n 1992 affiliates of Hemmeter Companies purchased Crooks Palace and converted it to a casino with 90 slot machines and a full service restaurant. Located in the historic heart of Black Hawk, it was the cultural hub for many years.

Thorwald Crook built Crook's Palace in 1898. Outlaw Jessie James was said to have frequented the historic wooden bar before it made its journey from St. Louis to rest permanently in Crook's Palace.