Leadville, mining city (1990 pop. 2,629), alt. c.10,200 ft (3,110 m), seat of Lake co., central Colo., near the headwaters of the Arkansas River, in the Rocky Mts.; inc. 1878. Some mining and smelting are still carried on (at nearby Climax are huge deposits of molybdenum), and farming, ranching, and the tourist trade have kept this famous city from becoming another ghost town. Rich placer gold deposits were discovered c.1860 in California Gulch. Oro City, the principal camp, flourished for about two years. The camps were virtually deserted until 1877, when the discovery of carbonates of lead with a high silver content again transformed Oro City into a boomtown. By 1880, two years after its incorporation, Leadville had become one of the greatest silver camps in the world. In 1893, with the repeal of the Sherman Silver Act, silver mining collapsed; but in the late 1890s, with the discovery of gold nearby, Leadville again revived. The spectacular history of Leadville is epitomized in the life of Horace Tabor. Points of interest include the restored Tabor home; the Matchless Mine, now a museum; and the Healy House-Dexter Cabin Museums.

Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of 10,152 feet (3094 m), Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States. A former silver mining camp that lies near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the city includes the Leadville Historic District, which preserves many historic structures and sites from Leadville's dynamic mining era.

In the late 1800s, Leadville was the second most populous city in Colorado, after Denver. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 2,688 in 2005.

History

Oro City

Placer gold was discovered in California Gulch in 1860, during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, and the town of Oro City sprung up near present-day Leadville. The boom was brief, however, and Oro City never became a major settlement. The placer gold mining was hampered by heavy brown sand in the sluice boxes.

Discovery of Silver

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 by mine owners Horace Austin Warner Tabor and August Meyer , 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.

Famous Confederate scout, Texas cowboy and stage actor with "Buffalo Bill" Cody's travelling revue, Texas Jack Omohundro died here in the summer of 1880, of pneumonia, just one month shy of his 34 birthday. It was during this period that Leadville saw its most dangerous days, finally brought under control by little known Old West lawman Mart Duggan.

In 1882, the Tabor Opera House hosted Oscar Wilde on his lecture tour of the West, one of many celebrities who graced the city. Mayor David H. Dougan invited Wilde to tour the Matchless silver mine and open their new lode: "The Oscar." Wilde later recounted a visit to a local saloon, "where I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice - 'Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.'"

Around 1883, famous outlaw Doc Holliday moved to Leadville, only a short time after the gun fight at the O.K. Corral. On August 19, 1884, Holliday shot ex-Leadville policeman, Billy Allen, after Allen threatened Holliday for failing to pay a $5 debt. Despite overwhelming evidence implicating him, a jury found Holliday not-guilty of the shooting or attempted murder.

In its early years, Leadville was the site of some famous mining swindles. When the Little Pittsburg mine exhausted its rich ore body, the managers sold off their shares while hiding the real condition of the mine from other stockholders. “Chicken Bill” Lovell dumped a wheelbarrow of rich silver ore into a barren pit on his Chrysolite mining claim in order to sell the claim to Horace Tabor for a large price; but Tabor had the last laugh when his miners dug down a few feet farther and discovered a rich ore body. Later, the manager of the Chrysolite mine fooled an outside mining engineer into overestimating the ore reserves of that mine.

Decline

The city's fortunes declined with the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, although afterwards there was another small gold boom. Mining companies came to rely increasingly on income from the lead and zinc.

The district is credited with producing over 2.9 million troy ounces of gold, 240 million troy ounces of silver, 1 million short tons of lead, 785 thousand short tons of zinc, and 53 thousand short tons of copper

During World War II, Leadville was a popular spot for visits by soldiers at nearby Camp Hale, but only after the town acted to curb prostitution; until then, the United States Army declared the town off-limits for its personnel. The Army Air Forces built the Leadville Army Airfield northwest of the city. The war also caused an increase in the mining of molybdenum at the nearby Climax mine. At one point the mine produced 75 percent of the world's molybdenum.

Historic District

The Leadville Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1961. It includes 67 mines in the mining district east of the city up to the 12,000 foot (3658 m) level, and a defined portion of the village area, with specific exclusion of various buildings. Principal historic buildings in the district are: Tabor Grant Hotel, St. George's Church, Annunciation Church, Tabor Opera House, City Hall, Healy House, Dexter Cabin, Engelbach House, and Tabor House, as well as mining structures and small homes. Structures built after 1917 are considered non-contributing.

Historic District and Life After Mining

The closing of the Climax mine in the 1980s was a major blow to the town's economy. In addition, the many years of mining left behind substantial contamination of the soil and water, so that the Environmental Protection Agency designated some former mining sites in Leadville as Superfund sites. The town is now 98% cleaned up and the Superfund designation is about to expire. The town has made major efforts to improve its economy by encouraging tourism and emphasizing its history and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame opened in 1987 with a federal charter. The town's altitude and rugged terrain contributes to a number of challenging racing events, such as the Leadville Trail 100 series of races. It is often used as a base for altitude training and hosts a number of other events for runners and mountain bicyclists.

Leadville is known for its festive atmosphere. Boom Days, held on the first full weekend of August, it a tribute to the city's mining past. The festivities include mining competitions and burro racing. Crystal Carnival, held late in winter, features a skijoring competition on Harrison Avenue. As a center for such celebrations, Leadville has unofficially been labeled "Parade Capital U.S.A." in recognition of the frequent, though sometimes small parades held in the downtown area, such as the quirky "St. Patrick's Day Practice Parade".

Geography

Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. Higher towns and unincorporated settlements do exist. See Extreme points of the United States.

At an elevation of 9,927 feet (3026 m) the Leadville Airport (Lake County Airport, KLXV) is the highest airport in the United States. At , the Mount Massive Golf Course is the second highest golf course in the United States.

Leadville is located at (39.247200, -106.292414).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,821 people, 1,253 households, and 675 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,659.5 people per square mile (1,027.5/km²). There were 1,514 housing units at an average density of 1,427.3/sq mi (551.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.52% White, 0.14% African American, 1.28% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 12.34% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.45% of the population.

There were 1,253 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution is 21.1% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,714, and the median income for a family was $44,444. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $23,512 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,607. About 9.1% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Community

Leadville host an annual skiing event called Skijoring and Crystal Carnival in March. This is a horse-drawn skiing for the family since the 1960s.

Transportation

Leadville is served by Lake County Airport. However, there are no scheduled airline services available from this airport. The closest airports to provide scheduled services are Eagle County Airport and Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, both located 62 miles (100 km) away.

Major Highways

• US 24 is an east-west highway running from Interstate 75 near Clarkston, Michigan to the intersection with Interstate 70, near Minturn, Colorado. Its western terminus is located just north of Leadville. It is also the main route to the Eagle-Vail valley and Colorado Springs.
• State Highway 91 is a stretch that connects Leadville to the intersection with Interstate 70, near Copper Mountain. It is the best route to get from Leadville to Denver.

In popular culture

Film

• "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• "The Silver King" with Edgar G. Robinson playing Horace A. W. Tabor
• The Day of the Dead, setting but not filming location.
• The Under Siege 2: Dark Territory: the Leadville Airport in the first few minutes was dressed as the National Guard Leadville Airbase.
• The Silver City: The downtown strip of Leadville, plus locations around the county were featured.
• The Switchback, some filming locations.Television/Music
• Pepsi's Super Bowl XXX ad, "Northern Exposure" dressed Leadville as an Alaskan logging town.
• The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1956 opera by Douglas Moore

Also Leadville was depicted in the remake of George Ramiro's Day of the DeadLiterature

• "Angle of Repose", 1972 novel by Wallace Stegner
• "Plague Year" by Jeff Carlson: Leadville is the capital of the US, with a city population of 650000, in the Scifi novel

References

External links

• City of Leadville contacts
• CDOT map of the City of Leadville
• "Leadville Today"
• Leadville.com
• Twin Lakes Chamber of Commerce history
• Today in Literature remembers Leadville's introduction to Aestheticism
• Leadville photos and information at Western Mining History

See also

• Colorado municipalities
• Edwards Micropolitan Statistical Area
• Lake County, Colorado
• State of Colorado
• Leadville mining districtFurther reading

Dan Plazak – A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top ISBN 978-0-87480-840-7 (includes a chapter on mining swindles of early Leadville)Related content