It developed as a gold mining center beginning in 1890, with a number of buildings from that period surviving to this day.

A majority of the business district as it exists today was rebuilt after two devastating fires in April 1896.

[4] The mines in the area were among the most successful, producing millions of dollars of gold in the 1890s and supporting a population of 25,000 at its peak.

The district includes a number of structures that survive from that era: The boundary of the district is defined by high points around Cripple Creek to include the "natural setting reminiscent of the historic environment.

Additionally, it encloses part of the extent of Poverty Gulch where some of the original ore discoveries were made as well as the County Hospital building which is located outside the town limits.