1 21 14 gambler

Gambler Celebrating 23 Years Serving Colorado’s Gaming Community y www.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogamblerr

Volu m

e 21

•N

umb

er 4

January 21 - February 3, 2014

See Cover Story on page 8

Check Out Valuable Coupons On Page 15

www.nationalwestern.com

PROMOTIONS

Black Hawk, Central City promos Pages 4-5, 10-11

GEMSTONES & MINERALS Jade: The ‘Stone of Heaven’ Page 7

COLORADO HISTORY ‘Potato’ Clark and John Evans pioneer south Denver Page 16

6

TRAIL’S END

Colorado’s deadly 19th century avalanches Page 17

COUPONS • COLORADO HISTORY • CASINO GUIDE •GAMING • MAP • ENTER TAINMENT

The Last Hand

Stock Show adds class to Colorado and West

Gambler

W

ell the c o w boys are about ready to leave this round up with another very successful National Western Stock Show.

The Stock Show weather is usually a disaster and we averted those early By Bob Sweeney cold days in January. and cole slaw, The National Western is along with some prime rib, corn planning to introduce a bevy of and other delicacies. Son, Sean new changes in 2014 that will was also on the job helping out include a remodel and update his dad and mother Mary in of the facilities. We don’t have this great Denver-based busito get too fancy to recreate the ness that hires hundreds of logood old days and the Grand cal people.

Old West, but we need plumbWhen I was just a younging that works and safe struc- ster, we would ride the train tures and new infrastructure to from Craig to Denver and go last another 100 years. to the Denver Stock Yards with KM Concessions was right signs around the pens naming on the job and the Kevin Nicho- The John Clay Co. and Swift las long standing food franchi- Packing Co. Cattle feeders see lived up to their great repu- would buy the younger grasstation of good barbecue, beans fed steers and heifers and take

PAGE 2

them to feed lots where they would dine on corn until they became prime steaks fit for the finest steak restaurants around. These stockyards are now closed in most parts of the West, including Omaha and Kansas City.

The elegant Brown Palace once again played host to the Grand Champion steer that usually goes to one of Denver’s finest steak venues. A large amount of Stock Show revenue goes to fund college scholarships.

The latest snow covered the

Great Plains and ensured a successful winter wheat crop in Eastern Colorado and into the Kansas plains. Corn is planted in the spring, but having some moisture in the soil is a gift from God. Colorado survived floods, fires and shootings, and through it all, has enjoyed a growing and improving economy.

The Legislature will do there best to provide more funding to Colorado schools and we can hope more to higher education so ourwww.coloradogambler.com students can attend our stellar universities.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

Tony Thorpe Maverick Sharp coloradogambler

cogambler

January 21 - February 3, 2014

How Will You

Win BiG? Earn up to

10X points Every Monday

Swipe your card at one of three gold kiosks to reveal your multiplier.

Plus, receive one free buffet after earning five unadjusted points.

Redeem your ticket at the players club or cashier services prior to playing to activate your multiplier.

Not valid on video poker.

Win a 60” tV or CasH! Friday, January 24 and 31 5:30pm – 10:00pm Five Drawings Each Day! Those selected will win $100 CASH or a new 60” TV. Receive one free entry each promotional day and earn additional entries with every 20 unadjusted points.

1-800-THE-ISLE • www.theisleblackhawk.com © 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 years of age or older. Promotions subject to change or cancellation without notice. Please visit the players club or cashier services for details. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. www.theisleblackhawk.com

$5 Promo Play for Email

Provide a new email address in January to Guest Services and receive $5 Promo Play.

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.

Play 10 Points, Receive $10 www.theisleblackhawk.com

Mystery Point Multiplier

Receive up to 10X points Monday, Jan. 27. Swipe your card at any of the three gold kiosks to reveal your point multiplier. Bring your slip to the Players Club or Cashier Services prior to playing. Point multiplier not valid on video poker. Plus, receive a free buffet with 5 unadjusted points.

Snow Bank Giveaway

Win cash on Tuesdays, Jan. 21 and 28 from 3 – 7 p.m. Grab all the snowflakes you can until you “freeze.” Each snowflake and icicle has a cash value hidden behind it and you get to keep all the cash you collect until you choose the one that says “freeze.” Receive one free swipe each promotional day and earn one additional swipe with 10 unadjusted points.

Gear up for the Big Game

Get ready for the big game when you have a chance to win a 60” TV or a cash prize.

Drawings will take place Friday, Jan. 24 and 31 from 5:30 – 10 p.m. Two guests will win $100 cash and one will be given a new 60”TV! Guests will receive one free entry on promotion day and additional entries with each set of 20 unadjusted points earned. Five drawings held each night.

5X Points On Pennies

Each Thursday, 8 a.m. – midnight in January, 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, please visit the player’s club.

Bus Fare Refund

Do 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

PAGE 4

All new members of the IsleOne player’s club will receive $10 after playing 10 unadjusted points on their new players card.

Tradewinds

Tradewinds 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.

Play and Stay

Play 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 Games

The 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. 10 is $97,963. Three Card Poker has its own progressive jackpot and is at $2,611. And now exclusively at the Isle you can play “Craps-Free Craps” with 10 times odds.

Poker Room

Bad Beat – The Isle has the EASIEST BAD BEAT TO WIN in Black Hawk! The Bad Beat Jackpot Pool as of Jan. 10 is $100,088.

That means Aces full of 10’s through Kings beaten would pay over $10,008 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 $50,044 or 50% and Quad 8’s or better beaten would pay over $75,066 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.

Most points

10X Penny Points

Bullwhackers is the place for the most points. 6X points on slots every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Receive 10X points on penny slot machines Wednesdays, Jan. 22 and 29 from 9 a.m. – midnight.

Lucky Bull Club

Park, Play, Free Buffet

New 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 us www.goldenmardigras.com

$400,000 Winter Wheel of Cash

172 winners will have a chance to win their share of up to $400,000! Drawings every Friday and Saturday in January from 1 – 9 p.m. Two winners will be randomly selected at each drawing time to spin the wheel for their chance at up to $2,500 cash.

$16,000 Snowflake Sunday Giveaway

Every Sunday in January. Drawings every hour starting at 1 p.m. and ending at 4 p.m. Four total drawings each Sunday.

Three winners at each drawing will select a snowflake from our prize board. Prizes range from $100 in QuickPlay to $500 in cash.

Free Dice Lessons

Come and learn the fun and exciting game of craps, every Saturday & Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Mardi Gras Craps Pit.

Sunrise Poker Tournament

Starts everyday at 10 a.m. with a $40 buy in everyday.

Bullwhackers offers convenient free shuttle service directly to Johnny Z’s Casino in Central City. Shuttle runs Thursdays, noon – 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, noon – midnight, and Sundays 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

$40,000 Cozumel Getaway

Win up to $250 in Free Slot Play during our January daily drawings. Grand prize drawing Feb. 1 at 9:30 p.m. win a trip for two to Cozumel or be one our four $500 in Free Slot Play winners. Stick around for our $250 drawings at 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and midnight.

Spin and Win

Win up to 10X points every Thursday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Spin the wheel before you play to receive your point multiplier for the day.

Not valid on video poker or keno.

Sunday Gift Giveaway

www.saratogacasinoBH.com

$200,000 Flurries of Cash

Win a share of over $200,000 Fridays, Jan. 24 and 31. Between 4 – 11 p.m., six guests will each win up to $4,600 in cash and Promo Play prizes. Plus, earn 25X entries every Wednesday.

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 250 base points.

$20,000 Snow Me the Money Grand Prize www.bullwhackerscasino.com

Every 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.

A blizzard of cash is blowing in on Saturday, Jan. 25 From noon – 9 p.m., 15 winners will have the choice to take $500 cash or $1,000 Promo Play. Then, the big storm hits at 10 p.m. with one winner of $5,000 cash. Earn 25X entries on Wednesdays. Bonus. Play on Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26 to carryover all of your January Grand Prize entries into the February Grand Prize Drawing.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

Earn 50 base points on slots or average a $5 bet for 30 minutes on table games each Sunday in January to receive your Saratoga Casino gift from noon – 8 p.m. Limit one per guest, while supplies lasts.

Facebook Trivia

Like us on Facebook for your chance to win $50 Promo Play and a free buffet for two. A new trivia question will be posted and a new winner drawn each week.

Birthday Bonus

Do you have a birthday in January? Join us on Sunday, Jan. 26 to be one of three $100 winners at 7 p.m. Swipe your Club card at Guest Services any time before 6:30 p.m. to be eligible to win.

black-hawk-ladyluck. isleofcapricasinos.com

Mystery Point Multiplier Thursdays

It’s a point multiplier mystery! Stop into Lady Luck for mysterious fun Thursdays in January. 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 Continued on page 5

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Continued from Page 4 multipliers can be 2X, 3X, 5X, 7X, 10X or 20X. Guests must redeem voucher at the promotions area prior to playing to receive points. Point multiplier is valid from time of registration until midnight on Thursdays in January. See guest services for rules and additional details for all promos.

Cold Cash Scratcher

Rolling Cash Progressive. One winner will be chosen every half-hour for their chance at the progressive prize. The cash prize will start at $50 at 10 a.m. and all unclaimed prizes will rollover into the next drawing time, increasing by $50 until the prize is claimed. Once claimed the prize resets at $50. The final 6 p.m. cash prize is guaranteed to go. Guests will receive one free entry and additional entries for every 50 unadjusted points played, starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Come warm your wallet with cold cash Saturdays in January. Earn a cold cash scratch ticket for every 200 unadjusted points earned, 2 – 10 p.m., up to TEN scratch tickets per player each promotional day. Guests must swipe their player’s card at the SCA Kiosks and redeem their voucher at the promoMoolah Monday Free Slot tions area. Players will scratch their cold Tournaments cash scratch ticket with the marketing We’re giving out the Moolah every representatives to receive a cash prize.

Monday morning in January. Sign up Prizes will range from $10 all the way for our FREE slot tournament Monday up to $500. mornings from 9 – 10:45 a.m. Then starting at 11 a.m. play for the Moolah.

Rolling Cash Progressive Join your friends at Lady Luck Tues- The top five high scorers will be awarddays in January, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. for a ed a cash prize at the conclusion of the

tournament, top prize $250. After, join us for a bonus drawing at 2 p.m. when two tournament player names will be drawn for $100. Guests must be present to win cash drawing.

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!

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.

Visit guest services or speak to a table games supervisor to redeem offer. Offer subject to availability. Excludes holidays and blackout dates.

Table Games

We 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 – Play And Stay Play and Stay with your friends at Thursday’s and earn a free night Stay Lady Luck! Sundays through Thursdays (Excludes Holidays and Blackout Dates). in January earn a free room in the Lady 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.

Poker Bad Beat Top Award is currently $101,112 (as of Jan. 14) 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.

Cash your paycheck with us and spin to WIN UP TO $25,000!

300 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 303-582-5600 • GoldenMardiGras.com 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.

January 21 - February 3, 2014

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

PAGE 5

Gaming

Common myths of blackjack

T

Casino Blackjack

he game of blackas the casinos will not jack has been win every session against around for many a non-skilled player. It is years and unthe long-term effect a seasoned player can harvest equivocally proved the that even with the slighttest of time. Unfortuest edge becomes large nately, throughout the enough to actually proyears countless myths of By Maverick Sharp the game have surfaced vide a profession. to the point where it actually compromised numerous players’ strategies and ♥ Myth: It is Illegal to Count beliefs. My primary purpose for this article is to address some of the most Cards in a Casino common rumors, myths, and urban This is an urban legend the casilegends of blackjack and debunk them nos would love for you to believe, and with logic and reasoning. maybe they are the culprit for starting this rumor.

I can tell you this much…as of Myth: Blackjack is an September 2012 counting cards is Unbeatable Game 100 percent “Legal” under federal, This is one of the toughest myths to state, and local ordinances in the demolish. The reason why is because United States of America. The only there is no game that the casinos offer way counting cards can be illegal is where they do not have an edge over if a person is utilizing some sort of the player. However, blackjack is a external device to track the cards. game of “skill” and an experienced and The courts have ruled that the casinos accomplished player actually has the cannot prohibit a player from “thinkopportunity to invert the table percent- ing” and counting cards is doing preages in blackjack with counting cards. cisely that. It is true that the casinos It is important to understand that even may frown on any player counting a proficient card counter will not win cards but the most they can do is reevery session against the casinos just fuse the right to service and not allow

a player to continue playing if they are suspected of counting cards.

♦ Myth: You Must Have a Photographic Memory or Be a Mathematical Prodigy to Count Cards

Although basic mathematics is a fundamental requirement in counting cards having a Ph.D., in Statistics is “Not”!!! If you have the capability of performing, on the fly, mathematical gymnastics with positive and negative integers, you indisputably have the capability to count cards. There are numerous card counting systems out there which are very effective in beating the casinos, as the system presented in my book, Dynamic Blackjack-The Professional Approach. The system developers engineered and quantified all the math for you with calculations and simulations, all you are required to do is apply the simple math to execute the strategy on the casinos. And “NO” you do not need to have a photographic memory to count cards. All you are doing is counting high cards and low cards which measures the density of these cards from normal distribution.

You are not really memorizing anything other than your card count and strategic plays. This is why anyone who is dedicated in mastering their card counting skills has the ability to countdown a 6 or 8-Deck Shoe.

♣ Always Assuming the Dealer’s Hole Card is a 10.

Many players get themselves in trouble when adhering to the fallacy of thinking the dealer’s hole card is always a 10. I can see how when the dealer reveals a 10 or Ace as their up card it is easy to think the dealer’s total handle value might be 20 or 21. It is important for you to understand that there is only a 30 percent probability that dealer will have a 10 in the hole.

Moreover, the figure you should be looking at is that there is a 70 percent chance the dealer’s hole card will be a non-ten. Just because the dealer reveals a scare card (10 or Ace) there is still a 70 percent chance he or she is selling “Wolf Tickets” and their hand isn’t as strong as it might appear to be. My best advice to you is to “ALWAYS” stick with playing Basic Strategy when not counting cards. This would give you the best chance of winning. Under no

Thinking About Poker: Do the math

from this?

I went to the loI watched a few cal poker emporium rounds with no inafter a long hiatus from playing. You volvement although know the situation; a few hands I had work or schedule mucked would have conflicts or honeybeen winners had I do’s or just plain old just thrown in loose life gets in the way of call occasionally. I

By Drew Chitiea what one would like thought about how to do with their alleged free time. a little more involvement – read: So I sat down in a $2 - $5 Hold-em aggression – could begin the march game with the intent of scraping off to profitability. About this time a the rust.

Jimmy Buffet song came along; I normally don’t allow distrac- one that I don’t particularly care for tions into my game – I face away but which sparked my attention to from television if possible, although really focus on the game. The song with those cyclopean attention- was Math Sucks – evidentially he grabbers all around (and a Bronco wrote it in response to one of his game about to start too), I was children’s complaints as it certainly pretty well cornered. Plus I just up- was a parody of sorts.

It got me back to thinking; yes, loaded a lot of songs onto my iPod and wanted to hear how they came poker is a people game one plays out. So I plugged in shortly after with cards but a good grip of the sitting down and grooved along as math in poker can lead to good sesI watched the table action. It was a sions as well. I’m referring to the loose-passive game with an aver- probabilities inherent in the game, age of seven players seeing the flop the knowledge of the chances cermost times. Hmmm – could I profit tain cards might present them-

FULLHOUSE

PAGE 6

selves and so improve one’s hand from mediocre to winner. Key to this train of thought is knowing how many outs you have for the current hand. For example, if you’re looking to fill that flush draw postflop there are nine cards which can help you (thirteen cards in the suit you’re hunting minus the two in your hand and two on the board).

The second key is the number of unseen cards remaining – and since the cards other players hold are unknown, they can be grouped here.

Since two suited cards are in your hand and two are on the board leaving 46 remaining cards, calculating the odds is simple long division (can anyone enlighten me if short division exists?) Nine cards which can help your hand, divided by the 46 unseen cards, equals 19.6 percent chance you’ll make your flush. That percentage can be rounded up to 20 percent, in essence a one-in-five chance a flush will come. Now comes the people part – if you’re thinking someone

else is chasing the same flush, that means they have two of that suit which brings the probability the flush will come down to around 15 percent (7 cards divided by 44 unseen = 15.22 percent).

If you whip out your calculator at the table (you may camouflage this by appearing to text) to do the math every time you have a draw your opponents will surely get wise to what you’re doing and may make your draws expensive, so here’s some down-and-dirty odds you can memorize to make things easier. If you are drawing to a flush, the odds of completing that are 19.1 percent on the turn and 19.6 on the river. Taken together, that gives you about a 35 percent chance, or one-in-three - odds of making the flush. This assumes you will be able to see both cards relatively cheaply; strong opponents will make you pay to see the turn and river.

If you have an open-ended straight draw, your odds of catching are 17 percent on the turn and 17.4 percent on the river for

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

circumstances should you ever deviate from Basic Strategy unless you are not opposed to handing over your hard earned money to the casinos.

I hope that I have shed some light on some of blackjack’s biggest myths.

Do not believe everything you hear at the tables and stick to your own guns.

Until then, Maverick Sharp wishes nothing but the best of cards.

Maverick Sharp is an expert high stakes Blackjack player and author of Dynamic Blackjack-The Professional Approach. To learn more about Maverick Sharp and the largest Blackjack book in print visit diamondbackpublishing. com or email any questions or comments at mavericksharp@ diamondbackpublishing.com.

20% Off on All ♠ Gambling Books ♠ Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Roulette, Video Poker, and Slots diamondbackpublishing.com

combined odds of just less than one-in-three (31.5 percent). Catching a card to trip up your pocket pair is ‘way down there: 4.3 percent on the turn and same on the river for combined odds of 8.6 or 12.5 percent (one-in-eight) so if you are hoping to flop trips, you must enter the pot cheaply.

Now, to make things even simpler; if you know the number of outs you have to make your hand, double that number, add 2 and that is closely approximating the percentage of making your hand.

With that knowledge firmly embedded in the head, you may then add pot odds into the mix and also your knowledge of how your opponent(s) play. Oh, and one last consideration – you are playing for the nut draw, aren’t you?

So with Jimmy Buffet’s island music playing (and his recent concert here was a hoot!) my first time back to the tables in a long time almost quadrupled my $200 buy-in.

Keep thinking about poker!

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Jade: The

The Chinese consider jade the “Stone of Heaven” more precious and reverent than anything else on earth.

Being so revered and honored, it was only rightfully worn only by the Emperor, who was considered the “Son of Heaven.”

The Chinese considered jade a sacred mineral, used as the material for making sacred implements and articles. It was not until Chinese started trading with its neighboring countries that jadeite from Burma began to appear in China’s gem history. The distinction between jadeite and nephrite was not made until the late 1700s when there was sufficient scientific knowledge to find the differences between the two stones. Thus, nephrite is the truly original jade in the greatest and most famous of all Chinese jade history.

A Chinese saying goes: “Gold has value; jade is invaluable.” Jade has been used by mankind for various purposes since prehistoric times. To primitive people, jade was the ideal material for making tools and other artifacts. Its toughness made it the best material for such purposes.

Later, they used it for jewelry and other ornamental objects.

Chinese people believed jade had supernatural powers. Since the earliest time of Chinese history, jade was used as a protector against devils. Gradually, jade became known as a symbol of peace, kindness, elegance and eternity. In China, people believed that jade could bring safety, wealth, health, longevity and peace of mind. Jade is an ancient symbol of love and virtue. It was not just for jewelry.

The Chinese have carved jade continuously from 5,000 BC to the present. Chinese love jade because not only for its beauty, but also more importantly for its culture, meaning and humanity. The following is a Chinese translation: “The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness

January 21 - February 3, 2014

‘Stone of Heaven’

Gemstone & Minerals

represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth. To support these comparisons, the Book of Verse says: ‘When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade.”

The pre-Columbian Indians brought jade carving to its peak on this continent. The Indians of the northwest coast of America were skilled jade craftsmen. Jade was used by various tribes ranging from the northern coast of Washington to the Eskimos of the far north. But the work of these tribes did not reach the peak attained by the natives of Mexico and Central America.

How did Jade get its name?

Early Spaniards who conquered Mexico brought back a beautiful green stone that was valued highly by the native Mexicans. The Spaniards called the new stone “piedra de ijada,” literally “stone of the flank or loin.” The French translated the Spanish name as “pierre de l’ejade.”

Either through typographical errors or common usage the word was altered to “le jade.” The English simply changed it to jade. And so it is today.

Jade comes in two varieties: Jadeite (hard jade) and Nephrite (soft jade). They are both regarded in China as zhen yu, “genuine jade.”

The most recognized color for jade

is emerald green, however, jade is found in white, gray, yellow, orange and violet.

Nephrite is usually only green and creamy white while jadeite can have the full range of colors. The value of jade lies in its hardness.

Jadeites are the ones with a solid texture and a hardness of 6 (on a scale of 1–10). The more valuable varieties, such as green jade, may be as hard as 8 or 9. Nephrite jade has a hardness below 6 and can be more easily carved.

The value of precious jade lies in its natural color and hue. Some are as white as snow, others are brightly red and still others alluringly green.

The rarest and most expensive jade is called Imperial Jade. To qualify as Imperial Jade, the stone must be an emerald green, quite translucent and compare favorably in color with an emerald of good quality. Imperial Jade got its name (and distinction) from the ancient Chinese imperial court, which reserved the finest jade for the use of royalty, hence the term “imperial.”

In China, the Jade Road came into existence long before the Silk Road did. The Kunlun mountains around the Hotan area produced the jade that formed the Jade Road more than 3000 to 12,000 years ago. The finest of all jadeite, of all jade that matters, is the emerald green jadeite of Myanmar (Burma).

Today, 90 percent of jadeite jade is produced in this country.

A gigantic jade boulder, weighing more than 60,000 tons has been discovered in Xiuyan County of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, and regarded as the world’s largest. The China government said they plan to carve figures of Buddha out of the huge stone and build a park centered around it in the

hopes of attracting more tourists.

In Myanmar, a gem company has started building an underground museum in northern Myanmar to display a 3,000-ton jade boulder. The jade boulder was discovered in Kachin State, source of some of the world’s finest jade, and donated to the government in 2002. Dao Trong Cuong purchased a 35-ton jade boulder in Myanmar for $2 million and imported it to Vietnam. A team of 50 artists and sculptors plan to carve a jade Buddha that will weigh 20 tons and take two years to complete.

Many gem materials are mistaken for jade since they bear a close

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

resemblance to jade in color and hardness. They have been referred to as “near jade,” false jade,” “imitation jade” and “pseudojades.” Glass and plastic are the principal materials used to imitate jade. Plastics are too light and too easily scratched to be mistaken for jade. Glass can be made to imitate almost any type of natural jade. Most of the glass offered as jade is too perfect, and that will alert the skilled purchaser.

Glass imitations usually have minute bubbles seen under low power magnification. Pseudojades are not jade and never will be. Pseudojades are stones that look and feel like jade but are really other known minerals. Generally speaking, the best quality jade is used for jewelry or small carvings. The less costly grades are used for larger ornamental objects and carvings.

Jadeite is rarer than nephrite and is, therefore, regarded as more precious. Nephrite deposits have been found in China, New Zealand, Russia, Guatemala and the Swiss Alps. Dark green jade, so-called Canada Jade, is also found in Western Canada. Jadeite is found in China, Russia and Guatemala, but the best stones come from Burma. Jade is also found in Central America, Mexico and the United States.

PAGE 7

Cover Story

The city’s favorite winter event Annual Stock Show comes to town Jan. 11 – 26

By Rosemary Fetter

espite recent efforts to move The National Western Stock Show to Aurora, other parts of Commerce City or near Denver International Airport, the show will go through Jan. 26.

The National Western became a local institution in the early 1900s, but the cow has always been an important Denverite. Many early pioneers disenchanted with mining turned to agriculture and ranching.

Taking advantage of the great open range, generally mild winters and the availability of Texas longhorns, cattlemen like John Wesley Iliff made their fortunes John Waynestyle. Ranchers joined together as early as 1867 to form one of Colorado’s first professional groups, the Colorado Stock Growers Association.

With the arrival of the railroads in 1870, Denver became the end of the trail for cattlemen driving their herds up from Texas along the Goodnight Loving Trail. The city’s first stockyards, known as the Elephant Corral, were located on Blake Street between 14th and 15th streets. Although cattle were originally shipped to Kansas City and Chicago, the creation of the Denver Union Stockyards on June 1, 1881, made Denver a livestock hub, where Swift, Armour and Cudahy once operated major plants. In 1886, the company moved to its current location, between the South Platte River and Franklin Street to the east and west and W. 46th and W. 52nd Ave on the north and south, with the railroad tracks in the middle.

Stockyards included feedlots, slaughterhouses, rendering plants and meat processing plants.

In 1898, the Denver Chamber of

PAGE 8

Commerce, the Cattleman’s Association and other livestock growers held the city’s first stock show. At the time, Denver was barely recovering from the Depression of 1893, which shattered the economy of the entire state and left many homeless. With misguided public spirit, stock show organizers planned a giant public barbecue, which turned into a freefor all and discouraged further attempts, at least for a few years.

By 1905, the stockmen and Denver were ready to try again. Led by Fred P. Johnson, who ran the Denver Daily-Record Stockman, and Elias M. Ammons, Douglas County cattleman, state senator and later Colorado governor, the newly-united American National Live Stock Association held their first show on Jan. 29, 1906. Streetcars, carriages and special trains delivered the public to a free show that did not include a barbecue, with exhibitions that included 50 loads of feeder cattle, seven loads of breeding heifers, 11 loads of lambs and five loads of hogs. The Sells-Floto Circus, owned by Harry Tammen of The Denver Post, loaned the cattlemen a circus tent, which was replaced the following year by a 140 x 275 foot monstrosity manufactured by a local canvas company.

(Challenged by January winds, the tent fell down once, but fortunately no one was injured.) Stock Show enthusiasts made do with the super tent until the 6,000-seat National Amphitheater opened in 1909, the same year livestock growers settled on the name, the National Western Stock Show.

Although the show often suffered the effects of bad weather (the blizzards of 1910, 1913 and 1915 were particularly devastating), it was only cancelled once, in 1915, due to an epidemic of hoof and mouth disease. By 1920, ticket prices had been raised to 75-cents and the show was finally in the red. Seven years later, the National Western Stock Show had become the third largest in the world, bringing some 50,000 visi-

tors to the city. That same year, Denverites began keeping their Christmas lights up in January, a tradition that still continues.

When the National Western Rodeo became part of the Stock Show in 1931, rodeo riders had an opportunity to win major prizes and large sums along with the accolades. Interestingly, the biggest star that year was not a cowboy but a horse named Midnight, who bucked off every rider who had ever attempted to mount the cantankerous creature. Starring in various rodeos beginning in the 1920s, Midnight eventually retired to a ranch in Platteville. His remains lie in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

In 1940, the National Western initiated a separate junior livestock show that allowed youngsters, many from 4-H groups, to compete for cash and ribbons. The show had become such a popular local tradition that, in 1947, taxpayers passed a $1.5 million bond for construction of the Denver Coliseum, dedicated Jan. 10, 1952, on the 46th anniversary of the National Western. That same

year, the Westernaires, a Jefferson County organization of young riders, made their first appearance. The first show at the Coliseum, the largest in history up to that point, brought in $323,500. Two years Denver Rotarians enjoy a night at the later, Channel 9 covered stock show. Left to right, former Rotary the closing night rodeo, presidents Steve Mast, Bob Kapele and televised for the first driver, at left. time. seven years without drastic changes.

During the 1960s and ‘70s, stock The solution is still under debate, shows in general lost popularity. with several proposals to the city Even the granddaddy of them all, that include keeping the show at the Chicago International Live- its present location and expanding stock Exhibition, was cancelled in north and west, moving near the 1975. By purchasing additional High Point development near DIA, land and expanding the site and or relocating near Dick’s Sporting its attractions, the National West- Good Park in Commerce City. (Auern survived with the addition of a rora bowed out of the competition new Expo Hall and Stadium Hall two weeks ago.) in 1991 and a $13 million Events Whatever happens, however, Center in 1995. supporters agree that the Stock The fix was temporary, however. Show will endure. In Denver, it’s just Rodeo officials currently maintain part of who we are. that facilities are old, substandard For tickets and information, visit and too expensive to maintain, and online at www.nationalwestern. the Stock Show will go bankrupt in com.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Crossword Puzzle

Tell your loved one how you feel about them

& look for it in the Feb. 4-17 Valentine’s Day issue of the

Gambler

Happy Valentine’ s Day Sweetheart I will love you forever!!!

1

8

2

17

20

26

9 14

34

37

38

39

43

46

33

10

3

18

31

Me

Just submit a picture (high resolution) and a message for your loved one and if you are an employee, mention your casino in 15 words or less.

Send it by email to: gambler@villagerpublishing.com or send snail mail to: Colorado Gambler 8933 E. Union Ave., #230 Greenwood Village, C0 80111 303-773-8313 x 312 Please make sure your message and picture gets to us by Jan 28!

January 21 - February 3, 2014

13

15

16

22

28 32

23

44

47

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

Crossword puzzle by Tony Thorpe Answers on page 18

6

12

1. Recorded The Gambler (5, 6) 5. Japanese martial art ranking system (3) 7. James Bond’s doctor (2) 8. Troubled cyclist (5, 9) 14. Bike chain goes around it (3) 17. Broncos QB, son of Archie (6, 7) 20. You can book them on golfnow.com (3, 5) 22. To hold in high regard (6) 24. Torn on a gravestone (3) 26. An oblong piece of gold (5) 27. Philly casino (4) 29. Could be Turner or Nugent (3) 32. Patrick, Avalanche VP (3) 33. Hendrix song for the mentally ill (5, 10) 37. Short commercial for an athletic director (2) 38. Casino manager used to fight rockers (3) 40. Lines around the earth (8) 43. Northern Michigan peninsula (2) 44. Tree juice could drain energy (3) 45. Great ball of fire (3) 46. Latin slang for a British pound (4) 47. Peanut brand (8)

42

5 7

41

40

ACROSS:

Love -

25 27

11

21 24

4

19

29

35

45

30

36

DOWN:

1. Pot where you have to put up the big blind (4, 3) 2. Former first lady (5, 6) 3. Useful for rowing (3) 4. Telltale rodent (3) 5. Afro boxing King (3) 6. Northeastern state (2) 7. See 7 across 9. British crib (3) 10. Selfish, boastful behavior (11) 11. Japanese electronics company (4) 12. French king (3) 13. Local Subaru dealer (2) 16. Unit of weight (4) 18. Standup cat (4) 19. Casino patron (5) 21. Drink slowly (3) 23. Beatles Maharishi song (4, 5) 25. Jungle bird in a cage (6) 26. Mosque leader (5) 28. Fish eggs vs Wade (3) 30. Something to do with the stars on TV (7) 31. To do with teeth and gums (6) 34. Without further (3) 35. Goes with the ego and super ego (2) 39. Drink lightly to avoid this (3) 41. Cleopatra’s snake (3) 42. Popular type of ale (3) 45. Armed wing of Nazi party (2)

PAGE 9

Central City Nuggets Join us on Tuesdays in January from 11 a.m.

– 7 p.m. and enjoy a mystery multiplier on all your play. Starting at 10:45 a.m., we will select an hourly $100 Hot Seat winner to spin the “Make My Multiplier Wheel” and earn everyone in the casino up to 5X points on slot play for the next hour. Each hour we find a new winner and a new multiplier to benefit our players until 8 p.m.

from 2 – 6 p.m. Every player with a Century Casino Player’s Card can get one entry to the drawing per drawing day, additional entries are available to players who receive our mail.

Winners punch out spots on our game board to find out how many “yards” they earned on that “down.” Gain a total of ten yards or more for a First Down to win $100 instantly. Score a Field Goal to win a total of $300. And score a Touchdown to win $700. Everyone playing the board wins at least a $50 prize

BINGO –Thursday Bingo

New Members

Make My Multiplier Tuesday

www.central-city.cnty.com Tropical Treasure Pair-A-Dice

Fridays and Saturdays through Feb. 1, 5 – 10 p.m. Three winners chosen each hour.

Winners take turns rolling the Tropical Pair-ADice to climb their tropical tree. First winner to reach the top of their tree wins $250. The second place and third place winners win $100.

Earn entries with every 150 base points played on your Player’s Club card starting Dec. 29. Earn 4X entries on slots and 2X entries on video poker with all your play on Wednesdays. Our three chosen winners will take turns rolling our Tropical Treasure Pair-A-Dice to try to be the first to climb 21 spaces up their Tropical Tree. Each dice roll climbs closer to the prize, unless the player rolls a 7 or an 11, which sends them back to start again at the bottom of the tree. First player to the top wins $250, while the two runner-ups each win $100.

PAGE 10

Enjoy FREE Bingo every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (now later), with a $100 PRIZE for each game. Players with a Player’s Card can pick up their Bingo card at the Player’s Club one hour before each game.

4X Entries on Slots & 2X Entries on Video Poker on Wednesdays

Get 4X entries on slots and 2X entries on video poker every Wednesday for Tropical Treasure PairA-Dice Drawings for $100, $150 or $200 every hour Fridays and Saturdays.

Sunday Football Score Board

Score a touchdown and $700. Sundays at Century feature drawings every half hour

Guests who sign up at our Player‘s Club for a free club card will get a free spin, where they could win up to $1,500. New members also receive $10 in Insta-Comp after earning 250 base points on their account on the day of signup.

Senior Celebration on Wednesday and Thursday Guests aged 50 or better receive 2X points on play ALL DAY from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., plus 50 percent off purchases (up to $25 in one day) at the Retro Deli or Mid City Grill. Please note that 50 percent food discount cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount, and including the $8.99 daily food specials.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

Dazzling Doubles

Win bonus payouts on blackjack, craps and roulette when the lights are flashing. Ceiling lights will flash at random times through out the day.

Bonuses will be paid in chips if the following occurs while the lights are flashing; $5 for a blackjack, double the doubles in the craps field and pay 4X the amount bet on the 2 and 12 and double the 1st dollar bet for a direct number hit on Roulette.

Join us on the weekend (Friday 6 p.m. to Saturday close) when we will dazzle the blackjack bonus by doubling the amount paid to $10.

Sunlight Bonus Get $10 cash back for 3 hours play if seated between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

Quad of the Day

Get the specified 4 of a kind on its matching day playing live poker and win the progressive payout.

Payouts have been as high as $12,000.

Bad Beat

Have a chance to win our bad beat. Quad 8’s or better beaten playing live poker will win our bad beat which is approaching $42,000 (as of late December).

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Central City Nuggets

What’s Rockin’

Your guide to live entertainment and events at Colorado’s casinos

Golden Mardi Gras Casino

www.bullwhackers.com

$50,000 E-Z Win

Drawings every Monday - Thursday – win up to $250 at each drawing. Friday-Sunday, we have weekend progressive drawings, win up to $1,000.

$10,000 Doublin’ Dice

Roll your way to big winnings in the Z-Spot Pit and win up to $200.

Daily drawings, 1 – 9 p.m. every other hour. Every day in January.

New members

New Members can get up to $15 in Free Slot Play when signing up for a Club Z card. Membership is free. $10 for signing up and an additional $5 for your email address. In Addition new members will receive 1 free entry into our daily drawings, $1 off a Starbucks and 4X Points on Slots.

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.

Jan. 24-25: Forrest Show from Comedy Central with special guest Adrian Mesa Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Tomer Benvenisti from Fox Network with special guest PJ McGuire

www.goldenmardigras.com

NEW MEMBERS GET UP TO $15 IN FREE SLOT PLAY

JANUARY 1ST - FEBRUARY 1ST

50, 000 E -Z WIN ! $

DAILY DRAWINGS

WIN UP TO $250 per drawing every day in JANUARY

FRIDAYS - SUNDAYS

Win up to $1,000 in our Weekend Progressive Drawings!

CEN

www.johnnyzscasino.com

|

January 21 - February 3, 2014

40,000

$

COZUMEL & CASH GIVEAWAY WIN YOUR SHARE OF UP TO $40,000 & A TRIP TO COZUMEL

GRAND PRIZE COZUMEL GETAWAY DRAWING, FEBRUARY 1ST

TRAL CI T Y

303-582-5623

|

See Club Z for complete details

DAILY DRAWINGS JANUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 1

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

PAGE 11

Casino•Guide Casino

Games

Slots

Ameristar - 24/7

BJ, P, C, R, VP

Black Hawk Station Bull Durham

Lodging

Food

Parking

Contact

over 1400 536 rooms

B, D, SD, Starbucks

free valet and self parking

720-946-4000/.ameristar.com/Black_Hawk.aspx

VP

120

No

SD,SB

city lot

303-582-5582/ blackhawkstationcasino.net

VP

188

No

SB

city lot

303-582-0810/.bulldurhamcasino.com

Bullwhackers Sun-Thur 8am-1am/ VP Fri-Sat 8am- 3am

400

No

SD

free valet and self parking

1-800-GAM-BULL/bullwhackers.com

Canyon - 24/7 Fri/Sat

BJ, C, R, VP

415

No

SD, SB

free valet and self parking

303-777-1111/canyoncasino.com

Saratoga - 24/7 Fri/Sat

BJ, C, R, VP

585

No

SD, B

free covered valet

303-582-6100 (1-800-538-LUCK)/saratogacasinobh.com

Gilpin - 24/7

BJ, C, R, P, VP

460

No

SD

free valet across the street

303-582-1133/thegilpincasino.com

Golden Gates - 24/7

BJ, P, C, VP

280

No

D

free valet and covered self parking

303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

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

Closed

Games Key

Food Key

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

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

This information is subject to change without notice.

January 7 - 20, 2014

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

PAGE 13

PAGE 14

Marsha won $1,200 playing a Double Diamond Strike $1 machine at Century Casino in Central City.

The Brazil $1 machine hit twice on Dec. 28, once for $1,338 and again for $1,343, at Century Casino in Central City.

Esther won $8,000 playing a Five Times Pay machine at Isle Casino Hotel black Hawk.

Nancy won $4,000 playing a Double Strike machine at Lady Luck Casino.

Chris won $5,000 playing a Five Times Pay machine at Mardi Gras Casino.

Stephen won $6,494 playing a Double Bonus video poker machine at Saratoga Casino.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

January 21 - February 3, 2014

real

DEALS

Here are some valuable coupons

with exciting savings – compliments of these leading Colorado casinos!

Looking

to

advertise?

This space could b e yours.

Call us today!

303-773-8313 Ext. 305

Gambler

for readers of The Gambler One Coupon Coupon per perguest, guest,per perday, day,Mon.Mon.-Fri. only --Expires Expires4/15/13 2/2/14 One Fri. only

January 21 - February 3, 2014

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

PAGE 15

Colorado History ‘Potato’ Clark and John Evans pioneer south Denver

By Rosemary Fetter

at 14th and Arapahoe in 1864. Sixohn Evans, Sr., and Rufus “Po- teen years later, the school changed its tato” Clark, came from very name to University of Denver and bedifferent backgrounds, but came a degree-granting institution. By their collaborative efforts led then, saloons and brothels surrounded to several successful ventures, in- the fledging college, to the horror of its cluding the University Park residential Methodist founders. Together with Rufus Clark, who donated the subdivision and incorporated land, Evans maneuvered South Denver. Clark also the University’s relocadeveloped an agrition to south Denver cultural colony that from downtown. thrived for decades One of Evans’ in today’s Greenmajor railroad wood Village and endeavors, the Cherry Hills VilDenver and lage.

New Orleans A true Reline, forged the naissance man, alignment for John Evans the future I-25. was an inventor, Evans aimed surgeon, town to compete with promoter and the D&RG and politician. Founder the Santa Fe, both of Mercy Hospital in of which followed Chicago and Norththe banks of the Platte western University in River and Plum Illinois, Evans supported the elec- Rufus “Potato Clark” donated Creek south. He began his new line land for DU and founded a tion of President major agricultural colony in at 15th and Platte Abraham Lincoln, today’s Greenwood Village. in 1880, intending who appointed Photo courtesy of to extend along him Colorado’s History Colorado Center the Cherokee trail, Territorial Goverparalleling Cherry nor in 1862. Following the controversial Sand Creek Creek over the Palmer divide and Massacre, when peaceful Arapahoe down Fountain Creek toward Texas and Cheyenne were slaughtered by a seaports. However, escalating land Denver military contingent, Evans lost values along Cherry Creek between the governorship. Although he was in downtown and Colorado Boulevard Washington at the time, Evans bore made the route unfeasible. With the the brunt of the blame for Sand Creek. help of a young unknown attorney, A man who never gave up, Evans Evans quietly acquired a corridor became Denver’s railroad titan, co- through the undeveloped land along founding the Denver Pacific Railway the south side of Smith Gulch eastward and subsequently the Denver and over the dividing ridge to intersect and Boulder Valley Railroad, which ac- follow Cherry Creek to the Palmer Dicessed coal mines that fueled Colorado vide. Passenger service began in 1881 railroads. He eventually owned the and continued until 1935. The corriDenver and South Park, the Denver dor ultimately served as access for the Texas and Gulf, the Kansas Pacific DU relocation, forging a connection to and the Denver and New Orleans rail- downtown via Buchtel Boulevard.

Evans’ partner in the University roads. He also controlled the Denver Tramway Company, which had an Park enterprise, Rufus Clark arrived in exclusive franchise to build electric Denver via ox-pulled covered wagon streetcar lines in the city. This network with his wife and child in July 1859. of steel tracks played a major role in He staked out a large farm in an area shaping the suburban cities of Engle- that became Overland Municipal Golf Course, along the South Platte River wood and Littleton.

Along with other prominent lead- across from Ruby Hill. Clark made ers, Evans created Denver Seminary a fortune selling potatoes to miners,

J

PAGE 16

A drawing of University Park circa 1870.

Photo courtesy of History Colorado Center

subsequently venturing into real estate. At one time, his landholdings included nearly 20,000 acres, much of it located in the area that became Greenwood Village and Cherry Hills Village.

A former seagoing man with a fondness for colorful language, he admitted to being “a confirmed drunkard, a slave to drink, so deep in the mire of drink and sin I never cherished a hope of getting out.” He saw the light at a revival meeting in Denver and changed his ways. Known for many charitable acts, including building a college in Sierra Leone, Africa, he donated 150 acres of land for the University of Denver, re-locating it three miles southeast of downtown Denver. The gift made it possible for DU to move from what Clark called “the moral and environmental pollution of the city.” He insisted: 1) trees must be planted and a street grid laid out, and 2) alcohol must never be produced or sold in the area.

Clark also controlled some 20 sections of Arapahoe County prairie south of what is now Quincy Avenue and east of Holly Street. To attract farmers to move farther southeast, he re-platted those sections into five and 10-acre tracts, which he called

the Great Depression, the Clark Colony. To funding to rebuild the provide water, Clark dam was non-exand partners developed an extensive istent. Some dairy irrigation canal farmers managed system with the to survive, but the 1890 Castlewood majority simply Dam/Lake on abandoned their the upper reach land. A few diehards tried dry of Cherry Creek land farming, but near Franktown. generally the acreSettlers, mostly immigrants, came in ages were too small. droves, building small Property that had been farmhouses, planting selling for $500/acre fruit orchards, quickly lost 90 pergrowing irrigated cent of its value, Territorial Gov. John Evans, crops and creating with some farms co-founder of the University going for as little as dairy farms. Clark of Denver. $6/acre. planted sugar Photo courtesy of DPL Western History Dept.

Over the next beets on the site 20 or so years, Reof today’s Denver Tech Center, but he gave up when he altors reassembled the small parcels into dry land wheat fields and later couldn’t finance a processing plant.

The Colony blossomed with fruit into raw land inventory. These parcels trees and dairy farms until 1933, when would eventually be converted to suba titanic Cherry Creek flood felled the urban residences and today’s highly unstable dam, with disastrous con- successful southeast commercial corrisequences all the way to the Platte. dor, home of the Denver Tech Center.

Without water for irrigation, much of Excerpt from Rosemary Fetter’s the farmland reverted to high desert. “The Story of Denver South,” due to be Since the country was in the throes of published in September.

When the Castlewood Dam broke in 1933, it signaled the demise of the Clark Agricultural Colony.

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 22 Years

Photo courtesy of DPL Western History Dept.

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Trail’s End

Colorado’s deadly th 19 Century avalanches When Albert Morhunched over his lovrison’s father died, he ing letter with his pen was determined to pay remaining on the final off the mortgage on “e” in his beloved’s the family farm and name. The letter was put enough aside to mailed to his mother, marry his girlfriend along with a descripCharlotte. Like many tion of the rescue acother young men in tivities and the fine the 19th century, he By Linda Jones funeral. jones.128@live.com came west to seek his Colorado’s first fortune. After landing large mining disassteady work in the Leadville post ter came four years later when 10 office, he fell victim to “mining fe- miners were killed by a slide at the ver” and quit the post office to work Homestake Mine. Again it was the in the rich vein discovered by a dy- large collection of mail that alarmed ing Cornish miner on Homestake friends. The resulting search party Mountain. found the gulch where the three cabOn Christmas Eve, 1881, he and ins had been built totally filled with his three partners at the Home- snow from the avalanche; there was stake were enjoying a warm cabin. no trace of buildings, mine tunnel or Albert was writing his mother and ore dump – all was snow. More than girlfriend a Christmas letter and 100 volunteers quickly answered had just penned, “So for tonight I the call to report to the staging area will content myself with wishing on the Eagle River, 17 miles from you, dearest mother and Charlotte” Leadville. when the avalanche struck. He was When the rescuers arrived, it dead before he could write “a Merry was late April 1885, and they had Christmas.” to hack and pick through 40 feet of That particular slide reached snow. They finally located the bunka speed of 100 mph and moved so house and discovered that only one quickly that the oxygen was pushed man died from injuries from fallen out of the cabin, creating a vacuum debris. The rest had died from eithat sucked the air from the lungs of ther suffocation or freezing. One the four men, killing them instantly miner had died kneeling in prayer. while the avalanche roared over the A half-written letter dated Feb. 21 roof. Three months later, the Lead- and an alarm clock still set to ring at ville postmaster noticed the men’s 6:30 a.m. was frozen at 3:30, provmail had not been picked up. When ing the slide happened at night. An the rescuers dug through the deep estimated 10,000 people viewed the packed snow they found the four bodies in Leadville and the town men frozen eternally into their po- nearly closed for two days in respect sitions of that fateful moment on and sorrow.

Christmas Eve. The Homestake produced for Two of the men were playing many more years but no one ever cards by the now-cold fire, one was dared to live at the mine again. sleeping in his bunk, and Albert was The nearby town of Lake

January 21 - February 3, 2014

City has been obliterated through years by the frequent avalanches, although Lake City at one time boasted 40 cabins and several businesses. This Lake City, not to be confused with the one in the San Juan Range, was built at 11,550 feet west of Tennessee Pass, an area that always receives abundant snowfall.

The single most deadly avalanche in Colorado history ran in the Saguache Range in eastern Gunnison County at Woodstock, a railroad town on the Denver, South Park and Pacific line. The line originated in Denver and terminated near Crested Butte at a small coalmining camp called Baldwin. The dream of John Evans, this railroad is one of the most legendary narrow gauge lines in the world partly because of its history of frequent avalanches and because of the famous Alpine Tunnel crossing under the Continental Divide. The Denver, South Park & Pacific unfortunately had three avalanche-prone sections; one was at 11,482 feet on Boreas Pass between Breckenridge and Como and the second and third were the tunnel approaches near St. Elmo on the eastern slope and Pitkin on the western. The high costs of operating in winter and of lengthy closures after avalanches eventually bankrupt the railroad.

Woodstock began as a construction camp on the western side of the Alpine Tunnel in 1881. Soon it was a permanent camp with a depot, telegraph office, section house, saloon, hotel, cabins and other buildings.

On March 10, 1884, a widow named Marcella Doyle was operating the boardinghouse in Woodstock, helped by six of her eight children.

She had just moved there from

Alpine Pass on the Denver & South Park & Pacific Railroad.

Photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

the safety of Golden. Passengers on the outgoing train from Woodstock actually saw the unforgettable running of the huge avalanche without realizing it had totally buried the town behind them.

One lone Woodstock resident was able to dig out and turn in the alarm. Volunteers quickly responded and eventually dug out five residents alive, but 13 perished, including Mrs. Doyle and her six children. The body of the saloonkeeper Joe Royegno

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

wasn’t found until the snow began to melt in June. The town was never rebuilt, but the railroad rebuilt the bunkhouse, which was flattened again by a giant avalanche in 1909.

The 1884 Woodstock avalanche holds the record for the single most deadly slide in our state’s history.

The most remarkable thread running throughout the Colorado avalanche fabric is the courage and fearlessness of the volunteer searchers.

PAGE 17

Humor

The Super What?

I don’t care for the fights. I don’t see why skating 35 miles an hour and maneuvering a puck the size of a quarter pounder through all those sticks and legs isn’t enough for other fans.

I like tennis, but I don’t understand why zero is called “love.” On those rare occasions when I played tennis, I often had zero, but love was not what I was feeling.

I like basketball. I even played it in high school for four years, though I’m no expert at it. I sat on the bench so much that I didn’t even need to shower after most games.

Football is the most mysterious of all sports to me. I have so many questions, the main one being why football fans say, “We won” or “We lost,” when all they did was punch the couch cushions and curse the officials a few times.

This is all a very long way to explain why, whenever anyone asks me who I’ll be rooting for in the Super Bowl, I always answer the same way: “Who’s playing?”

I do, however, know who is NOT playing. Having grown up

Horoscopes

GEMINI - (May 22 - June 21) This is a really lucky time for the next 2 days. Everything seems to be going your way. If you are going to the gym, you are likely to meet with romance. Your mind is fertile with ideas, act on them.

Lucky Numbers: 2, 4, 12, 13, 29, 36

CANCER - (June 22 - July 22) There is a tendency to overeat and overindulge n general. Perhaps there’s lots of good food around. Be careful as you have a tendency to gain weight at this time. If you are optimistic at this time you will be lucky in romance. Lucky Numbers: 1, 6, 7, 11, 13, 36

LEO - (July 23 – Aug 22) Romantic Leo is lucky in love at this time. There is a warning to be clear in what you are trying to say to your loved ones. You have lots of energy. You may not have the patience to communicate effectively at this time which could ruin your romance. Lucky Numbers: 19, 32, 36, 46, 54, 55

VIRGO - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 23) You are shining and sunny even though it winter time. You may not be aware of how charming you are at this time. You can gain favors through your superiors at work. This is also a great time to spend with your family. Lucky Numbers: 17, 21, 33, 45, 59, 64

LIBRA - (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) You maybe planning family trips or social interactions. People are receptive to what you have to say at this time. You may have joined a new gym. This is a good time to organize your health and exercise regime. Lucky Numbers: 8, 11, 16, 31, 34, 56

SCORPIO - (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) This is a great time to ask for that raise or apply for that promotion.

Your business ideas are good and worth pursuing. You just seem happier in general. You are more outgoing at this time. Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 11, 27, 34, 59

SAGITTARIUS - (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21) You may have joined a new gym or just getting more involved in the gym you already belonged. Your goal maybe the same as everybody to lose that holiday weight but you are likely to find romance at your gym.

Lucky you. Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 13, 32, 36, 46

CAPRICORN - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) You are lucky in love at this time. You also are lucky in financial investments or speculations. If you work in the arts this is a great time for your work and blossoming ideas. Lucky Numbers: 2, 16, 35, 39, 45, 62

22. Esteem 24. RIP 26. Ingot 27. Parx 29. Ted

AQUARIUS - (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) You are feeling more confident in your communications with others. This will bring some good fortune in romance for you. You are lucky in financial speculations at this time. Creative time for you, great ideas that you should put into reality. Lucky Numbers: 4, 15, 18, 29, 48, 62

PISCES (Feb 20 - March 20) This is a lucky time for financial speculation. You are feeling happy and positive in general. People around you are effected. This is a good time to apply for your promotion or get a raise. You will be heard. Lucky Numbers: 3, 11, 31, 34, 51, 56

ARIES - (March 21 - April 20) You maybe cleaning up after the holidays or just reorganizing your space. The goal will be to work on health and your intellectual interests. People seem to be calling and contacting you. You may have number of invitations locally. Lucky Numbers: 2, 16, 30, 32, 37, 46

TAURUS - (April 21 - May 21) The tendency to indulge in social and romantic activity. Be careful not to let this interfere with work. Then you must try to be humble and not challenge your superiors as this could have a dramatic effect on your position. Lucky Numbers: 10, 24, 25, 29, 30, 37

email her at navamsa9@q.com

Armstrong 14. Cog 16. Peyton Manning 20. Tee times

Horoscopes by Teelok

in Minnesota, my husband is a Vikings fan. Still, I’m sure that come Feb. 2, he and my son will join the more than 100 million people expected to watch the Super Bowl. I almost certainly will not, even though I have a dishwasher and there’s plenty of room on the couch for me.

I may join them for a few minutes though. There are some things I like about Super Bowl Sunday, even if the actual game isn’t one of them. I like the snacks and the commercials are good. When a business pays four million dollars for a 30-second advertisement, they better be.

But what I like best about the Super Bowl is the same thing I liked about football in general when I was growing up: me time. I can come and go as I please—as long as I don’t walk in front of the television.

(Contact drosby@rushmore. com or see www.dorothyrosby. com.)

32. Roy 33. Manic Depression 37. AD 38. MOD

40. Latitude 43. UP 44. Sap 45. Sun 46. Quid

47. Planters

DOWN: 1. Kill pot 2. Nancy Reagan 3. Oar

4. Rat 5. Don 6. NY 7. No 9. Cot

10. Egotistical 11. Sony 12. Roi 13. Go 16. Gram

18. Meer 19. Guest 21. Sip 23. Sexy Sadie 25. Parrot

26. Immam 28. Roe 30. Dancing 31. Dental 34. Ado

Contact Mary Nightstar at marynihtstar@yahoo.com and type “horoscope” in the subject line.

ACROSS: 1. Kenny Rogers 5. Dan 7. No 8. Lance

them corralled in one grew up thinking room for extended periods of time a very good that men invented thing. A game of any football just kind on TV meant I to get out of could roam freedoing dishes. ly, as long as it I have seven wasn’t in front of brothers; the television. there were a And my brothlot of dishes. By Dorothy Rosby ers were occupied drosby@rushmore.com And there for a long time on was a mass Sunday afternoons. I exodus from the dining room learned early that seven minto the living room on Sunday utes left in a game could mean afternoons, so you can see seventeen or twenty-seven. It how I might think that. never meant seven. Giving the You can also see how, de- time remaining in a football spite growing up with all those game is like giving your age in brothers, I didn’t grow up to be dog years. a sports fan myself. It’s simple.

The drawback is I’m clueless During games, there was no about sports, and not just footroom for me on the couch. And, ball, though I am pretty good at being number nine of ten, I was dishes. Baseball is my favorite in no position to push anyone of all professional sports, with its long periods of peace interelse off.

I’m not complaining though. rupted by occasional bursts of When you have that many sib- hysteria, much like my life.

I like watching hockey, but I lings, you consider a majority of

35. Id 39. DUI 41. Asp 42. IPA 45. SS

Crossword puzzle answers from page 9

PAGE 18

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

January 21 - February 3, 2014

Trading Post EMPLOYMENT

Black Hawk’s Best Bet for a Great, Exciting Job

• COOK • BLACK JACK DEALER • CRAPS DEALER • WAIT PERSON

Apply at the Canyon Casino 131 Main Street, Black Hawk or call 303-777-1111 (8:30-5:00, Mon.-Fri.)

WeHIRING take success personally.

EVENT!

• Table Games Dealer JANUARY 22, 2014 • 2 PM - 7 PM • F&b supervisor ISLE CASINO EVENT CENTER 401 Main St., Black Hawk CO 80422 • Cashier/hosT • Cook i We will be hiring for all open positions • Casino Cleaner at this event. Candidates can meet • mainTenanCe TeChniCian with management and have the potential with an offer letter!

Applytoatleave www.islecasinojobs.com www.islecasinojobs.com 303-998-7815 EOE/Drug Free Free Employer EOE/Drug Employer

Now Accepting Applications For ACCOUNTING

Seeking the following positions: • BUFFET ATTENDANT • BUFFET CHEF • CAGE CASHIER • CASINO HOST • COCKTAIL SERVER • COOK • DEALER HOST • DEALER/DUAL RATE • DISH WASHER • DROP/COUNT SPECIALIST

• HOUSEKEEPER • JUNIOR HOST • MANAGER ON DUTY • POKER DEALER • RECEIVING ATTENDANT • RESTAURANT CASHIER • SECURITY OFFICER • SERVER • SLOT TECHNICIAN • SOUS CHEF • TABLE GAMES DEALER

Apply online at affinitygaming.com 300 Main St. Black Hawk, CO 80422

THIS COULD

CHIP REDEMPTION NOTICE OF DISCONTINUANCE OF GAMING CHIPS AND TOKENS FROM THE RIVIERA BLACK HAWK CASINO 444 Main St. Black Hawk Co 80422 Effective October 21, 2013 Riviera Black Hawk chips and token will be discontinued. You may redeem Riviera chips, tokens, and unexpired tickets at Guest Services of Monarch Casino Black Hawk at 444 Main St. Black Hawk, Co 80422 during normal business hours through February 21, 2014.

January 21 - February 3, 2014

BE YOUR AD!

DROP & COUNT TEAM MEMBER (FULL & PART TIME/GRAVEYARD/ GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED)

FOOD AND BEVERAGE COOK (FULL TIME) DISH WASHER (FULL TIME) FOOD RUNNER (FULL & PART TIME) JAVA ATTENDANT (FULL TIME) COCKTAIL SERVER (PART TIME)

EXECUTIVE DATABASE ANALYST (FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/EXPERIENCE PREFERRED) DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS (FULL TIME/GRAVEYARD/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/ EXPERIENCE NECESSARY)

GAMING CRAPS DEALER (PART TIME AND FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED) BLACKJACK DEALERS (PART TIME AND FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED) TABLE GAMES SUPERVISOR (PART TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED) SLOT MANAGER (FULL TIME/EXPERIENCE NECESSARY/KEY GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED) SLOT TECHNICIAN (FULL TIME/EXPERIENCE

NECESSARY/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED) CAGE CASHIER/BANKER (FULL TIME/VARIOUS SHIFTS/ GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED)

GUEST SAFETY GUEST SAFETY OFFICER (GSO) (FULL TIME/GRAVEYARD/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/ FIRST AID/ CPR & AED WITHIN 90 DAYS OF EMPLOYMENT/COMPENSATION DOE/GRAVEYARD)

GUEST SERVICES PORTER (FULL TIME/GRAVEYARD) HOUSEKEEPER (FULL TIME)

IT IT SUPPORT TECHNICIAN (FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/EXPERIENCE NECESSARY)

MARKETING GRAPHIC DESIGNER (FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/EXPERIENCE NECESSARY)

SURVEILLANCE SURVEILLANCE AGENT (FULL TIME/GAMING LICENSE REQUIRED/EXPERIENCE NECESSARY)

Apply in person or complete the online application on the careers tab at www.reservecasinohotel.com

NOTICE OF CASINO CLOSURE

FOR CRYSTAL PALACE CASINO 118 MAIN STREET, CENTRAL CITY, CO 80427 Effective December 18th, 2013.

Valid Crystal Palace Casino TITO Tickets may be redeemed at the Main Cage of the Dostal Alley Casino

116 Main Street, Central City, 80427 during normal hours of operation. TITO Tickets expire and are no longer valid 120 days after issuance.

Gambler REAL ESTATE

THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 23 Years

PAGE 15

how will you

get lucky?

Scratch to See how much you win!

Saturday, January 25 2:00pm – 10:00pm Win up to $500 instantly! $10 guaranteed!

For every 200 unadjusted earned points, receive one Cold Cash Scratch ticket*.

After earning your points, visit our kiosk to print your ticket good for one scratch card. Then present your ticket to one of our marketing representatives to scratch and reveal your prize. *Limit 10 tickets per day.

earn up to

20X points!

Thursday, January 23 and 30, 2014 Noon – 8:00pm Play your favorite slots using your players card to earn from 2X to 20X points.

Your point multiplier will be a mystery until you scan at the kiosk!

Multiplier not valid on play prior to registration.

Must register prior to playing.

1-888-LADY-LUCK • www.ladyluckblackhawk.com © 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 years of age or older. Promotions subject to change or cancellation without notice. Management reserves all rights. Please visit the guest service center for complete details and official rules for all promotions. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.