Lake City, Colorado

A Brief History of Lake City

Lake City was platted in 1874 near the meeting of Henson Creek and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, following the Hotchkiss Mine discovery. Incorporated on August 16, 1875, the town became a supply center for surrounding mining districts. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad completed its Lake City branch in 1889, reducing the cost of shipping ore. The silver panic of 1893 interrupted the mining boom, and the Golden Fleece Mine closed in 1904. Recreation gradually gained importance as mining declined; the Liska Cabins opened as an automobile tourist camp in 1929. Surviving mining-era buildings preserve the town’s earlier commercial life.