After taking photographs of the aspens up on Boreas Pass Road this past Monday, I headed back down to Breckenridge to walk around a bit. Breckenridge is my favorite Colorado mountain town, filled with Victorian era houses and commercial buildings now occupied by shops, bars, and restaurants, many with outdoor patios. Perfect for a fall afternoon. Breckenridge was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush, and after the gold petered out, it had another boom when silver was discovered in 1879. But the opening of the Breckenridge Ski Resort in 1961 put the town on the map, and these days Breckenridge is a popular destination for visitors both winter and summer.
As can be seen in the photograph on the right, the fall colors are on full display in Breckenridge, brightening up Ruby Jane, a fashion accessories store. The building they are located in is also known as the H.H. Vogan House, built in 1898. Herb Vogan was a prospector, and lived there with his family, but would head to sunny Arizona to do prospecting in the winter and return in the spring, once the weather improved. I bet that really endeared him to his wife and kids, enduring those harsh winters on their own. Just sayin'.
The house now housing Olive Fusion in the photograph on the left is also known as the Albia Hoopes House and was built in 1880. Hoopes was a hardrock miner, who in 1883 became owner of the Laurium Mine, which became a major producer in the area. In 1948 it was purchased by "Madam" May Nicholson as a retirement home, where she lived until she passed away in 1971, and the place eventually became Olive Fusion, which sells olive oils, spices, teas, as well as may other products I would never purchase in a million years. But I do like the house. Perhaps they could start brewing beer and add an outdoor patio. Now THAT would get my attention.
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