Never before have I seen such variation in building design and decor in one small place. Seems like anything goes here – or at least used to. There are about 30 vintage buildings in the downtown area, mostly Victorian, built in the late 1800s. The houses in town are a mixed bag, about 1/3 being cobbled together, jerry-rigged affairs. Another 1/3 are cute little old houses painted to look Victorian although few actually are, and the final 1/3 are modest newer homes. The wooded area west of town has many large modern homes plus the occasional, and seemingly inevitable, rundown places reminiscent of Dogpatch.
Here’s a bit more Leadville history. A surprising number of well-known names are associated with the place, including Houdini, Oscar Wilde, John Phillip Souza, and Sarah Bernhardt – all of whom entertained here. Doc Holiday has his last recorded gun fight in Leadville: he won of course but his opponent survived his wounds, and Doc was acquitted. John May of May Department Stores started here, as did Marshall Fields and the Guggenheims. Others included Margaret Brown, aka The Unsinkable Molly Brown; Buffalo Bill; Soapy Smith; Chicken Bill Lovell.
Trish made a great stew for dinner last night. It really hit the spot in this cool weather.
Speaking of food, here’s a bit of advice for those who take food on the road. If the last time you opened your half full jar of chili sauce was at 450’ altitude, you’ll want to aim it away from you when you reopen it at 8320’ altitude. Otherwise, you and the area around you will closely resemble a scene from one of those chainsaw massacre movies.
Oh, what a visual picture! I really did have to laugh.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing that so many well-known names came from such a short-lived town? Though I don't really recall Chicken Bill.