The town of Breckenridge embraces its rich heritage. Breckenridge is home to more than 250 historic structures from old homes and museums to dredge boats and gold mines, many of which are still in operation. The history of Breckenridge can be found throughout the community and contributes greatly to the fabric and character of the town. Breckenridge boasts the largest official historic district in Colorado and is proud to showcase a variety of museums and historic sites carefully preserved and open for all to enjoy.
Located about 80 miles southwest of Denver in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, 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. By mid-1861, Breckenridge hosted several stores, hotels, saloons, and a post office. Main Street in Breckenridge became the center of social and political activities in the area. During the mining era, 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 got its name when the town wanted to establish the post office for the region and become the county seat. The townspeople thought they could increase their odds of getting a post office 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, Vice President Breckinridge sided with the south and the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge wanted the town's name changed. The solution was easy: change Breckinridge to Breckenridge and the name of the town has been spelled Breckenridge ever since.
By securing the post office, Breckenridge was established as the permanent county seat of Summit County, 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. 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. Individual miners and mining companies consolidated their holdings. The days of the lone prospector were gone. The discovery of rich silver and lead in the hills around Breckenridge brought a second wave of fortune hunters to Breckenridge. Breckenridge was formally incorporated in 1880 and soon after, more substantial architecture appeared. Main Street became the business thoroughfare and in 1880, as many as eighteen saloons and three dance halls lined the street! Saloons and other commercial ventures were confined to the main streets. 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. Ridge Street, which sits parallel to Main Street, had a grocery store, hotel, post office, bank, dry goods store, assay office and a drug store.
By 1882, Breckenridge secured a stopover for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad and thereby brought rail service to town. By 1882, Breckenridge was home to 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.
Dredge mining came to Breckenridge in 1898. The new mining process resulted in the Blue and French Gulch riverbeds being dug up leaving large rock piles, which you can still see today. The process of dredge mining started with building a dredge boat in a pond large enough to float its hull. The dredge boat was then anchored to the shore by cables and to the pond floor by hollow, heavy, poles driven into the gravel. Every eight hours, the poles would be lifted and men using winches onshore would pull the dredge forward. The dredges operated by pulling out all of the rocks and material from the pond edge and in the process would make 200 foot arcs in the sides of the ponds three times a day as they moved along.
Dredging operations took place from 1898 until 1942. Over the course of those 44 years, nine dredges operated in the Breckenridge area. The Dredge Bar & Restaurant is a replica of mining equipment from this era. World War II finally silenced the dredging operations and the population of Breckenridge declined to approximately 254 individuals.
In the second half of the 20th century, a new resource was discovered in Breckenridge. In December 1961, a lumber company called Rounds and Porter out of Wichita, Kansas, opened the Breckenridge Ski Resort and a new-boom era began. The completion of the Eisenhower Tunnel in 1973 reduced the driving time from Denver to Breckenridge to just 1.5 hours, creating a recreation rush. As a result of the easy access to Breckenridge from the Front Range, activities in the high country including bicycling, hiking, golfing, fishing, snowshoeing, and skiing, increased in popularity. Breckenridge’s ideal location is perfectly poised to make vacation and recreation dreams a reality.
Breckenridge still serves as the county seat and is the center of activity for Summit County, CO. The stunning landscape, cultural heritage, authentic mining history and world class ski resort have created a thriving community and popular year-round family resort. Breckenridge looks forward to continuing to offer the ultimate vacation experience while preserving its unique history and character.
Important Historic sites: There are many important historical sites located in and around Breckenridge. From prominent citizen’s homes to mines to museums, Breckenridge is alive with history. Below are a few of the more important sites to consider visiting on your Breckenridge vacation. For a complete list of Breckenridge’s historic sites, please visit the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.
Breckenridge Welcome Center
The Breckenridge Welcome Center is located at 203 South Main Street, near the Blue River Plaza. This information center is unique as it is also a free historical museum. The Breckenridge Welcome Center offers information on everything from dining and shopping to winter and summer activities in and around Breckenridge. The Breckenridge Welcome Center’s free museum includes a series of interactive exhibits about the town's history and environmental accomplishments. For those interested in seeing some historic sites, the Breckenridge Welcome Center is also the starting point for the historic walking tours of town that are hosted and presented by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.
- For more information on the Breckenridge Welcome Center, call 877-864-0868.
- For more information on historic walking tours, call the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance at 970-453-9767.
Barney Ford Museum
The Barney Ford House Museum honors Barney L. Ford, an escaped slave who prospered and became a prominent entrepreneur in Breckenridge and African-American civil rights leader in Colorado. Today, the Barney Ford House Museum has been restored to its original Victorian style and each room in the home is dedicated to a different part of Barney’s life. Museum hours are Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Barney Ford Museum, call the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance at 970-453-9767.
Edwin Carter Museum
Edwin Carter came to Breckenridge in 1868 seeking gold and fortune, but his goals changed when he saw the devastation mining had on the environment and local wildlife. Carter became a taxidermist and collected thousands of Rocky Mountain animal specimens in his museum, which doubled as his home. Carter worked and lived in his museum for 25 years. When he passed away, Carter's collection of almost 3,300 Colorado wildlife specimens formed the nucleus of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Today, the Edwin Carter Museum honors the life and legacy of Edwin Carter. Museum hours are Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Edwin Carter Museum, call the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance at 970-453-9767.
Summit Ski Museum
Celebrating the first ski town in Colorado and the first 100 years of skiing in Summit County, the Summit Ski Museum is a colorful look into the history of skiing in Summit County. Museum hours are Tuesday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Summit Ski Museum, call the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance at 970-453-9767.