Holiday Headframe Lighting

The giant headframes that remain as ghosts of 1890’s gold mining days light up the night sky around Victor and Cripple Creek each holiday season. These unique mining artifacts, also called gallows frames by local miners, are one-of-a-kind remnants of the gold rush era.

Holiday ornaments, some as large as 20 feet tall, are lit against the starry night skies of the Victor and Cripple Creek starting Friday of Thanksgiving Day weekend. The lights are best viewed from public roads around the district after dark and will be in place Friday-Sunday nights in December through New Year’s Day, weather/safety and volunteers permitting.

This year the Portland Headframe, pictured above, will not be lit as the structure is fragile. Once it is restored, the lights will be returned.

This holiday lighting tradition has been ongoing since 1998 and is sponsored by Newmont, on whose property most of the headframes are located. Volunteers staff the generators and line power connections each weekend. Other sponsors include an anonymous donor, Southern Teller County Focus Group and Cripple Creek Parks & Recreation.

The Southern Teller County Focus Group and Newmont invite you to visit the historic City of Mines for a day, evening drive or weekend stay during holiday season to experience part of our good old-fashioned holiday spirit.