Tom Boggs, a brother-in-law of Kit Carson, farmed at Wagon Wheel Gap in the summer of 1840.

Ranchers and homesteaders moved in when stagecoach stations (linking the mining operations over the Divide with the east) were built in the 1870s.

However, the great "Boom Days" started with the discovery of rich minerals in Willow Creek Canyon in 1889.

The Creede mines operated continuously from 1890 until 1985, and were served by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

[17] While Creede was booming, the capital city of Denver, Colorado was experiencing a reform movement against gambling clubs and saloons.

Numerous owners of gambling houses in Denver relocated to Creede's business district.

Soapy became the uncrowned king of Creede's criminal underworld, and opened the Orleans Club.

Other famous people in Creede were Robert Ford (the man who killed outlaw Jesse James), Bat Masterson, and William Sidney "Cap" Light (the first deputy sheriff in Creede, and brother-in-law of Soapy Smith).

Three days later, on June 8, Ed O'Kelley walked into Robert Ford's makeshift tent-saloon and shot him dead.

The Rio Grande and its tributary trout streams provide excellent opportunities for fly fishermen and its unspoiled headwaters in the Weminuche Wilderness are a favorite for hikers.

[31] Created by artists Chev and Ted Yund, the fork is made of aluminum and weighs over 600 pounds (270 kg).

[33] The fork was commissioned by Keith Siddel as a birthday present for his wife, Denise Dutwiler.

Siddel hired two local artists, Chev and Ted Yund, to create the structure.

Creede Rep is a true rotating repertory company which means that a visitor to the area can see up to five different shows in one weekend.