Leadville Timeline

The Leadville and Twin Lakes area has a long and interesting history. Here are some of the key events since gold was first discovered here in 1860.



1860 — Gold discovered in California Gulch
1861 — Lake County established by Colorado Territorial Legislature
1861 — Road over Mosquito Pass constructed
1870 — Supplies of placer gold exhausted
1877 — Silver boom began
1878 — Cloud City renamed as Leadville
1878 — Tabor struck it rich with The Little Pittsburgh
1879 — Tabor Opera House opened
1879 — Interlaken established at Twin Lakes
1880 — Leadville became Colorado's second-largest community
1880 — Narrow gauge railroads arrived in Leadville
1884 — Doc Holliday had his last gunfight in front of the Hyman building in Leadville
1886 — Margaret Tobin married J.J. Brown at the Annunciation Church
1886 — Delaware Hotel built and opened
1889 — Congress established a National Fish Hatchery in Leadville
1893 — Repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
1896 — Miners strike over wages and set fire to the Coronado Mine, killing three men
1896 — Ice Palace built and opened
1907 — San Isabel National Forest established
1908 — President Theodore Roosevelt visited Leadville
1911 — Underground banquet held at the Wolftone Mine to celebrate the finding of
            zinc carbonate
1929 — Climax Molybdenum Mine recorded first profits
1935 — Baby Doe Tabor died during the night while living at the Matchless Mine
1942 — Camp Hale established for the 10th Mountain Division
1960 — Last smelter in Leadville closed
1962 — Dams at Turquoise and Twin Lakes began
1963 — Leadville airport opened
1980 — Molybdenum prices fell due to world oversupply
1982 — Climax Molybdenum Mine closed
1983 — First Race Across The Sky
1987 — National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum opened
1993 — Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway established
1994 — First Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race held
2000 — Mineral Belt Trail established
2012 — Climax Molybdenum Mine reopened

Learn more about the history of Leadville and Twin Lakes:

Leadville History Introduction     Leadville History 1878 - 1893    
Leadville History 1895 - Today     Frequently Asked Questions about Mining    
Camp Hale and the 10th Mountain Division
Twin Lakes, Colorado