|
August 7, 2026 - The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum has opened CO 150: 1876 – 2026, an exhibit commemorating Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood by telling the story of the boomtown that helped bankroll it. The exhibit covers the three decades surrounding statehood — from the 1860 discovery of gold in California Gulch to the shipment of silver bars out of the district in 1890 — through historic black-and-white photographs, a newly produced documentary film, and then-and-now views of mines still visible from the Mineral Belt Trail.
Colorado entered the Union on August 1, 1876. Leadville was founded two years later, in 1878, and within a decade had grown from a placer gold camp into one of the richest silver districts in the world. A central gallery of photographs documents the many “Leadville firsts” achieved by the district’s early pioneers — the people who built the schools, businesses, railroads, and mining operations behind that transformation.
“What I love about this exhibit is that you can see some of the firsts that came out of Leadville's humble beginnings. It's wonderful to see historic images of these places and then walk out the door, get right on the Mineral Belt Trail, and see what's left of them. Not many places let you stand in the midst of history that way. I hope everyone will visit the exhibit and then walk or ride the trail and realize they're standing at ground zero of where fortunes were made and lost.” said Meg Carr, President of the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum.
A short documentary video, produced with grant funding from the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, traces the transformation of the ore transport railway that once served the Leadville Mining District into the Mineral Belt Trail — the 11.6-mile paved loop that today carries walkers, cyclists, and skiers over the same grades that once carried ore. Accompanying photographs pair mines visible from the trail at the height of their production with the same sites today, most now standing as ruins.
CO 150: 1876 – 2026 is on view now through December 31, 2028 and is included with regular museum admission. The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum is located at 120 West 9th Street in Leadville and is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. For admission rates, group tours, and directions, visit mininghalloffame.org or call (719) 486-1229.
|
