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Sunnycrest, the Story of the Cheyenne Cañon Inn

There is no record that any successful police raid was ever made on the
Dixieland Casino. The third story tower was still an effective lookout, and the
secret tunnel provided a convenient exit or hiding place whenever any police may
have shown up. Since the casino operated during part of the Prohibition years
when drinking alcohol was illegal, the police either ignored or missed finding the
booze supply hidden on the premises. It was kept in the basement behind a
false wall on the southwest corner close to the tunnel door. The tunnel probably
provided an easy way to smuggle alcohol into the Dixieland Casino without
creating any suspicion.

In the beginning, the casino business flourished. After all, gambling was a
popular pastime in Colorado Springs, especially among the rich people who
flocked to the nearby Broadmoor Hotel Casino. As in the past, the Dixieland
Casino only operated during the height of the summer tourist season. Most of
the gaming took place on the main floor, especially in the cheerful great room
with all the windows that opened up to the southwest corner of the building. A
few Cheyenne Canyon residents say they have seen photographs taken of
Broadmoor owner Spencer Penrose and some of his hotel's famous movie star
guests gambling inside the Dixieland Casino. However, these rare photos
belong to a private trust established by Penrose that are being held by the El
Pomar Foundation until they can be opened in the year 2000. Even then, they
may not be available for public viewing.

One photograph of the outside of the Dixieland Casino that is in print was taken
by the owners of Seven Falls in 1931 when a flood inundated Cheyenne
Boulevard. The photo shows two Dixieland Casino signs posted on the hillside in
front of the house. According to John Starr, he found the remains of one of these
signs but was unable to salvage it. It was painted on the rocks that were part of
the back wall of a dilapidated three-car garage built into the hillside at the street
level sometime after the casino was no longer operating. However, the sign was
buried by rubble when John removed the garages and built a new retaining wall.

There is one more interesting fact that is also revealed by the flood photo. A
mechanical hillside elevator had been installed to carry casino patrons from
Cheyenne Boulevard to the front porch entrance. This would have been a great
improvement over having to walk up the steep stone steps. It is unknown when
the elevator was removed.

The Dixieland Casino came to a natural end as a result of hard economic times
during the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. For the most
part, the 1930's was a period when personal incomes and tourist dollars
dwindled in Colorado Springs. Many residents left to move to California where
they thought there were better work prospects. Even the rich people who still
had lots of money to gamble with adopted a more serious perspective as the
depression years wore on. Being seen at the Dixieland Casino was not as
fashionable as it once was, nor was it easy to keep one's anonymity. Taking the

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