Did You Know that Colorado’s Highest City Once Had Suburbs?

The town of Leadville, Colorado is known for many things. It's the home of the Tabor Opera House, the annual Boom Days Celebration and its famous burro race, and the coldest campus of Colorado Mountain College in the state.

Read More: Burro Racing is an Annual Festivity in One Colorado Town |

Perhaps most well-known is its distinction as being the highest town in the state at 10,200 feet above sea level, but in Colorado's infancy Leadville wasn't the only town located in this high-altitude area as at one point, Colorado's highest town had two suburbs.

The Suburbs of Leadville Colorado's Past: Jacktown

If you happen to follow a Facebook page known as Colorado Fan Club, you may have noticed a fascinating post pop up recently regarding something called "Jacktown."

As you can see above, this area on the outskirts of the town is filled with rusty old relics and folk art, but at one time Jacktown was actually a suburb of Leadville.

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However, further down the road was once another, more notable suburb of Leadville.

The Suburbs of Leadville Colorado's Past: Stringtown

Back in the mining days of Colorado's infancy, smelter areas near mining operations were commonplace, and just south of Leadville sat one of these areas that was dubbed "Stringtown" back in 1888.

However, over the next handful of years, Stringtown grew into much more than a smelter area and became a town in its own right, even opening a school in 1893.

Eventually, both Jacktown and Stringtown were absorbed by Leadville, but if you find yourself cruising around town during Boom Days, it's likely that you'll notice businesses named after Leadville's old suburbs hanging onto the names to this day.