Early season snow at Breckenridge

150 years ago in the state of Colorado, the town of Breckenridge began its life as a small gold-mining village. Formally registered in Novemeber 1859, the village was established by General George E. Spencer following the discovery of gold along the Blue River in Idaho Springs.

In an effort to charm the government into awarding the town a post office, Spencer named the town Breckinridge after the Vice President at the time, John C. Breckinridge. His charm offensive proved successful and Breckinridge, with an i, was born.

Following two years of relative success, civil war broke out and the future of Breckinridge was thrown into turmoil. Following Vice President Breckinridge’s decision to support the Confederates, Breckinridge (pro-union community) decided it was time to change its name. Replacing the i with and e, Breckenridge as we know it today was re-born.

As civil war continued and the gold-mining industry dried up, Breckenridge lost many of its residents, with a recorded population of just 51 in 1870. By the end of the 1870s, the town was thriving again as the silver hard-rock mining boom had hit Summit County.

As a result of this boom, Breckenridge attracted a whole new generation of pioneers and the town’s population reached a high of 1657. The town boasted 2 dancehalls, 10 hotels and 18 saloons and in 1880, the historical Denver Hotel was built.

80 years of relative booms and recessions ensured that the town’s growth stalled. The population decreased from a massive 1,657 in 1880 to only 296 by 1950. After over 50 years of mining gold, silver, lead and zinc, the Country Boy Mine closed down after a flood – signalling the end of this stage in the history of Breckenridge.

At an all-time low, the town seemed to be on the brink of complete abandonment when on July 27, 1961 a lumber company from Wichita, Kansas applied for a permit to build a ski resort in Breckenridge. By December 16, of the same year, Breckenridge would be open with one double chair-lift and a short T-bar.

The regeneration of Breckenridge began with almost 17,000 visitors in the ski area’s very first year, despite poor access due to the Interstate 70 remaining incomplete at this time. Years of investment and improvements ensured the popularity of Breckenridge would increase, eventually leading to an unbelievable 1,392,242 visitors during the 1999 ski season, the most visited US ski resort of that year.

Since the turn of the millennium, Breckenridge has continued to expand with a 30% increase in its terrain during the 2002/03 season. The Breckenridge ski resort for the 09/10 ski season boasts 30 lifts, including 9 carpet lifts, 7 high-speed quad lifts, a gondola and the highest lift in North America.