Black Hawk — If you're in search of gold, Colorado's jackpot sits about five miles north of its gambling town on state highway 119 -- at least, that's according to football fans.
The Gilpin County High School football stadium rests just north of Black Hawk, and this fall, it will have a very different look.
"I think for years, there's always been a vision of creating a better facility up there, because we've never had much up here," Gilpin County High School athletic director Jeff Schuessler said. "I'd say about four or five years ago, people started just talking more and more about this idea of a new football field."
That idea became a reality in 2017. Gilpin County began excavating some of the mountain to make room for a new football stadium, complete with turf field, track, grand stand and press box. This April, the work started.
"When I was in high school, I didn't really enjoy football practice. I loved the games," Schuessler said. "I think these guys can't wait to get out here and just practice on this field and just be on it."
So far, the brand new artificial turf field has been laid down. While Gilpin County currently plays in the 8-man classification, it's an 11-man field, striped for eight. The biggest reason for the change in field was safety. The cold mountain temperatures made it difficult to keep natural grass on the field. By October, the field was often frozen solid.
"We couldn't water it anymore because the temperatures get low and our watering system would freeze," Schuessler said. "The field was hard as a rock. It was actually pretty unsafe."
Besides the bright, vibrant colors of the new artificial turf, there is also a stark reminder of the school's surroundings staring at you right in the face. Gilpin County's elevation of 8,954 feet is tattooed on the field for all to see.
"I don't know if it's a source of intimidation or just, hey, we're from the mountains," Schuessler said. "This is where we belong and we own this place and we take pride in it."
The location itself already boasted beautiful views, including those of Colorado's many 14ers. Now, that million dollar view is visible no matter where you're standing on the field -- including at night. The renovation project included stadium lights, meaning, for the first time this fall, the Eagles will get to play the majority of their games on Friday nights.
"We're really looking forward to that," Gilpin County head football coach Craig Ball said. "It's going to bring something to our community to have a game here on Friday night, which is what I believe football is all about in high school."
"Friday night lights is a tradition across the entire nation," Schuessler added. "It's not something we've been able to participate in. Now we can. We can be a part of that fraternity of Friday night football."
The entire revitalization project at Gilpin County has been about giving back to the community. It's a space they hope will draw bigger crowds and create deeper traditions in the years to come.
"Our whole program has been growing and the community has been supporting us. It's really something that with this facility, our whole community can be prideful," Ball said.
Gilpin County will need its fans out in force this fall. The Eagles host No. 1 ranked Sedgwick County and No. 3 Caliche in its new stadium.
