Photos: See Inside One of Colorado’s Oldest Bowling Alleys

Bowling had become pretty popular in America by the late 1800s. It's pretty interesting to think about a sport that started outdoors on dirt and grass and would eventually move indoors to bowling alleys like the ones we know today.

Read More: These 7 Historic Structures are Colorado’s Oldest Buildings

Some of Colorado's oldest bowling alleys were located in happening places by the time the 20th century arrived. Find out more about some of the oldest bowling alleys in Colorado that are still around today in the gallery below.

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Where Is Colorado's Oldest Bowling Alley?

Colorado's oldest bowling alley was opened to the public in 1892. The bowling alley at the Denver Athletic Club is credited by many as the oldest operating bowling alley west of the Mississippi River. Considering that America did not hold its first national bowling tournament until 1901, Colorado was ahead of the curve.

Colorado's Historic Victor Bowl

Traveling down Colorado's Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway will take you past another one of the oldest bowling alleys in the state, the Victor Bowl. Even the miners of Colorado's Cripple Creek Mining District enjoyed bowling. The town of Victor, Colorado, had more than one bowling alley for a time, but the one that remains started as the town's grocery store built in 1900.

Read More: 160-Year-Old Church is the Oldest One Still in Use in Colorado

Colorado's Most Endangered Places

Colorado's Victor Bowl was added to the list of Colorado's Most Endangered Places in February 2024. The nearly 100-year-old bowling alley features one of the only operating manual pinsetters in the Centennial State. Scroll through the photo gallery below to check out photos of the historic Victor Bowl to see what bowling was like at 10,000 feet.