This is the third in a series of periodic reports on specific places I've visited -- and which you might want see to as well. Post a comment or let me know directly what you think of this Travel Babel feature.
The Place: Leadville, CO
The Story: Leadville was one of the greatest of all Western boomtowns. The first short boom followed the discovery of gold in California Gulch that lasted from 1859 until 1865. Leadville's bigger, longer boom began with discovery of silver in 1873, increased in 1877 when a smelter was constructed there, began tapering off in the early 1880s and was dealt a dreadful blow in the silver crash of 1893. In between, fortunes were made from mining (rags-to-riches-rags Horace A. W. Tabor with the Little Pittsburg and Matchless Mines), Charles Boettcher (hardware in Leadville, later banking), David May (clothing in Leadville, eventually May D&F, now part of Macy's) and Meyer and Benjamin Guggenheim (bookkeepers at AY & Minnie Mines, later banking). Margaret "The Unsinkable Molly" Brown, Doc Holliday Bat Masterson, the Earps and Oscar Wilde all have a place in Leadville history. At its peak, Leadville boasted a population of 40,000. It is is the highest incorporated city in the US and currently has about 2,700 residents.
My Trip: Kinfolk from Washington, DC, were in Breckenridge this past week using one of their timeshare weeks. By the time I was able to break away to spend a day with them, they had gone fishing and driven the gorgeous Boreas Pass Road on the route of the old Denver South Park & Pacific (DSP&P) Railroad between Breckenridge and Como. The road is not plowed and closes by November 1, so this was a good time for them to drive it.
Neither is a hiker, but both are history buffs, so I suggested an excursion to Leadville. If the weather was good, we could stroll along Harrison Avenue, the history-filled main street, and if it got cold, rainy, windy or even snowy, I figured that we could head for the fascinating National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum that provides such insight into the mining history of Colorado and elsewhere.
For most of out time there, the weather was lovely with bright sun and minimal wind. Such attractions as the Tabor Opera House and the Healy House were already closed, the opera house for the season and the house museum for the remainder of that quiet day. We sauntered along with the visitors' center walking tour map in hand, admiring the 19th-century buildings and talking about what once was there.
I couldn't resist a sweet treat from Hundley's (below left), the souvenir and gift shop where Charlotte Hundley has been turning out fabulous fudge since she and her husband, Keith, opened the doors in 1985. I shared! We stopped for a light bite at the Provin' Grounds Coffee and Bakery (right), a warm, welcoming, off-beat cafe. The two are roughly kitty-corner from each other -- Hundley's at 623 Harrison Avenue and Provin' Grounds at #508.
We then drove south on US 24, passing the imposing hulks of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive, Colorado's two highest mountains, and then turned west onto Colorado 82 to Twin Lakes for some mountain and foliage views across the lake (below).
We retraced our tracks through Leadville and continued to the top of Tennessee Pass to pay homage to the imposing memorial (below) to the 10th Mountain Division troops who where housed at nearby Camp Hale and trained as ski troops at what it is now Ski Cooper, a small, snow-sure ski area at whose entrance the memorial stands.
Unsurprisingly, it did start to rain as we drove back over Fremont Pass, where the mammoth Climax Molybdenum Mine (below) is being readied for reopening. At the end of a satisfying scenic day, we stopped for dinner at FoodHedz World Cafe in Frisco before I returned to Boulder and they drove back to Breckenridge.
Cost: Visiting Leadville is, of course, free. Some attractions do have an admission charge, and some are seasonal.
More Information: Leadville-Twin Lakes Chamber of Commerce, 809 Harrison Ave., Leadville, CO 80461; 719-486-3900.
Leadville is south of Interstate 70, via US 24 from Minturn, Grand Junction and the west or Colorado Hwy 91 from Copper Mountain, Denver and the east. From Colorado Springs, Salida or the south, take US 24.
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