Breckenridge Colorado History

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History of Breckenridge, Colorado.

On August 10 of 1859 Ruben J. Spalding discovered gold in the Blue River in the present location of 847 Airport Road. The town sprang to life the following year as gold was discovered all over Summit County. Four stores were built and there were just over 8,000 people living in Blue River as citizens started the first freight business over Georgia Pass to Parkville. Shortly after the town population declined until the second boom around 1880 and the first train crawled into Breckenridge in August of 1882. This, along with construction of Victorian era homes, hotels, and stores helped to transform it from a rugged mining camp to a charming mountain town.

Breckenridge in the early 1900's was known for affluence and elegance. The population numbered 2,000, there were four churches, six saloons, and the pride of the town, the courthouse was built in 1909. Mining in the 1900's relied mostly on dredging, which was very profitable, though destructive, and supported the town through the early part of the century. With the onset of World War II, most of the mining equipment was sent away to be used for machinery and the last dredge stopped at Jefferson Avenue October 15, 1942.

Following the end of the war, a new gold was discovered in Summit County: white gold in the form of snow. The men returning from the famed 10th Mountain Division were instrumental tin the development of Vail, Aspen, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone and the U.S. Ski Patrol. When Breckenridge Ski Resort opened December 16, 1961 with a double chairlift and a T-bar on Peak 8, Breckenridge was merely a ghost town with a population of only 300 and dirt roads. The next almost 50 years would see the addition of the T-bar to the Peak 8 bowls, the Bell Tower Station (now Main Street Station), the Quicksilver lift on Peak 9, the addition of Peak 10, and the addition of snowboarders in 1984 as Breckenridge was the first major resort to allow the new sport.

When Vail Resorts purchased the Breckenridge Ski Resort on January 4, 1997 for $310 million, a fresh attitude and a new outlook on the future of the town descended on the residents. Real estate development became instrumental in the growth of the town and the mountain. In the years since, Breckenridge has seen the addition of Peak 7, the Skiway Skyway, the new Imperial Chairlift (the highest chairlift in North America), the BreckConnect gondola, and plans for the addition of Peak 6.

Today, Breckenridge is a unique resort town that offers not only a first-class year-round resort experience, but also a real town with real history. This history has shaped our unique town into the destination it is today. One can only begin to imagine the changes that will take shape over the coming years and the excitement that will come from being part of it all.