Harrison Avenue, Leadville, Colorado

Abstract

Postcard with a photograph of Harrison Street in Leadville as it appeared in 1880. Identifiable establishments in the photo include John Lieninger Books and Stationary, a crockery and glassware store, a mining real estate office, and the entrance to a saloon known as The Church (on the right) with men sitting in front of the saloon. Also shown is Pap Wyman's cabin in the middle of the street, which he refused to move--the city council was eventually forced to move it. The blocks of stone in the foreground were for a bank building that was under construction. A prospector and his burro appear in the lower left corner (image of prospector and burro pasted into photograph). The caption on photograph NMHFM-231 identifies this person as Frank Gimlet (aka Frank E. Gimlett), the hermit of Arbor Villa (i.e. Arbourville). The Leadville mining district was one of the largest lead-silver ore producers in the US. Placer gold was first discovered in the area of California Gulch in 1859,