HughDrackman
3 of a Kind
As some of you may know, I joined PCF because I wanted to collect at least one chip from every Colorado casino. I mostly achieved this goal a while ago, but there was one chip I literally never thought I would get: The Brown Palace Hotel.
For some history - The Brown Palace is one of the oldest and most elegant hotels in downtown Denver. Opening in 1892, it immediately drew the attention of the most wealthy and powerful people in country.
Upon its construction, a tunnel was built which connected it to the Navarre, a brothel and gambling room across the street. Officially, the tunnel’s purpose was so the two buildings could share coal for heat. Unofficially, it was used for wealthy men to sneak across the street for a night of illicit fun.
Somewhere around the 1940’s, the Brown Palace purchased its own house set of poker chips. I can only infer that it was tired of ferrying wealthy clientele back and forth in secret, and wanted to keep them (and their wallets) on the premises.
I had mostly resigned myself to never finding one of these in the wild. I don’t think many were ever ordered in the first place. That, along with their age and provenance, left me feeling like I would only ever admire them from afar. Ours was an unrequited love. Until today.
For some history - The Brown Palace is one of the oldest and most elegant hotels in downtown Denver. Opening in 1892, it immediately drew the attention of the most wealthy and powerful people in country.
Upon its construction, a tunnel was built which connected it to the Navarre, a brothel and gambling room across the street. Officially, the tunnel’s purpose was so the two buildings could share coal for heat. Unofficially, it was used for wealthy men to sneak across the street for a night of illicit fun.
Somewhere around the 1940’s, the Brown Palace purchased its own house set of poker chips. I can only infer that it was tired of ferrying wealthy clientele back and forth in secret, and wanted to keep them (and their wallets) on the premises.
I had mostly resigned myself to never finding one of these in the wild. I don’t think many were ever ordered in the first place. That, along with their age and provenance, left me feeling like I would only ever admire them from afar. Ours was an unrequited love. Until today.
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