Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainThe 1896 Turf Club building in Cripple Creek, now a working casino, where staff and guests have repeatedly encountered a young girl named 'Lilly' at the top of the staircase.
233 E Bennett Ave, Cripple Creek, CO 80813
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
Free
Free entry to casino floor; gambling at patron's discretion
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-floor casino with staircase access; elevator availability not confirmed
Equipment
No Photos
Est. 1896 · Cripple Creek Gold Rush Era (1890s) · Historic Bennett Avenue Commercial District · Colorado Gambling Legalization (1991)
Cripple Creek's gold discovery in 1890 transformed a remote Colorado mountain site into one of the most productive mining districts in American history. Bennett Avenue became the commercial center of a boomtown that at its peak housed 50,000 people and dozens of saloons, gambling halls, and hotels.
The building at 233 E Bennett Ave was established as the Turf Club in 1896, operating as a saloon during the gold boom years. Legends of America records the building's history through its various operators, including a period as Buffalo Billy's, before it was incorporated into the Bronco Billy's Casino complex, which now spans multiple connected historic buildings along Bennett Avenue.
Cripple Creek legalized limited-stakes gambling in 1991, and the historic downtown was largely converted to casino use. Bronco Billy's Casino has operated continuously in this district, preserving the historic building footprint while modernizing the interior for gaming. The 1896 Turf Club section contains the staircase associated with the reported Lilly haunting.
Sources
The haunting at Bronco Billy's centers on a girl employees have named Lilly, described as approximately six years old and holding a rag doll. Multiple staff members have reported seeing her at the top of the staircase in the section of the building that traces to the 1896 Turf Club.
One account reported by Legends of America describes an employee who, seeing the child and assuming she was a lost guest, asked if she was lost. The reply — 'No, I'm not lost, I live here' — was followed by the figure's disappearance. PlayColorado's reporting on Cripple Creek casinos includes additional staff accounts and mentions drawings attributed to Lilly appearing on hallway floors.
The origin of Lilly's identity — who she was, when she died, how she came to be in the building — is not documented in any source found during research. The accounts are consistent across multiple independent staff witnesses and two separate publications, but no historical documentation of a child death at the premises has been located.
Notable Entities
Bronco Billy's operates as a full casino in a multi-building complex anchored by the 1896 Turf Club structure. Visitors may walk the casino floor during operating hours. The staircase area where the child apparition 'Lilly' has been reported is accessible within the casino.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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