentaries, I like to continually go through some of the mathematical gym-nastics of Basic Strategy in an attempt to convince my readers, outside of counting cards, that this is the most optimum ap-proach in Blackjack.

In conclusion, I hope that I have clarified the logistics be-hind the splitting of pairs. I am confident that my readers fully understand that we do not split pairs because they are pairs and have the same point value. We are all blackjack aficionados, each

and every play that we make is all about maximizing our EV! Until then…I do not believe in luck but Maverick Sharp wishes you noth-ing but the “Best of Cards!”

Maverick Sharp is an expert high stakes Blackjack player and au-thor of Dynamic Blackjack-The Professional Approach To learn more about Maverick Sharp and the largest Blackjack book in print visit diamondbackpublish-ing.com or email any questions or comments at [email protected]

20% Off on All♠ Gambling Books ♠

Blackjack, Craps, Poker,Roulette, Video Poker, and Slotsdiamondbackpublishing.com

It has occurred to me through observing my bankroll shrink and ex-amining my poker results

over the past six months, that I am in the midst of a losing streak. Worst of all, it’s not an ordinary losing streak but a protracted drought of im-mense proportions – becom-ing the worst I have had in my poker-playing career.

Here are the facts and figures: The streak has extended to eight consecutive losing sessions and 12 of 14 overall. My bankroll has shrunk by a little more than half of what it was in September and you know what - it’s just not as fun playing when losing consistently.

The New Year brought no relief starting with three straight losses and even worse, an almost “accep-tance” that I was going to lose.

Remember the famous line, “The definition of insanity is do-ing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?”

Well, as I have been looking at my play and results, it’s clear that does apply to me.

And - I am not talking basic poker strategies learned over the years / those stay in place as the odds will swing back in my favor at some point; but my attitude must change.

Let’s examine my last session just a few days ago. I chose a $2 - 5 / $100 Hold’em game to prep for the $30 - $60 Big Game and sat down with $500.

The first hand (and yep, I wait-ed for the button to pass) I looked down to was the Ah - Qh and I

re-raised a $15 bet to $45 at-tempting to get it heads up. Even though I was just sit-ting down, I knew the player who had raised and his style, and felt I had the best hand. If not, I thought I would get a re-raise and could get out of the hand now.

The flop came Qs - Jh - 7h / outstanding flop for me

with top pair and the nut flush draw. The player who had raised bet $30 out of the box and, while I thought this was a small bet for the pot so was a bit wary, raised to $75 to see where the player was. I assumed if he had a higher pair (A’s or K’s) he would have raised or been very firm with his call. As he thought for a moment and hesitatingly called, I felt I had the best hand thinking he may have an A - K or K - Q.

The turn card was a 7s, pairing the board - only helping my hand I believed. My opponent checked, and I bet out $100 assuming I

would find out very quickly if he had outplayed me and had a full house of some kind.

The river brought the 10d, giv-ing a board of Qs - Jh - 7h - 7s - 10d. As I thought this was a safe card I was very surprised when my opponent bet out $100 with a slight grin tossed my way.

So - I thought about it and fig-ured he must have the A - K and caught the straight / reasonable play as I would have made the calls that he did.

I almost folded but in the end called as the pot size dictated it and, as he was an experienced player who knew my play, this could be a last ditch effort to steal the pot with a bet, causing me to fold.

As I tossed my four green chips in the pot, he turned over the Kh - 9d for the 2nd nut straight and won the pot / he had caught the gut shot draw for the win (he did have 7 outs with the possibility of catching a King.)

As I examine this hand, the missed play on my part was not having the confidence to raise the pot the full $100 at the beginning. This would have provided a better opportunity to fold but also would have maximized the amount in the pot. But at the same time, he was a 70/30 dog to win the pot so didn’t I want his money in?

Hmmmm – what a quandary, and this is why we love poker.

Per the quote on “insanity” above, it’s time to break the pat-tern. I am going to go with maxi-mizing the win, and will raise the entire amount the next time making any opponent pay for his cards.

This addresses the “attitude” part of the losing streak. By put-ting my money in when ahead and with gusto, I will beat this losing streak and come out the other side a better player, a better money manager, and winning again!

Remember … play your game!

By Maverick Sharp

CasinoBlackjackCasino

Blackjack

Splitting pairs in blackjack

In the midst of a losing ‘bad’ streakpokertalk

BYLARRY

JOHNSON


Entertainment

By CathleenNorman

Chuck Pyle, the “Zen Cowboy,” has been playing, recording and

writing music for more than 40 years. He’s known for his strong smooth vocals, nimble guitar playing, distinctive story songs and ironic wit. He has gathered a following from New England and New York to the Pacific Northwest and California, as well as Midwestern states, the South and all over Texas. He plays numerous shows and events in Colorado as well, where he makes his home in Palmer Lake, 20 miles north of Colorado Springs

Chuck’s long-time music career evolved in stages, impacted by various influences and incidents. Growing up in the small town of Newton, Iowa, he sang in the town chorus; and then in the junior high chorus where his instructor urged him to form a trio with two of his classmates. So they did, and the three 13-year-olds performed their first show for an Iowa Farm Bureau gathering in Newton.

“The three of us had shirts alike,” he said smiling. “We were imitating the Kingston Trio, so of course we performed ‘Tom Dool-ey’... and we played ‘Froggy Went A’Courtin.’”

As a young adult, Chuck moved to Colorado in 1965. Within a few years, he discovered that he could make more money singing and playing country rock than working as an in-spector for Routt County Engineer-ing in Steamboat Springs.

He laughs and admits, “It helped that I could play ‘If You Could Read My Mind, L o v e , ’ note

for note, riff for riff, tone for tone. Gordon Lighfoot was very popular in those days.”

A turning point in his career was learning that he could write songs, which also led to his signa-ture music style. He went to hear Michael Martin Murphey play at the York Café in Denver around 1970.

“Michael was talking about his songs, why he wrote them and how he wrote them,” Chuck said. “They

were simple story songs about what people saw

all around them. They sounded like c o n v e r s a -tion and I thought ‘I could do

that.’ And so I did.”

Coincidental-ly, Chuck

a l s o

heard Jerry Jeff Walker – a popu-lar musician from Austin, Texas – play at the York Café. Just a couple years later, Chuck wrote one of Jerry Jeff’s most popular songs, “Jaded Lover.” Chuck Py-le’s songs have been recorded by John Denver, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Suzy Bogguss. Country music fans also know him well for “Cadillac Cowboy” recorded by the late Chris LeDoux.

A couple decades ago, a jour-nalist bestowed Chuck with the nickname “Zen Cowboy” because of his western style music and his philosophical spiritual out-look. Chuck describes his music as Southwestern Acoustic Folk, and says his style is “slow twitch.” Fiddle player Gordon Burt often appears with Chuck for Colorado shows and on some of Chuck’s re-cordings. The two musicians met the Telluride Bluegrass Festival when Chuck was playing there in 1986.

Chuck has played at many music festivals, including Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kan., Michael Hearne’s Big Barn-

dance at Taos and the Mayville Blue-grass Festival in the Chautauqua

Lake region of New York. He said, “My songs are basi-

cally slow. They’re a perfect con-trast to bluegrass. It’s like putting the goats in with the high-strung horses. Keeps ‘em calm.”

Nowadays, Chuck anchors his music career at his historic cabin in Palmer Lake, a cabin that is lo-cated a one-mile hike from a pretty good fishing reservoir. Each year, he drives nearly 50,000 miles and flies at least 30,000 miles playing 100 shows around the country. Numerous steady gigs and regu-lar venues include music events, coffee houses, songwriter confer-ences, cowboy poetry gatherings, churches and assorted house con-certs.

He performs sold out shows as Swallow Hill Music, the revered acoustic music venue in south Denver. A favorite summertime gig is playing aboard the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad concert train that runs between Alamosa and La Veta. He also indulges his passion for fly fishing with a sum-mer river raft trip accompanied by some of his music fans.

The Zen Cowboy covers a few traditional and country songs, but he also performs a wealth of self-written numbers – hummable

melodies with catchy, witty, some-times nostalgic lyrics: the forget-fulness that comes with maturing years, romantic break ups, the wacky things you read on bumper stickers. Chuck’s on-stage dead-pan humor has been compared to Will Rogers. He makes you smile or laugh or groan or just nod your head.

Much of Chuck’s music has been inspired by Colorado. “Little Town Tour” lists Colorado’s burgs, villages, hamlets, towns and small cities. “Spirit of Colorado” is the long-time theme for the PBS pro-gram, Colorado Experience. He wrote “Here Comes the Water” after the Big Thompson Flood in 1976, “Over the San Luis” about flying in a hang glider over the valley and “My Grandpa’s Hands” inspired by the Comanche Grass-lands in southeastern Colorado.

In the Pikes Peak region, Chuck has performed at the Wet Moun-tain Western Jubilee in West-cliffe, Mountain Acoustic Music Association in Woodland Park, Cañon Rose in Cañon City and outdoor summer shows in Colo-rado Springs and Monument. This summer, he opened for the Charlie Daniels Band at a music festival in Monument.

Chuck just finished recording his 11th CD, The Spaces Between, on his Zen Cowboy Records label. Others include Higher Ground – Songs of Colorado, Keeping Time on the River and Affected by the Moon. He also teachers finger-style workshops at least a couple times a year around the country. You can view his 2014 perfor-mance schedule or order a CD at www.chuckpyle.com.

Chuck Pyle, A Colorado Treasure

Chuck Pyle and fiddler Gordon Burt perform at a concert at the Pinecliff Grange.

Photo by Terri Watson

Chuck Pyle plays at a summer raft trip tour.

Photo by Terri Watson

Chuck Pyle has been singing, playing, writing music and touring nationally for more than 40 years. His

Colorado home is the source of much of his inspiration. Pyle plays here at the Secret Garden concert in Colorado Springs

Photo by Bill Patterson


Cover Story

HappyValentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to sweethearts Micki and Joe Moss, Century Casino Craps Dealers, who

have been married for 18

years!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Walt!

Our love is forever! Let’s Celebrate…

Love, Terri

Happy Valentine’s Day to my two loves, Kyle and Abigail!

I love you two with all my heart!Love, Elizabeth

May our lives be filled with love and happiness

Happy Valentine’s Day, Kathy (my little Smurf)! Since meeting you at Harvey’s, it’s really been quite a ride, but every day’s been very special having

you right by my side. Thanks for putting up with me, sometimes I’m not so sweet, and for giving us our little girl, making both our lives complete! Thank

you for being my wife and making the past 19 years so wonderful!Love always, Hal Happy

Valentine’s Day to my

beautiful wife of 56 wonderful

years. I love you now and forever.

Love, Harvey


Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS:1. NJ casino and business magnate (6, 5)8. Former fastball pitcher now Rangers

CEO (5, 4)12. Other half of a scoreless soccer game (3)13. Singular for of the 13th or 15th day

of the month (3)14. Computer person at the casino (2)15. In the ball park or near enough (13)19. They came from space to amusement

arcades (8)22. Dad from Pennsylvania (2)23. Avocado, in short (3)24. Something the allies had but

the Germans didn’t (5)26. Giant ocean fish (3)27. Another word for Christmas (4)28. Slang for dishonest (4)29. Yoko’s last name (3)31. Could be Jim or Whitman (4)32. Musical interval (7)33. Come out roll winner (6)35. French king (3)37. Dieters wish to become or paint a

new body (7)38. Best month to take an army for a

long walk (5)

DOWN:1. Legendary Miami QB (3, 6)2 & 12 across. Scoreless soccer game (3)3. Goalscoring LA Galaxy and team USA soccer

star (6, 7)4. Touchdown in rugby (3)5. Vase for storing ashes (3)6. Someone who makes a wager or 4th down kick

specialist (6)7. Buxom Tennessee country singer (5, 6)9. In basketball, comes bofore Jordan or Canada

(3)10. Latin king (3)12. 8 Across had a good one (3)14. Information technology (2)16. The biggest of the three tenors (9)17. Middle East country partitioned from Pales-

tine in 1948 (6)18. Before 47, automatic rifle (2)20. Audio visual (2)21. Snatch or steal (3)22. One way to find gold (3)25. John Deutschendorf’s adopted name (6)30. Not applicable (2)33. Dealers sign this list if they want to go home

(2)34. So on and so forth (3)36. Close Encounters star (2)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12

13 14

15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28

29 30 31

32 33 34

35 36

37 38

Crossword puzzle by Tony Thorpe Answers on page 18

6350 SHERIDAN BLVD ARVADA 800039731 W 58TH AVE ARVADA 800021575 W 84TH AVE FEDERAL HEIGHTS 8022112350 W 64TH AVE ARVADA 8000415200 W 64TH AVE ARVADA 800078055 SHERIDAN BLVD ARVADA 800033400 YOUNGFIELD ST WHEAT RIDGE 800331555 QUAIL ST LAKEWOOD 8021517171 S GOLDEN RD GOLDEN 8040111747 W KEN CARYL AVE LITTLETON 801271927 S WADSWORTH BLVD LAKEWOOD 8022712043 W ALAMEDA PKWY LAKEWOOD 802286760 S PIERCE ST LITTLETON 801289800 W BELLEVIEW AVE LITTLETON 801231545 S KIPLING ST LAKEWOOD 802321173 BERGEN PARK EVERGREEN 804398126 S WADSWORTH BLVD LITTLETON 8012825637 CONIFER RD CONIFER 804337984 W ALAMEDA AVE LAKEWOOD 80226 2205 WILDCAT RESERVE PKWY HIGHLANDS RANCH 801299551 S UNIVERSITY BLVD HIGHLANDS RANCH 801265050 E ARAPAHOE RD CENTENNIAL 801227575 S UNIVERSITY BLVD CENTENNIAL 801228200 S HOLLY ST CENTENNIAL 80122101 ENGLEWOOD PKWY ENGLEWOOD 80110100 W LITTLETON BLVD LITTLETON 801204000 RED CEDAR DR HIGHLANDS RANCH 801268673 S QUEBEC ST HIGHLANDS RANCH 801267901 S BROADWAY LITTLETON 80122

1355 KRAMERIA ST DENVER 80220655 PEORIA ST AURORA 8001015109 E COLFAX AVE AURORA 8001118605 GREENVALLEY RANCH BLVD DENVER 802494850 E 62ND AVE COMMERCE CITY 800222810 QUEBEC ST DENVER 802071045 1ST STREET BENNETT 80102825 S COLORADO BLVD DENVER 802226470 E HAMPDEN AVE DENVER 80222890 S MONACO PKWY DENVER 802222750 S COLORADO BLVD DENVER 802224600 LEETSDALE DR. GLENDALE 80246

RED = New locations

or visit www.coloradogambler.com for our full distribution list


www.central-city.cnty.com

Love That CashFridays, 4-11 p.m. and Saturdays, 2-11

p.m., Feb. 7 through March 1. $250 guaran-teed winners on the hour. $100 Progressive Prizes on the half-hour. $300 + Progressive awarded at 11 p.m. Earn entries with every 150 base points played on your Player’s Club card start-ing Feb. 2. Earn 4X entries on slots and 2X entries on video poker with all your play on Wednesdays. On-the-hour we will draw for a guaranteed $250 winner. On-the-half-hour we will draw one name for a $100 prize. If our winner is here they collect the prize, if not, it gets added to the 11 p.m. prize, which could be up to $1,200.

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Central City Nuggets

Your guide to live entertainment and events at Colorado’s casinosWhat’s Rockin’Golden Mardi Gras Casino

www.goldenmardigras.com

Go BONKERS with Bonkerz Comedy Club every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. at Bourbon Street Café and Buffet. Loads of laughter and the show is free so join us.

Feb. 7-8: Marc Ryan as seen on CMT, TBS and The Outdoor Channel with spe-cial guest Spencer James

Feb. 14-15: Cal Verduchi from Comedy Central and Sirius/XM with special guest Curt Fletcher

Marc Ryan

www.bullwhackers.com

January 7 - 20, 2014 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years PAGE 13

Casino•Guide

This information is subject to change without notice.

Closed

Ameristar - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP over 1400 536 rooms B, D, SD, Starbucks free valet and self parking 720-946-4000/.ameristar.com/Black_Hawk.aspx

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Golden Gulch VP 140 No V free self/free valet 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

Golden Mardi Gras - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 680 No SD,SB,D free valet and covered self parking 303-582-5600/goldenmardigras.com

Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk - 24/7 BJ, C, P, R, VP 1308 238 B,D,SD free valet and self parking 1-800-The-Isle/theisleblackhawk.com

Lady Luck - 24/7 BJ, P,C, R, VP 500 164 SD,SB free covered valet and self parking 1-888-Lady-Luck/ladyluckblackhawk.com

Lodge - 24/7 BJ, C, R, P, VP 975 50 B, D, SD, SB free valet parking 303-582-1771/thelodgecasino.com

Red Dolly VP 149 No SD free self parking 303-582-1100/reddollycasino.net

Monarch - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 766 No B free valet and self parking 303-582-1000/monarchblackhawk.com

Sasquatch No 70 No D No 720-880-1616

Wildcard VP 220 No D city lot 303-582-3412/thewildcardsaloon.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 520 26 SD,D free covered self parking 303-582-5050/cnty.com

Crystal Palace VP 101 No D free city lot 720-253-1669

Dostal Alley - 24/7 VP 64 No SD free self parking 303-582-1610/dostalalley.net

Easy Street VP 205 No SD free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Famous Bonanza BJ, P, R, VP 244 No SD , D free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Johnny Z’s - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 367 No SD, D free covered parking 303-582-5623/johnnyzscasino.com

Reserve Casino Hotel - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 700 119 SD, D, B, SB, V free valet and self parking 1-800-924-6646/reservecasinohotel.com

The Brass Ass - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 250 No SD free covered self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasino.com

Bronco & Buffalo Billy’s - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 750 23 SD free self parking 877-989-2142/broncobillyscasino.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, R, 448 18 SD free self parking 719-689-0333/cripple-creek.cnty.com

Colorado Grande - 24/7 BJ, R, VP 211 5 SD, SB free self parking 877-244-9469/coloradogrande.com

Double Eagle & Gold Creek - 24/7 BJ, P ,C, R, VP 700+ 158 SD, SB free valet and covered self parking 800-711-7234/decasino.com

Johnny Nolon’s - 24/7 VP 255 No SD free self parking w/validation 719-689-2080/johnnynolons.com

J.P. McGill’s - 24/7 Fri/Sat VP 300 40 SD validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Midnight Rose - 24/7 P, VP 400 19 SD, B validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Wildwood Casino- 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP, TH 530 68 SD, D, B Climate controlled self parking 877-945-3963/playwildwood.com

Casino Games Slots Lodging Food Parking Contact

Games Key

BJ - Blackjack, P - Poker, C - Craps, R - Roulette, TH - Texas Holdem’, VP-Video Poker

Food Key

B-Buffet, D-Deli, SD-Sitdown, SB-Snackbar, V-Vending Machine


Grace was a $4,500 Jackpot Winner at Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk.

Paul won $31,000 and Charles won $41,595 in the Lady Luck Poker Room when the Bad Beat went off on Jan. 26.

Kevin won $1,581 playing penny slots at Century Casino in Central City.

Maria was a $16,768 Jackpot Winner at Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk.

Tamrah and Arnold won $5,000 at Saratoga Casino Black Hawk.Linda won $1,548 playing a penny machine, Quick Hits at Mardi Gras Casino.


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Colorado History

Currently CH 550 is closed between Ouray and Silverton because of an ava-lanche between mile markers 87 – 92. The snow slide occurred shortly after noon on Jan. 13 and as of this writing, Jan. 27, the road is still closed to all traffic.

The San Juan Range in south-western Colorado produces the most avalanches in Colorado and ranks high among the most ava-lanche-prone mountains on earth. Several factors account for this pre-eminence in avalanches: the im-mense annual snowfall, the sheer number of precipices in this range and the extreme height of the San Juan Range. Thirteen of our state’s 54 “Fourteeners” (mountains higher than 14,000 feet high) are located here. By comparison the entire Swiss Alps can boast only nine Four-teeners.

In the 19th century, the Liberty Bell mine was a top producer of both gold and silver ore; it was situated high in Cornet Basin near Telluride. A tram connected the large mine and mill to Telluride down in the val-ley and the unusually large mine complex contained stamp mills, Wilfley Tables and cyanide bleaching vats. Knowing the miners would prefer staying at the mine to walking three miles daily over a steep, avalanche-prone trail, the mine own-ers chose the location for the boardinghouse care-fully because they wanted it to outlast anything the steep mountain could throw at it. They inter-viewed old-timers about the avalanche history of the area, conducted extensive surveys and finally chose a level piece of ground close to the mine tunnel because the old-growth trees above the site proved that no ava-lanche had ever come down

this particular slope in hundreds of years. As an extra precaution, heavy timbers were used in the boardinghouse con-struction and wire rope connected the structure to bolts driven into solid rock.

But historically heavy snowfall fell in the win-ter of 1901-02. Although

Telluride was completely isolated, the largest mines – the Pandora, Smuggler-Union, Tomboy and Liberty Bell – were still working. On Feb. 28, shortly after 7 a.m., an avalanche tore through the Liberty Bell boardinghouse. The old-growth trees, three feet in diameter, were easily uprooted and carried down into the valley. Smaller trees were ground into splinters, and huge boulders were carried lightly down the hillside to the valley below. The carefully planned and built board-inghouse lay in pieces on the valley

floor after the avalanche passed.As always, volunteer searchers

quickly arrived and began digging. They saved many buried miners before a second avalanche roared down the mountainside and buried 24 rescuers. Search efforts began again for even more victims, when a third slide ran. An hour later, as volunteers doggedly kept digging to find survivors, a fourth avalanche buried yet more volunteers. The heroic miner-volunteers from other mines and the town stayed and con-tinued digging and trenching after each slide.

The final tally of dead searchers came to seven. In an odd twist of fate, a miner at the Sheridan mine stepped out of his boardinghouse on his way to help the rescue effort at the Liberty Bell when an avalanche carried him to his death. At one of the stations along the Liberty Bell tram route, yet another slide killed five men. The series of avalanches surrounding the Liberty Bell was

ultimately responsible for 26 deaths.Many of the deadliest historic

avalanches in the San Juan range have occurred in the Silverton area. Even today the town of Silverton has a unique planning map; it has six av-alanche runs sketched in where any building is prohibited. One storm in late 1905 produced 12 feet of snow in the San Juans and not surpris-ingly, a record avalanche. This one ran at the Shenandoah mine near Howardsville, five miles north of Silverton, on March 19, 1906. After killing 12 miners at the mine, the “white death” ran to the valley floor and killed an operator at the Green Mountain Mill.

Many famous historical ava-lanches occurred in the winter of 1898-99 because of the record storm that lasted from Jan. 27 to mid-March in that famous winter. For those six weeks the tempera-ture never rose above freezing and snow fell every day. Telegraph lines collapsed, trains were marooned

between avalanches covering the tracks, and deep snow on the passes isolated towns and mining camps, making starvation a real possibil-ity. Ward was snowed in for three months. Breckenridge residents faced starvation because no supplies could be brought in by any method. Kokomo, already destroyed once by an avalanche, in 1880, was isolated by avalanches.

Even areas that had never ex-perienced deadly avalanches suf-fered from them during this terrible winter. One of these unfortunate towns was Tomichi, not far from Twin Lakes. An avalanche wiped out Tomichi on March 2, 1899, fill-ing the meadow where the town had been with snow 200 feet deep. For-tunately the rescuers were able to save most of the residents, despite the fact every building was flattened and only a sea of snow could be seen where 1,500 inhabitants had lived. Tomichi was never rebuilt.

Today any adventurer heading into the back country in winter has only to check the Colorado Avalanche Center website to see up-to-the-minute snow reports on each range and mountain in our state. The 10 reporting stations list data on recent avalanches, the predicted danger on each peak, based on elevation and which direction the slopes face, snow conditions, weather forecasts and a map of probability. Yet despite the information and safety products available in the 21st century, Colorado still tallies the most avalanche deaths in America every year, probably because we are the highest state in the continental union.

Continental America boasts only 68 “Fourteen-ers,” one in Washington, 13 in California and 54 in Col-orado. Almost all avalanche deaths today occur outside ski area boundaries and in the immense backcoun-try Colorado offers winter sports enthusiasts.

The avalanche that wouldn’t stop running & running &…

By Linda [email protected]

A snow slide closes Otto Mears’ toll road between Ouray & Silverton on July 6, 1898. Photo courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection


Spencer Penrose was born into a wealthy, affluent Penn-sylvania family. He attended Harvard and earned an undergraduate degree. While his five brothers all chose careers in the East, Penrose chose the adventure of the West. Twenty-sev-en-year-old Penrose arrived in Colorado Springs at the invitation of his childhood friend, Charles L. Tutt, in 1892.

A year before he had met his old friend at the Colorado Springs rail station, Tutt had located a promis-ing mine in the new gold camp of Cripple Creek. With the help of Bob Womack, the mine was located ap-proximately a half-mile north of Womack’s El Paso Mine above the gulch Womack had named “Pover-ty Gulch.” Tutt filed a mining claim in Colorado Springs on Dec. 29, 1891, naming his mining claim the C.O.D. Mine. (Cash on Delivery) Although the C.O.D. Mine had pro-duced very little ore since Tutt had staked the claim, Tutt was sure it was only a matter of development and patience.

He had invited his old friend Penrose to the area in the hopes the two could form a partnership. Penrose readily agreed and moved to Cripple Creek in January 1893, where he took over the operation of the C.O.D. Mine. Within two years, the C.O.D. Mine was one of the richest mines in the area.

With Penrose’s financial for-tune, he went on to invest in real estate, banking, copper mines and agriculture. In 1900 Penrose bought land in the Beaver Creek area, southwest of Canon City. Shortly after Colorado statehood, pioneers flocked to the area, set-tling along Beaver Creek with its lush grass, plentiful game and wild fruit. The Schaeffer Dam had been built some years previously to col-lect water for agricultural growth. One of the earliest settlers was Margaret Baldridge, who filed for a homestead and registered her own cattle brand.

Soon, a small settlement was es-tablished when John McClure built the Glendale House and Stage-coach Inn, which accommodated stagecoach passengers from Colo-rado Springs and Pueblo. A school

was built which also served as the church on Sundays.

Penrose organized the Bea-ver Land and Irrigation Com-pany and began buying water rights along Beaver Creek. In 1907, his company built the Schaeffer Dam and Lake MacNeill, named for his cop-per mining partner, Charles MacNeill. In 1909, Penrose, along with his Beaver, Land

and Irrigation Company, built a railroad, to the area, the “Beaver, Penrose, and Northern Railroad.” The Beaver Creek Rail Station was built north of the new town un-der construction. Although never incorporated, the new town was named Penrose for the great bene-factor. The new railroad, although small and consisting of one loco-motive engine and only one pas-senger car, provided an enormous economic boost to the area. With the railroad, produce and livestock could be shipped to markets such as Denver or Pueblo. Travel for lo-cal residents now became a simple matter of convenience when a branch of the railroad was built, connecting with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad that ran along the Arkansas River.

Penrose and one of his partners, Charles McNeil, built a fine hotel that served as their local business headquarters. The Pen-Mac Hotel had a fine restaurant, along with rooming accommodations, and also contained offices, including that of the local newspaper, the Penrose Pioneer.

Spencer Penrose and wife Ju-lie helped establish the Penrose School District in 1908. Miss Louch, the first teacher in the origi-nal school building, earned $50 a month.

The main commerce street of Broadway included several busi-nesses such as a lumber mill, a pharmacy and the Penrose Mer-cantile. The Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church was erected in 1908 only to suffer severe wind damage. This first church in the new community was rebuilt and rededicated in May 1909. That was also the year a post office was erected in the agricultural thriv-ing community. From then on the town was officially known as Penrose. Spencer and Julia Pen-rose, so pleased with the pleasant

community, presented the citizens of Penrose with a statue of a little boy in 1915.

New settlers arrived to build homes, farms and ranches. Irriga-tion ditches were dug to provide water for farm-ers and ranchers. Farm-ers planted fruit orchards and raised beans, beets, tomatoes, melons, pump-kins, beets, spinach, squash, and peas. Ranch-ers raised cattle that were shipped by rail car to the Denver markets.

The spring of 1921 was an unusually wet season. Heavy rains continued to fall during the first two days of June. On June 3, cracks were noticed in the Schaeffer Dam. Farmers and ranchers mounted their horses and spread the word to all of the set-tlers in the area along Beaver Creek: evacuate. Due to this community outreach, every family in the area heeded the call. Families fled to higher ground and ranchers were able to get their live-stock out of harms way. As a result, there were no human casualties and no livestock were lost.

As for the land, homes and ranches, that was an

entirely different matter. On the morning of June 5, 1921, the dam gave way, with a wall of water rush-ing downstream. The floodwaters from Beaver Creek crashed down

the Arkansas River, reaching the town of Pueblo, where much of that town was also flooded.

At Penrose, the once fertile topsoil was washed away along

with many homes along Beaver Creek. Many set-tlers did not return to the area. The June 1921 flood marked the end of the short-lived thriving com-munity of Penrose.

Today Penrose re-mains the pleasant com-munity Spencer and Julie Penrose enjoyed all those many years ago. The cen-tury old Glendale House and Stagecoach Inn is vis-ible at the top of east 5th Street and the Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church still stands on the same street. The original Penrose School is there as well, located at 100 Il-linois St. Perhaps most fitting, Spencer Penrose’s Pen-Mac Hotel remains a proud community struc-ture on Broadway Street in his name-sake town of Penrose, Colorado.

Linda Wommack is the great-great-grandniece of Robert “Bob” Miller Womack, the founder of Cripple Creek’s gold.

Colorado’s Gold KinGbuilds an agricultural community

Trail’s End

Julie and Spencer Penrose

Life in PenrosePhotos courtesy of Denver

Public Library, Western History Collection


Horoscopes

Contact Mary Nightstar at [email protected] and type “horoscope” in the subject line.

AQUARIUS - (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)You are lucky at this time. Romance is highlighted as well. You may even initiate a new and exciting relationship. If in a relationship this will be a very romantic period. Lucky Numbers: 1, 11, 12, 15, 31, 53 PISCES (Feb 20 - March 20)Any games that involve mental skill you will be successful. You are also lucky in financial speculation. You may even be competitive in some intellectual skill. Lucky Numbers: 4, 17, 24, 25, 35, 62 ARIES - (March 21 - April 20)This is a great time to follow though with an exercise regime. You are energetic and need to express this energy in a positive way. Otherwise this energy could come out in ways that do not support those around you. You Lucky Numbers: 17, 22, 31, 33, 44, 47 TAURUS - (April 21 - May 21)Your creative juices are flowing. Those around you are open to your ideas as well. Lucky times for you in general. Relationships are going well. Your happy disposition is contagious. Lucky Numbers: 4, 5, 39, 40, 52, 64

GEMINI - (May 22 - June 21)You are inspired in many ways at this time. This is a great time for your exercise regime. You will be successful. Also a good time for romance and taking the lead. This is a good time for a promotion as you appear to be a leader. Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 18, 30, 49, 58 CANCER - (June 22 - July 22)This is a good time for romance. You are more eloquent than usual. There is a but in this, be careful of being too impulsive as this is not the time to impulsively jump into anything. In general think before you speak or act and all will go well for you. Lucky Numbers: 2, 5, 8, 27, 42, 48 LEO - (July 23 – Aug 22)Keep working on your exercise regime as this is a great time for romance. You have great presence and energy that is attractive to others. Relationships are your forte in general. People around you are impressed with your positive energy. Lucky Numbers: 4, 10, 13, 21, 39, 56 VIRGO - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 23)This is an important time to see the other guy’s point of view. People around you only want to help. You are lucky in financial transactions. When you are in happy mood you are especially lucky at this time. Lucky Numbers: 4, 6, 24, 31, 32, 47

LIBRA - (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)Any projects you do on your own, or that you have control over can be successful at this time. If you haven’t been working on that holiday weight this is a good time to start your membership at the gym or your own exercise regime. Lucky Numbers: 6, 9, 21, 23, 40, 43 SCORPIO - (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)Although you may have been focused on your exercise regime, this is a great time for that promotion. Luck is with you in approaching those in authority at this time. Put in your application for that job you want, you’ll get it. Lucky Numbers: 15, 16, 32, 39, 47, 57 SAGITTARIUS - (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)Your feelings tell you more than your thoughts at this time. If you feel uncomfortable walking into a room or with certain people at this time, listen to your feelings. Same is true if you feel good around someone. Lucky Numbers: 5, 12, 16, 17, 29, 47 CAPRICORN - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)You can be very lucky in romance at this time. Think through your actions before you act to be most fortunate. Your thoughts and ides are inspired and will bring success.Lucky Numbers: 20, 22, 39, 42, 44, 59

Crossword puzzle answers from page 9

Horoscopes by Teelok email her at [email protected]

ACROSS

1. Donald Trump8. Nolan Ryan12. Nil

13. Ide14. IT15. Approximately19. Invaders22. PA

23. Avo24. Radar26. Oar27. Noel28. Bent

29. Ono31. Slim32. Octave33. Eleven35. Roi

37. Thinner38. March

DOWN

1. Dan Marino2. Nil3. Landon

Donovan4. Try5. Urn6. Punter7. Dolly Parton

9. Air10. Rex12. Arm14. IT16. Pavarotti

17. Israel18. AK20. AV21. Nab22. Pan

25. Denver30. NA33. EO34. Etc36. ET

Humor

Struggling to say just the right thing to your spouse on Val-entine’s Day? Try one of the following clever and sentimental vers-es I’ve come up with. Use more than one—if you think your rela-tionship can take it.

Just clip out the verses that are most appropriate to your marriage, glue them to a piece of red construction paper, and sign your name. Your spouse is sure to treasure your simple, homemade card as much as chocolates or flowers. But to be on the safe side, you might want to give those too.

Verses for your Valentine: Darling, Love is a mystery!

And so is the reason you put empty cereal boxes back into the cupboard.

Sugar Dumpling, No that outfit doesn’t make you look fat.

Nothing could make you look fat. Now don’t ask me again.

To my very fit spouse, From this Valentine’s Day for-ward, I promise to go the extra mile in our relationship if you will just go the ex-tra foot. That’s all it would take for you to carry your dirty

dishes from the sink to the dish-washer.

My Fashionably Late Love, You look fine. The house looks fine. Now could we GO AL-READY?

Sweetheart, I’m so glad that we never let little things like whether the seat is up or down spoil our bliss. But if you forget to reload the toilet paper dis-penser one more time, you can start going next door to use the bathroom.

Beloved, I promise to stop

talking when you’re reading the newspaper—if you promise to stop reading it at the dinner table.

My Fascinating Valentine, I do listen when you talk. And talk And talk.

To my big, strong hus-band, If any-one is tough enough to lift his dirty clothes off the floor and toss them into the ham-per, it should be you.

Gorgeous, You look STUN-NING in everything you wear. Why on earth would you need MORE CLOTHES?

You’re right dear—as usual. Cuddle Bug, I promise to

stop elbowing you in the ribs when you snore—if you prom-ise to stop snoring.

Oh Baby, You’re HOT! And I’m FREEZING! Touch that

thermostat again and I’ll trade you in for an electric blanket.

Cool Valentine, No, I don’t think it’s chilly in here. But I do think you look lovely in wool.

Sweetie Pie! We make such a cute couple.

I bet we’d look great in a du-plex!

My Altru-istic Valen-tine, I admire

your generos-ity. I just wish

you’d stop giving my stuff away.

My Sentimental Valen-tine, It’s so cute how you get attached to your belongings. But shouldn’t you give your old clothes to someone who can fit into them?

Love of My Life, After all the wonderful years we’ve had to-gether, I feel like I can almost read your mind. Now if I could just read your handwriting in

the checkbook.My Love, Of course I agree

that our home should be clean. But I’d rather my vehicle be clean.

Dearest, You make me glori-ously happy—some of the time.

To my favorite traveling companion, How I value your wisdom and support—except when I’m driving.

To my companion on life’s highway, Of course I think you’re a good driver. And with some coaching, you could be a GREAT driver.

My Cute Little Couch Potato, I could sit and stare at you cud-dled up in front of the television all day, but one of us has to do the laundry.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey! See I DO NOT always forget!

(Send your Valentines wishes or other comments to Dorothy Rosby at drosby@ rushmore.com.)

By Dorothy [email protected]

Valentine Verses

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