Leadville Vacations, Leadville Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Leadville Vacation Guide

The first thing you will hear about Leadville is its high altitude. With a population of around 3000 people, Leadville is the highest city in North America. It sits on top of the Rockies at 10,200 feet.

The second thing you will hear from residents is that there is much history that surrounds the community. When gold was discovered around the California Gulch in 1860, it was thought that there was massive amounts near Oro City. Unfortunately, the mining was hindered by this heavy brown sand.

In 1874, gold miners at Oro City discovered that the heavy sand that impeded their gold recovery was the lead mineral cerussite, that carried a high content of silver. Prospectors followed the cerussite to its source, and by 1876, had discovered several lode silver-lead deposits. The city of Leadville was founded near to the new silver deposits in 1877, setting off the Colorado Silver Boom. By 1880, Leadville was one of the world's largest silver camps, with a population of over 40,000.

Currently, Lake County (Leadville is the county seat) is home to the Climax mine, which holds molybdenum, an element that is combined with steel to increase its strength. The mine is currently not in production.

Leadville is home to several festivals: Boom Days, Leadville Trail 100, Annual 5K and 10K runs, and skijoring.

Colorado's 10th Mountain Division of World War II has its home in Leadville, at Camp Hale. Famous people include: J.J. & Molly Brown, Doc Holiday, and Buffalo Bill.