Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.historycolorado.org
;
912 Harrison Ave; adult/child 6-12yr $6/4.50; 10am-4:30pm mid-May-Sep)
Two of
Leadville's oldest surviving homes are decked out with the owners' original gear and peri-
od pieces resembling what they may have enjoyed. The Dexter Cabin was the original
mining digs of wealthy gold-mining investor, James V Dexter. The much grander 1878
Greek Revival home, now known as Healy House, was built by August R Meyer.
Healy House features lavish Victorian furnishings collected in Leadville, including ob-
jects belonging to silver tycoon Horace Tabor and his wife Augusta (Baby Doe), among
other Leadville pioneers.
MUSEUM
National Mining Hall of Fame
(
www.mininghalloffame.org
;
120 W 9th St; adult/child 6-12yr $7/3;
9am-5pm Jun-Oct, 11am-6pm Nov-May;
)
Although it sounds both cheesy and dreary, this is a surprisingly informative museum,
with mineral displays, gold-mining dioramas, a mock-up coal mine, and an introduction to
the local mining industry. Kids will find enough here to stay entertained for an hour or
two. You can get a combo ticket (adult/child $10/5) that includes a visit to the Matchless
Mine.
HISTORIC SITE
Matchless Mine
(E 7th Rd; adult/child 6-12yr $7/3, combo ticket with National Mining Hall of Fame $10/5; 9am-5pm, Jun-Sep)
This is where silver magnate and Colorado senator Horace Tabor made and then lost mil-
lions in the 1880s, and where his glamorous and sensational wife, Baby Doe, eventually
froze to death after spending the last three decades of her life in poverty.
The 45-minute tours visit Baby Doe's cabin and the mine's hoist tower, but don't actu-
ally descend into the mine itself. In summer, tours leave every half hour; get tickets at the
National Mining Hall of Fame.
Camp Hale
(Hwy 24)
About 16 miles north of Leadville on Hwy 24, just over Tennessee Pass, lies the
former US Army facility, Camp Hale. Established in 1942, it was created specifically for
the purpose of training the 10th Mountain Division, the Army's only battalion on skis. At
its height during WWII, there were over 1000 buildings and some 14,000 soldiers housed
in the meadow here.
After the war Camp Hale was decommissioned, only to be brought back to life again in
1958, this time by the CIA. Over the next six years, CIA agents trained Tibetan freedom
fighters in guerrilla warfare, with the goal of driving the communist Chinese out of Tibet.
MEMORIAL
