Breckenridge at 150
Original Watercolor by Ann T. Weaver

Stroll down Main Street.  You’ll begin in Breckenridge in 1859.  Wooden boardwalks underfoot, muddy ruts in the road.  A horse drawn stage like Dave Braddock drove between Breckenridge and Lincoln City.  The Silverthorn Hotel was the only building on Main Street to have its roof line running from north to south.  A popular lodging place in gold mining days, the hotel offered sheets and pillowcases to its guests. 

A miner heads next door perhaps to have his ore assayed.  Down the street, a young woman sweeps us into the present day – 150 years later. Ski runs grace the mountain vistas, and charming gas lights line Main Street.  Flowers and trees have been planted and structures restored.

Built in 1880 and later to become the “Miners Home Saloon”, the false-fronted building has housed shops and even goats.  Next door, the building started with “A. Turk, Chemist, Druggist”, then became a telegraph office, a dry goods store and a theatre. Today, shoppers browse and boys carry a banner celebrating the town’s birthday. Columbines are abundant, and the majestic peaks above town never change.

Prints of this image are available in 11”x14” and 16”x20” at Buffalo Mountain Gallery, 711 Granite Street, Frisco, CO 80443 (970-668-0705) and Hangtime Breckenridge, 135 S. Main Street, Breckenridge, CO 80424 (970-453-6335)