Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Leadville Leadville's Abandoned Silver Mine

Leadville's Abandoned Silver Mine

Abandoned silver mine strewn with wrecked and twisted structures.

Leadville, Colorado

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Runoff Collection Pond from Mine Tailings in Leadville Mining District.   http://gaussling.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/...
The derelict mining cabin above Ten Mile Ridge near the Leadville mines.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregness/3754...
  victoriabrogdon / Atlas Obscura User
  victoriabrogdon / Atlas Obscura User
  victoriabrogdon / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-14-23   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
  navdamme / Atlas Obscura User
Boston Mine   colleenmahoney / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  Entropical Paradise / Atlas Obscura User
  victoriabrogdon / Atlas Obscura User
5-10-22   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
  victoriabrogdon / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Immediately east of the town of Leadville, is the site of a vast abandoned silver mine. Pocked with all manner of twisted and decaying mining structures the disaster area takes on an immense and tragic beauty. Thousands of waste rocks and smelting piles litter the desolate landscape, standing in sharp relief to the area’s stunning skies.

The California Gulch/Yak Tunnel mining area was originally staked as part of Colorado’s gold rush. The district's biggest claim to fame didn’t come until two decades later when, in 1879, speculators found repositories of silver large enough that it single-handedly spurred what became known as the Colorado Silver Boom. Though silver mining had petered-out by the end of the 1800s, the last mine in operation didn't close its doors until 1999, leaving the mining district officially forsaken.

The greater Leadville area was designated a Superfund site in 1983 after the Environmental Protection Agency determined that public health and the environment were in danger due to high levels of lead in the soil and toxic substances (including arsenic) flowing directly into the groundwater and Arkansas River.

Note: Tasting the dirt and water is a bad idea, and therefore it is not advised to take young children or geologists to this site.

Related Tags

Abandoned Mines Abandoned Mines Disaster Areas

Know Before You Go

Drive due east of the town of Leadville, following the snaking county roads through the area.

Community Contributors

Edited By

littlebrumble, victoriabrogdon, Entropical Paradise, colleenmahoney...

  • littlebrumble
  • victoriabrogdon
  • Entropical Paradise
  • colleenmahoney
  • Darrell Powers
  • navdamme

Published

November 7, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadville_mining_district
  • http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/live/region8_co.html
  • http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/HM/rpcalgulch.htm
Leadville's Abandoned Silver Mine
Leadville, Colorado, 80461
United States
39.248008, -106.259251

Nearby Places

Tabor Opera House

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

The Legendary Silver Dollar Saloon

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

House With the Eye Museum

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leadville

Leadville

Colorado

Places 10
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Tabor Opera House

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

The Legendary Silver Dollar Saloon

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

House With the Eye Museum

Leadville, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leadville

Leadville

Colorado

Places 10
Stories 1

Related Stories and Lists

The United States of Abandoned Places

List

By Mar Nwe Aye and Charlotte Chadwick

Zombie Mines Haunt the Landscape

abandoned

By Eric Elder

Related Places

  • Living quarters

    Aouli, Morocco

    Ahouli Mines

    Large-scale operations in these mines ceased in the 1960s, leaving behind crumbling processing facilities and deserted living quarters.

  • Bamboo Creek Tin Mine

    Litchfield Park, Australia

    Bamboo Creek Tin Mine

    This site contains preserved ruins and industrial remnants of Western Australia's mining heritage.

  • Decrepit shed.

    Denio Junction, Nevada

    Homer Verne (Adams) Mine

    An isolated early 20th-century gold mine in the remote Pine Forest Range contains much preserved equipment.

  • Wild horses grazing on the abandoned complex

    Portugal

    Minas dos Carris

    An abandoned mining complex in Serra do Gerês.

  • Tomnadashan Copper Mine.

    Perth and Kinross, Scotland

    Tomnadashan Mine

    Monty Python fans will recognize this abandoned mine as the Cave of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

  • The village was abandoned after the mine closed in 1966.

    Portugal

    Mina de São Domingos (Sao Domingos Mines)

    An abandoned mine now resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape of derelict buildings and blood-red pools of water.

  • The Widow Jane is a “room and pillar” mine.

    Rosendale, New York

    Widow Jane Mine

    This old cement mine has been used as everything from a mushroom farm to a recording studio.

  • The abandoned Doc Holiday’s Cafe in Wittenoom.

    Wittenoom, Australia

    Wittenoom

    A town whose main resource was blue asbestos... what could possibly go wrong?

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.