Breckenridge's Historic Past

A town's character - real or perceived - is often a deciding factor for tourists making a decision about where to vacation.

Breckenridge is one town that has "character."

"We have differentiation from other communities," said outgoing town council member Larry Crispell, also a bit of history buff in his own right." (Our history) is the critical differentiation. We should be out shouting it from the roof tops - we are an historic community. We are a real town," he said.

Turning the town's history into dollars is a challenge unique in its own right, though. And town officials are anxious to come up with a specific plan that will leverage the town's rich history into increased tourist traffic.

Gaining a fresh perspective about the town's many historical assets is the first step that the town's taken. They've spent $30,000 to hire two consultants who are charged with analyzing historic sites around town, and then devising a strategy that will lure tourists specifically interested in checking out the history and heritage that makes up the town's back story.

The "heritage master plan," based on input from the two consultants, is expected later this year, after they've taken a hard look at the many disparate but plentiful historic sites and attractions in the area. The heritage master plan will, in theory, pull many of those pieces together, and make it easier for the town to market packages based on Breckenridge's history to inquisitive tourists from around the globe.

"We've been doing (historic preservation and promotion) kind of piecemeal," said Breckenridge town manager Tim Gagen. "Now we felt it was time to figure out what's the best model to move forward with in trying to pull all of those pieces together."

As Crispell explains, the town has taken an active role in the last few years "to acquire, partner, protect, preserve and restore" sites in and around Breckenridge that are worth preserving for their historical value.

In just the past couple of years, the town has made strides in purchasing a number of historic mining properties, most notably the B&B Mine - at the heart of the Golden Horseshoe area set to welcome hikers and bikers to its wild environment in the near future.

Breckenridge has also recently acquired rustic dredge boat properties, and is set to restore and interpret those areas as historic markers as well.