Climax - Colorado Ghost Town

CLIMAX

NAME: Climax
COUNTY: Lake
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 5
CLIMATE: Cold winter with snow, cool summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer

COMMENTS: Near Copper Mountain.
REMAINS: Current Mine .

Climax has the distinction of having a post office and railroad station at the highest elevation in the United States. The town didn't achieve much importance until the early 1900s when a mineral identified as molybdenum was discovered. Although there was some gold mining activity prior to 1900 when the mineral was identified, it didn't amount to much. Even then there wasn't much call for molybdenum until World War I when molybdenum mining got its start. The mineral is used in the making of radio tubes, auto and plane parts, and in chemical compounds and dyes. The Climax Molybdenum Company has employed more than a 1000 people, most of whom lived in Leadville after 1959. A 1959 strike nearly made a ghost town out of Climax. Eventually, the mines reopened with what few people were left in the area. The city was named Climax because it is near the summit of Fremont Pass. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth. Hi! I just wanted to share some important information with you regarding the information you have posted on CLIMAX COLORADO. Climax sits at 11.300 ft in Altitude. During her hey day she was the worlds leading producer of MOLYBDENUM ( used in hardening steel) (She supplied 3/4ths of the worlds moly) At one time she ahd the largest mine tunnel EVER built. She employed over 65,000 people, most of whom never even lasted more than 2 months. Her payroll was well over $80 million dollars per year, with an income of $12 million dollars per year operating profit. Climax originally had a school, a hospital and housing for employees, the school won national awards. And the mine itself won national safety awards in the 50’s. The houses were eventually moved to Leadville and put in what is now the West Park subdivision in Leadville. Many of the houses were loaded up on huge flat bed trucks and moved down Hwy 91, along with apartments buildings which are still used today in leadville.. The house that I grew up in had to cut in four big pieces and moved with four different trucks, and also still stands and houses people today. My father supported his family of ten by working almost 40 years at Climax, he saw much of the rise and fall of this mine. Bridgette Crosby

Climax has the distinction of having a post office and railroad station at the highest elevation in the United States. The town didn't achieve much importance until the early 1900s when a mineral identified as molybdenum was discovered. Although there was some gold mining activity prior to 1900 when the mineral was identified, it didn't amount to much. Even then there wasn't much call for molybdenum until World War I when molybdenum mining got its start. The mineral is used in the making of radio tubes, auto and plane parts, and in chemical compounds and dyes. The Climax Molybdenum Company has employed more than a 1000 people, most of whom lived in Leadville after 1959. A 1959 strike nearly made a ghost town out of Climax. Eventually, the mines reopened with what few people were left in the area. The city was named Climax because it is near the summit of Fremont Pass. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

Hi! I just wanted to share some important information with you regarding the information you have posted on CLIMAX COLORADO. Climax sits at 11.300 ft in Altitude. During her hey day she was the worlds leading producer of MOLYBDENUM ( used in hardening steel) (She supplied 3/4ths of the worlds moly) At one time she ahd the largest mine tunnel EVER built. She employed over 65,000 people, most of whom never even lasted more than 2 months. Her payroll was well over $80 million dollars per year, with an income of $12 million dollars per year operating profit. Climax originally had a school, a hospital and housing for employees, the school won national awards. And the mine itself won national safety awards in the 50’s. The houses were eventually moved to Leadville and put in what is now the West Park subdivision in Leadville. Many of the houses were loaded up on huge flat bed trucks and moved down Hwy 91, along with apartments buildings which are still used today in leadville.. The house that I grew up in had to cut in four big pieces and moved with four different trucks, and also still stands and houses people today. My father supported his family of ten by working almost 40 years at Climax, he saw much of the rise and fall of this mine. Bridgette Crosby

BACK