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| View from Mineral Trail |
Through the 19th century slag heaps above Leadville winds the mineral trail...a bike and cross-country ski loop that takes in the town's mining history. Leadville is one of the few towns in Colorado that started out as a mining site (gold, silver, lead) and has continued to be a mining town (molybdenum).. Early morning customers in this coffee shop include mine administrative folks who are heading up to the Climax Mine at Fremont Pass.
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| Mining Camp in the 1880s |
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| Sellers Mine in Leadville | | | | | |
The town has a sense of authenticity missing from places like Vail with their ersatz European veneer. It is cold here at 10,150 feet; life is hard. Leadville has never really recovered from the closure of Climax Mine in the early 1980s. Winter and summer sports (bike races, ski joring, skiing at nearby Ski Cooper) can only bring in so much.
When I pass through town, sometimes staying a few days, I stay at the local hostel, run by Wild Bill and his wife. They run a "tight ship" and there are always interesting folk sharing the ample space (a woman getting "in condition" for a five month trip to Nepal, an African doing work at Colorado Mountain College, men doing temporary work with road crews)....a cross section.
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| Road Sign Outside the Hostel |
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| Bric-a- Brac in the hostel living room |
In Norwegian, "kosilig" means cozy, warm, friendly. Doubt that term would have applied to this town during its early mining days. Still the hostel, just down the street from the mine ruins, has that feel after a day of exploring the winter snows.
