Breckenridge is a quaint mountain town tucked away in the Ten Mile Range. The 150-year-old Victorian town includes one of the state's largest National Historic Districts with 249 historic district structures.

Whether the appetite is for fresh air and sunshine, playing hard and breaking a sweat, or the pursuit of fine art, music and a delicious meal, this historic mining town is alive with variety. Enjoy more than 200 shops and boutiques, 75 dining options, the great outdoors, music, history and good times in Breckenridge!

Lighting of Breckenridge December 5, 2009
Breckenridge kicks off its holiday season with the annual lighting of the town tree, which brings together guests and locals every year to rejoice in true holiday spirit.

Victorian Holidays Celebration December 2009
Breckenridge's Victorian holiday season charms all ages with on-mountain competitions, strolling carolers, shopping on Main Street, visits from Santa and kids' activities throughout the month.

Ullr Fest January 10-16, 2010
This annual week-long celebration of Ullr (pronounced Ooh-ler), the mythical Norse god of snow, brings the legendary Main Street parade, live entertainment and bar series, the Ullr Dating Game, a Nordic party, Ullympics and a family ice skating party to Breckenridge.

20th Annual Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships Jan. 26-31, 2010
Each year, teams from around the globe descend on Breckenridge to hand carve 20-ton blocks of snow into beautiful works of art. This event is a family favorite named by USA Today as one of the top 10 ways to celebrate winter.

Bacchus Ball February 13, 2010
This kick-off to Mardi Gras includes live music, dancing, hurricanes, Cajun food, masks and beads and the crowning of the 2010 Mardi Gras REX and Queen!

Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Celebration February 16, 2010
A touch of "N'awlins" comes to Breckenridge and culminates with a festive procession of floats and lots of beads on Main Street!

Spring Massive April 1-18, 2010
This annual festival is a multi-faceted, interactive event including entertainment, family fun and competitions. The perfect event for spring skiing. Events include live concerts, Bite of Breckenridge, Massive Brewfest, Massive Laughs comedy nights and on-mountain competitions to name a few.

• Breckenridge
• Keystone
• Arapahoe Basin
• Copper Mountain

1) The largest crystallized gold nugget unearthed in Colorado's history - "Tom's Baby", weighing 13 lbs, 7 ozs - was discovered in 1887 near Breckenridge by miners Tom Groves and Harry Lytton.

2) In 1898, snow fell in Breckenridge for 79 days straight forcing the townspeople to build snow tunnels to get around.

3) In 2005, the Imperial Express SuperChair opened at the Breckenridge Ski Resort, becoming the highest chair lift in North America - summiting at 12,840 feet.

4) Breckenridge was home to Edwin Carter, a brilliant naturalist who assembled more than 15,000 stuffed birds and animals. Carter's life work became the core of what is now known as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

5) Breckenridge was home to Barney Ford, one of Colorado's first great leaders of African American heritage and civil rights and Breckenridge's first black businessman.

Gold Run Nordic Center 970.547.7889 or townofbreckenridge.com.

Breckenridge Nordic Center 970.453.6855 or breckenridgenordic.com.

Breckenridge Recreation Center State-of-the-art recreation center with indoor pools, hot tubs, basketball, racquetball and tennis courts, climbing walls, weights, track and aerobic classes. 970.453.1734 or townofbreckenridge.com.

Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge's skiing and snowboarding spans across four huge peaks with more than 2,300 acres, five terrain parks, four half-pipes, two high-speed six passenger SuperChairs, the highest chairlift in North America, the Imperial Express SuperChair, a top-notch Ski & Ride School, unparalleled grooming and exciting on-mountain events. In December 2006, the perfect mountain town got a little more perfect with the addition of Breckenridge's first gondola taking passengers on a scenic ride from historic Main Street to the base of Peak 8.

Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center
Better known as the "BOEC" offering ski programs for disabled skiers. 970.453.6422 or boec.org.

Breckenridge Welcome Center Featuring an information center, public restrooms and historical exhibits.

Stephen C. West Ice Arena Features an indoor ice arena and an outdoor ice rink. 970.547.9974 or townofbreckenridge.com.

Europeans began arriving in what is now Colorado not long after Columbus made his initial find. Spaniards searched for the Lost Cities of Gold, and the salvation of heathen souls became the task of brave mission-founders. The central Rockies, though, remained blesssedly

With the approach of Breckenridge's 150th Anniversary in 2009, it is important to reflect on the history and heritage that made this Victorian mining town what it is today. Breckenridge was inadvertently left off the official U.S. maps in the mid-1800s and became known as "Colorado's Kingdom" until the mistake was discovered nearly a half a century later in 1936 when it was finally incorporated.

Breckenridge's rich history is full of gold finds and mining, exploration and adventure, brothels and saloons, booms and busts. Founded in 1859 by a small group of men and one woman, the town's Gold Rush brought settlers in droves seeking their fortune. People came from across the country and around the world - from New England, Europe, South America and China - all to strike it rich.

The first settlers did more than erect a bustling town, they drew a community of colorful individuals who put their stamp on town history. Throughout Breckenridge's existence, the spirit of the community and surrounding landscape has inspired residents to participate in the town in their own unique way.

Father John Lewis Dyer, an itinerant Methodist minister who embraced the mountain life, made his way to Breckenridge in the 1860s. Father Dyer regularly skied across the Continental Divide on 12- foot long wooden skis to deliver the Gospel, sacks of gold and mail to the mining population. He founded a Methodist Church in 1880 and is well remembered today as the church remains active.

Naturalist Edwin Carter first came to Colorado to participate in the 1859 Gold Rush, but when he saw the destruction that mining and a growing population wreaked on local wildlife, he changed goals and embarked on a career as a naturalist. During his lifetime, Carter assembled over 15,000 specimens, many of which were used to launch the Denver Museum of Natural History.

Barney Ford became Breckenridge's first black businessman when he opened Ford's Chophouse, and is considered Colorado's first great leader of African American heritage. Highlights of Ford's life story include his escape from slavery, work with the Underground Railroad in Chicago, far-flung business endeavors and starting the first adult education program in the state.

On July 23, 1887, the largest gold nugget ever found in the state of Colorado was discovered in Breckenridge. Tom Groves walked into the town cradling the blanket-wrapped bundle that gained the name "Tom's Baby" and weighed in at 13.5 pounds. Three days later, the nugget was put on a train to Denver. It was not seen again for 85 years. In 1972, the Colorado State Historical Museum was prodded to examine gold specimens that had been deposited in a Denver bank in 1926. Sure enough, Tom's Baby was found, but over five pounds of the nugget remain missing.

Mining contiued to keep the little town afloat as the 20th century dawned. When World War II broke out, the drone of the massive dredge boats that had chewed their way up and down the valley waterways was finally silenced after decades of activity. It was the discovery of "white gold," that put the town on international maps.

Early in the 1960s skiing began carving its niche, and today the Breckenridge Ski Resort has four interconnected mountains, more than 2,300 skiable acres, the highest ski lift in North America and a dedication to providing a world-class experience for visitors.

For more information please visit the Breckenridge Welcome Center, 203 S. Main Street or contact the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance at 1.800.980.1859 or breckheritage.com.

Significant Dates in Breckenridge History
1859 Breckenridge Founded / Gold Discovered Along the Blue River.
1870 Hydraulic Placer Mine Introduced.
1879 Father Dyer The Itinerant Preacher started his church.
1880 Gold Mining Boom Time.
1882 Rail Service to Breckenridge over Boreas Pass.
1887 Tom's Baby, a 13-pound gold nugget discovered near Breck.
1889 Breckenridge population explodes to number in the 1000's.
1898 It snowed in Breck for 79 days / had to build snow tunnels.
1900 Phones and electricity introduced to town.
1936 Kingdom of Breckenridge first included in U.S. Map.
1942 World War II forces the end of the dredging industry.
1960 Breckenridge population 393.
1961 Breckenridge Ski Area opens on Peak 8.
1963 First ever Ullr Dag festival celebrated in Breckenridge.
1971 Breckenridge Peak 9 opens.
1973 Eisenhower Tunnel Completed.
1981 Historic structures entered as a National Register Historic District.
1985 Breckenridge Peak 10 opens.
1993 Riverwalk Center opens & Peak 7 opens.
1999 Breckenridge population 1,893.
2001 Breck Golf Club opens 9 new holes for a total of 27-holes.
2004 Barney Ford House Museum opens to the public.
2005 Imperial Express Superchair opens at the Breckenridge Ski Resort, becoming the highest ski lift in North America, at 12,840 ft.
2006 Gondola opens connecting the town of Breckenridge to the base of Peak 8 at the Breckenridge Ski Resort
2009 Breckenridge celebrates its 150th Anniversary