Taylor Seavey: Leadville, Colorado

Right now we are in Longmont, near Boulder, Colorado. We're based out here for a couple weeks until after the Boulder 70.3 race that I will be participating in on August 8th. I wanted to write a post about Leadville because we spent a few days and nights there before going to Beaver Creek. This old silver mining town is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,200 feet above sea level. It also has some other interesting facts worth mentioning...

Dad took this picture just as we left our campground in Leadville before we went on one of our bike rides. The air was a little thin, but you hardly notice it until you start exercising.

A hiker and his mule walk up one of the roads that leads to some of the old mining shafts, buildings, and sites from the late 1800s.

You can't see much here but there is a 12 mile long paved multi-use trail (called the Mineral Belt) that circles the town and goes through the old mining sites and scenic spots. The trail also has signs with history facts and stories placed at those sites to read along the way.

Situated in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Leadville was founded in 1877 after miners found silver lodes, which set off the Colorado Silver Boom. At one time, as one of the world's largest silver camps Leadville's population rivaled Denver, totaling around 40,000 people. There were a few different mining sites in Leadville and they often competed with each other to try to produce the most silver. One of the signs along the Mineral Belt trail told a story of a group of miners from one mine smoking out another mine and its miners with boots filled with sulfur, gunpowder and dynamite. As with any mining camps, life was rough and rowdy as ever here. As told by Oscar Wilde, a writer and poet who toured there in 1882 on one of his lectures after a visit to a local saloon, "where I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was a notice printed-"Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best."

Other than Oscar Wilde, other celebrities and well-known people have visited Leadville, including the American Old West outlaw, Doc Holliday. In 1883, Holliday moved to Leadville. He was forced to flee Tombstone, Arizona shortly after the gunfight at the O.K. Corral where he fought alongside Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp. It was also here that Doc shot Leadville ex-policeman Billy Allen after Allen threatened Doc for not paying a $5 debt. Somehow afterwards, Doc was found not guilty of the action.

Harry Houdini the magician, performed at the Tabor Opera House, which still stands.

Margaret Brown, the famous human rights activist and survivor of the sinking of the Titanic also moved here when she was 18 years old.

This is a hydaulic front end loader on narrow gauge tracks that was used to help dig out the mine shafts.

After the Silver Boom most of the mines closed down or started mining for lead and zinc. The population went down to just under 3,000 as determined in 2005. Now most of the income to the town is from tourism. The town's main street is lined with big buildings of victorian architecture and many smaller shops. There are museums that also tell the tales of the mining town's heydays.

In the picture above is a cut-out of Dave Weins standing beside his actual mountain bike. Dave is the six time winner of the famous Leadville Trail 100 mile mountain bike race. The Leadville Trail 100 bike race is held mid-August every year. The race course is a 50 mile out and back course and is above 9,000 feet and climbs to almost 13,000 feet in some places. About 1,000 racers participate and it attracts about 20,000 spectators. Every mountain biker must complete the race under 12 hours before the final cutoff to receive a silver buckle award, and anyone who completes it under 9 hours receives a gold and silver trophy buckle. Last year, Lance Armstrong won the race in 6 hours and 28 minutes, and on a flat tire.

The Leadville Trail 100 mile run is also another race that is held on August 21 which runners run 50 miles out and 50 miles back on forest trails and mountain roads, the lowest point of the course is at 9,200 feet and the highest point is at 12,600 feet. Every runner must complete the race under 30 hours before the race cut-off to receive a silver buckle. Under 25 hours will earn you a large gold and silver trophy buckle. The course record was set by Matt Carpenter, who completed the race in a blistering 15 hours and 42 minutes.

For more info or just out of curiosity, check out the "Race Across the Sky" DVD about the Leadville Trail 100!

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Just randomness....does this sign mean No People Swimming, No Aliens Swimming, or No Swimming Because Of Aliens In The Water??? This picture was taken in the town of Wheatridge on our way to Boulder.