Leadville Colorado Park Was Once Home to a Giant Ice Palace

Today, visiting any of the ice castles across Colorado is a fun and breathtaking winter experience for the entire family. However, just before the turn of the 20th Century, one of the most impressive ice castles ever documented in Colorado rivaled almost anything you'll find nowadays.

Read More: Colorado’s Ice Castles Find Two New Homes this Year |

Keep scrolling to learn about Leadville, Colorado's Ice Palace.

Colorado History: Leadville's Ice Palace

Today, you'll find a park in the heart of Leadville along West 10th Street known as Ice Palace Park. It was near here that the Ice Palace was born back in 1896.

Get our free mobile app

Following the mining boom, Leadville lost a considerable number of residents and with the economy in shambles, a real estate developer by the name of Edwin Senior came up with the idea to draw people to the struggling town with a winter carnival.

The idea was inspired by similar celebrations in Minnesota and Canada, each of which featured an ice palace.

Construction began on Leadville's Ice Palace in late 1895 with hopes of kicking off the festivities on Christmas but those plans were halted by unseasonably warm weather.

However, the Ice Palace was completed by January of 1896 and was nothing short of impressive. The structure measured 450 feet by 320 feet, with towers ranging from 60 to 90 feet in height on the exterior, while a massive skating rink and two ballrooms were found on the inside.

Of course, despite the sheer size of the structure and the countless man hours of work it took to construct it, the Ice Palace became a thing of the past later that spring as it slowly melted away.

While the idea unfortunately didn't stimulate the local economy as many had hoped, photographs of the Ice Palace that you can see in the video above were taken and serve as a reminder of the short-lived castle in the heart of Leadville.