"LEADVILLE (10,152 alt., 3,771 pop.), magnificently situated high in the upper valley of the Arkansas, bears one of the great names in the mining annals of the world. First a fabulous gold camp, then one of the richest silver camps, again a gold camp, it has also mined great quantities od lead, zinc and manganese. Gold and silver are still mined, but the chief prop of the town's economic structure today is the world's largest molybdenum mine at Climax near by (see Tour 1b). Leadville's population follows the curve of employment at Climax; when work is slack there, Leadville has almost the appearance, even on Saturday nights, of a quiet country town that has known no greater excitement than a dog fight.
Once the State's second largest city, Leadville has been called the "Cloud City," for it lies just below timberline, almost two miles above sea level. Snow is no rarity on the Fourth of July, and in winter the ground freezes so deep that grave diggers have to employ dynamite. The climate has been described as "ten months of winter and two months mighty late in the fall." To the west, across a pine flat, threaded by the Arkansas River, loom Mount Massive and Mount Elbert, Colorado's two highest peaks, gigantic vertebrae in the backbone of the Continent. To the east rise the high Mosquitos, which tumble down in rolling slopes to Carbonate, Iron and Fryer Hills, on the outskirts of the camp, each a treasure house, long since stripped of trees and virtually disemboweled. Gray and yellow dumps from old mines bearing famous names once on every tongue, spill down into the town."
--- Colorado: A Guide to the HIghest State, 1941
In 1860, Abe Lee and the Slater Party discovered $8 million in gold in California Gulch on the outskirts of what is now Leadville, Colorado. The "Gold Rush" had begun. Thousands flocked to "Oro City", as the settlement was called, to stake their claim of the golden fortunes. By the mid 1860s, however, was short lived, as the vast numbers of prospectors quickly depleated the gold reserves.
Alvinus Wood and William Stevens, gold miners in Oro City, discovered that "all that black stuff" in the sand that seperated from their gold search was actually silver bearing lead ore and recognized it's worth in 1874. Old gold claims were quickly bought up and the "Silver Boom" had begun. Millionaires were made almost overnight, such as: Horace Tabor, David May, J.J. Brown and his wife Margaret, the Guggenheims and the Boettcher family.
"Cloud City" as it became known, incorporated and changed it's name to Leadville in 1878. By 1880, some 30,000 residents had swarmed to the rich, second largest city in Colorado. Until 1880, transport of prospectors and supplies had to be carried by mule teams over the high, rugged peaks of the mountains. The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railway made it's way making transportation of goods and passengers easier.
Horace Tabor and his wife, Augusta, owned a general mercantile store in Leadville. Profits from his store allowed Tabor to invest in silver mining operations. Most notable were the Little Pittsburg Mine, and the famous Matchless Mine. Some claims profited thousands of dollars in ore a day. “Chicken Bill” Lovell attempted to swindle Tabor by dumping a wheelbarrow of rich silver ore into a barren pit at the Chrysolite Mine to sell for a large price. The joke was on Lovell, as just a few feet deeper, one of the richest lodes in the area made a fortune for Tabor.
Tabor's success made him a powerful man and politician in town. In 1879, he opened the Tabor Opera House, once billed the finest theatre between St. Louis and San Francisco and hosted such acts as Harry Houdini, John Phillip Sousa and Oscar Wilde. He also established the Bank of Leadville and the Tabor Grand Hotel. He built a lavish mansion in town and lived the high life. In 1880, Tabor met Elizabeth Bonduel McCourt Doe and one of the most scandalous affairs ensued. Tabor left his wife for "Baby Doe" and in 1883 his second marriage was legalized.
David May made his fortune with his auction house and clothing store, which eventally became the nationwide May D&F. Charles Boettcher opened a thriving hardware business, later moving to Denver where he became one of its most successful businessmen.
But, the fame and fortune of Leadville did not attract just the business barons. Molly Brown (Unsinkable Molly Brown) arrived in Leadville in the 1880s, as a seamstress and eventually married J.J. Brown. Susan B. Anthony, Jesse James and "Buffalo Bill" all visited during the Boom Days.
Doc Holliday moved to Leadville shortly after the shootout at the OK Corral. Ill with tuberculosis, Holliday was confronted by ex-lawman Bill Allen about a $5 debt. Records indicate that Holliday shot, but did not kill Allen...the last man to be shot by Holliday. Though penniless, the $8,000 bail was raised by Holliday's wealthy friends and he was acquitted in March 1885.
The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 spelled ruin for Horace Tabor and many others who porfited from the mining riches of the area. Now destitute, Tabor died penniless and Baby Doe froze to death in the small shack at the Matchless Mine.
The "Silver Boom" was over, and miners in the area now had to mine for other, less productive minerals, such as lead, zinc and molybdenum (named for Molly Brown). In 1896-97 a miners strike proved fatal for five and the decline of many mining operations. But, it was not the end for Leadville.
Congress established the Leadville Fish Hatchery in 1889, now the oldest fish hatchery west of the Mississippi. In 1896, to counteract the decline from the silver industry, the town built the famous "Leadville Ice Palace" the largest ice palace in history.
During World War II, the Leadville area bacme home of Camp Hale, a military training installation for extreme weather rescue and survival, which trained the famous 10th Mountain Division (activated in 1943 for combat in the rugged mountains in Italy and reactivated in 1985 for Operation Desert Storm).
In 1987, the National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame, the only Federally chartered museum of its kind, was opened to commemorate the mining operations that built this town and the country.
In 1966, Leadville was designated as a National Historical Landmark District and one can walk through the original 70 square blocks of Victorian architecture and adjoining mining district, full of shops, memorable restaurants and museums.
Unlike the time the American Guide Series was written, the Climax Mine is long gone, I venture to say tourism is their gold now.
The coordinates were taken on the south end of downtown on Highway 24, where three historical markers commemorate the area's history.