Near Zerex Street (U.S. 40) at Clayton Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Scout, pathfinder, guide, mountain man, explorer, fur trader, blacksmith, and merchant; Jim Bridger was all of these. He is regarded as one of America's greatest frontiersmen, and overall, the Rocky Mountain West's most gifted scout. When it came . . . — — Map (db m288400) HM
Near Zerex Street (U.S. 40) at Clayton Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
A few hours after Sheriff Billy Cozen's wife had given birth to their first child, he apprehended two bank robbers. Gilpin County afforded no jail yet, so Billy took the suspects home and chained them — against his wife's protest — to the bed where . . . — — Map (db m288497) HM
Near Zerex Street (U.S. 40) at Clayton Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Late spring blizzards — a virtual white-out. Calves born in the thick of it. Straight line winds smacking against wet newborn hide. A rancher struggles to recover a young calf, but sometimes it’s too late. Deliberate extinction of the buffalo on . . . — — Map (db m288397) HM
Near Zerex Street (U.S. 40) at Clayton Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
These figures were sculpted in the hope that they will prompt young people to read about America's frontier and our fascinating Western Heritage. The frontier was as much an attitude as a place. As settlers pushed the wilderness further and . . . — — Map (db m288199) HM
Against the Flow
Water is the most pivotal natural resource in the West. It dictates agricultural, industrial, and domestic use and growth. In 1890, the legislature funded a feasibility study for transporting western slope water to the . . . — — Map (db m311301) HM
On U.S. 40 at State Highway 125, on the right when traveling east on U.S. 40.
During construction of the Windy Gap pipeline, workers uncovered prehistoric sites of national significance. This discovery temporarily halted construction so that evidence of past human culture could be studied. Before the Windy Gap findings, . . . — — Map (db m311360) HM
Vacationers driving wagons and Model T Ford's rumbled up this road in the 1920s to spend a week or more at Sophie and John Holzswarth's Trout Lodge. After each day's fishing, guests strolled to the "Mama" Cabin-the largest building to the left where . . . — — Map (db m162341) HM
One of the Kawuneeche Valley's first dude ranches once thrived here. In 1917, German immigrants Sophia and John G. Holzwarth built their homestead here, after wartime prohibition closed their saloon in Denver. Originally ranchers, they began hosting . . . — — Map (db m162343) HM
“Not Even Ghosts, But Rather Phantoms”
”It gave us a queer feeling to realize that substantial things like railroads and buildings that we helped build have vanished. Was it all a dream? Monarch and the railroad are not even ghosts, but . . . — — Map (db m311307) HM
The Nation’s Backbone
Jutting up from the valley floor, this rugged mountain range forms a section of the Continental Divide that is often called the “backbone of the nation.” The Divide runs the length of the continent. It parts the . . . — — Map (db m311305) HM
On Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
Automobiles Come to Grand Lake (panel 1)
The number of automobiles had become so large that in 1913 the State of Colorado began issuing its first license plates. The 1915 dedication of Rocky Mountain National Park drew 2000 people, . . . — — Map (db m129881) HM
On Grand Avenue east of Pitkin Street, on the right when traveling east.
In 1881 James Cairns built his first store here to serve the miners. In 1908 he replaced it with a better building, purchased by Matilda Humphrey in 1924. It survives as the central part of the Humphrey store. The small residence was Cairns interim . . . — — Map (db m129850) HM
Near Lake Avenue 0.1 miles west of Hancock Street, on the right when traveling west.
Grand Lake was formed by glacial action, the ice gouged back into the mountains to the east. As the climate warmed, the glacier melted irregularly, leaving ridges of clay and rocks called moraines. Moraines edge the west and north shore, and are . . . — — Map (db m129855) HM
On Lake Avenue at Garfield Street, on the left when traveling west on Lake Avenue.
The largest natural lake in Colorado Formed by glaciation 30,000 years ago Long known as the headwaters of the Colorado River. It is included in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Water from here flows through the “Adams Tunnel” to Estes . . . — — Map (db m129892) HM
Near Trail Ridge Road (U.S. 34) 0.2 miles east of Western Road (County Highway 49), on the right when traveling east.
Grand Lake Lodge Built 1919
has been placed on the National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior
— — Map (db m129878) HM
On Lake Avenue 0.1 miles west of Hancock Street, on the right when traveling west.
Ezra Kauffman first came to the area as a hunting guide and miner in 1877. After the mines closed, he raised his family in the community he loved. He completed this hotel in 1892 and operated it until his death in 1920. The Kauffman family . . . — — Map (db m129856) HM
The Kawuneeche Valley is prime moose habitat. Wetlands along the Colorado River support aquatic plants, willows, and Aspen that moose eat. Moose frequented here, then were hunted out of the area by the early 1900s. In the late 1970s, the Colorado . . . — — Map (db m164288) HM
On Grand Avenue east of Garfield Street, on the left when traveling east.
When the town of Grand Lake was platted in 1881, Grand Avenue was designed to be 100 feet wide. Although traffic congestion was not a problem, extra space was allowed for rodeos and horse races.
The Public Square was often used for community . . . — — Map (db m129840) HM
On Hancock Street north of Park Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Rapids Lodge is one of three tourist hotels built between 1900 and 1920. The other two burned. Laps Ish, the owner and builder, sawed all lumber of lodgepole pine. Until about 1935 the lights and some heat for the hotel came from his own water . . . — — Map (db m129852) HM
On Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
In 1882 P.H. Smith settled in Grand Lake. He built a hotel and also operated a sawmill, carpentry shop, and a large resort. Around 1915, along with the Alfred Eslick family, he built this Motor Court, designed to accommodate both visitors and their . . . — — Map (db m129857) HM
Near Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
The Smith Eslick Bay Window Cottage was built by the Eslick's youngest child, Loren, in 1933 when he was 26 years old. It was intended to be a check-in and store for the guests staying at the Cottage Court and other Smith and Eslick family cabins . . . — — Map (db m129884) HM
The Rapid Growth
The second largest wildfire in Colorado history, the East Troublesome Fire, was first reported on October 14, 2020. Originating northeast of Kremmling, it continued to burn eastward for about two weeks. The peak spread . . . — — Map (db m242392) HM
On Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
The Smith Eslick Cottage Court (panel 1)The Smith-Eslick Cottage Court is believed to be the oldest original-condition motel in the United States. Built at about the same time as the 1915 opening of Rocky Mountain National Park and the . . . — — Map (db m129879) HM
On Lake Avenue at Cairns Street, on the left when traveling east on Lake Avenue.
Entrepreneur P.H. Smith brought his family to Grand County from Kansas. In 1893 he started a sawmill in Grand Lake and acquired several local properties.
A skillful craftsman, P.H. Smith built many significant structures, including the Grand . . . — — Map (db m129883) HM
On Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
The Smith Eslick Family (panel 1)
Entrepreneur P.H. Smith brought his family to Grand County from Kansas. In 1893 he started a sawmill in Grand Lake and acquired several local properties.
A skillful craftsman, P.H. Smith built many . . . — — Map (db m129880) HM
On Vine Street north of Lake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
It's said that Grand Lake has always had tourists. Even the original visitors, the Ute and Arapaho for example, would come in the summer to hunt and fish in the largest natural lake in Colorado, but would leave when winter approached. Then, as now, . . . — — Map (db m129882) HM
Near Byers Avenue (U.S. 40) at 1st Street, on the right when traveling east.
The Blacksmith Shop was built in 1979 on this site with a combination of logs from shops on the Old Oaks Ranch at the mouth of Troublesome Creek in west Grand County and from the Kinney Ranch four miles east of Hot Sulphur Springs. The forge, . . . — — Map (db m289181) HM
On East Byers Avenue at 1st Street, on the right when traveling east on East Byers Avenue.
The schoolhouse was built east of
Cottonwood Pass in 1920. After it was
discontinued as a school in 1942, the
building was occupied by lettuce growers
and later moved to a nearby ranch and used
for grain storage. It was moved to this . . . — — Map (db m246955) HM
Near Byers Avenue (U.S. 40) at 1st Street, on the right when traveling east.
This building was built in Sulphur on the northwest side of the town facing south. It was first used by C.H. Hook as a general store. After years of being used for many other purposes, it became the courthouse in 1888 through 1902. In 1937 it was . . . — — Map (db m288899) HM
Near Byers Avenue (U.S. 40) at 1st Street, on the right when traveling east.
This building was built specifically for law enforcement purposes and is the oldest incarceration building still existing in Grand County. Previous jails were “cells” constructed within buildings that were used for other purposes. It was first . . . — — Map (db m289066) HM
On Parshall Divide Road (County Road 20) at South Pioneer Park Road, on the left when traveling west on Parshall Divide Road.
In 1869, a Civil War veteran turned college professor, Major John Wesley Powell, led nine men on the last great exploration of the continental United States. Powell and his men set out from Green River, Wyoming, on May 24, 1869, on a journey to map . . . — — Map (db m295381) HM
On Parshall Divide Road (County Road 20) at South Pioneer Park Road, on the left when traveling west on Parshall Divide Road.
In the summer of 1861, Edward Berthoud camped by the hot springs near this bend in the Grand River (it would become the Colorado in the 20th century). Berthoud and his expedition formed the Middle Park Claim Club and made tentative plans for Grand . . . — — Map (db m295384) HM
Near Byers Avenue (U.S. 40) at 1st Street, on the right when traveling east.
This log building was built by the United States Forest Service on a site 15 miles south of Parshall sometime between 1906 and 1909. It was known as the Horseshoe Ranger Station and was the first ranger station on the Arapaho National Forest . . . — — Map (db m289098) HM
On Park Avenue (U.S. 40) at 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west on Park Avenue.
Auspiciously located at the junction of Muddy Creek and the Blue and Colorado Rivers, present-day Kremmling never lacked for through traffic, but it did lack for gold — and, thus, for settlers. Hopeful town builders laid out a plat here as early as . . . — — Map (db m291387) HM
On Park Avenue (U.S. 40) at 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west on Park Avenue.
For early settlers in these isolated mountains, medicine was generally a do-it-yourself business. The nearest doctor often lived a day's travel or more away, leaving patients to depend on folk treatments, Indian herbal cures, and the unsure . . . — — Map (db m291296) HM
On Park Avenue (U.S. 40) just east of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west.
With the faith and courage of their forefathers who made possible the freedom of these United States The Boy Scouts of America dedicate this copy of the Statue of Liberty as a pledge of everlasting fidelity and loyalty The Crusade to . . . — — Map (db m281980) HM
On Park Avenue (U.S. 40) at 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west on Park Avenue.
“I often wonder how long all the game is going to last,” wrote market hunter Frank Mayer in 1878. “You can’t have wild animals and civilization side by side.” Permanent settlement had only recently come to this area, ushered in by gold . . . — — Map (db m291285) HM
Near Trail Ridge Road (U.S. 34) at Ditch Road, on the right when traveling south.
This miner's cabin is one of the oldest buildings left standing in the Kawuneeche Valley. In 1902, Joseph Fleshuts homesteaded 160 acres here with the intent to live on the land for at least five years. Life must have been hard. In 1911 he abruptly . . . — — Map (db m89117) HM
Near U.S. 40 at milepost 240, 5.8 miles west of Henderson Mine Road, on the right when traveling west.
Berthoud Pass Across the Continental Divide between South Platte and Colorado River drainages
Altitude 11,314 Feet
Discovered by Capt. E.L. Berthoud Colorado pioneer May 12, 1861. Surveyed by Berthoud and Jim Bridger July, 1861. Toll Road . . . — — Map (db m129889) HM
On Zerex Street (U.S. 40) 0.1 miles north of Grand Park Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Homestead, ranch, stagecoach stop, post office, hotel, Jesuit retreat, museum Placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior June 9, 1988 — — Map (db m288200) HM
On Zerex Street (U.S. 40) 0.1 miles north of Grand Park Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Cozens Ranch Museum Welcome to historic Grand County, known by early explorers as Middle Park. Connect with history by visiting the Heritage Coalition's many historic and cultural sites - from the top of Berthoud Pass, west along Highway 40 to . . . — — Map (db m288193) HM
On Zerex Street (U.S. 40) 0.1 miles north of Grand Park Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Grand County Skiing Grand County was one of the first areas in Colorado where people enjoyed the sport of skiing. While mail carriers, loggers and other workers used the "Norwegian Snowshoes" (or skis) as necessary winter . . . — — Map (db m288196) HM
On Zerex Street (U.S. 40) 0.1 miles north of Grand Park Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Grand County Tourism Since the opening of Berthoud Pass in 1874, Grand County has been a draw for vacationers and tourists. Ranchers, such as the Cozens Family, or pioneers such as the Kauffman's of Grand Lake, housed early guests. . . . — — Map (db m288197) HM
Near State Highway 14 at milepost 59.2, 0.1 miles east of Ranger Lakes Campground, on the right when traveling east.
The Colorado State Forest Management Complex has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior January 2017 — — Map (db m293600) HM
On Main Street north of 5th Street, on the left when traveling north.
The First National Bank of Walden
Built in 1915, the First National Bank of Walden was the second bank established in Walden.
The Town of Walden Historic Plaque Program
This program has been partially funded by the Colorado Historical . . . — — Map (db m311375) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
The first Euro-Americans ventured into North Park in search of
beaver pelts. These pelts were used to satisfy a fashion craze for
beaver hats in Europe. By 1820, fur trappers were working along
the mountain streams in and around North Park. . . . — — Map (db m240738) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
Prior to 1820, North Park was a favorite summer hunting ground for a number of Native American tribes, especially the Utes and Arapaho. Other tribes included the Crow, Sioux, and Cheyenne. These early native people were drawn to North Park in . . . — — Map (db m240763) HM
Near Main Street (State Highway 14/125) just west of Grant Street, on the right when traveling west.
Community Legacy Isolated North Park, a high mountain valley encompassing Jackson County, requires resilience from those who choose to live here. It is a place where rugged ways of life have endured the test of time. No matter the . . . — — Map (db m283135) HM
Near Main Street (State Highway 14/125) just west of Grant Street, on the right when traveling west.
Unrelenting forces of nature have carved immense yet intimate landscapes in the remote northwest region of Colorado. Spanning 14,918 square miles, the area encompasses expansive areas of public lands — canyons and rivers, forests and wilderness, . . . — — Map (db m283147) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
Dating from 1878, when Leadville butcher Reid Mathews used
the valley's abundant grass to fatten his cattle during the
summer, ranching is the oldest continuous industry in North
Park. Many other cattlemen followed, drawn to the area in . . . — — Map (db m240751) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
Rumors of the existence of precious metals in North Park
began when John C. Fremont's expedition passed through
the valley in 1844. However, it was nearly thirty years later
that prospecting took place in North Park. Canadian James
O. . . . — — Map (db m240743) HM
Something Fun for Everyone
Around the Next Bend
Challenges
Many adventures await you along the National Wild and Scenic Cache La Poudre River. You may accept the challenge of running the river’s whitewater rapids on your own . . . — — Map (db m311393) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
The relative solitude of North Park was shattered by the clank
of picks and shovels and the shouts of workers as the railroad
came to the valley in 1911. Stretching from Laramie, Wyoming,
to Coalmont, Colorado, the "iron horse" greatly . . . — — Map (db m240726) HM
Near Colorado Route 14 3 miles south of Walden, on the right when traveling south.
As mines expanded and North Park's
population swelled, there was an increasing
need for timber to shore up the mines and
to build homes for settlers. The abundant
forests surrounding North Park afforded a
ready supply of timber, and logging . . . — — Map (db m240737) HM
On Colorado 125, on the right when traveling north.
Panel 1
Welcome to Colorado
Colorado’s vast plains, rugged mountains, and grand plateaus, so magnificent in their beauty and variety, seem at times to overshadow the state’s history and people. But look closely. The story of Colorado is . . . — — Map (db m311563) HM
Welcome to Walden & North Park
Visit the “Moose-Viewing Capitol of Colorado”
North Park was home and hunting grounds for Native Americans. By 1840, trappers discovered this area and called it “New Park”. Miners and homesteaders soon . . . — — Map (db m311391) HM
On State Highway 14 at milepost 64.9, on the left when traveling east.
Highway 14 The first highway over Cameron Pass, completed in 1882 by the Cache la Poudre and North Park Toll Road Company, ran more than one hundred miles from Fort Collins to the silver camp of Teller. Travelers paid three dollars per wagon, . . . — — Map (db m289782) HM
On State Highway 14 at milepost 64.9, on the left when traveling east.
Linking Fort Collins to the North Park Valley along a centuries-old trail, the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic and Historic Byway offers outstanding recreational opportunities for campers, rafters, kayakers, and anglers. The byway takes its . . . — — Map (db m289790) HM
On State Highway 14 at milepost 64.9, on the left when traveling east.
Pingree Park During construction of the transcontinental railroad in the late 1860s, the timber fell almost continuously in Pingree Park. Named for legendary tie hack George Pingree (who supposedly could cut a hundred railroad ties a day), the . . . — — Map (db m289784) HM
On State Highway 14 at milepost 64.9, on the left when traveling east.
Tie Drives Tie hacks were as raw as the lumber they cut. They worked endlessly through the freezing winter, earning ten cents per railroad tie — about three to four dollars a day. The hacks stacked the timber on the banks of the Cache la Poudre . . . — — Map (db m289788) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
This place has seen plenty of changes since Charles Senter discovered a deposit of molybdenum on Bartlett Mountain in 1879.
In the early days, Climax was a sleepy depot at the top of a railroad grade. But by World War I there was a . . . — — Map (db m122841) HM
On State Highway 91, on the right when traveling south.
This memorial is the
Property of the State of Colorado
Fremont Pass
On Continental Divide between
Arkansas and Blue River drainages
Altitude 11,316 feet
Western boundary of the Louisiana
Purchase of 1803.
Named . . . — — Map (db m128033) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
Colorado 91 is now a well-engineered modern highway, but driving over Fremont Pass wasn't always as safe or convenient as it is today.
The silver mining boom created a population of more than 30,000 people in Leadville by 1879, making it the . . . — — Map (db m122827) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
The sound of a train whistle was music to the ears of a miner spending the winter on Fremont Pass. Up until just before World War II, Colorado 91 was a dirt track that was closed six months a year, and the railroad was the mine’s only link with the . . . — — Map (db m122839) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
It's only a memory now, but the community of Climax was once called home by several generations of Colorado mining families.
In its early years, Climax struggled to keep quality employees. Cold and snow, isolation and high altitude sent many . . . — — Map (db m122837) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
In the 1940's and 50's, Climax not only had the highest post office and standard-gauge railroad in the nation, but also one of the state's premier ski areas. The trails of the first area in Colorado to be lit for night skiing were located on the . . . — — Map (db m122836) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
One of the most significant technological advances in Climax Mine history was the implementation of block-cave mining in 1927. It cut the production cost of molybdenum in half, keeping the mine open (and profitable) through the grim years of the . . . — — Map (db m122838) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
Eighty years of mining operations on Fremont Pass disturbed more than five square miles of land and altered the course of a stream. As of 2009, Climax Molybdenum Company had spent nearly $50 million on land reclamation and water treatment. Not a . . . — — Map (db m122835) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
During World War II, the Fremont Station of the Harvard College Observatory on Ceresco Ridge was strictly off-limits to mine employees.
No one knew what went on there.
But Mine Superintendent Jack Abrahms regularly left his office so . . . — — Map (db m122831) HM
Near Colorado Route 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
By the time Charles Senter staked his claims on Bartlett Mountain in 1879, the trout were gone from Ten Mile Creek. It had been altered by smelting and mining that took place long before Climax began operations. Today, the trout are back.
. . . — — Map (db m122749) HM
Near State Highway 91 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
A whole lot of Colorado history has happened right here on top of Fremont Pass. And it all happened because of a metal most people have trouble pronouncing.
Molybdenum (moll-ib-den-um) is used to harden steel.
More molybdenite ore (the . . . — — Map (db m122900) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just north of East 4th Street, on the right when traveling north.
“Some had never seen snow. Most had never skied. All served as though they knew nothing else.” Camp Hale, 16 miles North of Leadville, was a U.S. Army facility constructed in 1942. It was the training ground for what became the 10th . . . — — Map (db m289800) HM
On U.S. 24 at Tennessee Pass Rd, on the left when traveling south on U.S. 24.
Memorial
10th Mountain Division
World War II
In memory of our 990 comrades in arms who gave their lives on the WWII battlefields of Italy and the Aleutian Islands.
Campaigns
Northern Apennine Mountains, Po Valley, Kiska
Major . . . — — Map (db m97729) WM
On Poplar Street at East 7th Street, on the left when traveling north on Poplar Street.
Under Fr. Henry Robinson’s initiative, the building of this lovely church was begun in 1879. The first mass was celebrated on January 1, 1880, before construction was finished. — — Map (db m289860) HM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24), on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
In 1902, Andrew Carnegie, national philanthropist, gave funds to construct Leadville’s first permanent library building. Formal opening was January 8, 1904. — — Map (db m282893) HM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
The women who lived in and used buildings such as this during the mining years were hard working survivalists who used the opportunities available to them. This view into history is an intent to show the hard life found in mining communities and . . . — — Map (db m289998) HM
On Harrison Avenue south of West 4th Street, on the right when traveling north.
The nationwide
May Department Stores
mercantile empire was born
in September, 1877 when
David May
opened his first store in a tent
300 feet south of this tablet.
From 1881 to 1888 the May Store
occupied this site, at 318 . . . — — Map (db m51809) HM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
This stamp mill was flown to Leadville in October of 1987 from Lackawanna Gulch north of Independence Pass by a U.S. Army helicopter and with the help of many local volunteers. The stamp mill is one of the oldest devices for fine crushing ore . . . — — Map (db m289986) HM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
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. — — Map (db m289989) HM
On Harrison Avenue at East 10th Street on Harrison Avenue.
Erected 1878, by August R. Meyer, builder of Leadville’s first reduction works. Given to Leadville Association, 1936, by Nellie Healy, agent for the heirs of Daniel Healy.
Presented to the State of Colorado by said association, 1947, and . . . — — Map (db m51812) HM
Near County Road 4 near SW corner of 4th Street and Pine Street.
The Hebrew Cemetery
The Hebrew Benevolent Association established the Hebrew Cemetery in January,1880, in the Southwest corner of Leadville’s Evergreen Cemetery with the transfer of 101,000 square feet from the Union Veteran’s Association. . . . — — Map (db m239342) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just south of West 9th Street, on the right when traveling south.
The year was 1859. Prospectors returning from the California Rush found new gold fields in a gulch they named California, southeast of present-day Leadville. Colorado became a state in 1876 because of her gold and silver. Those precious minerals . . . — — Map (db m289896) HM
On North Poplar Street (U.S. 24) north of Sawmill Road, on the right when traveling south.
Born in Virginia, Texas Jack came west after the Civil War at age 16 to become a cowboy. He later made a name for himself as a plainsman and U.S. government scout who led the Pawnee Indians on their summer hunts and was guide for such notables as . . . — — Map (db m121768) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) at East 8th Street, on the right when traveling north on Harrison Avenue.
[English] Leadville City Hall was built in 1905 as a federal building, it was used as the US Post Office until 1973. As the story goes, the postmaster used the small attic windows to spy on his employees as they . . . — — Map (db m289799) HM
On Hwy 24 at Tennessee Pass Road, on the right when traveling north on Hwy 24.
World War II
United States Army
Ski Troopers
99th Infantry Battalion
(Separate)
The Viking Battalion
Office of Strategic Services
O.S.S. NORSO
(Rype Group)
Special Forces
The 99th Infantry Battalion (SEP) was:
Activated 10 . . . — — Map (db m112932) HM WM
On 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway (State Highway 24) at Tennessee Pass Road on 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway.
The 99th Infantry Battalion (SEP) was:
Activated 10 July 1942 at Camp Ripley Minnesota
Deactivated 11 November 1945 at Camp Miles Standish, Boston Massachusetts
Camp Hale Colorado was the main ski trooper training area located 5 miles north . . . — — Map (db m95044) WM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
This device was used in the late 1800s for the separation of mineral particles after the ore had been crushed. The surface of this table was shaken rapidly and it was inclined laterally a few degrees. Water flowed across the surface at right . . . — — Map (db m289984) HM
On East 9th Street (U.S. 24) at Harrison Avenue, on the right when traveling west on East 9th Street.
Cars like this were used to remove ore from the mines. Coupled together, they make up a train which is usually pulled by an electrically powered locomotive. This car came from the Black Cloud Mine located east of Leadville. — — Map (db m289899) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just south of West 9th Street, on the right when traveling south.
“Ring out wild bell to the wind sky, the flying cloud, the frosty light.” —Alfred Lord Tennyson Fires of terrifying magnitude threatened Leadville and the surrounding hills throughout the summer of 1879. Fire broke out within Leadville as . . . — — Map (db m289852) HM
On West 7th Street at Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24), on the left when traveling east on West 7th Street.
Has been designated a National Historic Landmark This building possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the State of Colorado. In the early 1880’s when the Leadville Hotel Company came up short-funded for . . . — — Map (db m289883) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just north of East 3rd Street, on the right when traveling north.
Horace Tabor’s Opera House was considered to be one of the finest west of the Mississippi. It opened to the public on November 20, 1879. — — Map (db m282899) HM
On West 4th Street at Pine Street, on the right when traveling east on West 4th Street.
The Jewish Settlement
The group of Jews in Leadville traced their roots to Germany. They tended to be assimilationists and practiced Reform Judaism, including worship services largely in English, women as members of the congregation, and the . . . — — Map (db m135817) HM
On 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway (U.S. 24) at Tennessee Pass Road, on the right when traveling north on 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway.
The Saga of the Viking Battalion In the two years following the German invasion of Norway in 1940, Norwegians around the world struggled to find ways to help their homeland. The Viking Battalion was born in August 1942. Composed of Norwegians . . . — — Map (db m289997) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just south of West 9th Street, on the right when traveling south.
[English] A Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Gateway Community Native Lands Acknowledgement: These are the unceded ancestral lands of the Nuche (Ute) and others who have called the landscape . . . — — Map (db m289885) HM
On Harrison Avenue (U.S. 24) just north of East 6th Street, on the right when traveling north.
[English] It started back in 1860, when gold was discovered in California Gulch. Thousand's of prospectors soon arrived, and within five years, more than $4 million in gold. By 1880, Leadville had more than 30,000 . . . — — Map (db m289792) HM
On U.S. 160 0.2 miles west of County Road 402, on the left when traveling west.
Adventure! Hiking the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail offers you an enormous challenge.
Beginning at Mexico’s border in southern New Mexico, the country’s longest National Scenic Trail wanders through Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho, . . . — — Map (db m71661) HM
On U.S. 160 0.2 miles west of County Road 402, on the left when traveling west.
Wolf Creek Pass! A romantic name - a beautiful but harsh setting.
Squatter-trapper Bill Wolf probably wasn't the first man across the pass, though it bears his name. Until the early 1900's, Cumbres and Elwood Passes opened the way to fertile . . . — — Map (db m71659) HM
