About - Copper Mountain

In the mid 1800s during the Colorado gold rush, a few miners ventured to Copper Mountain looking for gold. Unless the miners didn’t tell anyone, not much gold or silver was found. There was a mine shaft dug on the peak of Copper Mountain which yielded some low-grade copper but the operation was unprofitable due to its extreme elevation. On Copper Mountain some silver was found in mines such as Storm King Tunnel, Reconstruction, Reno, and the Dorsey Mine. Some small mines on Copper included Sunset Lode, Amanda Lode and the Good Samaritan Lode. Much more ore and some rich copper and silver veins were eventually found in the Kelleher Mine, May Raney Mine, and Lupton Boy Mine, all on Wheeler Mountain.

If you know where to look, a few of the mine entrances and miners' cabins can still be seen today in secret locations throughout the resort.

In 1870s-80s Judge John S. Wheeler built the town of Wheeler at the base of Copper Mountain, between the present day Super B and A lifts. Judge Wheeler purchased the 320 acre property for $740.00. Wheeler was the first town known to have been built in the valley. Since the ore supply was minimal, the town of Wheeler's main industry was logging and the production of lumber needed for the mines and cabins that were active through the Ten Mile Canyon. Wheeler had a hotel, general store, post office and hay ranch which supported a large sheep herd.

During this period the town had several names in addition to Wheeler; Wheeler’s Ranch, Wheeler Station, Wheeler Flats and Wheeler Junction. In 1880 the population grew to 225. Because the location was central to the mining activity of the region, Wheelers became a cross roads and favorite watering hole for the 10,000 miners that were prospecting up and down the Ten Mile Canyon in towns such as, Frisco, Masontown, Cunningham, Excelsior, Curtin, Uneva Lake, Officers, Solitude, Bensons, Graveline, Recen, Breene, Kokomo, Robinson, Buffers, Carverns, and Carbonateville.

Transportation through this region was difficult and Wheeler eventually housed a stage coach stop in 1879 and a railroad station in 1882. The rail line ran from Denver through Georgetown and the Ten Mile Mining District of Wheeler and then went on to Kokomo and Leadville.

1882 a fire burned down the general store, post office, milk house, storage shed, and Judge Wheeler's private office. The billiard hall, blacksmith and wagon shop were saved along with Crawford’s Saloon which remained the hot spot. In 1900, Seth Crawford became Wheeler’s first official mayor. During that time Wheelers became a major shipping point for Summit County. It is reported that “three to four train loads of lumber and mining timbers were shipped daily from Wheeler.”

In 1883 the Rocky Mountain News wrote about the area: "The climate is the finest, clearest and purest in the world, the water comes fresh from melting snows…The pasturage…supports large numbers of livestock and herds of antelope, deer and elk… The hunting and fishing are simply unexcelled in the West.” Even then Copper was recognized for its natural beauty, unique alpine environment and natural resources that still exist today.