Leadville Ice Palace
New Year’s Day, 1896. An enormous medieval castle opens in Leadville … made of ICE. The city hopes it brings in lots of tourist dollars to revive the flagging economy. Thousands from all over the country come to the frozen ice palace, greeted by a pair of towers ninety feet tall. Inside glistening ice walls five feet thick are ballrooms, exhibition halls and a skating rink swirling with a thousand skaters. The restaurant previews its menu with items frozen into the walls, and there are electric lights to illuminate the 58-thousand-square-foot space. Fireworks, winter sports and a theater add to the festive mood.
But the forecast of a lasting economic turnaround was not to be. An early thaw closed the palace after three months, and by May it melted away, as did hopes of making it a permanent structure. Today, a city park commemorates Leadville’s legendary Ice Palace.
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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
