.jpg)
Breckenridge is celebrating it’s 150 year anniversary this year, and there’s a slew of events and activities to enjoy. From art shows, historic site tours, musical events, to a full blown celebration, it’s a summer not to miss this year in Breckenridge. During the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush of 1859, the first true settlers came to the area now known as Breckenridge, following the discovery of gold in the mountains of Summit County. Prior to that there were a few white trappers and mountain men, but the area was mainly the land of the nomadic Ute Native Americans.
George E. Spencer, one of the many rich settlers of the Gold Rush, formally named the town of “Breckinridge” in November of 1859, after then Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge. He hoped to receive a post office for the town, born out of pure flattery. Back then, a post office was a sign of permanence. Without a post office, businesses and traders were discouraged to settle the region.
By June of 1860, Spencer’s settlement established its post office, and the town prospered. Come 1862, Spencer had secured a deal with the Bradford, Denver, and
Blue River Road Wagon Company, increasing interest and travel to the small community.
The outbreak of the Civil War meant a different turn for “Breckinridge”. Vice President John Breckinridge sided with the Confederates, while the miners and citizens of “Breckinridge” sided with the Union. It was decided to change one letter of the town name to Breckenridge, and it has been that way ever since.
Miners and prospectors found it increasingly difficult to find freely accessible gold, and for the next decade, as mining companies started to consolidate their holdings, Breckenridge suffered a sort of depression, the population dropping to 51 people in 1870. However, the development of hydraulic mining reinitiated the development of Breckenridge, and the discovery of rich silver deposits in 1879 started another boom of miners to the town.
By 1882, Breckenridge scored a deal to host a rail depot, and in 1887, Colorado’s largest gold nugget was found. Tom’s Baby, weighing in at 13 pounds, brought a host of new gold miners and prospectors back to Summit County. Come the early 1900’s, yet another method of securing gold, dredge mining, brought even more folks to Breckenridge. Early mining booms were over, and the dredge companies employed few, relying on machinery to do their work.
Dredge mining destroys the riverbed, and upturns the banks along the Blue River. The earliest settlers’ homes on the banks of the river were all but destroyed. Little vegetation was left in it’s path. World War II brought the dredging to a halt, and the popluation dropped to just 300 people in the 1950’s.
It wasn’t until President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System, created in 1973, built the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, that the town’s recreational activities became popular. The ski areas we now associate with the area are just recent developments.
So take the drive up I-70 west, just an hour and a half from Denver, to Breckenridge and explore it’s history, activities, and events this summer in celebration of the 150th anniversary. Head over to Breck150.com for more details.
Comments