Still have questions? That’s okay; we’re here to help. Discover more at LeadvilleTwinLakes.com, at the Visitor OFFICIAL Center at 809 Harrison Avenue or by calling 888-LEADVILLE. VISITOR GUIDE LOCAL INFORMATION Leadville - Twin Lakes Visitor Center 809 Harrison Ave., Leadville 888-LEADVILLE Red Rooster Visitor Center in Twin Lakes South Side of Hwy 82 & CR 26, Twin Lakes (Open Memorial Day to Labor Day) Leadville Herald Democrat 717 Harrison Ave. 719-486-0641 Be in your element leadvilleherald.com Leadville Today 719-293-5193 leadvilletoday.com Leadville Ranger District 810 Front St., Leadville 719-486-0749 MEDICAL St. Vincent Hospital 822 W 4th St., Leadville 719-486-0230 svghd.org Open 24 hours PARKS & SERVICES Elevated Beauty Dutch Henry Sledding Hill Located at the intersection of McWethy and Highway 24 Tube rentals, free sledding for tube owners and a small warming hut Huck Finn Park Genuine & Historic End of W 5th St., Leadville Skatepark, dog park, ice rink, playground, tennis courts and restrooms Mountain Town Kiddie Corral 9th & Poplar Sts., Leadville Children’s playground, picnic tables, restrooms Lake County Aquatic Center Highest Outdoors Fun 1000 West Sixth Street (inside the Middle School) 25-yard lap lanes, a dry sauna, hot tub, diving board, Aqua Climb and large shallow play area Lake County Community Park Affordable Escape W. 6th & McWethy Dr., Leadville Rodeo arena, children’s playground and indoor restrooms Zaitz Park Harrison Ave., Leadville Benches, picnic table and public restrooms More parks and playgrounds at http://lakecountyco.com/recreation/facilities LeadvilleTwinLakes.com “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, survivor of the Titanic. economy by building the incredible Ice Palace during Marshal Martin Duggan, Texas Jack, Buffalo Bill, the winter of 1895-1896. The magnitude and ambition “Chicken Bill” Lovell, “Broken Nose” Scotty and of this project was legion: It required 5,000 tons of ice Soapy Smith are all part of Leadville’s colorful cast of to be cut from the nearby lakes. It featured life-sized characters. Mary Foote, the real-life inspiration for sculptures of prospectors and burros, a skating rink Wallace Stegner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Angle of Repose,” was a resident. Teddy Roosevelt also paid visits to Leadville, and Ulysses S. Grant arrived on the first train to Leadville. Gunslinger-gambler-dentist Doc Holliday was one of the most legendary visitors to Leadville. Conflicting accounts of his story abound, but records indicate that in August 1884 he shot and wounded Bill Allen, the last man on record shot by Holliday. Mining was not the only interest that the nation had in Leadville. In 1889, Congress established a national fish hatchery on the east side of Mt. Massive. It’s now the oldest fish hatchery west of the Mississippi River, with Tabor Opera House residents, innumerable stores, hotels, boarding houses HERITAGE AT ALTITUDE free tours and access to trails. Families love the new and, of course, more than 100 saloons, dance halls, and a “gallery of commerce” with frozen produce, picnic shelter and playground at this historic site. We’re Colorado’s historic gem. gambling joints and brothels. beer and more. A Crystal Carnival, with parade and fireworks, lit up the town as well. Today’s Ski Joring The 1893 repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase An upper class developed alongside the silver boom. and Crystal Carnival, the first weekend each March, Welcome to the Old West! Leadville may Act spelled ruin for Horace Tabor and more. Local Horace Tabor, who owned a general mercantile store honors this tradition. well be the West’s most authentic mining businessmen decided to combat the downturn of the with his first wife Augusta, invested in mining with town, with a vivid Colorado heritage of wild incredible success. He built and opened the lavish Tabor Mining continued, with zinc, lead and copper. The contrasts: mining wealth and high-falutin’ Opera House, banks and hotels. Other brilliant financial industry’s last great resurgence came in 1918 with the residents, to the down-and-out; incredible careers began in Leadville, too: Charles Boettcher, opening of the massive Climax Molybdenum Mine north luck to devastating misfortune. David May, the Guggenheims, Marshall Field, W.B. of Leadville, now once again in operation, supplying the Daniels, Jesse McDonald and James V. Dexter are world with molybdenum for manufacturing. It started back in 1860, when gold was a few. In its heyday Leadville was one of the most discovered in California Gulch. Eight thousand sophisticated and modern cities in the world, and was In 1942, Camp Hale was established 17 miles north prospectors soon arrived, and within five years, even a contender to become Colorado’s state capitol. of Leadville as a training site for ski troopers for the more than $4 million in gold was found using 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. The troopers sluices and pans — more than at any other site Lots of famous figures lived in and visited Leadville. were instrumental in winning WWII and returned home in Colorado at the time. The gold played out, Margaret “Molly” Brown arrived as a teenager in as heroes. After the war, many of them returned to but was quickly followed by the silver boom. the early 1880s, working as a seamstress in a dry the state and were central to the development of the By 1880, Leadville had more than 30,000 goods store. She married J.J. Brown and became the Colorado ski industry. Historic Malta Schoolhouse 2 3 NATIONAL MINING HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM 120 W. 9th St. • 719-486-1229 Housed in Leadville’s old high school building and called “The Smithsonian of the West,” it is the showcase of American mining. Visitors are always impressed by the detailed dioramas depicting the early days of mining, walk-through replicas of underground mines, a fabulous collection of minerals and much more. Kids will love the exhibit that shows how mining plays a role in the manufacture of everyday things. mininghalloffame.org | Open 9 am to 5 pm daily Closed on Mondays November-April. HISTORIC DOWNTOWN 7 Leadville captivating museums Wander through 70 blocks in the Leadville National Historic Landmark District, renowned for its iconic Victorian architecture. Stroll along Harrison Avenue and the side streets of downtown Leadville to discover places to shop, eat, stay and play, along with museums and galleries that feature the work of local and regional artists. Shops 1 convenient fi lled with antiques, books, bikes and ski equipment are mixed in with specialty stores packed with outdoor wear, passport Western fashions and accessories, gifts, souvenirs, sporting goods, accents for the home and more. MATCHLESS MINE 1¼ miles East of Harrison on 7th St.. • 719-486-1229 MUSEUMS This mine was at the heart of the Tabor fortune. Upon his death, Horace Tabor left the mine to his second wife, MUSEUMS & MORE MUSEUMS SOLD AT THESE LOCATIONS Baby Doe. She lost the mine in 1927 to satisfy her debts Chamber of Commerce Healy House but remained living in an old cabin on the site. After a – No big surprise for one of the most historic 809 Harrison Avenue 912 Harrison Avenue blizzard in 1935, some neighbors noticed that no smoke cities in Colorado, Leadville has seven museums National Mining Museum Tabor Opera House was coming out of the chimney and found the body of within its historic district. You will want to see 120 West 9th Street 308 Harrison Avenue Baby Doe frozen on the fl oor. Her experience illustrates all, so stop by the Leadville - Twin Lakes Visitor extreme riches to rags, sadly prevalent for many residents Center at 809 Harrison Avenue to purchase a (719) 486-3900 of Leadville and its mining boom-and-bust history. Passport good for discounted admissions during LeadvilleUSA.com mininghalloffame.org the summer months. Open daily noon-5pm, late May-late Sept. 4 5 THE TABOR OPERA HOUSE TABOR HOME 308 Harrison Ave. • 719-486-8409 116 East 5th St. • 719-486-7368 Built by Horace Tabor, the Tabor Opera House was billed The home of Horace Tabor and his first wife, Augusta, was as the finest theater between St. Louis and San Francisco. built around 1877 and moved from its original site on Harrison Today, the City and Tabor Opera House Preservation Avenue to its present location to make room for the Tabor Foundation are in the early stages of planning for a Opera House. Horace and Augusta lived in the house until $10,000,000 rehabilitation, with construction slated to begin 1881 when Horace left Augusta for his mistress Baby Doe. A on exterior facades in 2019. Eventually, the fully rehabilitated dozen years after the sensational divorce that broke her heart, building will boast a 650-seat seating capacity, ballroom, she died a millionaire. In that very same year, Horace Tabor bar, retail and event space. Summer events include theater, was bankrupt. The Tabor Home features some of the Tabors’ comedy, and bands. original Victorian furnishings and household goods. http://taboroperahouse.net/ Open late May-Labor Day, Open Daily Interactive tours available June-September, Tuesday-Sunday HEALY HOUSE MUSEUM HERITAGE MUSEUM TEMPLE ISRAEL 912 Harrison Ave. • 719-486-0487 102 E. 9th St. • 719-486-1878 201 W. 4th St • 303-709-7050 or 719-486-3625 Discover two of Leadville’s earliest houses for a glimpse of Andrew Carnegie donated funds to Leadville for the Built in 1884, this is the oldest of the area’s frontier life in a booming silver-mining town. Dexter Cabin and Healy establishment of its first library, which is now the home of synagogues. After a fire in 2006, the building was House feature lavish Victorian furniture, including objects the Heritage Museum.