In 1895 the mountainous town of Gillett, Colorado was the unlikely location for a bull fight. Far removed from Mexico and Spain, where the exhibition was common, Gillett was better known as the gateway to the Cripple Creek gold mining district.
Promoter Joe Wolfe built an elaborate bullfighting arena in Gillett, with seating for thousands of spectators. He journeyed to Mexico to hire the matadors. But the bulls were ordinary American Herefords.
Tickets for the three-day event were pricey at five dollars each. Still, five thousand people turned out to see the spectacle. Opponents of the fight also turned out. The blood sport was not well received, and the matadors were arrested twice. The miners and cattlemen in attendance were appalled by the mistreatment and suffering of the bulls.
After two days, festivities were called to a halt. Promoter Wolfe recouped only $1,800 and it was alleged that many of the tickets had been forged. It was an inglorious end to Colorado’s one and only bull fight.
See the Benjamin F. Davis papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.