Tabor Opera House: The Tabor Opera House brought elegance and culture to Leadville, Colo. during the boom years of the mining industry. The city of Leadville bought the historic Opera House and is nearing completion of a massive renovation. The Tabor Opera House will again host performances when the renovation work is complete. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Delaware Hotel: The Delaware Hotel ws built in 1883 and was a prominent hotel in the day. It has changed owners a few times but was purchased and renovated back into a hotel in the 1980s and is still operational today. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
The previous Post From the Road featured the Leadville Colorado and Southern Railroad. This week’s Post features the city of Leadville, Colo.
Leadville, Colo. was settled in during the gold and silver boom in Colorado in the mid-1800s. The city grew quickly and was officially established in 1877. At one point in the late 1800s Leadville’s population was exceeded only by Denver in the state.
Along with the growth and extensive mining in the area, Leadville was a true town of the old “wild west”, which included gun fights and gambling but the mines also brought riches to the city.
The riches brought about many stately buildings, which still stand today. The most famous structure is the Tabor Opera House built in 1879. The Opera House brought a sense of elegance and culture to Leadville. At the time it was built it was the most expensive building in the state of Colorado.
The city of Leadville purchased the Tabor Opera House in 2016 and is in the process of completing a $15 million restoration. Performances will return to the historic house once the renovations are complete.
Another historic structure is the Delaware Hotel, which was built by brothers from Delaware beginning in 1883. The Delaware was a prominent hotel during the boom years in Leadville. The property has sold and evolved over the years but was purchased, renovated and updated in the 1980s as a hotel, which is still in operation today.
The American National Bank building was built in 1890 and features red brick exterior and a corner tower. Today this historic structure houses a restaurant and other shops on the main floor and apartments on the upper floors.
The entire historic downtown area of Leadville exemplifies its colorful past. The Leadville Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
Many other structures throughout Leadville display the Victorian architecture and design that was prominent in the building of the city.
The city has embraced its past and wants to share that with visitors today.
Leadville sits at an elevation of 10,152 and is the highest elevation incorporated city in the country. Surrounded by multiple 14ers or mountains whose elevation exceeds 14,000 feet, this is a setting unlike any other in the country.
Just on the western outskirts of Leadville is Turquoise Lake. The 780-acre lake provides a variety of recreation activities including fishing, boating and other water sports as well as hiking and biking trails and multiple camp sites.
This area of the Colorado Rockies is a favorite for many and an area that should be explored when traveling in the mountains of Colorado.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Bank Building: The American National Bank Building stands tall in historic downtown Leadville, Colo. The bank was built in 1890 when Leadville was the second most populated city in Colorado. Today a restaurant and other shops are located on the ground floor and apartments fill the upper floors. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Catholic Church: The steeple on the Annunciation Catholic Church rises high above Leadville, Colo. Leadville is a city of about 3,000 and sits at 10,152 feet in elevation and is surrounded by multiple 14,000 feet peaks. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Turquoise Lake: Just on the western outskirts of Leadville, Colo. is Turquoise Lake, which provides a variety of outdoor recreation activities. Leadville sits on the opposite end of the lake in this photo and is surrounded by natural beauty. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com