Discover Leadville and Lake County’s colorful and wild past
Miners, cowboys, ranchers and madams helped shape the colorful history of Leadville, Colo., one of America’s richest and long-lived mining boomtowns. History buffs can learn more about the lives of these hardworking, rough-and-tumble settlers during the fun and educational Explore Historic Leadville weekend, Sept. 14-16, 2012. Presented by Colorado Mountain College’s campus in Leadville, the weekend activities include tours of a stagecoach trail, underground mine, cemetery, museums, ranch and historic buildings, as well as a theatrical performance.
The weekend will begin on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 14, with a welcome and tour of the Colorado Mountain College campus, a tour of the historic Hayden Ranch and a trip alongside the Arkansas River with stops at interpretive signs detailing the history of the Old Stage Road. On Saturday, Sept. 15, participants will tour the Leadville mining district; enjoy a picnic lunch and tour at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum; take a guided tour of the Evergreen Cemetery narrated by Judge Neil Harris, a fifth-generation Leadville resident; and choose between an afternoon tour of The Delaware Hotel or Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin. The Saturday evening lineup includes a performance by the “Madams of Central Colorado” and dinner at the 126-year-old Delaware Hotel in downtown Leadville.
The weekend will conclude Sunday, Sept. 16, with an underground tour of the Hopemore Mine, which takes visitors 600 feet down to explore an authentic hard rock mine, followed by rockhounding in the mining district and a grab-and-go lunch. The $199 event fee covers all tours and activities, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. Lodging is not included; several area properties are offering discounted rates for the event (http://www.cmcneverstoplearning.com/Explore-Historic-Leadville). For liability purposes, participants are asked to use their own vehicles when transportation is necessary.
For more information or to register, contact Colorado Mountain College in Leadville at 719-486-4292 or jgreen@coloradomtn.edu, or visit www.coloradomtn.edu/Encore (click on “Encore! On the Road”).
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