How America’s Silver Capital Became a City of Broken Millionaires: Leadville, Colorado

Leadville, Colorado was once the richest silver city on Earth — a mining boomtown built more than 10,000 feet above sea level, where fortunes were made overnight and lost just as fast. From the black sand of California Gulch to the silver mines of Fryer Hill, Leadville drew prospectors, immigrants, gamblers, gunfighters, millionaires, and legends of the Old West. Horace Tabor built an empire from a $60 grubstake. Baby Doe Tabor became one of the most tragic figures in Colorado history. Molly Brown found the life that would later make her famous. And beneath it all, thousands of miners worked underground by candlelight for a few dollars a day. But when the price of silver collapsed, the city that had seemed unstoppable fell with it. Mines closed. Banks failed. Workers were thrown into poverty. And the fortune that built Leadville left behind abandoned shafts, poisoned ground, and stories buried in the snow. This is the rise, fall, and survival of Leadville — America’s highest city. Copyright & Fair Use Disclaimer • This video is a non-commercial, educational history documentary created for commentary, criticism and research. • Some archival photos and footage are used under Fair Use, Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.