History of Breckenridge - Summit County
Breckenridge is a quaint ski town tucked away high in the Ten Mile Mountain Range of Colorado. Known as a world class ski destination, with skiing on four mountain peaks, Breckenridge offers spring and summer activities as well including rafting, hiking, fly fishing, gold panning, jeep rentals, horseback riding, golfing, kayaking and biking.
Breckenridge boasts one of Colorado's largest national historic districts, with more than 200 designated buildings telling tales of a vibrant mining yesteryear. And its archeological significance goes back before recorded history, with hints of a nomadic existence left behind by Ute Indians who called this bit of geographical perfection "Nah-oon-kara." The translation has been lost to the eons, but scholars believe it means "softly beautiful valley."
Breckenridge got its start in 1859, as the first white settlers moved west across the Continental Divide in search of gold. A camp known variously as "Fort Maribeh" and "Fort Mary B" sprang up on the banks of the Blue River, with its tents, shacks and shanties providing barely enough shelter from the harsh winter.
The miners, all two dozen of them, were of hardy stock, and during their first months in the camp they hit upon a name for what was becoming a town. In 1860, to honor the nation's vice president (and to secure a post office), the rough and tumble bunch named the spot on the Blue "BreckINridge," after John Cabell Breckinridge, vice president under James Buchanan.
A few years later, when Abraham Lincoln sat in the Oval Office and Breckinridge sat in the Senate, the War Between the States fractured the nation. Breckinridge, in opposition to Lincoln's war plan, left the Senate and became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. The Town of Breckinridge was part of Union-allied Colorado Territory and changed the spelling of its name.
Still standing in our national historic district are numerous buildings that reflect the early days of this town, and either self-guided or group tours by the Summit Historical Society provide great insight into our first few decades.
Homes, shops, restaurants and commercial buildings have found haven in scores of original Breckenridge construction dating back before the turn of the 20th century.
In the mid-1960s another "gold boom" hit the Rocky Mountains, sweeping the perfectly situated Breckenridge into another fever. This time it was white gold, and Breckenridge Ski Resort began carving its own niche in the town's history as skiers began carving turns down the ever-increasing number of slopes.
Around this time skiing evolved from a sport to a lifestyle and people began making their home in Breckenridge and Summit County. As more people moved to the area building and buying homes real estate prices began to increase.
Over the years the ski area expanded from one peak to four and Breckenridge increased in popularity.
Today Breckenridge Ski Resort, among the expansive world-class holdings of Vail Resorts, is the second most popular ski area in North America, attracting more than a million skiers each winter. And the postcard-pretty town that is home to the ski resort continues to draw both first-time and seasoned visitors to its scores of events and hundreds of ongoing year-round activities.
Breckenridge's pride is not only in its colorful and considerable past. Its dynamic and progressive attitude today and the confidence with which it faces the challenges of the 21st century put this community heads and shoulders above many other resorts.
Information presented by travelfacts.com
|
|
Tyson Schaeffer, Broker Associate
Breckenridge and Summit County Colorado Real Estate Professional.
Toll Free - Cell Phone:
866-740-2217
tyson@tysonSchaeffer.com
|
Summit Real Estate
Mortgage Calculator
Summit County Real Estate by price range:
Under $150,000
$150,000 - $250,000
$250,000 - $400,000
$400,000 - $600,000
$600,000 - $800,000
$800,000 - $1,000,000
Over $1,000,000
Summit County Real Estate by property type:
Home for sale
Real Estate by Town:
Breckenridge Real Estate
|
To view all active Breckenridge - Summit County listings visit Summit County MLS.
|
