1859
Gold
The town is founded.
Breckenridge started as a gold-mining town, and the old miners' buildings still line Main Street. The town's historic district is one of the largest in Colorado.
Breck extra
Breckenridge history: gold rush to ski town
A short history of Breckenridge: the gold rush, the Gold Pan, the ski area’s 1961 opening and how the runs got their names.
Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
History
From gold town to ski town
Breck was a mining town for a hundred years before it was a ski town, and you can still see it. The buildings on Main Street are Victorian, the runs are named after miners and locals, and the oldest bar in town has been open since 1861.
Here's the short version, with the stories behind some of the run names you'll ski.
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- Town founded1859
- Gold Pan opened1861
- Ski area openedDecember 16, 1961
- Imperial SuperChair2005
- Peak 6 openedDecember 25, 2013
Breck through the years
Timeline
1861
The Gold Pan
Breck’s first bar.
Long's Saloon opened in a tent for miners. The permanent building went up in 1879, it became the Gold Pan in 1953, and it's still pouring today.
1961
The ski area opens
December 16, 1961.
The ski area opened on Peak 8. Four O'Clock was probably the first run cut through the woods, and it was named because it was the way down to town at closing time.
Late 1970s
Hollywood runs
High Anxiety and The Goodbye Girl.
When 20th Century Fox owned the ski area, new runs were named after 1977 films. High Anxiety and The Goodbye Girl are still on the map.
2005 to 2007
Imperial and the gondola
Higher and easier to reach.
The Imperial SuperChair opened in 2005, the highest chairlift in North America. The free BreckConnect Gondola from town opened in early 2007.
2013
Peak 6
Christmas Day, 2013.
Peak 6 opened on December 25, 2013, with the Kensho SuperChair and the Zendo Chair, adding 543 acres of high-alpine terrain.
Run names
Where the run names come from
Peak 8
Rounders and Callie’s Alley
The founders.
Named after Bill "Rounder" Rounds, the resort's first developer, and his wife Carolyn, known as Callie.
Peak 8
Springmeier
A local character.
Named after Alva Springmeyer, a well-known local from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Peak 8
Little Johnny
A lift operator.
Named after Johnny Sheron, a lift operator in the 1960s with a reputation for parties.
Peak 8
Spruce
The state tree.
Named after Colorado's state tree, the blue spruce.
Check before you go
Official links
Keep exploring
More from Breck extra
Quick tip
Ski & snowboard rental
Book online before you arrive and pick your gear up in town the evening before. The morning rush at the base shops can eat your first hour, and booking ahead can be cheaper.
Quick tip
Lift tickets & the Epic Pass
Breck is on the Epic Pass. Buying a ticket at the window on the day is the most expensive way up the hill, so buy ahead online or look at an Epic Day Pass if you're here for a few days.
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