Prospectors entered what is now Summit County during the Pike Peak Gold Rush of 1859, soon after the placer gold discoveries farther east at Idaho Springs. Breckinridge was founded to serve the miners working rich placer gold deposits discovered along Georgia Gulch. Placer gold mining was soon joined by hard rock mining, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins in the hills. Gold in some upper gravel benches north of the Blue River was recovered by hydraulic mining.
Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about one million troy ounces (about 31,000 kilograms) of gold.
The gold mines around Breckenridge are all shut down, although some are open to tourist visits. The characteristic gravel ridges left by the gold dredges can still be seen along the Blue River and Snake River, and the remains of a dredge are still afloat in a pond off the Swan River.
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The town of Breckenridge was formally created in November 1859 by
General George E. Spencer. Spencer chose the name Breckinridge after the United StatesVice President of the time, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky in the hopes of flattering the government and gaining a post office. Spencer succeeded in his plan and a post office was built in Breckinridge, it was the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City, UT.
However, when the Civil War broke out in 1861, the 40-year-old former vice president sided with the Confederates (as a brigadier general) and the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge decided to change the town's name. The first _i_ was changed to an _e_, and the town's name has been spelled _Breckenridge_ ever since.
Breckenridge's climate is considered to be high-alpine with the tree line ending at 11,500 ft.[7]
The average July high and low are 73 °F and 39 °F respectively. The
average January high and low are 31 °F and 0 °F respectively. The
record high is 89 °F set in July, 1939; the record low is -46 °F set in
December, 1924.[8] The city receives in excess of 300 inches of snowfall per year, causing the valley basin to have only 30 frost-free days each year.[7] The highest average precipitation occurs in July with 1.75 inches; the average low of 0.78 inches occurs in October.[8]
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2408 people, 1081 households, and 380 families residing in the town. The population densitywas 187.8/km² (486.4/mi²). There were 4270 housing units at an average density of 333.1/km² (862.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.56% White, 0.37% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.44% of the population.
There were 1081 households out of which 13.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the town the population was spread out with 11.1% under the age of 18, 22.8% from 18 to 24, 45.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 2.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 160.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 164.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,938, and the median income for a family was $52,212. Males had a median income of $29,571 versus $27,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,675. About 5.2% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
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