In 1895, Leadville city leaders faced a dilemma. The silver mining industry had made the town quite wealthy. But then the silver market crashed, and the city's fortunes cratered right along with it. Residents were leaving in droves to seek better opportunities.
So, city leaders came up with an unusual idea to draw tourists to Leadville, entice people to live there, and give the remaining residents a sense of pride:
They decided to build a giant palace of ice.
What followed is a remarkable story of innovative engineering that drew visitors from thousands of miles away – at least for a few winter months, until the inevitable spring melt.
Windsor-based author Afton Rorvik paints a vivid picture of all of this in her book for kids and adults, The 1896 Leadville Ice Palace. Her research drew from the collections of the Heritage Museum and the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville.
She spoke with Erin O’Toole recently about why she finds this history fascinating – and why the story of the Ice Palace still resonates today. We’re listening back to that conversation today to mark the start of Colorado’s 150th birthday year. We’ll share more fascinating stories from Colorado history later this week on In The NoCo.
2026 marks a major birthday for Colorado, which became a state on Aug. 1, 1876. In honor of the 150th anniversary, KUNC News is exploring some of the most fascinating – and sometimes overlooked – stories from Colorado history.
