A Brief History of Breckenridge

Breckenridge may be a small town with less than 2,500 people, but it is certainly big on fun. How did it get to where it is today? The town was created in November 1859 by General George E. Spencer. The name of Breckinridge was chosen by Spencer with the purpose of flattering the government to get a post office. The United States Vice President at the time, you see, was John C. Breckinridge.

Spencer�s plan worked and the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City went up in Breckenridge. What�s that? You say it�s spelled BreckENridge and not BreckINridge? Well, the town was originally spelled Breckinridge, but when John C. Breckinridge sided with the Confederates at the start of the Civil War, the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge changed the spelling of the town�s name, and it has stayed that way ever since.

The reason folks ended up in Breckenridge in the first place was due to the Gold Rush of 1859. Prospectors entered the area soon after the placer gold discoveries farther east of the area. Breckenridge was founded to serve the needs of the miners. Gold production decreased by the late 1800s but was later revived in 1908. The gold mines around Breckenridge have since all been shut down, but some are still open to tourists.

As the 20^th century rolled on, it didn�t take long before the beautiful Breckenridge area to become a tourist hot spot. Once the sport of skiing became popular, the area became the quaint little resort town we�ve come to know and love.