Compiled by members of Lake County High School’s Awesome Authors writing group: Emma Cary, Sam Hall, Makala Schnablegger and Elli Torsell, led by Laurel McHargue. The group meets each Wednesday afternoon for 2.5 hours to work on creative writing projects. All photos are courtesy of Laurel McHargue.
The Mining Museum
• It was originally built to be Leadville High School in 1899.
• There is an entire exhibit dedicated to fluorescent rocks.
• It is sometimes referred to as the “Smithsonian of Rocks.”
• The museum received an honorable mention in “Colorado’s Most
Significant Artifacts” in 2014.
The Healy House
• The house was originally built by August R. Meyer for his wife Emma.
• It has been fully restored and is full of authentic Victorian furniture.
• It was a boarding house for many years when Nellie Healy owned it.
The Tabor Opera House
• Harry Houdini, Oscar Wilde and John Philip Sousa all
performed there.
• The opera house was built by Horace Tabor, who was the
husband of Augusta, and later, Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor.
• The Tabor still has many of the original backdrops, includ-
ing one used by Oscar Wilde.
The Heritage Museum
• It used to be a Carnegie Library.
• It houses the entire general history of Leadville.
• It has original mining equipment on display outside.
The Mineral Belt Trail
• Created in 1994, this 11.6-mile-long paved trail loops around the city and integrates portions of three major
rail lines that served the Leadville Mining District around the turn of the century.
• The trail is designed for bicycles, walkers, wheel
chairs, strollers and in-line skates. Wintertime en-
thusiasts will find the trail snowcat-groomed, afford
ing freestyle and classic Nordic skiing, snowshoeing
and winter biking.
The Leadville Fish Hatchery
• The original hatchery was built in 1889.
• Up to a quarter of a million trout are raised there
every year.
• It is located on 3,000 acres of land and there are
recreational trails for hiking, running and skiing.
• The hatchery building functions both as a hatchery
and a learning museum.
The Matchless Mine
• It was purchased by Horace Tabor in 1879.
• By 1880, Tabor was earning no less than $2,000 a
day from the mine’s silver.
• Tabor’s second wife “Baby Doe” died in a cabin by
the defunct mine during the winter of 1935.
Mount Elbert
• At 14,440 feet, it is the highest peak in Colorado.
• It was named by miners in honor of Samuel Hitt
Elbert, the governor of what was called the Territory
of Colorado.
• The peak was first climbed in 1874 by H.W. Stuckle,
who surveyed the mountain.
• Some proponents of Mount Elbert demolished large
piles of stones on the summit of Mount Massive that
were built by people who wanted Mount Massive to
be the highest peak in Colorado (being only about
12 feet lower than Mount Elbert).
Mount Massive
• At 14,429 feet, it is the second-highest peak in Colo-
rado and has five summits over 14,000 feet.
• Hayden Survey member Henry Gannett is credited
with the first ascent.
• It generally snows year-round on this massive
mountain; it is windy, and during summer months
there are severe lightning and thunderstorms.
• A fictional asylum of the same name built on Mount
Massive serves as the setting for the 2013 video
game Outlast.
Silver Dollar Saloon
• One of Leadville’s oldest standing buildings, it
opened in 1883 as a drinking and gambling saloon.
• “Doc” Holliday, among other famous historic char-
acters, was known to frequent the saloon.
• Original tiles adorn the floor, and historic photos
hang throughout the saloon, including one showing
a town lynching and one capturing a ghostly apparition.
• Stories of paranormal activity in the building are
frequent.
Harrison Avenue
• It is Leadville’s “Main Street.”
• A part of Hwy. 24, it is lined with historic buildings
and shops.
• Portions are closed for major events such as ski-
joring, Boom Days, pack burro races, snowshoe races
and parades for Independence Day, St. Patrick’s Day
(and “Practice St. Patrick’s Day”!), Parade of Lights
and Homecoming. The Winter Mountain Bike Series
and several Leadville Trail 100 Series races start on
Harrison Avenue.
