Leadville in Lake County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Headframe
(sometimes called a gallows frame)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 27, 2025
1. Headframe Marker
This structure was used to hoist ore from the Doris shaft (400 feet) in Iowa Gulch, east of Leadville, producing gold, silver, and lead during the years 1890-1894.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 39° 15.086′ N, 106° 17.532′ W. Marker is in Leadville, Colorado, in Lake County. It is at the intersection of East 9th Street (U.S. 24) and Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street. The marker and headframe are on the Leadville Heritage Museum grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 East 9th Street, Leadville CO 80461, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley, in the Colorado High Rockies and on the Continental Divide. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Crib (a few steps from this marker); Shaker Concentrating Table (a few steps from this marker); Gravity Stamp Mill (a few steps from this marker); Side-Dumping Ore Car (within shouting distance of this marker); Carnegie Library (within shouting distance of this marker); Healy House (within shouting distance of this marker); Leadville City Hall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Historic Leadville Twin Lakes / Bienvenido a la histσrico Leadville Twin Lakes (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leadville.
Also see . . .
this page online
1. Headframe (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: A headframe (gallows frame, winding tower, hoist frame, pit frame, shafthead frame, headgear, headstock, poppethead) is a tall timber, steel or concrete structure above an underground mine shaft. Headframes are built to safely handle loads from mine hoisting systems and to facilitate easy movement of rock, equipment, people and materials into and out of the mine shaft. Headframes are an iconic feature of active and former mining landscapes worldwide, often becoming symbols of their mines and communities built around them.(Submitted on December 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Leadville Mining District (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Leadville mining district, located in the Colorado Mineral Belt, was the most productive silver-mining district in the state of Colorado and hosts one of the largest lead-zinc-silver deposits in the world. Gold was discovered in the area in late 1859, during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. On April 26, 1860, Abe Lee made a rich discovery of placer gold in California Gulch, about a mile east of Leadville. By July 1860 the gold rush was on; the town and surrounding area grew to a population of 10,000 and an estimated(Submitted on December 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)$2 million in gold (equivalent to $70 million today) was taken out of California Gulch and nearby Iowa Gulch by the end of the first summer.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 27, 20252. Headframe MarkerThe marker is mounted on the west side of the historic headframe.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 27, 2025
3. Headframe
Looking east along East 9th Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
