Silver Dollar Saloon - Leadville, CO
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 39° 14.801 W 106° 17.500
13S E 388539 N 4344946
On Harrison Avenue, on the corner of 4th Street in historic Leadville, Colorado, the Silver Dollar Saloon, established in 1879, still stands.
Waymark Code: WM9P7K
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 09/13/2010
Views: 3
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.
In 1879, a saloon opened in this historic block of buildings across from the Tabor Opera House. In 1883, it was known as the Board of Trade Saloon. It became the Silver Dollar Saloon in 1935.
Once you walk through the door, you will be transported back to the late 1800s. The original bar built by the Brunswick Company, and pieces of the original tile floor still remain. Posters of Leadville's most notorious residents, such as "The Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Doc Holliday and Horace Tabor, cover the walls. Pictures from Leadville's historic mining days and Leadville's Ice Palace add to the ambiance.
The Silver Dollar is an Irish Bar, so let the bartender draw you up a Guinness. We stopped in for lunch after a cold, wet day on the trails. Doc Holliday used to drink here! Of course, I had a drink in his honor!
The food is satisfactory, typical bar fare.
Website: Not listed
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