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Central Colorado 2003 |
The next stop was Johnson Village, home of the state's main correctional facility. There is a lovely pass into the village, from which we receive a great view of the Collegiate Peaks. Working from north to south are Mount Harvard (14,420 feet), Mount Yale (14,194 feet) and Mount Princeton (14,197 feet). Like most of the other places on this trip, Johnson Village was a one-street town, with a gas station, some houses and a few bars.
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| Mount Harvard at 14,420 feet. The rain clouds to the far right would bother us most of the afternoon. | Mount Princeton at 14.197 feet |
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| I'm standing in front of Mount Princeton | Brian is pointing out the town of his namesake, Johnson Village |
We headed north on US-24 through Buena Vista, Granite, Stringtown and into Leadville. The first three towns were rather nondescript, while Leadville provided some interest. Standing at an elevation of 10,152 feet and billing itself as the highest incorporated town in the country, Leadville was founded in 1860, when gold was discovered nearby in California Gulch. It was known initially as Oro City, and attracted almost 5,000 prospectors during its first summer of existence. Within a couple of years, most of these settlers had moved to places where the gold was easier to extract and Oro City vanished from the map.
In 1875, two new explorers discovered silver in some of the area's abandoned mines, which lead to a second rush, albeit on a much smaller scale. When the town was incorporated in 1878 as Leadville, it had a population of almost 200 people. The 1880s saw another rush, this one fueled by the nearby Matchless silver mine. A local estimate stated that the population swelled to almost 30,000 people during this decade, making it the second-largest city in Colorado. The silver market crashed in 1893 when the precious metal was devalued. Most of the population lost their fortunes, and many left Leadville to pursue other activities.
In the first half of the 20th c. CE, Leadville continued to be a center of ore production. During Prohibition, Leadville was known for its bootleg whiskey, which was considered the best in the western United States. Though most of the area's mines are no longer productive, the town's mining legacy continues in the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum.
Brian and I stopped in Leadville for lunch and sightseeing. The latter was shortened by a rain storm, but we probably saw all of the interesting town sights.
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| A Victorian-style church on Harrison Street in downtown Leadville | Harrison Street, Leadville's main drag |
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| The Delaware Hotel, the town's premier hotel. Built in 1886, the hotel has 36 rooms and suites decorated in the Victorian style. | The Tabor Opera House, named for Leadville's most famous family. The theater was opened on 20 November 1879. It was owned by the Elks from 1901 to 1955. |
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| The new Town Hall and Police Station | Leadville's Heritage Museum, which tracks the history of this Victorian Colorado mining town |
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