With deep roots in gold and silver mining, Breckenridge, Colo., possesses something that many ski towns and resorts try to emulate—authentic character.
Breckenridge's boom began in 1859 with the discovery of gold along the banks of the Blue River. Miners set up a camp and called it Breckenridge. Fueled by mining riches, including a 13.5-pound gold nugget called "Tom's Baby" that is now on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Breckenridge grew into a town of 8,000 residents.
When the boom dwindled and people left, Breckenridge teetered on the verge of becoming a ghost town until the ski industry stepped in. In 1961, Breckenridge opened with two lifts and tallied close to 17,000 skier visits in its first year of operation.
Over the years, the resort strived to break ground in the industry, adding the first high-speed quad chairlift in 1981 and then three years later becoming the first major resort in Colorado to allow snowboarding.
Today Breckenridge, partly due to its accessible location for day trippers from Colorado Springs and the Denver metropolitan area, is often touted as the most visited ski resort in the country, often topping more than 1.4 million visitors annually.
Despite its growth, Breckenridge still clings to its historic past. While the original camp no longer exists, the miner's raucous saloon, the Gold Pan, still stands as an established business on N. Main Street. Breckenridge holds more than 350 historic structures, making it the largest historic district in the state of Colorado.
Breckenridge's boom began in 1859 with the discovery of gold along the banks of the Blue River. Miners set up a camp and called it Breckenridge. Fueled by mining riches, including a 13.5-pound gold nugget called "Tom's Baby" that is now on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Breckenridge grew into a town of 8,000 residents.
When the boom dwindled and people left, Breckenridge teetered on the verge of becoming a ghost town until the ski industry stepped in. In 1961, Breckenridge opened with two lifts and tallied close to 17,000 skier visits in its first year of operation.
Over the years, the resort strived to break ground in the industry, adding the first high-speed quad chairlift in 1981 and then three years later becoming the first major resort in Colorado to allow snowboarding.
Today Breckenridge, partly due to its accessible location for day trippers from Colorado Springs and the Denver metropolitan area, is often touted as the most visited ski resort in the country, often topping more than 1.4 million visitors annually.
Despite its growth, Breckenridge still clings to its historic past. While the original camp no longer exists, the miner's raucous saloon, the Gold Pan, still stands as an established business on N. Main Street. Breckenridge holds more than 350 historic structures, making it the largest historic district in the state of Colorado.
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