The town of Breckenridge is beautiful, charming and fun to walk around and take in. For visitors new to Colorado, spending time in Breckenridge is a wonderful way begin exploring Colorado. Located in Summit County, and just 20 miles or less to three other ski resorts, “Breck” sits in a U-shaped valley on the western slope of the Continental Divide. The Blue River goes through the middle of the town before going on to the Colorado River, and provides beauty and a social gathering place at the “Riverwalk”. Because the area is a high-alpine climate with an average of 300 days per year of sunshine, and snowfall of 300 inches on average, people enjoy being here year-round. In the summertime, the temperature rarely exceeds 80 degrees, and mild afternoon rain showers bring cool breezes to the community.

The history of the area dates back to when the Ute Indians used this region as summer hunting grounds from the White River and Middle Park to the Blue River. A few traders, trappers and mountain men joined the area around 1840 and when some gold was found in the Breckenridge area during the gold rush of 1859, gold miners and fortune hunters raced to the “Blue River Diggings”. It didn’t take long for the area to be settled. By the summer of 1860, a U.S. Post office was in place, and what started out as a single row of tents and shanties turned into hotels, stores and saloons. The area became the permanent seat of Summit County, Colorado.

During the Civil War, things slowed down and remained quiet until the Colorado Silver boom of 1879, when once again the town blossomed with prospectors. Breckenridge became firmly established and by 1880 the little town had two dancehalls, ten hotels and 18 saloons in addition to the Post Office, banks, grocery and drug store, newspaper office and of course the assay office. When the railroad came to town in 1882, Breckenridge was ready, and was dubbed “queen of the Summit County mining towns”.

“In 1887 the largest gold nugget found in the State of Colorado at that time was discovered near Breckenridge. Hard-rock miner Tom Groves walked into town cradling a 13-pound troy bundle that was appropriately named Tom’s baby, and, once again, Breckenridge was the place to be.”

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