The Imperial Hotel and Restaurant
The stage for drama was set when gold fever hit Cripple Creek in 1890. A
gold rush of major proportions was underway at the turn of the 20th century and a
boomtown atmosphere called for entertainment galore.
Tired, thirsty and social hungry miners preferred gambling halls and saloons
that lined the streets of all the small communities around the mining district.
Madams, dance hall girls and medicine shows kept the less cultured, working element
entertained. But there was also a more sophisticated lot who yearned for the social cultures they left back East. Moving to the West where social dress and fine dining
was as scarce as running water, was not easy on the socially inclined.
Cripple Creek and Victor early on both sported grand opera houses, providing
grand theatrical shows and music. Such notables as Texas Guinan, Lily Langtree
In 1946 Wayne and Dorothy Mackin purchased the Imperial Hotel and began the tradition of producing 60- plus years of melodrama. The first year they hired a a group from Kansas to produce a show and the second year they started producing their own shows. In 1953 the Mackins began the tradition of producing true turn-of-the-century melodrama at the Imperial, a tradition that continued for 45 years. The Imperial Players performed to summer crowds in the 280-seat Gold Bar Room Theater and helped revitalize the town with a new tourism economy. The award winning dinner/theater venue was a hit and such notables as Victor Borge, Arthur Godfrey, Walt Disney, Mary Tyler Moore and Lowell Thomas visited the theater. Ragtime pianist Max Morath got his start at the keyboard in the Imperial. In the early 1990s the last Imperial show was preformed as the Imperial became a casino and the Gold Bar Room closed. Gary and Wini Ledford, the owners of the Carr Manor, the historic Cripple Creek High School have purchased the historic Imperial Hotel and Restaurant. The Ledfords are retired builders and have experience in restoration of historic buildings as they previously completed the entire transformation of the Cripple Creek High School one block away from the Imperial Hotel. And now laughter can be herd once again from the Gold Bar Theater.
gold rush of major proportions was underway at the turn of the 20th century and a
boomtown atmosphere called for entertainment galore.
Tired, thirsty and social hungry miners preferred gambling halls and saloons
that lined the streets of all the small communities around the mining district.
Madams, dance hall girls and medicine shows kept the less cultured, working element
entertained. But there was also a more sophisticated lot who yearned for the social cultures they left back East. Moving to the West where social dress and fine dining
was as scarce as running water, was not easy on the socially inclined.
Cripple Creek and Victor early on both sported grand opera houses, providing
grand theatrical shows and music. Such notables as Texas Guinan, Lily Langtree
In 1946 Wayne and Dorothy Mackin purchased the Imperial Hotel and began the tradition of producing 60- plus years of melodrama. The first year they hired a a group from Kansas to produce a show and the second year they started producing their own shows. In 1953 the Mackins began the tradition of producing true turn-of-the-century melodrama at the Imperial, a tradition that continued for 45 years. The Imperial Players performed to summer crowds in the 280-seat Gold Bar Room Theater and helped revitalize the town with a new tourism economy. The award winning dinner/theater venue was a hit and such notables as Victor Borge, Arthur Godfrey, Walt Disney, Mary Tyler Moore and Lowell Thomas visited the theater. Ragtime pianist Max Morath got his start at the keyboard in the Imperial. In the early 1990s the last Imperial show was preformed as the Imperial became a casino and the Gold Bar Room closed. Gary and Wini Ledford, the owners of the Carr Manor, the historic Cripple Creek High School have purchased the historic Imperial Hotel and Restaurant. The Ledfords are retired builders and have experience in restoration of historic buildings as they previously completed the entire transformation of the Cripple Creek High School one block away from the Imperial Hotel. And now laughter can be herd once again from the Gold Bar Theater.
If you have any questions or would like to make reservations By phone please call 719-344-9274 or email at George@GoldBarTheater.com
http://www.imperialhotelrestaurant.com/
George@goldbartheater.com
(We would like to thank WMA and Award winning performing Artist Hank Cramer for this rendition of "Cripple Creek")