The word around the gold mine is that Victor was named by the luck of the draw.

Back in the late 1890s, while visions of gold sparkled in miners’ eyes and donkeys left behind by miners roamed the land, a bunch of men gathered in a bar one night and decided it was time to finally christen the tiny town with a name. They wrote their first names on a slip of paper, stuffed them in a hat, and drew the winner. Victor it was, named after Victor C. Adams, a local homesteader and rancher.

The town of almost 400 will celebrate its 1894 incorporation and more than a century of existence during this weekend’s free Victor Gold Rush Days. A local talent show at 7 p.m. Thursday will kick things off in the town about an hour west of Colorado Springs. The festival runs Friday through Sunday and offers a multitude of events.

“This is a family-oriented festival,” said festival coordinator Sue Kochevar. “It’s probably the largest music festival in the county.”

Country band Adam Ashley & the Cash Only Band will headline the event Saturday night. Rounding out the schedule are Sound Advice Rocks, Dancing on the Sun, Chrispy and the Secret Recipe, Hot Boots Band and others.

Other performers include Elvisina, a female Elvis impersonator who will entertain Sunday after the parade, Rocky Mountain Gunfighters and Seven Falls Indian Dancers.

Activities include a vintage baseball tournament in the Victor Gold Bowl, panning for gold, a bouncy house and old-fashioned games for kids, chainsaw wood carving demonstrations, beer garden, food and vendors. A chili cook-off, pancake breakfast and chuckwagon lunch also will be offered.

Gold Rush Days was first coined World Celebration, in honor of the new town, and changed to Annual Miners Reunion, which featured a carnival and parade, after mining moved into the area.

In 1899, a fire destroyed most of downtown Victor and some residential areas, effectively putting the kibosh on the party. Five years later, the annual celebration was revived in the town of 8,000 and featured the Ringling brothers and their big top. In 1961, Gold Rush Days was born and continued annually until 2020, when the pandemic forced the town to cancel the party for a year.

“Several thousand people come up for it,” Kochevar said. “A lot of them have previously lived in the area. They come back and use this as their reunion time.”

Contact the writer: 636-0270