Historic Map - Leadville, CO - 1882

View of Leadville, Lake County, C.O., 1882 / drawn & published by H. Wellge.

This bird’s-eye view print of Leadville, Colorado was drawn by Henry Wellge and published by Beck & Pauli Lithographing Co. in 1882. Leadville was founded in the 1870's in the upper Arkansas River Valley when silver-lead deposits were discovered at that location. The town, sitting 10,152 feet above sea level, gained notoriety with the discovery of the valuable ore, and soon filled with miners and speculators.

One prosperous mine owner of the era was Horace Austin Warner Tabor, a store owner who established one mine at Leadville, then selling it and purchasing the very profitable “Matchless Mine”. Tabor earned much respect in Leadville, with civic improvements and the building of the popular Tabor Opera House. Mr. Tabor was elected mayor of Leadville in 1878 and later served as state senator.

During a stint at the opera house in 1882, writer Oscar Wilde toured the Matchless Mine to open the mine’s newly discovered “Oscar” lode. In a subsequent account of his visit to Leadville, Mr. Wilde wrote of his experience inside one of the rowdy saloons “were I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice “Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.””

In 1883, the infamous Doc Holiday made Leadville his home.

The illustration shows timber and mining interests, labeled streets, buildings and railroad route. Featured are inset illustrations of the following:

• Twin Lakes. 10,000 ft. above sea level.
• Iron Mill.
• Post Office. Harrison Street.
• Arkansas Valley Smelting Co. Works. American Mining & Smelting Co. Works.
• La Plata Mining & Smelting Co. Works.
• De-Maineville Block.
• Leadville Gold and Silver Mill Co. Works.
• Rock Mine.
• Oro City.

Features references to the following locations:

Court House.
Post Office.
Tabor Opera House.
Central School.
Ninth St. School.
Seventh St. School.
Carbonate Hill School.
Central Fire Station.
Hose House No. 3.
Harrison Reduction Works branch of St. Louis Smelting and Refining Co., St. Louis. Franz Fohr, General Manager.
A. R. Myers, Sampling Co. Works. Chas. T. Limberg, General Manager.
Elgin Smelting Works.
Cummings & Finn, Smelting Works.
Foundry, Boiler and Machine Works. Farrow & Co., Proprietors.
Excelsior Iron Works, Foundry and Machine Shop. A. Falkenau, Proprietor.
Pacific Iron Works, Foundry and Machine Shop. Frank Gay, Proprietor.
Brewery. Henry W. Gaw, Proprietor.
Franklin House. Jos. Becker, Proprietor.
Fifth Ave. Hotel. A. H. Kellogg, Proprietor.
Grand Pacific Hotel. Wm. A. Keller, Proprietor.
Maine House. C. F. Daly, Proprietor.
Bank of Leadville.
City Bank.
First National Bank.
Merchants and Mechanics Bank.
Gas Works.
Denver and Rio Grande R. R. Depot.
Denver and Rio Grande R. R. Round House.
Door and Sash Warehouse and Lumber Yard. J. D. Griffiths, Proprietor.
Planing Mill and Shingle Manufactory. W. D. Scott, Proprietor.
Tabor Milling Company Works.
The Leadville Daily and Weekly Democrat. Democrat Printing Co., Publishers.
The Leadville Daily and Weekly Herald. Herald Printing Co., Publishers
Chronicle.
Leadville Gold and Silver Mill Co.
Baptist Church.
Congregational Church.
Episcopal Church.
Methodist Church.
Presbyterian Church.
Roman Catholic Church of Enunciation.
Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart.
A. Methodist Episcopal Church.
St. Vincent Hospital.