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Black Hawk in Gilpin County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Black Hawk History - Business

 
 
Black Hawk History - Business Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Leslie Eudy
1. Black Hawk History - Business Marker
Inscription.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Business

Businesses flourish in the late 1800s as the population of Black Hawk peaks with a population of 2,000.

Latest by Telegraph! Black Hawk Taken, John Armor Evacuates! Martin & Robb in Possession!
“Men, women and children are deserting their homes, and rushing to the store of Martin & Robb, to buy Dry Goods, Clothing, Hats and Caps, Hardware and Cutlery, Boots and Shoes, tinware and Camp Utensils, iron and steel shovels and Picks, Miners’ Boots, Iron Safes, Sledges, Hammers, Russian Iron, Quicksilver, Acids, Tar, and many other articles useful to all, too numerous to mention. We beg the ladies to call and examine our stock of Dry Goods before purchasing elsewhere. We agree to sell goods as cheap as any house in the mountains, that sells for profit and not for glory. You will find us at the old stand of John Armor, Black Hawk Point, sign of the ‘Continental Eagle, ‘ One and all , call and see Martin & Robb.”
Register Newspaper, September 1, 1862

Little Kingdom of Gilpin
“People are scattered all over the country, prospecting, mining, stock raising, cutting grass,
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building bridges and wagon roads, publishing newspapers, building smelting works, and mills, erecting large business blocks, and prosecuting all kinds of business enterprises with a vim, vigor, and push that says: ‘This country is good enough for us. We have come to stay.’”
Crofutt’s Grip-Sack Guide of Colorado, Vol. 11.-1885

“Gilpin County…is the oldest, and perhaps the best developed mining portion of the state of Colorado. Its population is 7,000. The veins hereabouts are all true fissures, and there are many shafts down to the depth of 700 to 1,800 feet. The people are generally prosperous; some rich, and the money has been made here. The froth, scum, and driftwood of civilization incidental to mining camps, have long since floated away to new diggings, leaving a substantial class of citizens…”
Crofutt’s Grip-Sack Guide of Colorado, Vol. 11.-1885

“Mr. H. M. Rhoads has furnished us with specimens of crackers from the cracker manufactory of his brother at Black Hawk. No finer manufactory exists in the west, the best crackers are made, and Mr. Rhoads will be the resident agent.”
Rocky Mountain News, Vol. XII,-September 14, 1870

Fresh Arrival
“A.
Black Hawk History - Business Marker wide view image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Leslie Eudy, October 24, 2025
2. Black Hawk History - Business Marker wide view
Jacobs & Co., have just received a large lot of extra superfine St. Louis Flour which they offer for sale at $8.50. Their large stock of Groceries, Liquors, Provisions, Clothing, etc., are daily looked for. One or two teams have already arrived, and the balance will be here this week.”
Weekly Miner’s Register, Vol. 1 No. 16, September 1, 1862


 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceSettlements & Settlers.
 
Location. 39° 48.047′ N, 105° 29.562′ W. Marker is in Black Hawk, Colorado, in Gilpin County. It is on Main Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is on Main Street. When heading north on Highway 119, take a left on Main Street. Marker is on the left at the bus stop for the Gilpin Casino. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Black Hawk CO 80422, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Rohling Block Photo Up Close image. Click for full size.
3. Rohling Block Photo Up Close
Take a wintry look at this group of storefronts on the south side of Gregory Street ca. 1867: the largest red brick building with arched windows and iron shutters known as the Rohling Block is still standing today; The Enterprise Book Store with the round clock hanging from the wood-framed false front no longer exists; the gazebo at the corner of Gregory and Main Streets today, has replaced the earlier Stroehle building seen at the lower left corner.


Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Black Hawk History - Main Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Gilpin Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fick’s Carriage Shop (about 400 feet away); Black Hawk History (about 500 feet away); Bird’s-eye view of Black Hawk (about 500 feet away); Train Trestle (about 600 feet away); Black Hawk History - Floods (about 700 feet away); Black Hawk History - Mining (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Black Hawk.
 
Rhoad's Cracker Bakery Photo Up CLose image. Click for full size.
4. Rhoad's Cracker Bakery Photo Up CLose
Rhoad’s Cracker Bakery, ca. 1870, used their wood-framed storefront near the intersection of Gregory and Main Streets to draw attention to their “celebrated crackers.” This store, which no longer stands, was built soon after its 1864 neighbor to the east, the Knights of Pythias, a brick building with arched windows, now converted to casino use.
Clothing Store Photo Up Close image. Click for full size.
5. Clothing Store Photo Up Close
On the south corner of Gregory and Main Streets, this ca. 1880 clothing store, ‘Sandelowsky Pelton & Co.’ occupied a one-story brick structure with arched window openings and decorative cornice brickwork. This building no longer stands.
Jenkins-McKay Hardware Store Photo Up Close image. Click for full size.
6. Jenkins-McKay Hardware Store Photo Up Close
Jenkins-McKay Hardware building (currently Bullwhackers “Bullpen” Casino), ca. 1880. Built in 1875, it was originally known as the Marsh & Buffington Block. Historically, it housed several grocers on the ground floor before entering its preeminent, one-hundred year life as the hardware store of Wells & Lowell, Lowell & Clark, Clark & Rogers, and Jenkins-McKay. The second floor included residences and offices, as well as Fritz Hall where social events, such as the annual fireman’s ball, were held.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2025, by Leslie Eudy of Golden, Colorado. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 30, 2025, by Leslie Eudy of Golden, Colorado. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 16, 2026