CENTRAL CITY - On May 1, 2025, the Gilpin Elementary 4th Grade class went on an educational walking tour of Central City, sponsored by Main Street Central City. The purpose was for the young pupils to learn about the town’s history and how it operates.

The students began the tour at City Hall with Mayor Jeremy Fey, who explained how the City Council works. He asked for volunteers to form a temporary city council. Three kids raised their hands: Jeremiah Ledbetter, Lynae Leatham, and Monica Trujillo. 

He proposed that the class develop an idea to present to the City Council. After a few ideas were shouted out, they came to a consensus to ask the council for $500 to create a kid-friendly section at the Madam Lou Bunch Day event on June 14, 2025. 

The event is held in honor of the town’s most successful brothel owner from the Gold Rush days, Madam Lou Bunch. (https://www.visitcentralcity.com/blog/madam-lou-bunch-day)

The celebration features bed races, a historical costume contest, a parade, and a cabaret dance, but traditionally, it has not offered much for kids to do.

The students' proposal will be presented to the Central City Council at the beginning of the next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m.

Next, the kids toured the new Visitor’s Center next door at the Belvidere Theater. Local Mike Keeler described some historical photos on the wall, noting significant events that shaped Central.

He said the Cornish miners from England taught gold miners in Central how the sills of hard-rock mining during the Gold Rush in the 1870s. 

Keeler showed the children local landmarks like the Teller House and St. James Church, and how a historical event like the fire of 1874 destroyed most of the wooden buildings. Fireproof stone buildings were erected in their place. 

The children thanked Keeler for the stories and moved on to view the Belvidere Theater with Eric Chinn, Belvidere Theatre board member.

“Are there ghosts in the building?” asked one student. Chinn said he had not seen one in the theatre but had witnessed a specter at the Teller House.

Chinn showed the students the orchestra pit, which is built into the side of the mountain and has bedrock as the back wall. He said Goldie Hawn performed on that very stage during the 1976 filming of “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox.”

The Belvidere is currently being renovated so it can host performances, parties, and weddings, but the project needs more funding. To donate to the Belvidere Foundation, visit https://www.visitcentralcity.com/belviderefoundation. 

The tour moved on to the Teller House and the Opera, with Chinn leading the way. The Teller House was built in 1872 by lawyer and banker William Teller. 

Chinn showed the children several antique features in the former hotel and casino, like the Face on the Bar Room Floor, sometimes called “the Mona Lisa of the West.”

Chinn shone a light on a tall, sparkly mirror in the foyer, illuminating the diamond dust used in its construction. 

The children also toured the St. James Church, where Pastor Jack Van Son educated the group about the church’s founder, Clara Brown. Brown was an African American settler who had formerly been enslaved. In the 1860s, she operated a laundry for the miners in Central City and became a community leader and philanthropist. 

The tour moved on to the Gilpin Arts Association above the famous Washington Hall. It was built in 1862, and is the oldest continuously used building in the state of Colorado.

Finally, the children toured the old Gilpin County Courthouse at 203 Eureka Street, where they met with Clerk and Recorder Sahari McCormick.

The fourth graders loved learning about the history of their home, and meeting leaders of the community. They look forward to presenting their initiative to the Central City Council on May 6.

Special thanks go to Barbara Thielemann for her help organizing the event, and to Central City Main Street for sponsoring the educational tour.