Gold was discovered along the Blue River which runs through present day Breckenridge in 1859. The Gold Pan Saloon was established in 1859 and is the longest continuously operating bar west of the Mississippi. In 1861, Breckenridge was added as a freight wagon destination originating in Denver. By 1882, the railroad had arrived.
Beginning in 1898 until it was halted in 1942, Breckenridge was home to “dredge mining”. Monstrous two-story mining dredges weighing one-million-pounds navigated Breckenridge’s rivers. They would dredge to a depth of 45-feet leaving a pile of tailings on either side of the river. They were monumentally destructive to the environment. A replica of one of the gold dredges has been reconstructed and houses a restaurant.
With the passing of mining as an economic engine, Breckenridge floundered through the 1940’s and 1950’s as did most of the future mountain ski towns. With the lure of potential ski industry fortunes, Rounds and Porter, a Wichita Kansas lumber company, opened the Breckenridge Ski Area. The opening of the Eisenhower Interstate-70 Tunnel in 1973 reducing the drive time from Denver to Breckenridge to an hour and a half and the rest is history!
There remains more than 350 historic structures in Breckenridge today, making it the largest historic district in Colorado. Breckenridge is known for its fine dining and quaint shopping. The City of Breckenridge takes great pride in its parks, amenities and Historic Downtown. Enjoy Breck!