| Our History |
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The Famous Bonanza Casino is located in the Harris Block at the south end of Main Street in Historic Central City. The building was built in 1876 after the devastating fire that consumed most of Central City. In it's first years the building housed A. Rittmather & CO mercantile. It later contained the Rachofsky's New York Mercantile. The second level was a rooming house, a restaurant, and some say a "house of ill repute" during the first century of it's existence. In 1959 the building was purchased by the Grimes family for a gift store and remained in business as such until January of 1992, soon after limited stakes gaming was legal in Colorado. The Famous Bonanza name comes from the mining era, when gold was plentiful in Central City and more than one "Bonanza" became famous. The Famous Bonanza gift shop earned its own distinction as the result of a sculpture of a gold miner crafted by a local artist. Now lovingly called "Prospector Pete," he sat in the window prompting locals and tourists from the around the world to make memorable photos with him. Today he is the mascot for our slot club, and many travelers still return to visit The Famous Bonanza specifically because they had photos taken as children with "Prospector Pete." In order to make the transistion from a gift store to a casino, the building was carefully and correctly restored in 1991. This was no small task. The cast iron facade of the building was pulling away from the side walls. The back had fallen off and was lying in a pit. The seasonality of tourism and the gift shop business did not afford any shopkeeper in town the resources to make the restorations necessary to preserve the beautiful old buildings in town. The interior was completely refurbished, combining modern amenities with many beautiful antiques from the original building. How did gaming in Colorado come to pass? Voters in Colorado passed limited stakes gaming in 1990 for the purpose of historic preservation of three dilapidated mining towns in Colorado and to provide money to the State Historic Preservation fund. Gaming in Colorado was originally patterned after Deadwood, South Dakota, allowing only slots, blackjack, and poker and a $5.00 limit. At the time gaming was passed in Colorado, it was only the 4th venue in the country. Nevada, New Jersey (Atlantic City), and Deadwood, SD were the only other places in the United States where gaming was legal. The limited gaming amendment was the start of a new "gold rush" in Colorado's history. Now eighteen years old, The Famous Bonanza is the second oldest operating casino in Central City / Black Hawk. Still family owned and operated, we offer a superb selection of electronic slot and video poker machines such as classics like: Double Double Bonus Poker, White Hot Aces, Red White & Blue, Double Diamond, Enchanted Forest, Wild Africa, Thunder Heart, Wild Cougar and The Gambler as well as newer machines such as Fort Knox, Pompeii, Whales of Cash, Pelican Pete, Sun & Moon and Jungle Wild. Our reward program is named "The Miners' Club" and guests are encouraged to use their Miners' Club Card while playing so they can earn comp dollars, purchase beautiful gifts and collectibles, enjoy great meals and receive invitations to special events! The Grimes family mission has remained the same since opening: Give customers the best possible gaming and hospitality experience in Colorado, preserve the unique atmosphere of Central City and work together as a family to be successful. They hope you'll take pleasure in the ambience of Victorian elegance as you enjoy participate in what they hope to be the "best gaming experience available in the state of Colorado." |