Copper Mountain is a resort located in Colorado's Summit County, near Denver. Copper Mountain is open for skiing and snowboarding approximately five months out of the year and is said to have the best powder in the world. The resort offers more than 2,400 acres and usually averages about 280 inches of snow per season.
Colorado's Copper Mountain was once home to the Ute and Arapaho Indian tribes several hundred years ago. The mountain had an abundance of elk, bear, deer and buffalo, which sustained the tribes. The tribes would set their camps at Copper and fish in the streams. They appreciated the beauty of the mountain.
In the 1800s, miners discovered that the land was rich with copper, giving the mountain its name. By 1880, a camp was set up for the miners. The settlement was called Wheeler Junction. It was established by Judge John S. Wheeler. The old settlement buildings can still be seen from the lifts. Wheeler Junction soon became home to fur traders, loggers and miners. The settlement grew as more miners staked claims. It soon offered a boarding house that held balls, dances and card-playing parties.
Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company purchased Copper Mountain in 1923 and built a mining facility on the site. The facility included a railroad and a mill. The facility was in operation until 1957 when the cost to transport the metal was more than the cost to mine it. Newmont Mining purchased Granby in 1972 and continued mining on the site until 1995, when the price of copper fell again.
When the U.S. Forestry Service surveyed the land at Copper Mountain in the 1970s, it stated that the land around Copper Mountain was optimal for skiing. (Copper Mountain has a significant amount of snowfall and sparse tree areas, and its terrain caters to a wide variety of skill levels.)
In 1971, Chuck Lewis purchased 280 acres of land at the base of the mountain from the U.S. Forestry Service. He had decided to build a ski resort. Shortly after the purchase, he began work on the ski trails. Over the years, the resort has grown to its expansive size. Copper Mountain is now owned by Intrawest, a resort management company.
The Copper Mountain Mine is looking at reopening the mines by 2010. Recent exploration has revealed other ore sources on the mountain. One of the old buildings at the mine site was sold to Compliance Energy. It plans to build a wood-fueled power plant at Copper Mountain.
