Things To Do at the Museum
Immerse yourself in intricate replicas of caves and mines, marvel at the masks once donned by miners for breathability and admire the carbide lamps that illuminated their paths through the depths. Witness captivating photographs showcasing the individuals who have steered American mines for generations.
You’ll uncover the vast array of resources extracted through mining, from dazzling gems and precious metals like gold to the essential minerals that enrich daily life. A special exhibit on molybdenum, still mined at the Climax Mine just north of Leadville on Highway 91, shows you how this mineral is used to strengthen steel in cars and everyday household items.
Children love the lifelike dioramas depicting miners toiling on hillsides, the fluorescent rocks dug from the earth and the immersive experience of traversing a walk-through coal mine alongside a life-sized miner and burro. Be sure to explore the model train layout illustrating the intricate process of transporting ore via railroads.
Known as the “Smithsonian of the Rockies,” the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum has been named a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. A monument to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the discovery, development and processing of the country’s natural resources, the museum immerses you in the story of mining through three levels of exhibits.
The museum and gift shop are open year-round, and tickets can be purchased online. You can also follow the museum on Facebook for fascinating mining info.
Watch a video about the mining museum
Matchless Mine & the Tabor Legacy
Right down the road is the legendary Matchless Mine, the place where one of Leadville’s most notorious silver kings, Horace Tabor, struck it rich and where his mistress-turned-wife died alone and penniless in 1935.
Horace Tabor amassed great wealth almost overnight when he bought the Matchless Mine in 1879, which became one of the most productive silver mines of the era. Soon after, he started a scandal when he left his wife Augusta, a respected community leader, for the young, beautiful Elizabeth “Baby Doe” McCourt. Horace and Baby Doe married, with wedding invitations fashioned from solid silver, but their high-flying lifestyle was not to last. When silver prices crashed, their fortune vanished. He died in 1899, leaving Baby Doe and their two daughters destitute.
Visitors can see the original mining shaft and headframe used to pull Tabor’s extraordinary wealth from the ground. You can also tour the newspaper-lined shack where Baby Doe lived out her final days, her feet wrapped in burlap to keep out the cold. Her body was found frozen in the cabin after a blizzard.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Matchless Mine boasts other tour-worthy points of interest, including the powder magazine and the hoist house. As a bonus, gold-panning lessons are included with the cost of admission.
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