The Town of Breckenridge is a historical mountain resort community located 86 miles west of Denver Colorado up in the heart of the Rocky Mountains at about 9600 feet. The average summer daytime high temperature is 70 degrees F. The average annual snowfall is in excess of 300" and the average winter daytime temperature is 28 degrees F. It is a high alpine climate supporting a sub alpine forest. Breckenridge was first settled in 1859 by 29 men and one woman following the discovery of gold in the Blue River, which still runs through the middle of town. In 1898 the new mining practice of dredging started, resulting in the Blue and French Gulch riverbeds being dug up leaving large rock piles, which you can still see today. The Dredge Bar & Restaurant is an authentic piece of mining equipment from this era. The dredges shut down during WWII.
Make sure to visit some of the historic mining shacks still located on the hill while skiing at Breckenridge!

A man named Tom Groves discovered the largest gold nugget ever found in North America in Breckenridge on July 3, 1887. The single nugget weighed 151 oz. and was about the size of an adult human head. It was dubbed "Tom's Baby" because Mr. Groves paraded it around town like a newborn child. Three days later the nugget was put on a train headed to Denver. Whatever happened to the nugget is still one of Breckenridge's great mysteries. Rumors surrounding the nugget's loss include it being displayed at the Smithsonian, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and Chicago's Field Museum, but none were verified. The Colorado State Historical Museum was asked to examine gold specimens that had been deposited in a Denver Bank in 1926. Tom's Baby was found, but there are still over five pounds of the nugget missing. Tom's baby was assumed kidnapped.

Like most mining towns of the era, Breckenridge was not the most pious of communities. Drinking, gambling, and prostitution were rampant. Breckenridge was home to one of the most famous evangelists in Colorado history -Reverend John Lewis Dyer. The Methodist minister, known as the "Snowshoe Itinerant," walked and skied his way through the mountains, taking the gospel to those who might not otherwise hear it. Carrying heavy canvas sacks of mail over the snow-packed mountain passes; Father Dyer earned enough money to continue his missionary work in Breckenridge. In 1880, he built Breckenridge's first church, now located on Wellington Road. Father Dyer established a local parish, determined to set the town straight. When he refused to stop ringing his church bells and waking up the hungover residents of Breckenridge, the townspeople used dynamite mining caps to blow up his church steeple. No more bell. While Father Dyer was trying to save souls, famed desperado Pug Ryan was doing his best to deliver souls to their Maker. In 1898, Pug robbed a midnight poker game at the posh Denver Hotel on Main Street. An accidental discharge from a sawed-off shotgun announced Pug's arrival. None the less, he got away with $50 in cash from the bar till, as well as fine watches and jewelry from the gamesters. Pug died for his digressions at the state penitentiary in Canon City in 1931.

The Gold Pan Saloon was one of the first businesses of its kind in town and is still in operation today, making it the oldest continuously operating saloon west of the Mississippi River. Breckenridge got its name when the town wanted a post office. The townspeople thought they could increase their odds of getting one if they named their town after the nation's Vice President at the time, John Breckinridge. The idea worked and Breckinridge got its post office. But when civil war broke out in 1864, John Breckinridge sided with the south and the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge wanted the town's name changed. The solution was easy: change an i to an e, and it's been Breckenridge ever since.

An ambitious grid was eventually platted for the 320-acre Breckenridge town site. Main Street was laid out parallel to the Blue River. Residences developed along Main Street, to the north, south, and east of the commercial core. On the west side of the Blue River, in "West Breckenridge," industry, inexpensive housing, and a red light district were established. By June 1860, a row of log cabins, tents, and shanties lined Main Street.

By mid-1861, Breckenridge boasted several stores, hotels, saloons, and a post office. On October 11, 1861, the Town secured the Denver, Bradford, and Blue River Road Wagon Company connection, which gave lifeblood to the little gold mining community. Breckenridge's Main Street allowed for ease in turning around freight wagons and became the center of social and athletic activities. During the mining heyday, Breckenridge provided the miners with a variety of attractions. Without diversions, life in the mining camp would have been an endless cycle of routine work.

Breckenridge was established as the permanent county seat of Summit County, Colorado, but by the mid-1860s, the Civil War and increasing difficulty in locating free, accessible gold led to a drop in the Breckenridge population. Many businessmen and merchants moved on to other boomtowns. Although specific population figures for this period are not available, the community's population is believed to have been less than 500 in 1866.

The late-1860s saw the introduction of large-scale hydraulic placer mining to the area and Breckenridge was once again engrossed in another mining phase. Hydraulic mining occurred in Lomax, Iowa, Georgia, and other gulches. Hydraulic mining also brought about another change in the character of the local mining industry. Individual miners and mining companies consolidated their holdings. The days of the lone prospector were gone. In 1879 Breckenridge found itself an important hard-rock mining location and prominent supply center. The discovery of rich silver and lead carbonates in the hillsides nearby put the Breckenridge mining district on the map and the second wave of fortune hunters invaded. Breckenridge had plenty of "elbow room" to grow and the community was formally incorporated in 1880. Soon more substantial architecture appeared. Comfortable houses, churches, and a school were built on the hillside east of Main Street. Saloons and other false-fronted commercial ventures were confined to the main streets. Main Street became the business thoroughfare and in 1880 eighteen saloons and three dance halls lined the street. Ridge Street, parallel to Main, had a grocery store, hotel, post office, dry goods store, bank, assay office, and a drug store.

By 1882, Breckenridge secured a depot site for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad and thereby brought rail service to Town. Breckenridge doomed a half dozen other rival company towns in the process, including Swan City, Preston, and Lincoln City. The population of Breckenridge peaked at approximately 2000. By 1882, Breckenridge added three newspapers and a cemetery. The Town also managed to organize three fire companies to protect the vulnerable wooden structures. A major fire in 1884 destroyed a number of buildings along Main Street and Ridge Street. Despite the fire danger, local carpenters continued to build with wood because of the availability of materials and the reduced time, effort, and cost of construction.

Although the gold rush may be over, the rush for great powder skiing is still growing. Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Vail are all commonly owned. You'll find your fellow skiers and snowboarders are a mixed bag. Though the general atmosphere is still more down-to-earth than that at some of Colorado's more chi-chi resorts, new shops and restaurants tend to cater to the upscale crowd. With Vail's ownership, this trend probably will continue. Restaurant and ski-area workers remain as friendly as ever, though, and long-time Breckenridge locals still retain much of the devil-may-care attitude of their 19th-century predecessors, which helps balance out any stuffiness that the tourists may bring.
For 2002/03, a high-speed, six-passenger chair was added to access 165 additional acres (seven trails) of much-needed intermediate terrain on Peak 7, as well as the Peak 7.

World War II Ends the Mining Era
The population of Breckenridge dropped to fewer than 1,000 people by the turn of the century. Despite a successful gold-dredging boom from 1898 to 1942, the population continued to drop throughout the first half of the twentieth century. More and more buildings were abandoned. Thinking the Tiger Placers Company would provide jobs in an era of national depression, Breckenridge town officials allowed the Tiger #1 Gold Dredge to chew its way from the northern town limits through the south end of Main Street. The two-story, pontoon boat supported an armature that carried a line of moving buckets that dug up placer mining ground to depths of 48 feet in the riverbed. The dredge removed all vegetation and buildings in its path. The riverbed was literally turned upside-down. Fine soils of the river bottom were either sent to the depths below or sent downstream as sediment. The riverbed and bedrock below were dredged up to the surface. As a result, few historic buildings survived on the west side of the river. World War II finally silenced the dredge and the population declined to approximately 254 individuals.

Many of Breckenridge's historic buildings were lost during the "post-war" period for a variety of reasons. Some property owners demolished their structures to reduce their tax burden. Other buildings were lost to accidental fires, while others were purposely burned in practice exercises of volunteer fire crews. Some buildings were even torn down for firewood. Breckenridge, however, never achieved ghost town status. Instead, it maintained itself as a small town until the advent of the ski industry. The closest it came to a ghost town was in 1930, when it was decided that Breckenridge had been excluded from maps of the United States. The Breckenridge Women's Club was in session one day in 1936 when they found a strip of land 90-miles long and 30-miles wide had been left out of the United States. Breckenridge was included in this area with points north to Grand County. So, on August 8, 1936, the Governor and an impressive entourage gathered on the courthouse lawn, where a flag of the United States was raised. Today, for one weekend in August, Breckenridge declares itself free and sovereign with the heritage festival, once known as "No Man's Land."

White Gold and the Eisenhower Tunnel
In December 1961, Rounds and Porter, a Wichita, Kansas, lumber company, opened the Breckenridge Ski Area and a new-boom era began. Transportation improvements fueled the Breckenridge recreation "rush." The Eisenhower Tunnel, on Interstate 70, was completed in 1973 reducing the drive time from Denver to Breckenridge to an hour and a half. As a result of the relatively easy access from the Front Range and Denver, the recreational activities in the high country including bicycling, hiking, golfing, fishing, snowshoeing, and skiing, has increased in popularity. Record numbers of skiers and visitors now visit the Town of Breckenridge and record numbers of vehicles now pass through the Eisenhower tunnel. During the 2001-2002 ski season a record 4,400 vehicles passed through the tunnel in a one-hour period and the 24-hour winter record was set on December 29, 2001 when 44,000 vehicles passed through the tunnel. High visitor numbers are not limited only to the ski season. The ten highest weekend vehicle counts at the Eisenhower tunnel have all occurred in July and August. The current weekend record was set in August of 2001 when 140,367 vehicles passed through the tunnel. The single busiest day on record is August 5, 2001 when 50,113 vehicles passed through the tunnel in a 24-hour period. Overall, the tunnel traffic increases about 3.5% per year. The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highways Administration are studying this Interstate 70 corridor as well as State Highway 9 that connects Breckenridge to the Interstate. Information about these studies can be found on the CDOT web site at www.dot.state.co.us.

BARNEY FORD
Barney Ford House Museum

Have you ever wondered what was behind that chain link fence and those beautiful cottonwood and spruce trees at the corner of Main and Washington in Breckenridge? Well wonder no longer. The Barney Ford House is located at that site.The Museum is a collaborative effort between the Town of Breckenridge and The Saddle Rock Society, a non-profit foundation that owns the property. The museum will be a tribute to Barney L. Ford, a prominent black Coloradoan who was the first owner of the home.

Located at 111 East Washington Avenue, the Barney Ford House was designed and built in 1882 for Mister Barney Ford, his wife Julia and their children Lewis, Sadie and Frankie by prominent craftsman Elias Nashold. In its day, the Barney Ford House was considered a showplace home in Breckenridge.

In 1824 Barney Ford was born a slave in Virginia. At age eighteen, his owner hired him out as a waiter on a Mississippi steamboat. He escaped, and with the help of the Underground Railroad, he went to Chicago where he met Henry Wagoner. Both men taught themselves to read and write, and Ford later married Wagoner's sister, Julia, and fathered three children. He worked with the Underground Railroad until he heard that gold had been discovered in California in 1848.

Being a fugitive slave, Ford was fearful of traveling overland. He bought ship passage to California for himself and Julia, by way of Nicaragua. Central America proved to be an ideal place for making money, and Ford decided to stay. In 1851, he opened the United States Hotel and Restaurant, playing host to many United States dignitaries. During a political dispute with Great Britain, an American ship bombarded the town, destroying his hotel and half of the city. Ford and his wife returned to Chicago $5,000 richer. He opened a livery stable, which doubled as a station for the Underground Railroad.

In 1860, Ford headed west again to Colorado, in search of gold. He was refused a hotel room in Mountain City, and boarded with the famous Aunt Clara Brown. He staked a claim near Denver but White men jumped his claim. He and several other Black prospectors staked another claim on a hill southeast of Breckenridge, Colorado. Since the Dred Scott court decision denied Blacks the right to own land, Ford asked his White lawyer to file a claim in the lawyer's name. Presuming Ford had struck it rich, the lawyer sent the sheriff to order Ford off "his land" within twenty-four hours. That night, White riders came and ran Ford and his friends away. The White men were unable to find gold, and afterwards started the legend that Ford had buried it on the mountainside. 1964, it was historically named "Barney Ford Hill."

Ford became a prosperous tycoon in the hotel, restaurant and barbershop businesses in Denver. His luxurious Inter-Ocean Hotels, in Denver and Cheyenne, were the fanciest hotels in the west, and his impressive guest list included President Ulysses S. Grant. By the 1870's, Ford had amassed a fortune estimated at close to a quarter of a million dollars. Ford's influence was felt in many ways. During the Civil War, he gave finanical assistance, food, and jobs to run-away and newly freed slaves. With his friend Wagoner, he established Colorado's first adult education classes for Blacks. They taught Blacks reading, writing, arithmetic, and the principles of democratic government.

In support of the Black cause, Ford joined the fight and lobbied in Washington over the organization of the Colorado territory and the question of statehood. Ford's battle against statehood was to prevent Blacks' loss of citizenship in Colorado. Primarily due to his lobbying efforts, Colorado lost its initial bid for statehood. Later, he became the first Black to serve on a Colorado grand jury. And, in 1882, he and his wife were the first Blacks to be invited to a Colorado Association of Pioneers' dinner. Ford, who championed the Black cause all of his life, died of a stroke in 1902.

Today, the hill in Breckenridge where the first train chugged into view is still named Barney Ford Hill. A stained glass portrait of Ford adorns the legislative chambers of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver; and the Barney Ford House, in Breckenridge, is being adapted as a house museum in his honor. To his credit, numerous books and articles have been published about the life of this remarkable, pioneer.

In 2002 longtime residents Patty and Robin Theobald established the Saddle Rock Society, a non-profit foundation. They donated the Barney Ford home to the Society, in hopes of providing a public benefit for the community of Breckenridge. In the fall of 2003 the Town of Breckenridge and the Saddle Rock Society crafted an agreement by which the town "leases" the property and assists with the restoration process. This arrangement in turn will provide a long-term public benefit to the community and a well-planned addition to the Breckenridge historic sites. The Saddle Rock Society's goals for the Barney Ford House Museum are to educate the public about Barney Ford along with the role of people of color in Colorado history. Also to develop the House Museum as an educational resource not only about Breckenridge and its history, but also about houses and building techniques at the turn of the century.

On July 4 the Barney Ford House Museum was opened as a "restoration in progress." It is anticipated that one room will be fully restored, while the remainder of the house will provide furnishings and historical information, but will not be in their fully restored state. The Summit Historical Society will assist with volunteer museum docents and house furnishings for this summer season. It is the intention of the Town and the Saddle Rock Society to close the museum for the winter of 2004-05 to continue the restoration.

The Barney Ford House Museum will be open in September on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am -2 pm.

End of the Millennium and Planning for the Future
The Breckenridge permanent resident population grew from 393 in 1960 to 3,126 at the end of 2002. The "peak" population, which includes residents, second-home owners, skiers, and day visitors also, increased significantly from 11,600 in 1984 to approximately 33,291 during the 2002-03 ski season. The number of Breckenridge housing units has increased from only 325 units in 1970 to approximately 6,351 units by the end of 2002.

Commercial construction has also been strong. In the ten years between 1983 and 1993, the Town's commercial square footage more than doubled, from approximately 500,000 square feet to over 1,104,000 square feet. It has continued to increase steadily, and currently there is over 1,409,971 square feet of commercial development that includes retail, office, government, recreation, light industry, and manufacturing, etc.

The 1983 Breckenridge Master Plan provides the general guidance for the growth of the Town to balance new development and community character. In 1997 the Town coordinated with Summit County and the Town of Blue River to adopt an intergovernmental plan for the Upper Blue Basin. The Joint Upper Blue Basin Master Plan establishes goals and strategies for development in the Upper Blue Basin. The Town continues to implement the strategies outlined in that plan to insure the appropriate quantity and pattern of development. In August of 2002, the Town adopted the Breckenridge Vision Plan, which outlines specific action steps that reflect the community's values and vision. These documents are all available on the Town's web site at www.townofbreckenridge.com.

The Town utilizes design guidelines to preserve the character of the historic district and a unique flexible zoning system that is based on performance standards. The Town has also adopted a Transfer of Development Rights Program as a way to direct new development into the core and to preserve the back country which provides diverse wildlife habitat, unspoiled ridgeline and mountain vistas, forested hillsides, opportunities for solitude and outdoor recreation, and a scenic back drop.
Breckenridge still serves as the county seat and is a center of activity for Summit County. The stunning landscape, cultural heritage, authentic mining vernacular, and Victorian atmosphere have created a thriving community and premier year-round family resort, which attracts both national and international visitors. With world-class skiing, a continuous series of summer-time events, and over 600 restaurants, galleries, and services Breckenridge looks forward to continued economic viability while preserving its unique history and character.

Bucyrus Dredge
This dredge, now a dismantled hull, is easily visible in its own pond in Galena Gulch. Built by the Bucyrus Company of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it was owned by the North American Gold Dredging Company, a business chartered, managed and part-owned by Ben Stanley Revett, the "Dredge Boat King." The Bucyrus plied the Swan River, where bedrock depth averaged just over 40 feet, from April 1899 to 1904. The 100-ft.-long, wooden gold dredge, considered the first successful dredge, had a voracious appetite, devouring and then spewing out 2,500 cubic yards of gravel and dirt every 24 hours. A three-man crew operated this steam-powered, hungry monster.

Dredges were built in ponds large enough to float their hulls. They were anchored to the shore by cables and to the pond floor by hollow, heavy, pointed spud poles driven into the gravel. Every eight hours or so the spuds were lifted and men onshore, using winches, pulled the dredge forward. Then the spuds were reanchored so the dredges could continue their eating and disgorging, making 200-ft. arcs in the sides of the ponds three times a day as they "stepped" along, maneuvered by their cable/winch systems. As the dredges moved, so moved the ponds. Not all ponds that harbored dredges had green water as does this pond. In this instance, the color is due to the presence of copper. Nearby is a large "mechanical miners" interpretive sign for visitors to read.

Dredging, a form of placer mining, operated in the Blue and Swan rivers and in French Creek from 1898 until 1942. Over the course of those 44 years, nine dredges, all but one owned at some point by Revett, plied those waterways; never more than five operated at one time.

Directions: The Bucyrus Dredge is located on Tiger Road between Breckenridge and Frisco. From Blue River Plaza in Breckenridge, proceed north on State Highway 9 toward Frisco approximately 4 miles to Tiger Road. Turn right (east) off State Highway 9 at Tiger Road north of Breckenridge. Follow the road for 2.7 miles to the dredge parking lot on the left. The short path on the right from the parking lot leads to an observation point; the short path on the left goes past the mechanical miners sign. The dredge is easily visible from both paths and from the parking lot.

Father Dyer Cabin
The Reverend John Lewis Dyer and two down-on-their-luck miners built this small cabin in 1880. The transitional log cabin is typical of cabins built in the 1870s and 1880s: it has a wood plank floor, a shingled roof, a window, a board-and-batten door (over which a horseshoe is hung for good luck) and logs notched in saddle fashion. Log cabins were well suited to frontier towns and mining camps. They were quickly thrown together, and one man could, if necessary, build a cabin by himself.

Inside this cabin, as in most cabins, are homemade furniture and an iron stove. Bunk beds are built in one corner; often they were attached to the walls. On the newspaper-lined shelf at the head of the bed are matches, a candle, pipes, tobacco, a shaving mug and razor. The homemade table is covered with cans of sugar, salt and condensed milk plus a few tin plates and cups. The cups are upside down to keep out rodents and dirt. On a box turned on end are a water bucket and wash pan. A ladder leads to the loft. Burlap serves as the window curtain.

Visitors note the sparsity of homey touches and the lack of unessential knickknacks that lend character and coziness to a dwelling. The meager furnishings denote a temporariness which, in this case, is appropriate. On the other hand, the authentic simplicity shows what little the cabin's inhabitants needed.

Directions: Father Dyer's Cabin is located at 310 Wellington Road, Breckenridge, near the intersection of Wellington and French Street. From Blue River Plaza in the center of Breckenridge, proceed north on Main Street (toward Frisco) for two blocks to Wellington Road. Turn right (east) and proceed two blocks to French. Father Dyer's Cabin is located on the left side of the street beside the Methodist Church.

Summit County Courthouse
The stately beauty of the Colonial Revival-style county courthouse is what beckons visitors up its sandstone steps and through its double glass doors. The interior, however, is why people return to the grand building that was officially dedicated on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1910.

The most striking architectural features in the octagonal main-floor hall are the magnificent golden-oak staircase and woodwork and the high ceiling from which a chandelier is suspended. Behind the reception desk is a handsome quilt that depicts various historical county places and industries. A booklet that provides more detail about the quilt's squares is on the counter for visitors to peruse. Hangings on all hallway and office walls are photos of historic sites and county "pioneers." Upstairs is the favorite, and largest, room, the current BOCC Room; originally it was the district courtroom. "Clusters of globes" hang from the beautiful pressed-tin ceiling, and eight windows let in plenty of light. Minerals found in the county are displayed in a large exhibit case in the upper lobby. Originally the lower floor contained a one-cell jail and an apartment for the building's custodian and his family. Now the only sign of a jail is the peephole through which jailers could see inmates.

Notable exterior details are the four-sided cupola that shimmers in the sunlight and two pediments that feature mining and railroading scenes in bas-relief on pressed zinc. Onlookers often try to figure out which painted scene represents mining and which represents railroading.

Directions: The Summit County Courthouse is located at 208 Lincoln Ave., Breckenridge, between Ridge and French Streets. From Blue River Plaza in the center of Breckenridge, proceed north on Main Street (toward Frisco) for one block to the stoplight at Main and Lincoln. Turn right (east) and proceed one block to Ridge. The Courthouse is located on the left side of the street.

Colorado Mountain College
This Spanish Colonial (Mission) Revival-style building was erected as a schoolhouse -- not for the two-year college that now occupies its rooms, but as a school with a K-12 curriculum. Designed by a Denver architect, the all-grade facility was the town's third schoolhouse. The first school, a 20' x 25', wood, one-room structure at the North Main and Carter intersection, served students in grades 1-8 from 1870 until 1882. In October of '82, a four-room, two-story, $4,000 schoolhouse, complete with bell, opened for "slate and switch." Classes for the town's 134 pupils were held in that building at the corner of Lincoln and Harris until 1909.

In 1909, a $20,000 public investment underwrote the K-12 school, the first school in the county where full high school diplomas could be attained. By 1921, the beautiful, red pressed-brick school boasted an indoor swimming pool (since filled in), a gymnasium, an auditorium and ornate pressed-tin ceilings (since covered with acoustical tiles). Also 1921 upgraded teacher salaries upgraded on a now-politically-incorrect sexual-discrimination scale: male teachers earned $67.50 monthly; female teachers received $49.50.

This handsome structure operated as a school until 1962. Later it housed the Breckenridge Town Hall, and now it serves the community as a branch of the College Mountain College.

Directions: Colorado Mountain College is located at 103 South Harris Street, Breckenridge, near the intersection of Lincoln and Harris. From Blue River Plaza in the center of Breckenridge, proceed north on Main Street (toward Frisco) for one block to the stoplight at Main and Lincoln. Turn right (east) and proceed three blocks to Harris. Turn right (south) onto Harris. The college is on your right and is a large brick building.

Email: info@skicountry.com
213 N. Main St. • PO Box 649 • Breckenridge. Colorado 80424

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