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Glenn Ross Images/Getty Images; Colorado Historic Society/BreckenridgeTourism Office; Krista Long/Getty Images
GOLD
STANDARD
Breckenridge has evolved from a rugged mining
camp to one of the American West’s most inviting
and quintessential mountain towns.
BY J.B. BISSELL
INTERVAL WORLD ■ Issue 2, 2018 47
A century and a half ago, you likely would not have wanted to visit
Breckenridge. There were no comfortable resorts or funky souvenir
shops. There was no skiing. Hiking was done out of necessity, not
as an enjoyable recreational activity. And a can of beans with bacon
was about the best meal you could come by.
Breckenridge was born as a mining town, and if you’ve seen
any Hollywood versions of late 1800s–era Western frontier outposts,
you have an idea of what was going on during this hamlet’s ini-
tial historical heyday. The promise of gold in the area’s rivers and
mountains enticed fortune seekers and lovable scoundrels (lovable
in those Hollywood movies) to journey across the plains and over the
foothills, and into some treacherous alpine terrain that’s now known
as the Tenmile Range — which tops out at 14,265 feet above sea
level at the summit of Quandary Peak. Once here, they spent hard
days panning or mining for precious metal, and even harder nights
tossing back white lightning in one of the 18 local saloons.
It wasn’t a glamorous life back then, but all that gritty history
is exactly what makes Breckenridge such a cool place to visit
nowadays. It’s a real town, with real community roots. A few rough-
and-tumble folks who were facing potentially dire stakes founded
Breckenridge in 1859. Their stories and mythology are a perma-
nent piece of this place.
A place that has become a perfect mountain destination, a com-
bination of gorgeous scenery, endless recreation, and the type of
Old West charm most people only see in movies.
MAIN STREET
Things have changed a bit, of course. For starters, there’s now a
collection of nearly 100 restaurants and bars, so you’ve got plenty
of choices when it comes to deciding where to throw back whatever
your favorite version of white lightning might be.
Plan a fancy night out (as fancy as things get in the mountains)
at Hearthstone Restaurant. The artisan cheese plate and organic
mushroom soup are top-notch, but the true highlights are the
The Mountains
Are Calling.
or
at .
Getaways start at $497.
The Getaway price is valid for travel between
Nov. 1, 2018, and Feb. 28, 2019.
With rolling mountains,
rows of pine trees, and 26
miles of shoreline, Lake
Dillon, located 12 miles
north of Breckenridge,
paints the perfect
backdrop for any Rocky
Mountain vacation.
RIGHT: With 121 fully enclosed
cabins, each carrying up to eight
passengers, the Breckenridge
Gondola is a popular — and
free — attraction that transports
riders to the top of Peak 8.
INSET, TOP RIGHT: The Denver,
South Park, and Pacific Railroad,
which became part of the Union
Pacific rail system in 1880, was one
of the main tracks that ran through
Summit County into Breckenridge
and other neighboring towns.